History & Geology
Colorado Uranium Mining in the 1950s Boom
March 2021 by John Norman
You can learn a lot from a small mining operation because you have to become proficient in every job. Soon I was preparing fuses, placing powder (dynamite) and learning the ins and outs of drilling and blasting.
Exploring A Historic Lode Mine
Climbing up the debris, I pointed my flashlight up a shaft ascending straight up as far as my light would shine. It was the stope of the pay shoot leading to the old tunnel above!
Ask the Experts: VMS ore
Q: Are there any mills that handle VMS ore?
The Heavy Minerals in Your Concentrates
The fact that mineral deposits can contribute specific types of heavy minerals is why the analysis of the heavy mineral concentrates in the streams of an area can be an important prospecting technique for finding undiscovered mineral deposits.
Natural Gold Alloys
Natural gold is never 100% pure; all natural nuggets contain at least some impurities. We're going to take a look at just what some of those impurities might be.
The Miner’s Switchback
Common thought is the switchback slows the velocity of the rushing water and gold drops out from the cut bank to a fill gravel bar within or below the switchback. I am not going to disregard that model; however, I hope to improve upon it.
Ophir—Possibly the Best Kept Secret in Alaska!
...I decided to excavate the semi-frozen high-bank that was resting on a soft shale bedrock footing. Within three feet, I encountered an intrusive!
The Giant King Mine
Most gold-bearing veins in this region are controlled by fractures associated with the Melones Fault, a late Cretaceous structure that is 108 to 127 million years old.
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Info on Santa Cruz beach placers?
• Ask The Experts - Detectors and flour gold
• Ask The Experts - Why is the gold in these clays?
• Ask The Experts - Can you explain colloidal gold?
• Ask The Experts - Where did this kimberlite come from?
• Ask The Experts - Can gold particles combine to form a nugget?
• Placer Gold Deposits in the Western States
• Evaluating Gold Recovery with Mass Balance Calculations
• Clues for Detecting Ancient River Channels and Flats
• What Is Your Grade?
• State of Idaho Looks to Invest in Gold and Silver
• Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part II
• Decoding Dredge Capacity
• I Just Tripped Over A Nugget
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
