Prospecting & Detecting
ICMJ Visits Downieville, California
January 2023
Uncovering the Find of a Lifetime
• The 75-ounce Butte County nugget is the largest found in California since the 156-ounce Mojave nugget in the 1970s...
The Kern River
There are clubs with claims in the area and there’s a section of the river open to the public, but the rest of the area is claimed up so do your research first.
Wild and Scenic River Prospecting—North Fork of the American River
Today it is getting tougher and tougher to find a place to prospect. There is one significant haven left for the small miner...
How To File A Mining Claim
Filing claims is actually quite easy, though there are a number of pitfalls that you should watch out for. Over the years, I have made just about every mistake you can with a mining claim, and have learned a few things to watch out for along the way.
Early Winter Detecting in the Sierras
The mine site consists of river gravels from an ancient channel covering over 20 acres, and the place is covered with very large river rock and small tree overgrowth.
Underground in the Original 16-1 Mine
These days they employ the use of metal detectors and carefully scan the shattered rocks, hoping to hear that sound we detectorists love to hear.
Old Water Channels Provide Important Clues
After washing the top sixty to ninety feet of gravel, the old- timers hit the bedrock. The bedrock paid one-eighth to one-half of an ounce to the square foot…
Subscription Required:
Blast From the Past
• Lazy Day Gold
• Getting Skunked, but Having Fun!
• Strike and Dip for the Prospector
• I Said it Once & I'll Say it twice, Record Those Indicators!
• Better Worse: I'd Rather Be On Top! No More Boo-Boo's - Part 2
• Resource Maven Independent Analysis of the Resource Markets
• Over the Divide
Free:
The Bawl Mill
• The Struggle is Real
• PLP Update
