For thousands of years until recently the most common methods of separating fine gold particles was known as amalgamation. The fine gold is collected by bringing it into contact with mercury. When gold and mercury mix, the two substances form a compound called amalgam. The gold literally is dissolved into the mercury. This allows the […]
Only about a hundred people call it home now, but it was not always like that. A century ago the town of Manhattan, Nevada was the center of mining. Lets take a look at the early history of this once flourishing mining center. The First Strike at Manhattan Nevada and its mountain Ranges […]
The town of Deadwood was founded for one reason… gold. The Foundation Of Deadwood The place where Deadwood would soon be is situated in the southern part of Black Hills. It is not surprising that the place was originally inhabited by Indians long before any European settlers would come to look for gold. […]
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of new products, whatever your hobby is. Advertising is all about convincing you that the new product is the latest, greatest thing and everything else is obsolete. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to the marketing of metal detectors. Whenever a new unit hits […]
Minelab’s new Equinox Metal Detectors – the Models 600 and 800 – are reliable and offer a number of important features. The two detectors share a number of the same features, and most purchasers have said their performance is essentially identical for each of them. Comparing the Equinox 600 & Equinox 800 Both […]
I was at the Quartzsite Mineral Show this past winter and met a guy that was selling hundreds of natural copper nuggets and specimens. Most of the pieces ranged from a few ounces up to several pounds. He was getting a handsome price for them too, and they were clearly selling quite well. Honestly I […]
If you have an interest in early mining history and have always wanted to explore underground, then you are in luck in California. Several places in this state have rare opportunities to safely explore old mines that were once major gold producers. Professional guides will show you can deep underground where men once worked to […]
If you drive up the Highway 89 from Phoenix, you’ll eventually come to a sign that says “Where a desert breeze meets the mountain air”. That is when you’ll know that you have reached the old mining town of Yarnell. The town lies on the slopes of the mountains overlooking the vast Peeples Valley. Yarnell […]
The beautiful mineral commonly referred to as the “desert rose” can be found scattered across much of the world. In Africa, desert rose rock may be found in parts of Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Namibia. In Asia, it occurs naturally in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In Europe, Spain contains deposits […]
What is Glacial Gold? During the five major Ice Ages which occurred over millions of years, glaciers expanded far away from the north pole to cover a significant part of the earth. In North America the glaciers moved far enough south to cover most of the northern states in the US. During their travels, glaciers […]
Throughout the history of gold exploration, which really includes most of recorded history, many different techniques were created for separating placer gold from the surrounding gravel. One of the most famous old school methods, the rocker box, can still be used today, although it has mostly fallen out of favor… Like so many other famous […]
Silver was discovered in Colorado in the 1860s, and the first mining was performed in Clear Creek Canyon at Georgetown during 1864. However, the price of the metal was not high enough to attract serious exploration until the United States Congress passed the Bland-Allison Act in 1878. This legislation authorized the free coinage of silver. […]
Although almost all of gold which can be found in Michigan’s Upper Midwest Peninsula is widely scattered glacier gold, there was one commercially profitable gold mine in the State of Michigan’s history. This was the famous (well, it was the only successful one) Ropes Gold Mine. The Ropes gold mine has a fascinating history that […]
Virginia was one of the richest gold mining states in the Appalachians. In fact, prior to the California Gold Rush it garnered more interest than just about anywhere in the USA. While most of the gold found in Virginia was from hard rock mines, small bits of raw gold does accumulate in the river beds […]
Death Valley is a very famous place located in Southeastern California near the Nevada border. We know a dozen things it is famous for: the hottest place in the continent, a mysterious place where stones move during the night, the most deserted national park, the lowest dry point in the USA among many others. This […]
