WELCOME TO . . .
I have been prospecting and mining for gold both as a hobby and as an occupation for
nearly 30 years and in my opinion it's a blast! From the deep green forests to the
rolling sagebrush hills, few people see as much of America's wide open spaces as I
do. I kick around kooky little old towns in the middle of nowhere. I visit historic sites
where the pioneers of the west toiled for years to extract precious metals from the
ground. As fun as that is though, finding your own gold, either as a nugget or in solid
hard rock is a special experience that's hard to equal.
School kids in California learn how James Marshall accidentally discovered gold
nuggets while constructing a water powered sawmill in the Sierra foothills. The
excitement resulting from Marshall's discovery was a fire that ignited gold and silver
rushes all across the western US. Well known is the story of O'Reiley and McLaughlin
who accidentally discovered the Comstock Lode silver bonanza while working a small
deposit of placer gold, tossing away a blue-black waste that later turned out to be
rich silver ore.
A century ago, Jim Butler, while traveling from his ranch in central Nevada, noticed
some quartz vein material. Being a good prospector, he collected a sample, but he
thought so little of his find that it sat on his porch for months before it was tested.
That sample became the first of many rich discoveries at Tonopah. I could write a
whole book telling the stories of these individual prospectors who, whether
intentionally or by accident, found rich deposits of gold and other valuable ores. These
finds have had no small impact on the development of our country - historically millions
upon millions of ounces of gold have been recovered from deposits found by individual
prospectors.
The gold prospecting world is basically divided into two halves. They are placer gold
and hard rock gold. Hard rock is gold, which remains in the original solid rock in which
it formed. Northern Nevada is extremely rich in gold, mostly as these primary hard rock
type deposits. The hard rock, open pit mines of Nevada have produced nearly 100
million ounces since their discovery in 1960. Although a few small operations still exist,
hard rock mining is usually done on a large scale.
The main problem for individuals interested in hard rock gold deposits is high capital
costs for the equipment to crush and process hard rock ore in order to extract the
gold from its solid rock enclosure. Because of this, many prospectors who look for hard
rock gold seek to sell their finds to large companies that possess the resources to
develop them.
Any gold that has weathered out of its original rock matrix, be it a quartz vein or
another source is called placer gold. Once it is freed from the vein, any accumulation of
that gold is called a placer deposit. There are several different kinds of placers
depending on how far the gold traveled, its origin, etc. The four most common types of
placer deposits are: 1) Residual - where the original vein has weathered, but the
placer gold remains more or less "in place" and still within a few feet of the original
source; 2) Eluvial - where the gold has traveled a short distance down from the
source, but has not made it into streams and other drainages - these are often called
hillside placers; 3) Alluvial - Where the gold has made it into area streams and rivers.
These placers are sorted by running water and usually the gold lies mostly on or near
the bedrock; 4) Beach placers occur where small gold particles make it all the way
down river to the ocean. Wave action can concentrate the heavier fraction of the
sand, producing black sand layers containing fine gold.
Because of the comparative ease of recovering gold from placer deposits, most
individual prospectors start out seeking placer gold nuggets and flakes. Some later
progress to an interest in hard rock deposits, but most still start out looking for flakes
and nuggets of free placer gold. Once you find your first gold, you won't have much
trouble seeing what kept the old pioneer prospectors going under such rugged
conditions.
It's always great when you come up with your own gold, and the excitement is real.
There is no doubt in my mind that gold fever is a condition that actually exists. In my
experience, staring too closely at gold nuggets or thinking too much about the quest
to find them often causes it. Luckily, it's an enjoyable condition with few, if any,
harmful side effects. Prospecting for gold is a hobby that's easy to fall into.
It doesn't necessarily cost a mint to get into prospecting. It can be as simple as
purchasing a gold pan for $10 and grabbing a bucket and the garden spade from the
garage. On the other hand, there are many great gold saving products available to
the modern prospector. Some allow the modern prospector to accomplish things no
old timer could ever dream of.
From metal detectors, to portable suction dredges, to dry placer machines and other
gold recovery devices of all types, many significant improvements have been made in
small scale prospecting equipment. There certainly is no problem finding ways to
spend as much money on good equipment as you would like - lots of great stuff is
available. Most individuals start off small and purchase more advanced equipment as
they get more involved in the hobby.
So whether its searching for the next million ounce ore deposit or just finding a small
gold nugget you can call your own, rest assured, it is still possible. For those who
enjoy hunting, hiking, fishing, off road exploring or any of the other many outdoor
hobbies so many folks participate in, prospecting may be something you would be
interested in. For just about any outdoor enthusiast, it's worthwhile to know a little
about gold deposits - because the next big find may be yours!
For photos and more information about learning to pan for gold see the authors web
page on panning for gold at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/basic_prospecting/Panning.htm
For basic information about how you can learn to prospect for gold, take a look at the
author's website at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/basic_prospecting/Basic_placer.htm
About the author:
Chris Ralph writes on small scale mining and prospecting for the ICMJ Mining Journal
and has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Mackay School of Mines in Reno.
After working in the mining industry, he has continued his interest in mining as an
individual prospector. His information page on prospecting for gold can be viewed at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prospect/chris_prospect.htm
nearly 30 years and in my opinion it's a blast! From the deep green forests to the
rolling sagebrush hills, few people see as much of America's wide open spaces as I
do. I kick around kooky little old towns in the middle of nowhere. I visit historic sites
where the pioneers of the west toiled for years to extract precious metals from the
ground. As fun as that is though, finding your own gold, either as a nugget or in solid
hard rock is a special experience that's hard to equal.
School kids in California learn how James Marshall accidentally discovered gold
nuggets while constructing a water powered sawmill in the Sierra foothills. The
excitement resulting from Marshall's discovery was a fire that ignited gold and silver
rushes all across the western US. Well known is the story of O'Reiley and McLaughlin
who accidentally discovered the Comstock Lode silver bonanza while working a small
deposit of placer gold, tossing away a blue-black waste that later turned out to be
rich silver ore.
A century ago, Jim Butler, while traveling from his ranch in central Nevada, noticed
some quartz vein material. Being a good prospector, he collected a sample, but he
thought so little of his find that it sat on his porch for months before it was tested.
That sample became the first of many rich discoveries at Tonopah. I could write a
whole book telling the stories of these individual prospectors who, whether
intentionally or by accident, found rich deposits of gold and other valuable ores. These
finds have had no small impact on the development of our country - historically millions
upon millions of ounces of gold have been recovered from deposits found by individual
prospectors.
The gold prospecting world is basically divided into two halves. They are placer gold
and hard rock gold. Hard rock is gold, which remains in the original solid rock in which
it formed. Northern Nevada is extremely rich in gold, mostly as these primary hard rock
type deposits. The hard rock, open pit mines of Nevada have produced nearly 100
million ounces since their discovery in 1960. Although a few small operations still exist,
hard rock mining is usually done on a large scale.
The main problem for individuals interested in hard rock gold deposits is high capital
costs for the equipment to crush and process hard rock ore in order to extract the
gold from its solid rock enclosure. Because of this, many prospectors who look for hard
rock gold seek to sell their finds to large companies that possess the resources to
develop them.
Any gold that has weathered out of its original rock matrix, be it a quartz vein or
another source is called placer gold. Once it is freed from the vein, any accumulation of
that gold is called a placer deposit. There are several different kinds of placers
depending on how far the gold traveled, its origin, etc. The four most common types of
placer deposits are: 1) Residual - where the original vein has weathered, but the
placer gold remains more or less "in place" and still within a few feet of the original
source; 2) Eluvial - where the gold has traveled a short distance down from the
source, but has not made it into streams and other drainages - these are often called
hillside placers; 3) Alluvial - Where the gold has made it into area streams and rivers.
These placers are sorted by running water and usually the gold lies mostly on or near
the bedrock; 4) Beach placers occur where small gold particles make it all the way
down river to the ocean. Wave action can concentrate the heavier fraction of the
sand, producing black sand layers containing fine gold.
Because of the comparative ease of recovering gold from placer deposits, most
individual prospectors start out seeking placer gold nuggets and flakes. Some later
progress to an interest in hard rock deposits, but most still start out looking for flakes
and nuggets of free placer gold. Once you find your first gold, you won't have much
trouble seeing what kept the old pioneer prospectors going under such rugged
conditions.
It's always great when you come up with your own gold, and the excitement is real.
There is no doubt in my mind that gold fever is a condition that actually exists. In my
experience, staring too closely at gold nuggets or thinking too much about the quest
to find them often causes it. Luckily, it's an enjoyable condition with few, if any,
harmful side effects. Prospecting for gold is a hobby that's easy to fall into.
It doesn't necessarily cost a mint to get into prospecting. It can be as simple as
purchasing a gold pan for $10 and grabbing a bucket and the garden spade from the
garage. On the other hand, there are many great gold saving products available to
the modern prospector. Some allow the modern prospector to accomplish things no
old timer could ever dream of.
From metal detectors, to portable suction dredges, to dry placer machines and other
gold recovery devices of all types, many significant improvements have been made in
small scale prospecting equipment. There certainly is no problem finding ways to
spend as much money on good equipment as you would like - lots of great stuff is
available. Most individuals start off small and purchase more advanced equipment as
they get more involved in the hobby.
So whether its searching for the next million ounce ore deposit or just finding a small
gold nugget you can call your own, rest assured, it is still possible. For those who
enjoy hunting, hiking, fishing, off road exploring or any of the other many outdoor
hobbies so many folks participate in, prospecting may be something you would be
interested in. For just about any outdoor enthusiast, it's worthwhile to know a little
about gold deposits - because the next big find may be yours!
For photos and more information about learning to pan for gold see the authors web
page on panning for gold at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/basic_prospecting/Panning.htm
For basic information about how you can learn to prospect for gold, take a look at the
author's website at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/basic_prospecting/Basic_placer.htm
About the author:
Chris Ralph writes on small scale mining and prospecting for the ICMJ Mining Journal
and has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Mackay School of Mines in Reno.
After working in the mining industry, he has continued his interest in mining as an
individual prospector. His information page on prospecting for gold can be viewed at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/prospect/chris_prospect.htm
Dig Your Own Gold: The Fun of Prospecting
Author: Chris Ralph
