Small Mining Operations
Underground Mining: Stoping Methods
October 2016 by Chris Ralph
In an old mine that does not have stopes, you know the old miners did not take much if any ore out of that excavation. On the other hand, if you see large stopes within the mine you know that it is these places where the miners found profitable ore deposits within the vein.
Hard Rock Milling: A Matter of Scale
Most prospectors understand placer mining a lot better than hard rock mining and don’t realize the amount of work that goes into processing different types of hard rock ore.
Gold Recovery with Centrifugal Bowls
Centrifugal bowls are very efficient, and with proper operation they can consistently achieve gold recoveries above 95% with gold of about 50 mesh size.
Extracting & Smelting Your Gold
Unfortunately, not all the gold that we prospectors find is pretty, or appealing to the eyes. They are not all nice, bright, shiny nuggets with lots of character that carry high collector value.
Nome Offshore Dredging Creates Challenges
The Alaska state government has been trying to keep up with and maybe even stay on top of the situation by studying the problems associated with rapid growth and how to solve them.
Good Research and Bad Luck
With every look at the box I was pulling out a few pickers and a nugget or two. The smile I had the previous night just got bigger and bigger throughout the day.
Critical Minerals: Titanium
The metal is expensive, not because it is rare but because of the expense to produce and work it. The minerals mined for titanium are all oxides, unlike many base metals that are mostly mined as sulfide minerals.
Exploring Placers with Auger Drills
Augers can be used effectively for placer exploration with certain limitations.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts: Should I remove someone else’s claim post from my claim?
• Ask The Experts: Question about resolving a quitclaim error
• A New Prospecting Spot
• MMAC & PLP Update
• Digging It Dry
• Alternative Financing Alternatives
• Dredging Therapy
• Moving The Big Rocks
• Modesto, California Man Finds 18-Ounce Nugget
• New ICMJ Website Almost Here
• California State & National Gold Panning Championships
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
