December 2003 (Vol. 73, No. 4) $3.25
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The Bawl Mill
• Credit card abuse is sky high...
• Expensive new bill
• Senators reward themselves with another raise -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Clean Water Act rule change proposed
• DOJ files motion against Oregon miners
• Off-road access case to be reviewed by Supreme Court
• Resources Coalition hard at work
• Leavitt takes helm of EPA -
Searching for Placer Diamonds
In order to search for placer diamonds, the prospector needs to first become familiar with the commodity that he/she is looking for. Diamonds are extraordinary minerals with extreme hardness that have inherited beauty sought for personal adornment and... -
Lawsuit on Alleged Market Manipulation Continues
Blanchard and Company, which claims to be the largest retail gold dealer in the US, announced that its lawsuit against Barrick Gold Corp. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Company will move into the discovery phase. -
Texas "Hill Country" Gold
The scenic “Hill Country,” in the heart of Texas, is a recreational area for several large cities, including San Antonio and Austin. Most of the region lies at elevations between 300 and 1,800 feet, and forms an island of igneous and metamorphic... -
A Guide to Overlooked Gold Deposits—Part IV
Trends are geologic situations in which the geological structure of an area is conducive to the deposition of minerals. These structures are generally fault systems that can be small and localized or can run for miles. -
Picks & Pans: Detecting in Northern Nevada
One of the newest opportunities available to the individual prospector is the exchange of information over the Internet. A number of websites and forums dedicated to prospecting for gold have sprung up in recent years. -
Miners Welcome Comments by Alaska Official
The head of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation angered environmentalists by saying more than enough acres are being managed for conservation and land set-asides aren’t necessary for environmental protection. -
Company Notes
• Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.
• Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
• Kimberly Gold Mines, Inc.
• SpectrumGold Inc. -
Spectacular Specimens Found in Northern Nevada
A prospector, who wishes to remain nameless, located the pictured chevron gold specimens on October 29, 2003. -
New Life for the Suction Nozzle
The suction nozzle was one of the first Venturi nozzles to be used in the dredging business. Years later it was replaced with the straight Venturi system, which is sometimes referred to as a “log.” The main benefit of the log is that the operator only needs a suction hose with a short nozzle. -
Oil Seeps in Arizona
Compared to California, Arizona has virtually no oil seeps. But, the great Permian Basin of West Texas has virtually none either. Arizona has something that neither California nor Texas have, and that is public lands that are open for leasing. The northern half of Arizona has more seeps and is thus of greater interest, but it would be foolish to disregard the southern half because giant oil and natural gas fields could underlie some of the broad desert valleys. -
Looking Back
Excerpts from California Mining Journal, our original title, published 50 years ago this month. -
Melman on Gold & Silver
“Scandals, scandals, everywhere, and not an end in sight!” might be the tag line of a musical depicting the financial markets as they near the end of a particularly tumultuous year. First we had the massive accounting scandals associated with the Enron collapse. This was followed by the corporate scandals where inaccurate and misleading research of one sort or another made headlines. But none of those compare in possible scope to the mutual fund scandals...