Small Mining Operations
Who is a Qualified Person?
January 2012 by Thom Seal, PhD, PE
So you think you have an ore deposit? The work has been long and hard, but there are a few drill holes, lots of samples and assays. The data is in a reliable computer and there may be a mine at the end of the tunnel. What is the likelihood of a profitable operation? Can you raise capital for development or exploration?Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—Gold At Last!
We’ve been busy with a plethora of projects, all aimed at gathering gold into a pile big enough to brag about. We’re not there yet, but I’ll show you some of the interesting projects we’ve completed since we talked last.
Prospector's Guide to Rock Breaking and Blasting
The holes were overloaded with explosives, but I didn’t know it. I was just a green mining engineer fresh out of school and told to watch as the experienced miners set the charge.
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.
Ask the Experts
Ore testing and other advice for starting up a mining operation.
Small-Scale Hard Rock Mining With Water Recycling
Once I have established the presence of gold in the sample, I collect five-gallon bucket quantities of the rock material for processing back at my shop.
One of the Richest Beaches Ever Mined
Everyone has heard of the golden beach at Nome, but Nome did not have the richest beach.
The Oregon Claim
When I started dredging a short distance downstream from that feature I realized that I was into a major paystreak and much of the gold was coming right out of the upper gravel. I could see the chunky pieces falling out of the gravel as they were pulled into...
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Southwest Alaska Gold Project Progresses
• Good Assays and Bad
• Where to Find Gold in Indiana—Part II
• Time Well Spent
• Reality of the Klondike
• NWMA Show
• River Dredging vs. Creek Dredging—Part II
• Pot Hole Gold
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
