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.
Tips for Detecting Nugget Patches
ICMJ Visits Sonora, CA
June 2023Key to Successful Prospecting: Confidence
The one undeniable truth in prospecting is that the more time you spend in the field, the more gold you will find. Here are a few keys I use to help build my confidence.
Strategies for Detecting Heavily Pounded Areas—Part III
This helps me to see if there is a pattern taking place with where I am finding nuggets, and when I study the map layer with all of my pins marking nuggets, I can drop in new pins where I want to search the next day.
Indicators and Hillsides
The placer gold shows up in ground sluice areas, hydraulic pits, secondary channels and hillside diggings. It is coming down the hillsides from an ancient channel left high and dry millions of years ago.
Sampling for Success—Part II
The first and most important thing of the sampling process is to try to be as unbiased as possible. There is a natural tendency to select rock that looks the best—even unconsciously.
The Big Picture
May 2023
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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
