Prospecting & Detecting
What's In A Name?
November 2016 by Ray Mills
The names attached to these areas came about from many sources. Many are easy to see why the name was given while others had a more contrasting note to them.
The Subsurface Suction Dredge
The problems of the submersible dredge tube are addressed by the subsurface dredge, where the enclosed sluice recovery tube is suspended from a flotation assembly...
Habits, Procedure, and Where Is The Gold?
In my early days of nugget hunting things were fairly simple. Just headphones, a pack, a detector and a small pick were all I needed for my search for great wealth.
Digging It Dry
I believe dry washing is an underappreciated prospecting method. There are plenty of places where there is some pretty decent gold to be had, but the spot is a long way from any water and dry processing may well be the best way to go.
Our 29-Troy-Ounce Golden Blessing
I picked up a noticeably heavy, fist-sized chunk of what I thought was a heavy piece of iron. After wiping some of the dirt and clay off, I still didn't know what on earth this object was.
My Lucky Thirteen Nuggets
Even with my favorite top-of-the-line gold detector there were several false digs. Many of the hot rocks gave a solid signal that was too much like a nugget to ignore. After trying several tests I just dug everything because it is better to be safe than leave a big, deep nugget for a more diligent gold hunter.
The Art of Underwater Nugget Shooting
There is a surprising amount of detectable gold under the water’s surface. The right tools make it much easier to find, and with a little patience and practice you can take advantage of this underappreciated bonanza.
The "Madonna Nugget"—A Weekend Hunt to Remember
I worked my way to a flat area along a ridge where I could see a quartz blowout. As I got within 100 feet of it, I started seeing rock that I knew to be associated with gold.
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The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Detecting: Small Creek Yields Good Gold
• Ask The Experts: Is this BLM demand legitimate?
• The Challenge of Winter Dredging
• What Have You Got to Lose?
• MMAC Update
• How to Upgrade Your Pocket Plunger
• Glaciers and Placer Gold Deposits
• Oregon Miners Still Fighting
• Greenhorn Finds Gold in Colorado
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
• Melman on Gold & Silver
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