December 2011 (Vol. 81, No. 4) $3.75
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The Bawl Mill
• $5.1 billion Postal (dis)Service loss...
• Stop the money flow...
• Doubly, even triply, irresponsible and unpatriotic... -
Our Readers Say
• Re: Tyrie's Roadway Nugget
• Re: Are Permits Needed for Highbanking in California -
Ask the Experts—Looking up mining claims on the Internet
Q: Is there an Internet source ... that one can access to review which claims and at which location are the claims that BLM administrators close each year? -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Refunds coming to Nevada claimholders
• More wilderness proposed
• Forest Service planning rule -
WSGS Releases New Geologic Maps
The Wyoming State Geological Survey announced ten new geologic maps have been completed and are now available. -
Prospecting on the North Yuba
The research I did for “Gold in the Slate Creek Basin” (September 2011 issue) found me chasing a channel out of the LaPorte territory headed towards the old mining town of Brandy City, California. -
Yesterday's Gold—Today's Mine
It would seem that we are often indeed destined to repeat history. In terms of gold discovery, even with all the advancements that have been made over the years, it seems we are once again on the cusp of returning to the 1800s world of gold mining. Even as you read this, a new gold rush is taking place in a sleepy little town in South Carolina. -
Where to Find Gold in Indiana
You might think that gold prospecting techniques are basically the same everywhere, and in many instances you’d be correct. Some geographical locations, however, due to their unique geological conditions, present unusual challenges...
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Prospecting Australia—Part III Anatomy of a Nugget Patch in Western Australia
One of the most memorable nuggets I found in Australia was detected on the very last day that I was out prospecting. I was going along swinging my coil and I came across a blaring loud signal that almost blew my ears off. -
Nevada Miners: Check Your Claim Markers
The Nevada Senate introduced SB108 in 2009 to prohibit PVC piping utilized by miners to stake mining claims. -
Testing Ores for Free Gold
I get a number of questions from people about testing and treating hard rock ores. The simplest way, but also an expensive one, is to just have an assay test done by an independent assay firm. As an alternative... -
Managers at Fault for Two Deaths at Meikle Mine
Two miners were killed in an accident partly because someone wedged a broom handle against a reset button to bypass an alarm that would have shut down the system, federal safety investigators said. -
Cold Water Gold
It was June 2011, and my wife Fran and I with Grandson Lucas and good friend Ernie Cruz were attempting to get to our gold mining claim on the Middle Fork of the Feather River about ten miles from Quincy, California. Rain had poured down in the previous few days and the road in a large number of low places was under water. Following two hours of slugging through the mud... -
River Dredging vs. Creek Dredging—Part I
As I started walking down to the river one chilly morning, the mist was hanging over the calm portions of the water like a white cotton blanket. This scene got me to thinking about why the river was like that—the deep pools, boulder fields, gravel bars, the effects of how much water was moving at any given time along the watercourse—and most of all the relationship all these things have on where I will be able to find gold. -
Melman on Gold & Silver
One of the most popular medicines commonly available is “Dramamine,” defined to be, “… used to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, cramps and vertigo associated with motion sickness,” according to our favorite medical dictionary. Well, after watching the various financial, political and psychological gyrations that have been taking place in the world’s markets over the past month, we might suggest that some sort of psychological Dramamine might be in order.