The Basics of Permitting and Bonding Your Mining Operation

December 2020 by John Norman

With the recent surge of interest in gold projects, it’s about time to revisit a subject that strikes fear into the hearts of small-scale miners: Permits.

Dredging Safety: Don't Ignore The Warning Signs

April 2018

At first, I tried to shift things around, but then a hand with a rock would appear, so I would stop trying to adjust my gear and grab the rock to keep things moving.

Tips for Detecting Nugget Patches

April 2015

Certainly many other successful nugget hunters have mentioned these methods; hopefully I can add to or clarify these methods.

Ophir—Possibly the Best Kept Secret in Alaska—Part II

December 2013
I knew the nuggets got into the nugget patch somehow, I just had to figure out how and from what direction they came.

Digging It Dry

October 2016
I believe dry washing is an underappreciated prospecting method. There are plenty of places where there is some pretty decent gold to be had, but the spot is a long way from any water and dry processing may well be the best way to go.

The Fine Art of Panning Heavy Sands

October 2011
The fine art of panning heavy sands requires a measure of patience. If you enjoy panning gold, you ought to enjoy this too, once you get the hang of it.

California Gold Adventure

January 2014
All locations gave up some gold, but one particular section of exposed bedrock with steep, packed crevices kept giving us good, consistent results. We had found our spot.

Crumb Hunting With A VLF Detector

November 2019

Chris got a nice target signal on the edge of rising bedrock, but still in a low, but washed area. After breaking up the bedrock, he recovered several pieces of gold amounting to almost three pennyweight.

Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill   • Legislative and Regulatory Update   • Ask The Experts - Is this prospect worth sampling?   • Ask The Experts - Can you recommend resources for southeast Alaska?   • Ask The Experts - Can I pay someone to research a claim for me?   • Ask The Experts - Do larger detector coils see deeper nuggets?   • Reading A River: Understanding Erosion and Gold   • Plotting and Persistence Lead to Big Gold   • Using Countercurrent Material Flow to Improve Gold Recovery Efficiency   • Gold Prospecting for Better or Worse: The First Year Is The Hardest   • Mining In The El Paso Range of Southern California   • Tips and Tricks: A Dredging Tip for Clearing the Tailings Pile   • The Kern River   • Melman on Gold & Silver   • Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices

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