Prospecting & Detecting
The Value of Old Patches
June 2019 by Michael Greyshock
Nuggets make for the best memories and this patch was just adding to mine. In the hours of daylight I had left, I worked from that nugget to the bottom of the patch, collecting eight more nuggets.
A New Prospecting Spot
Once indicators start showing up along or below a contact I start to get excited. When I have shale, and outcroppings of diorite with iron-red, gritty soil and some clay thrown in, I really get lightheaded. I may be a mile away from the nearest diggings but that’s okay. I just found a spot that could provide some nice nugget hunting.
Mud Men: Pocket Miners of Southwest Oregon Part II
How many more clays seams lie adjacent to known shear zones and quartz veins in the pocket areas of southwestern Oregon?
Pros and Cons of Big Detector Coils
Years later I returned with a new detector with a smaller coil and detector technology more sensitive to smaller nuggets. I found my first nugget within five minutes. I had a second five minutes after that.
The Gold Of Horseshoe Bend
And we eventually reached gold. It was a winding crevice of beautiful white quartz lined with small nuggets and loaded with fine gold. There were flakes and small granular pieces—there had to be a hundred or more.
Rattler's Gold
Rick donned a pair of fiberglass shin guards that he normally wore dredging, just in case he uncovered the rattlesnake during his digging and rock moving. I wasn’t convinced they were going to provide enough protection.
Uphill Battle Continues for California Dredgers
There are currently three controlling agencies or entities over suction dredging in California—and you can make that four if the state legislature decides to further muddy the waters with additional legislation to block suction gold dredging in the state.
Dredging Safety: Don't Ignore The Warning Signs
At first, I tried to shift things around, but then a hand with a rock would appear, so I would stop trying to adjust my gear and grab the rock to keep things moving.
Subscription Required:
June 2019 (Vol. 88, No. 10)
• The Bawl Mill
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Ask The Experts - Can you provide information on gold in Ghana?
• Ask The Experts - Geophysics and gold deposits
• Ask The Experts - Do these items qualify as mechanized equipment?
• Ask The Experts - EPA Method 6020 testing
• Ask The Experts - New detector or stick with the old?
• A 'Rare' Opportunity for America
• Tips for Cleaning Gold Nuggets
• How Long Does It Take to Find and Recover An Ounce of Gold?
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: In A Tight Spot
• Detecting Wet Ground Yields More Fun Than Gold
• Over The Divide: Jim Straight, 1930-2019
• Beach Mining for Placer Gold
• Reno's 1872 Time Capsule Includes Gold Rush Lore
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
Free:
PLP Update
• Comments Needed On Pebble Project Draft EIS
