Remote Prospecting?

[Jim_Alaska]

Posting pictures is easy, here is a link that will walk you through it.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=31

[Geowizard]

Discovering an old GOLD mine;

There are many inactive and abandoned GOLD mines with an amazing history of GOLD production...

It's actually pretty easy to research GOLD mines that fit into this category. Every year, mining claims are dropped by their owners for various reasons.

Alaska mining claims on State of Alaska Domain;

When a mining claim is dropped, it is considered "abandoned" and is open for "relocation". The process is based on either of two possibilities. When annual rental fees are not paid according to statute, the affected mining claim is declared abandoned or when the required Affidavit of Labor (assessment work) is not filed.

The advantage for the prospector is that a mine having prior production may have documentation that provides background on what was produced, how much was produced and where.

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

Yes, I remember seeing guys pouring over the claims to see what was dropped. They spend the winter going over them.

[Geowizard]

It's the nature of the business;

A mine has a life... People live out their life...

What we discover and what we don't discover while we are here remains for others to prospect after we are gone...

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Mine life;

A GOLD mine has a life with a beginning and an end...

Without much elaboration, the question that remains for a Remote Prospector is... Is it over?

It is easy for nay-sayers to speculate that "ALL of the GOLD is gone" Remote prospectors are optimistic. Prospectors know that there are many reasons that a GOLD mine matures and reaches "end of life" before it's time.

GOLD mining is about the health of the economics of mining, the health of the equipment and the health of the miner or his or her mining company. Every miner has a story and every GOLD mine has a story!

I spent most of my mining life going through "Mine Files" at the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources in Phoenix. Many Western States have repositories of mine data filed neatly in file cabinets that are open to the public. The files provide a record of the life of mines and miners.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Taking a fresh, new look at an old mine;

I know of a discovery of a 30 ounce GOLD nugget found in a hole someone else dug ...

A Remote prospector with a metal detector at Moore Creek was checking out a hole and got a signal. The hole had been dug by another prospector and probably after having removed a nugget, the assumption was THAT nugget was the only nugget and no further detecting was done on the hole...

Every prospector has different ways of thinking! Mines and prospect holes end up being abandoned with undetected GOLD remaining in the hole!

Prospecting and mining require money and time... Sometimes, a prospector or miner runs out of money or runs out of time. Attitudes and physical endurance play into the cost of prospecting and mining.

The easy money is often found in an abandoned GOLD mine. Taking a fresh new look with an open mind about where the GOLD is and how to go about the process of recovering it can be rewarding.

A major GOLD discovery was made in the Arizona desert in an area that had been known for many years to be a low grade GOLD deposit. A prospector set up an accurately surveyed grid and collected samples over the length and width of the deposit. After mapping out the concentrations of the GOLD in all of the samples, he determined the center of the deposit. BINGO!

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

The first scenario you laid out has happened time and again with different people. Get a hit, dig it, find the nugget, then walk away. Steve Herschbach has said time and again to never leave a hole without making sure there is no more signal coming from it. This is especially important when you dig to only find a piece of trash, it may be masking a nugget below it.

Thanks for the reminder.

[Geowizard]

Rainy Pass;

There is an interesting place in Alaska called Rainy Pass...

Rainy Pass is THE route most often flown by Pilots going North through the Alaska Range and returning South to Anchorage. The Iditarod Trail also runs through Rainy Pass.

Rainy Pass is surrounded by vast mineral deposits containing GOLD...

I have been prospecting the area east of Rainy Pass for the past month from 3000 miles away. I will cover the topic in more depth under the thread "Geophysical Prospecting".

Much prospecting can be done in the winter! With access to a Computer, a prospector can obtain access to maps and data. In the spring, we gather our maps, put on our hat and head out the door!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Hustling a Helicopter;

Many remote places like Rainy Pass have a runway. The nearby rocky slopes are going to require a Helicopter.

Because Rainy Pass is a high traffic area, it's possible to call around and arrange a shared charter flight...

Other prospectors, sight-seeing tourists, mountain climbers and adventurers make a costly investment in getting into and out of remote areas. Asking the right people about the possibility of sharing part of the cost saves them money and saves you money!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Is it important?

For the average remote prospector, it's a recreational hobby...

If finding a fortune in GOLD is important, then it becomes serious!

Hitching a ride on a helicopter might cost a couple thousand dollars for an out and back to a remote area around Rainy Pass. It's about 110 miles from Anchorage to the lodge. Places in proximity to the Lodge would be about the same cost.

The economics of prospecting are always a factor. It takes money to play. Serious prospecting with an inferred GOLD deposit in view shifts the risk in favor of the prospector. We are past the point of venturing out into an unknown - we are now venturing out with a purpose and an objective that has a high probability of success.

- Geowizard