History & Geology
What Are Those Rocks In My Pan?
June 2011 by Jim Halloran
The placer mineral identification key is designed to answer this question. It attempts to recognize all the minerals in your gold pan concentrates.California: The Land of Big Nuggets—Part II
There are a number of Tertiary river channels in the area, most of which trend south-southwest. They tend to be steep, narrow, and rich with coarse gold.
The Rush to Treasure Hill
There were some exceptional times in the far-flung history of the West. Rich finds of minerals that set men’s souls ablaze. From the rich gold fields of California, men who arrived too late to find riches went searching in every direction. The trail that we will follow leads east, past the shining silver district of the Comstock Lode.
Gold Deposition and Gradients of Placer Streams—Part I
When placer miners from the gold rush era began experimenting with the slope of their sluices, they must have pondered the ideal slope for trapping gold in a creek bed too. Logic suggests the same is true for streams...
All About Lead Minerals, Silver and Gold
Many miners know that lead is very commonly associated with silver values, but the truth is that it is also associated with gold values in many locations as well.
Arizona's Vulture Gold Mine and Lost Dutchman
When prospectors and treasure hunters talk of gold in Arizona, it is the Lost Dutchman or Vulture mine they usually think of. The Lost Dutchman gold mine is just that—a myth chalked full of holes that has been embellished over time as any good legend should be.
Gold Placers in Italy
Gold is a fairly widespread mineral in the Italian Alps and in the Northern Apennines. It is found both in primary mineralization and in past and recent floods.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Dredge Mining—Current Situation in Idaho
• Fault Zones and Prospects
• "Gold Rush: Alaska" in the Porcupine Mining District
• Wyoming's Billion Dollar Nugget—The Trilogy Ends
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes & Mineral and Metal Prices
Free:
Gold Prospecting and Mining Summit
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Hands-on at Iowa Hill
• Good Research and Bad Luck