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Whew! For a while there I thought there was going to be a lynching! Nothing has changed in the last 175 years, it's still the same old argument. Steve is right, "most people couldn't find gold if their lives depended on it." Remember one thing my friends, when the prospecting community advertises their products with "find more gold nuggets with our machine" - this starts a fever, the gold rush begins. Some of these types get discouraged after a few tries and some of these folks get resentful, holding a grudge against claim holders. Sometimes, these people with a grudge will go to great extent to "get rich quick" and they don't care who's claim they are on, they are driven by that burning fever. Nothing has changed over time where gold is concerned. There will always be those who work hard, take their licks and become successful and those who have no knowledge of gold but can buy the latest "sure to have success" detector and strike out to find their fortune, ignoring the harsh reality of all the "hard work" that is the key to success. Staking a claim is the civilized thing to do and respecting those mineral rights is the respectable thing to do. So, let's be civilized. Respect all those "PVC pipes". Those "white papers" have contact info on them. This has helped me get permission to hunt many times. Also, people have a right to recreate on public land. The only thing that should be of concern is what their activity on that land is.

Chuck, This is the best hobby! Don't quit you day job...it's the hunt, the sweet tone, God's gold country and the friends you met on your travels. Until the next hunt Rick

Every time I talk of a new detector my wife would remind me that money doesn't exactly grow on trees, Thanks for sharing Steve!

VAAIREE EENTERESTING! If I found a mine like that I wouldn't have to cut fire wood.

More hard earned gold from the high Sierras. I'm glad I'm not doing this for money because I would have trouble making the fuel bill. Biggest nugget is 1.5 grams. Lisa got 3 of the five with her 2300. Lots of ground covered for these 5 little nuggets but it was fun and we cant wait to get back to it. Maybe Nevada next time ? depending on how the ferrite ring lands... strick

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Over a half ounce total now...the Zed is smoking it!

The photo above is a good example of the geology I am trying to present in this thread. In my first thread, "Dikes along Turkey Creek", I touched upon the heating and cooling processes that occur during the uplift/intrusion process. Keeping in mind the cooling process that create ore deposits, you can see in the photo that the tunnel is well below the exposed dikes above, the exposed dikes having cooled more quickly eliminating the formation of precious metals and crystals. Also, notice the red soil at the tunnel entrance. Above is a close up of another tunnel A wider view of the above tunnel Here is yet a wider view of the tunnel. About a third of the way up in the photo and slightly left of center is the tunnel entrance. Notice the dikes that are up high and then the lower dikes. Those lower dikes are much more mineralized, due to the slower cooling process. The lower dikes were exposed by the cutting action of the creek (Turkey Creek). This photo is a wider view, taking in the river, shot from the upper dike that is seen in the previous photos. The tunnel entrance is just off camera in the lower right corner. This photo demonstrates the cutting action of the creek. Over time, cutting down nearly 3 hundred feet, exposing the ore body where this tunnel is located. (can you imagine being the first person to stumble across this?) inside the tunnel - as far as I dared go - notice the "drifts", one to the left and one to the right. the photo above is of the side wall in the tunnel - very hot indeed! A bar (36 in) and a chisel (8 inch) found while raking thru the tailings. Also, notice how mineralized these tailings are. I found no gold in those tailings but many quartz crystals. So, the moral of this story is, when you are standing next to an Iron Stone Dike, look below, much further below.