Prospecting & Detecting
Prospecting in the Age of Covid-19
May 2020 by Chris Ralph
I have a bunch of ideas about what to do in the near term and then other thoughts about what things might look like a few months from now when I hope the situation will look a lot better.
Selenium, Mercury and Suction Dredging—Studies Contradict CA State Water Resources Board
Federal and state regulatory agencies often cite mercury and methyl mercury in our waterways as a major factor for further restrictions on placer mining, and on suction gold dredge mining, in particular. However, these regulatory agencies are minimizing selenium and its neutralizing effects.
Follow the Line
Four nuggets, ranging from one to four pennyweight, had been found originally. All four nuggets were found in a line about ten feet apart from each other.
Gold Prospecting: For Better or Worse--It Was A Dark and Overcast Night
With one outstretched hand grasping the bottle and the other waving at air, I moved forward feeling for the tent. No tent. No tree.
A Golden Summer
His take of gold was pretty close to what mine was—about a quarter of an ounce. We had just gleaned about half an ounce of gold in just twenty minutes.
Give That Club Claim A Chance
My first trip to the claim was the tip-off that there might be larger gold to be found. I brought my puffer drywasher and my dad to a local prospecting club outing that was held at the claim.Paperwork Guy—A Cautionary Tale
I recently grew complacent, and it caused me to make a mistake that resulted in the loss of a mining claim. It brought my mining plans for the summer to a complete halt.
Why So Much Gold in Nevada?
Nevada produces about 75% of all the gold mined in the US. This means that all the other 49 states combined only produce 25%, and this includes California, Alaska and Arizona.
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• Ask The Experts - What does a prospector look for when seeking ores?
• Ask The Experts - Is a detector any good at discriminating pyrite or chalcopyrite in ferrous-reject mode?
• Ask The Experts - Does the Journal know if any gold mining has been shut down over the Covid-19 virus?
• Ask The Experts - Is this a promising assay?
• Ask The Experts - How do you utilize magnets in your prospecting equipment?
• Ask The Experts - Is using hydrogen peroxide a good indicator for PGMs?
• A Note from the Editor
• Going Over Old Ground With Newer Technology
• Hard Rock 101: Breaking Rock—Part I
• Tips and Tricks
• Sharing Gold Fever with a Friend
• Panning on North Fork American Yields Good Gold
• Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: Dum-Dum Dodges a Boom-Boom
• 'Wormholes'—Reckless Adventure
• All About Lead Minerals, Silver and Gold
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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• PLP Update: Regulatory Relief On The Way
• It's Time to Get the Heck Out of China
