Prospecting & Detecting
Commercial Placer Mining: Alaska Style
September 2021 by Chris Ralph
There are currently about 170 commercial-scale placer operations in Alaska. Most of these are small operations with just a few people working; they are often family affairs that operate seasonally only during favorable weather.
How Far To The Gold?
…in spite of the fact that the well-pounded spots probably don’t have much gold left, I see all too many prospectors hike down to a creek or other spot at the first place the road comes near it just because it’s the easiest access point.
Following Clues to an Old Mill and Vein Strike
My last update on this adventure was in the April 2012 issue and involved our search for the northern extension of the Cedarberg Mine. At that time we had found it and we were in the process of returning for some detecting when Mother Nature struck with a late rain and snow storm.
Alaskan Gold Adventure
In Chicken I had my first experience with the famous Alaska blue clay, sometimes called the blue layer. The blue layer is where the best fine gold was to be found.
Highbanking at the 144
My third sample location proved to be my last and most interesting. I needed to look no further.
Ask the Experts
NOI or POO for small backhoe
Backwards Find
I furiously started pulling material out of the side wall and putting it in my scoop. It didn't take long to discover that the source of the scream was from a one-ounce chunk...
Attention to Detail - Part II
Ditches almost always started in the high country and contoured the mountainsides, making a long drop, usually many miles away, to the goldfields. There are ditches in Trinity County that originate at seven and eight thousand feet in the Trinity Alps that carried water almost thirty miles.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Would a platinum nugget contain all the PGMs?
• Ask The Experts - Can you clarify how many minerals I need to identify to be successful?
• Ask The Experts - Were there any productive mines where there were no contacts?
• Indicators and Hillsides
• Surviving the Unexpected
• Gold Placers of Southern California
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Throwing Away Thousand-Dollar Hot Rocks
• 3D-Printed Tools for Prospecting
• Libby, Montana Prospectors Keep Tradition Alive
• Colorado Miner Sues EPA Over 2015 Spill
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
