Remote Prospecting?

[Geowizard]

Getting in and getting out;

"Remote" prospecting generally means you ARE on your own and subject to the frailties in whatever means you have chosen to get in and get out of a selected remote area.

Earlier in this thread, practically all of the means, methods and modes of transportation have been given elaborate discussion. Suffice it to say, success or failure hinges on proper decision making on the part of the remote prospector.

Prospecting on a professional level can be an interesting way for people that have an interest in prospecting and the appropriate experience and ambition to benefit from what they KNOW.

Getting OUT of a prospecting location is MORE important than getting IN...

It's a remote activity;

Prospecting is by necessity becoming a "Remote" activity. As development increases, homes are built around areas that used to be "local" prospecting sites. Political ambitions on the State and Federal scale strive to make areas that are close to the populace into parks and wilderness hiking areas - at the exclusion of prospecting and mining.

The "exit" strategy;

Having a reliable exit strategy is more complicated than most prospectors think. Factors enter into the exit that were NOT part of the PLAN. You are tired, fatigued, it's easier to get injured. Your brain does not work well. Normal thought processes that were assumed to be predictable before the prospecting venture are not as functional as needed to accomplish the exit. The stress from being injured along with the anxiety from knowing you may be in imminent danger adds to the complexity of rational thought and behavior.

There are many tales of prospectors attempting to "walk out" and in a state of disorientation - walk out in the wrong direction... Those tales usually do not end well.

The helicopter option works well.

Someone dropped you off and is expected to return to the same location at a given date and time. A helicopter will return to extract you from the location. If you have fallen and are injured, or need other assistance, the pilot can make a call or maneuver to assist in getting you out. I have recommended in earlier posts to have a partner and never go it alone. A helicopter charter is done by the hour. A charter flight will carry two people as well as one - space permitting. Otherwise - it's still possible to get a partner in on a second flight.

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

Good advice Chuck, this is something all who prospect remotely should consider. I have experienced some of the things you list in my early days. Suffice to say that in some of these scenarios experience is not the best teacher at the time you are experiencing it.

[Geowizard]

Jim,

Yes, like they say, Mother Nature is a good teacher... She gives you the TEST first!

Alaska is unique from the standpoint that weather conditions can change quickly. It's easy to suddenly be socked in by foul weather that can last for weeks.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Prospecting Petersville;

This is a good example of remote prospecting and using computer technology...

Today, prospectors can mine data and then go out and do the "ground truthing" With advance knowledge, a prospector knows exactly where to go! It is equivalent to using a metal detector and getting a hit on a nugget. That's where the digging begins. There is much less risk in digging if there is a geophysically inferred mineral deposit.

We know erosion of GOLD begins at the mineral deposit. When you find a mineral deposit directly above an active placer mining operation, it's a "no brainer".

Note also, these deposits are there now. Not mined out way back when...

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Evolution in prospecting;

Like everything else, prospecting is evolving over time...

Today, we have advanced technology that makes it possible to fly a helicopter with instrumentation that works like a metal detector combined with a magnetometer. States like Alaska have spent millions of dollars doing Geophysical surveys to help prospectors get on the GOLD.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Green fields and Brown fields;

New areas open up with potential for prospecting. Interesting to note, it may be as simple as a few State Geologists that are travelling by car from a Field trip back to their office and a "rest stop" is made along the way. One of them decides to collect a random sample and take to the lab...

The sample comes back with elevated GOLD...

This actually happened in Wyoming.

A NEW discovery is made and as soon as it gets published - the race is on! In an area that has never been prospected, it is referred to as a Green Field prospect. Little is known and there is much to be learned. The risk is greater because more guess work is involved for the prospector.

Brown Fields are areas where prospecting and mining have taken place and much has been learned over many years of exploration and mining. Research can be done and a plan can be put in place to look in areas that have had production and the GOLD played out. A prospector may look further and be given a pleasant surprise when an extension of the PAY dirt is discovered.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Here's a good reference on the subject;

Think of prospecting as an investment...

https://undervaluedequity.com/mineral-e ... ploration/

Prospectors are investors! We put money on the line to seek out that elusive yellow metal...

Investment of time and energy are included in the cost side of what we put into the effort.

Risk management is where prospectors are given the greatest challenge. It's a measure of the individual having a presence of mind to step away from the situation and look back objectively. The trade-off in managing risk is that the easy pickens have been pretty well picked over! The hard to get to, out of the way locations involve sticking your neck out to varying degrees.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Easy money?

Most prospectors know that the easy money has been picked over (no pun intended).

Remote prospecting becomes a necessity. Maybe that's why THIS thread is the most viewed on the forum!

What is the definition of "Remote"? Question: How far have prospectors gone in their search for GOLD?

The fact the the easy money has already been picked over leaves a prospector with having to face the reality of placing bigger stakes in a high stakes poker game.

As the money supply dries up, more people want to become prospectors. That was the theme for the series GOLD RUSH ALASKA"... A group of men down on their luck and with a job decide to pack up and head to Alaska!

No mining claims... No experience... No preparation... No cash... I got it... Mortgage the family business!

Throw the CASH into a Crap shoot!

Unfortunately, this becomes the story we see enacted on television. Unfortunately, I have watched prospectors, first hand, invest millions of dollars of "other people's money" OPM, into a GOLD mining in Alaska...

The solution;

Smart prospectors reduce the cost and the risk! They begin with the understanding that they are the investor and the capital comes from within. As the global money supply dries up, less money is available for the average prospector to invest. That requires a prospector to consider the minimum equipment list with minimum cash exposure. I personally know of deposits that may contain GOLD that cross under roads in Alaska. They are not known because they are buried. They are "inferred" by geophysical data. Given two options, one, go out to a random location and begin digging or two, go out to a location that has a Geophysically inferred GOLD deposit.

- Geowizard

[Joe S (AK)]

"They begin with the understanding that they are the investor and the capital comes from within."

Ahhh, no, it was The History Channel's investment in inexperienced actors and hyper publicized "Over-the-top-drama" that was the only risk involved in the entire operation. The actors seemed to suddenly all have bigger belt lines and new vehicles and new equipment in season 2, and 3, and 4 and ..........

[Geowizard]

"They begin with the understanding that they are the investor and the capital comes from within."

Ahhh, no, it was The History Channel's investment in inexperienced actors and hyper publicized "Over-the-top-drama" that was the only risk involved in the entire operation. The actors seemed to suddenly all have bigger belt lines and new vehicles and new equipment in season 2, and 3, and 4 and ..........

This is what I said;

"As the money supply dries up, more people want to become prospectors. That was the theme for the series GOLD RUSH ALASKA"... A group of men down on their luck and with a job decide to pack up and head to Alaska!

No mining claims... No experience... No preparation... No cash... I got it... Mortgage the family business!"

I'm pretty sure It was the Discovery Channel...

- Geowizard