When we think of gold, we are not usually thinking of gold specimens. As pieces on display. Mostly nuggets and flour gold from prospecting for it and cashing it in for money. Then they melt it down and make coins, bars and bullion's. Not to mention the industrial applications of gold in electronics.
I just ran accross this article from Marlene Affeld, great article. But there are some stuning pictures of gold specimens. I will post them... Read the complete article...
The Truth About Gold Detectors
All gold detectors are based on the same technology. Of course there are different types and models but they are all variations of the same electromagnetic technology. A magnetic field is created inside the gold detector that reacts with the magnetic field of a metal on the ground. The metal detector has the ability to convert this reaction into a signal that tells you that metal has been found on the ground. Read the complete article...
I can only imagine finding a 195 pound gold nugget. Wow, what a thrill that would be. The first thing you would do is look over both shoulders to see if any body was looking. Would you have to have help getting it to the car? Or would the adrenaline pumping through your heart be enough help!
This is a great story from historichwy49.com complete with pictures of the times. It sure looks like rough living back then. http://www.historichwy49.com/goldfact.html
In 1854 the largest gold nugget ever found was in California at Carson Hill above the Stanislaus River. It weighed 195 pounds and was valued at $43,534 in the currency of the day.
http://www.historichwy49.com/goldfact.html
Is gold dredging harmful to the environment? I found this article on the Times-Standard.comby John Driscoll. If you are prospecting in California, this might be of interest to you.
"An American Indian tribe and fishing groups are asking the California Department of Fish and Game to impose emergency rules on suction dredge mining for gold in Klamath River basin streams, which they say hurts already struggling salmon and steel-head.
In a petition to the department, the Karuk Tribe, California Trout and the Sierra Fund have asked that rules be tightened while Fish and Game overhauls dredging restrictions. The groups won a court ruling in 2006 that pressed the department to craft new rules, but gold miners intervened, saying rule-making must follow the California Environmental Quality Act process"... http://www.times-standard.com:80/localnews/ci_11413652
