Prospecting & Detecting
Understanding Rock Formations: Petrology for Prospectors
February 2021 by Chris Ralph
There are times when being able to recognize a type of rock can make you a much more successful prospector.
Buying a Mining Claim: Questions to Ask

A Golden Vacation
Each day for the first part of the week my boys and I picked and chipped away at that wall, stockpiling dirt in 5-gallon buckets and cement mixing tubs.
Ask the Experts
• Using drywashers to work desert gravels
Southern Oregon's Illinois River—A Lesson in Sharing
Our theory was that a dredge would collect far more material in a shorter period of time, leaving us with ounces of gold every day.
Sixteen to One Gold Mine: Going Underground - Pt II
We descended hunched over, down a long, steep, wooden staircase to the 1,000-level.
Internet Forum Gold
I made my way up past where I left off and the wash was going to end in about 100 feet. It was then I got a sweet signal.
Making Adjustments to Catch Fine Gold
This fine gold that is so common is probably the most notorious for eluding our riffles and mattings.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Where did the gold go?
• Ask The Experts - True north or magnetic north?
• Ask The Experts - How do I avoid claim jumping?
• Ask The Experts - Are closed placer and lode claims worth my time?
• Gold Geochemistry: Where Does Gold Come From?
• Goal Setting and Rock Tossing
• Principles of Designing Your Mill Production System, Part II: Mill Design
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: A Claim to Die For
• Tips and Tricks: How to Make Your Own Gold Bars Without Burning the Place Down
• Minnesota Lawmakers Move to Stop New Mines
• Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part I
• Seven Troy Ounces of Premonition?
• I Was Looking for Gold But I Found Jade
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices