Free Book - Principal Gold Producing Districts Of The United States

[Steve Herschbach]

USGS Professional Paper 610 by A. H. Koschmann and M. H. Bergendahl - A description of the geology, mining history, and production of the major gold-mining districts in 21 states. This 1968 publication obviously lacks the latest production figures but it still is a great overview to where an individual prospector can look for gold in the United States. It is a huge 283 page pdf download so be patient! Pay particular attention to the listed references in the extensive bibliography for doing further research. I have the original out-of-print hardback but what I paid for you get for free!
 
You can download this here and find many more useful free books on this website at the Metal Detecting & Prospecting Library

[bruceks]

hi steve and all

glad you are doing a forum.   i will look forward to learning every day from it.

one favorite gold book is one i made at the library on a copy machine.   it was at uc santa cruz about 1994.

i can not quote the book because it was lost in the yarnell hill fire but here's the idea.

there was a study commissioned by a railroad company in the 80s that owned many rail right of ways in the west.    geologists were to go to areas along the operational and non operational rail lines and analize the gold bearing areas.   they put them in a book of legal size paper about 3" thick.

i spent a week at the copy machine there making page after page of the promising spots.    never got to use the book to find a particular area, but you get the idea.

 

good luck to you and thanks again.

bruceks

bruce brown    yarnell. 

[Monkey]

Reference books are great and I have purchased past survey and topo maps and read the reports from the usgs and talked to skilled rock hounds. A few flakes and some serious money invested but the advice was the priceless part. " you are not really expecting anybody to hand you a claim or a good gold bed are you? Really." Guess the homework helps but you will still have to work for it.

Cliff