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Rudimentary Tools for the Amateur Gold Prospector

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 Read my latest article on Discover Hubpages.   https://discover.hubpages.com/education/Important-Inexpensive-Basic-Tools-for-Gold-Prospecting

A Prospector's Joke Fit for A Chemist

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 Silver walks up to gold in a bar and says, "AU, get outta here." free photo at dreamstime

Ancient Peruvian Inca Civilization and Gold

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 For the Incas, the sun was sacred. Their religion was a sun cult. Gold was believed to be the sweat of the sun. The ancestors of the Inca had worked gold for along time.Modern day Peruvians were working gold like their ancestors since 1000 A.D. (first to 10th centuries). Objects containing several kilograms of gold with their gold riches of huge proportions. "These indigenous people were master goldsmiths. They used to blow pipes to fan the flames in their simple ovens so they could smelt this precious metal. For Inca gold was also the blood of Viracocha, their sun god. He is now commonly considered the chief god, at least in pre-Incan cultures. Gold was sacred. It was greatly prized in cult, but had no material value. The craft of working gold was a religious ritual." - Britannica Inca temples were decorated with gold. Worship areas were gilded inside and out. Only the king was permitted to use gold jewelry - proof that he was of godly birth. The only way nobility could use...

A Pickle Shortage Results In A Golden Serendipitous Event

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 Please check out my latest article about gold. I chose to share an experience my wife and I had because of the present day interest in synchronicity. Though I don't particularly have any belief in fate, I do find it curious how at rare moments the stars seem to align. Such an alignment occurred when I forgot hamburger chips on my wife's sandwich. The sandwich was to be her lunch at a gold claim; lack of pickles did not make for a golden moment. Or did it? https://discover.hubp ages.com/education/Remarkable-Hamburger-Pickles-Lead-to-Flood-Gold

The Incredible Breadth of the Gold Mining Experience

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 The hard rock mines of Nevada County, CA, probably the most gold over all came from hard rock   mines in Nevada County Ca. These mines were pretty much started after the '49ers.  If you have a lot of money, you can get gold by mining. The use of digging machines, drilling   machines, and loading machines costs. Then there is the cost of claims, employees, lawyers, permits, etc which preclude the lightly financed. Hard rock mining is pretty well left to those who are well-healed. One can prospect in hopes of finding an outcropping of gold and quartz, but again, it's pretty much the rare bird who comes across such a thing. If you do, start buying an occasional lottery ticket. It is surmised by most academics that the entire west (California, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon) has been scanned by prospectors over the course of the last couple hundred years.  The aspect of prospecting that gets the most attention these days is the effort put out by placer prosp...

Announcing My Favorite Arizona Gold Placer Location

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 I have prospected in three locations in the Bradshaw Mountains, and of all the club claims, this area seems the one where I find the most placer.This area in Yavapai county is famous for gold mining, both hard rock and placer.  Many a 49er on his way back east after the gold rush in California topped there and wound up mining the area. The Bradshaws were first scoured in 1863. Lynx Creek was very rich in certain areas, and successful prospectors recovered an ounce or more per day; word spread and additional miners came to work the area. Whether you find gold nuggets is a matter of some luck, but I panned a couple small nuggets. Most of what I find is placer flake. But where as I can get skunked in Arizona at some claims, I have always been able to bring home a bit of small gold from the arroyos that drain the high elevations. Groom Creek is south of Prescott near the town of Groom Creek. It flows southwesterly until it intercepts the Hassayampa River. Since it appears Groom C...

Gold Prospecting Is a Hobby Fit for Covid Times

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 You can bet that during times of duress, people will think of how to make a significant amount of money in a short time. As far fetched as that may seem, especially to experienced gold prospectors, when times are tough and families are pressed, it is a thought that can come flooding into one's mind. It happened from '29 to '33, prior to Roosevelt confiscating gold and making it illegal to own. It happened 170 years ago when a mass migration of wannabe and experienced prospectors headed for the California gold fields. Well, it isn't exactly the same today. What we have now is a lot of folks wanting a safe activity outdoors to avoid COVID-19. In addition, you can enjoy the outdoors while trying to find some loot with your family. The skills taught to kids can last a life time. Besides tracking out yourself, you can actually make arrangements to learn the sport of gold prospecting and have a place to stay while you explore the beautiful outdoors. Try reading this USA Toda...