Prospecting & Detecting
Time to Stake Your Own Mining Claim
February 2020 by Chris Ralph
So let’s dive in and see what I can do to convince you that this is the year you should be out staking your own claims.
Prospecting Research
These are just some of the ways I have been able to find new spots to metal detect for gold.
Reading A River: Understanding Erosion and Gold
Rivers are not just random and accidental; streams and other drainages are what they are because of the forces of erosion acting on the bedrock.
Following Clues to an Old Mill and Vein Strike
My last update on this adventure was in the April 2012 issue and involved our search for the northern extension of the Cedarberg Mine. At that time we had found it and we were in the process of returning for some detecting when Mother Nature struck with a late rain and snow storm.
Step-by-Step Crevicing
Gold trapped in the cracks can be encrusted close to the walls or mixed with sand and pebbles, making the gold difficult to see and then extract. Crevicing requires a lot of patience to achieve positive results.
SS Central America Gives Up Millions in Gold Rush Era Gold
A treasure-seeking young man whose name will forever remain anonymous made the months-long journey either over land or by sailing ship to California after word spread about the gold strike in 1849.
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.
Diary of a Diamond Prospector
I couldn’t wait to get started. With no field budget, an assay budget of $100/year, a 1975-Ford Bronco that was a road hazard, a gas card, a topo map and full support of the director, I headed to the State Line district near Tie Siding along US Highway 287 to begin mapping kimberlite.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Can you explain how caliche forms?
• Ask The Experts - How does gold form?
• Ask The Experts - Do you think it’s realistic for a detectorist to recover a couple of ounces per week if working full time?
• Ask The Experts - Can you suggest proper discrimination settings for my detector?
• A Day On The Yuba River
• Determining The Optimal Crushing Size for Gravity Recovery
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The Pains of Prospecting
• To Foam or Not to Foam
• Following Man-Made Ditches to Recover More Gold
• Sixteen to One Gold Mine: Going Underground - Pt II
• All About Native Silver
• Internet Forum Gold
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
