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Had downtime recently and wanted to stay busy. My goal was to build a few novel new mining research apps, but I needed to build a mapping interface first and it turned into a project. This is it. It occurred to me that people might find just the mapping interface alone to be useful? My goal was simple, clean, fast, and the most common layers I use in one place without switching between 2-3 sites. Check it out here: www.imageryatlas.com I highly recommend a mouse with scroll wheel, and a desktop or laptop with larger monitor. Not for mobile devices (yet). Most the commonly used layers like LIDAR, claims, topos, aerials, geology, land ownership, etc are right out front and no digging through menus or opening multiple sites. With Geology enabled - click the map to get data on the formations (multiples if more than 1 map was used as data). I also made a feature where you can type township, range, section and it will take you to that spot on the map, for quick navigation while reading papers, claims, etc. ("Go to TRS" box). Caveats: Mining claims are just images (not clickable). Mines/prospects is not working great, so consider them a placeholder for now which will be improved. I am working on including claims details such as filings, names, etc. Not designed for phone/mobile use. Fixed - should work on mobile and tablets now. I have only tested on Chrome. Seems to work on all major browsers. Some layers may be slow or not load at all when BLM/USGS servers go down. For now this is mostly just US-only. Aerials and Geology are global though. Some low res Lidar may work in Canada/Mexico, haven't checked. Hopefully this winter I will have some interesting apps built into this mapper beyond just map layers - these will be new research tools that don't exist anywhere else yet, intended more for serious prospectors to industry geologists, but potentially useful or interesting for everyone. If anyone runs into problems with this mapper (other than slow/not loading layers) where it throws an error, let me know. An example mashup of topos, LIDAR, geology, and open mining claims.

It seems that the Lidar map availability has changed formats. Has anyone tried & figured out the new site & process to view? USGS Lidar Explorer Map https://apps.nationalmap.gov/lidar-explorer/#/

Another question via email, with personal references removed. I prefer to answer these on the forum so everyone gets the benefit of the answer plus others can offer their opinions also. "I am new to metal detecting and, your site here has really helped me out. I have a couple questions that maybe you can help me out with. What are some of the geologic indicators that you look for to determining where to prospect for nuggets? I try to study some of the geology maps but I could use some further pinpointing. I have also been looking at the National map of Surficial Mineralogy. Using the aster and minsat7 maps what are some of the indicators that may point you to higher gold bearing ground? Any help would be deeply appreciated. Could you point me to some old places where you have found gold? I'm not asking to be shown active patches. Just areas that you feel are worked out. I just want to see what gold bearing ground looks like. This would help me to start to learn the commonalities and characteristics of gold bearing grounds. Still looking for that first nugget! Thanks again for any info you can provide." My method is much simpler than that. I basically look for gold where gold has been found before. Think of it like fishing. If you want to go catch salmon you have two options. You can go to where people have caught salmon before - pretty good odds here. Or you can go where nobody has ever caught a salmon before. Very poor odds! So call it prospecting using history to determine where gold has been found before, and then getting as close as I can to those places. History and proximity. Finally, I may then employ geology to narrow that search in a given area if it turns out the gold is confined to certain rock types. The first place I normally turn as a rough guide to any new location in the U.S. is: Principal Gold Producing Districts Of The United States 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 283 page pdf download so be patient. Pay particular attention to the listed references in the extensive bibliography for doing further research. You can download this here and find many more useful free books on this website at the Metal Detecting & Prospecting Library Principal Gold Producing Districts of the United States So just for fun let's say I want to go look for gold in New Mexico. The section on New Mexico starts on page 200 and here is a quick summary of the opening paragraphs: "The gold-producing districts of New Mexico are distributed in a northeastward-trending mineral belt of variable width that extends diagonally across the State, from Hidalgo County in the southwest corner to Colfax County along the north-central border. From 1848 through 1965 New Mexico is credited with a gold production of about 2,267,000 ounces; however, several million dollars worth of placer gold was mined prior to 1848. Mining in New Mexico began long before discoveries were made in any of the other Western States (Lindgren and others, 1910, p. 17-19; Jones, 1904, p. 8-20). The copper deposits at Santa Rita were known and mined late in the 18th century, and placer gold mining began as early as 1828 in the Ortiz Mountains south of Santa Fe. In 1839 placer deposits were discovered farther south along the foot of the San Pedro Mountains. The earliest lode mining, except the work at Santa Rita, dates back to 1833 when a gold-quartz vein was worked in the Ortiz Mountains. In 1865 placers and, soon afterward, quartz lodes were found in the White Mountains in Lincoln County; in 1866 placer deposits were discovered at Elizabethtown in Colfax County, and silver-lead deposits were discovered in the Magdalena Range in Socorro County. In 1877 placers and gold-quartz veins were found at Hillsboro, and in 1878 phenomenally rich silver ore was found at Lake Valley in Sierra County. The mineral belt of New Mexico is in mountainous terrain that lies between the Colorado Plateau on the northwest and the Great Plains on the east. It is a zone of crustal disturbance in which the rocks were folded and faulted and intruded by stocks, dikes, and laccoliths of monzonitic rocks. Deposits of copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver occur locally throughout this belt. Some deposits of copper and gold are Precambrian in age, but most of the ore deposits are associated with Upper Cretaceous or Tertiary intrusive rocks. The gold placers were probably derived from the weathering of these deposits. In later Tertiary time lavas spread out over wide areas of the State, and fissures within these rocks were later mineralized. These fissure veins are rich in gold and silver, but in most places they are relatively poor in base metals. In New Mexico, 17 districts in 13 counties yielded more than 10,000 ounces of gold each through 1957 (fig.19). Figure 19 is a handy map showing us where you want to look in New Mexico and also where looking is probably a waste of time. Click for larger version Gold mining districts of New Mexico The map shows what the text said "The mineral belt of New Mexico is in mountainous terrain that lies between the Colorado Plateau on the northwest and the Great Plains on the east." Sticking to this area is going to be your best bet. Based just on this map I see two areas of general interest - the central northern area, and the southwestern corner of the state. The text mentions that placer deposits were discovered at Elizabethtown in Colfax County, and the map shows that as the Elizabethtown-Baldy mining district. Following along in the text we find this: "The placer deposits along Grouse and Humbug Gulches, tributaries of Moreno Creek, each yielded more than $1 million in placer gold and silver. Another $2 million worth of placer gold and silver was recovered from the valleys of Moreno and Willow Creeks (Anderson, 1957, p. 38-39), and some gold also came from the gravels along Ute Creek. Graton (in Lindgren and others, 1910, p. 93) estimated the placer production of the Elizabethtown-Baldy district prior to 1904 at $2.5 million, and C. W. Henderson (in U. S. Bureau of Mines, 1929, pt. 1, p. 7 40) estimated the production through 1929 at about $3 million (145,138 ounces). The total placer production through 1959 was about 146,980 ounces." The reference material from the passage above is in the back of the book and is where we can get real details. Google is our friend. This stuff used to take me lots of visits to libraries! Anderson, E. C., 1957, The metal resources of New Mexico and their economic features through 1954: New Mexico Bur. Mines and Mineral Resources Bull. 39, 183 p. Lindgren, Waldemar, Graton, L. C., and Gordon, C. H., 1910, The ore deposits of New Mexico: U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 68, 361 p. Henderson, C. W., 1932, Gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in New Mexico: U.S. Bur. Mines, Mineral Resources U.S., 1929, pt. 1, p. 729-759. That is more than enough, but let's also Google placer gold new mexico Lots of great links there, but two jump out: Placer Gold Deposits of New Mexico 1972 USGS Bulletin 1348 by Maureen G. Johnson Placer Gold Deposits in New Mexico by Virginia T. McLemore, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources May 1994 Notice the source of the last one. Most states with much mining have a state agency involved that can be a good source of information and in this case it is the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources. That last one is a real gem and contains this passage: "All known placer deposits in New Mexico occur in late Tertiary to Recent rocks and occur as alluvial-fan deposits, bench or terrace gravel deposits, river bars, stream deposits (alluvial deposits), or as residual placers formed directly on top of lode deposits typically derived from Proterozoic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary source rocks (eluvial deposits). During fluvial events, large volumes of sediment containing free gold and other particles are transported and deposited in relatively poorly sorted alluvial and stream deposits. The gold is concentrated by gravity in incised stream valleys and alluvial fans in deeply weathered highlands. Most placer gold deposits in New Mexico are found in streams or arroyos that drain gold-bearing lode deposits, typically as quartz veins. The lode deposits range in age from Proterozoic to Laramide to mid-Tertiary (Oligocene-Miocene) (Table 2). There are some alluvial deposits distal from any obvious source terrains (Table 2). Eluvial deposits are common in many districts; some of the larger deposits are in the Jicarilla district." So now we have a lifetime of ideas on where to go and a basic idea of the geology. And an even better map! Click for larger version. Placer gold deposits in New Mexico Let's look for specific site information. 1. Go to http://westernmininghistory.com/mines 2. Click on New Mexico Mines 3. Click on Colfax County Mines 4. Click on Elizabethtown - Baldy District Here you will find basic site information, references, and a zoomable map with alternate satellite view. An alternate site... 1. Go to https://thediggings.com/usa 2. Click on Browse All States 3. Click on New Mexico 4. Click on Browse All Counties 5. Click on Colfax At this point note you can browse mining claim information or deposit information. Researching mining claims, land ownership, etc. is another topic but here is one source of mining claim location information. For now.... 6. Click on Browse All Deposits or Use The Interactive Map 7. Click on Elizabeth - Baldy A little more detail than the previous site, including this note "SOME FAIRLY COARSE NUGGETS IN WILLOW, UTE, SOUTH PONIL CREEKS, GROUSE AND HAMBURG GULCHES, MORENO RIVER" One more... 1. Go to https://www.mindat.org/loc-3366.html 2. Way down at bottom click on New Mexico 3. Way down at bottom click on Colfax County From here you can dig into all kinds of specific site information but the navigation is a real mess. Have fun! Historic claim staking activity can be a clue. You can get the Big Picture by looking at Mine Claim Activity on Federal Lands for the period 1976 through 2010 OK, that really should have answered your question. As far as places I have been, they are nearly all in Alaska and can be found here. Now, I did all the above from scratch with no real prior information on New Mexico in about 2 hours. You can do the same for any state. However, finding where the gold is really is the easy part. The hardest part by far is finding out who controls the land and getting proper permission for access. In Alaska everything is covered by thick ground cover, so opportunities for metal detecting are strictly at creek level, and nearly always claimed. The process there is simple - find out who owns the claims and get permission for access. In most of the western U.S. there is far less or no ground cover, and so getting in the vicinity of and searching around or near mining claims without being on them is a far more viable option than in Alaska. Or you can try and get permission to access the properties. You still need to be able to track down property locations and owners however. For private property I subscribe to and use OnXMaps for my PC, Google Earth, iPad, and iPhone. It quickly maps private property and gives you access to tax roll information about the owners. Tracking down mining claims is easy in the big picture and harder in the details. The Diggings referenced before has interactive claims maps. I subscribe to Minecache for their Google Earth overlay. However, the most comprehensive source with the deepest repository of Land Ownership information is Land Matters. They have online claim mapping with direct links to claims owner information. Note that all online sources have a lag time between the actual staking of a claim on the ground and when it reaches the online systems, if ever. I say if ever because some claims exist solely at the county or state levels and there is no good way to find them short of visiting local recorder's offices or eyeballs on the ground. Prior thread on finding claims information. Finally, I am not an expert geologist by any means. This is just how I go about it, but any tips, hints, advice, or information anyone is willing to share on this thread are very welcome!!

I would like to overlay USGS topos onto Google Earth, but the link I used to use to do this is now gone. Does anyone else know how to do it? EDIT: thanks to Jason and Clay Diggings, (see below) Earth Point is a way to do it. Thanks guys!

I’ve seen the more typical geosurveys used for mapping faults and exploration of oil and gas using thumper trucks or a dead weight along with a long string of geophones with them (vibration sensors strung along a long line across the ground to pick up the vibrations), but I was not aware of the more passive technique called Ambient Noise Temography (ANT) surveys. I just saw an ad here on DP about it from this company- it’s pretty interesting what they are doing and legit too- it’s not a gold spear or anything like that, but probably many times more expensive than those as well because it depends on you using several of these sensors. ANT surveys use a grid of sensors that measure ambient Earth motions like local disturbances form humans like trains and trucks, and ocean waves hitting the coast many miles away to measure and map underground geological features they say over 2km deep. It’s pretty cool technology that mining companies are using. For a deeper review of it (skip the 1st minute):

I bought myself an early Christmas present in order to make a few specialized brackets/clamps that I didn't want to pay to get manufactured. Finishing that, I decided to print myself a desk ornament. And here it is complete, I just spitballed the coloration at the point the old gravels stop and meet the granites. These models are pretty useful for estimating paleo surface and drainages and whatnot if you spend the time and get more accurate with the coloring and go to 4 colors. I'm still trying to work out a hack to get a topo map or a geologic map printing on the top surface, haven't figure out how yet though. These are good for scaling up to like 500 square miles and mapping specific elevations with different colors, and quick visualization of that sort of data, for exploration purposes. You can do similar in Google Earth but it's plane feature in 3D view is buggy and shifts heights, which has caused me to unknowingly miss some areas on aerial research. Also, there is just something more intuitive about having the physical model in hand and seeing the topographic relation of all the terrain. You can make your own .STL's from DEM data for any location in the world here: https://touchterrain.geol.iastate.edu/

Hello Dears, I hereby ask for your opinion regarding a request that I received from someone on the internet: He told me that he can sell me a map taken with Satellite which determines the places where there is gold and the veins of gold for $500. Thank you in advance for your support

Yay! Minelab finally updated Xchange 2 so it still works with Google maps, some time ago Xchange being so old was no longer compatible with Google maps and they've finally fixed the problem somewhat properly using a patch that runs in the background. You can download the fix to your Xchange 2 (Windows) here https://www.minelab.com/__files/f/507670/XChange2-1.8.7-1.3.5-Hotfix.exe XChange2 - Hotfix for mapping and pin fixes. (Released July 2023) External interfaces used by XChange2 change over time which can affect the way that XChange2 needs to work. Installing the XChange2 Hotfix file after installing the XChange2 1.8.7-1.3.5 program will help XChange2 maintain it's compatibility with Google maps so that detectorists can continue to use the program as intended. Step 1 - Download and install XChange2 1.8.7-1.3.5 Step 2 - Download and run XChange2-1.8.7-1.3.5-Hotfix.exe (This will take a few minutes.) Step 3 - Restart your computer then run XChange2 as normal. (the Hotfix will run in the background.) --- Note for Minelab, maintain its compatibility. ?

For off-road mapping with subscription fees, there’s Gaia and XMap (I don’t know which of these will work beyond the US, probably Gaia only), and there are a few other subscription mapping apps that you have to pay for maps with. In the US and Canada, I have been using Topo Maps (for Apple IOS (there’s a great looking non-subscription fee program for Android listed in the next post below). https://topomapsapp.com/ it costs $8 initially with no subscription fees after that, and provides unlimited free use of all USGS topographic maps of US, and all Canadian Topo maps as well. To use these, you preload the maps in either low or high resolution mode onto your phone so you can use it without cell phone coverage. You can navigate with it via your phone or iPad with GPS and it shows where you are real-time on the topos, and you can put in and export custom waypoints. It also has a search function to show where different named features are including many mines. I use the waypoints to mark claim boundaries and other points of interest. Phones have GPS built in, but if your iPad does not have built-in GPS, you can get a separate Bluetooth unit like a Garmin GLO for about $99 to give it that utility. I use it for my older dash mounted iPad for off-road navigation in my truck. Topo Maps iPhone zoomed in screenshot made in low- resolution mode (not a real claim!):

Back in the 90s switched from HF Flying Doctor comms to vehicle Optus Satellite then handheld Inmarsat, all served me well. However found I have evolved to using email only so have been toying with switching to the cheaper subscription Zoleo or InReach systems. Well I bit the bullet and went with a big screen ie bigger touch keyboard for old eyes and big fingers, got a Garmin Montana 700i back a month or so.... Wow lovely big 5inch bright sunlight viewable colour touch display, Birdseye View map overlay included along with upgraded Toppos. Been happy as using Android phone w/. Oziexplorer plus Garmin Rino 750 when prospecting with Son but this newer tech has replaced the Inmarsat. InReach has shown to be easy as, much cheaper and the added bonus of that SOS button, and syncs with phone/PC either via BT, WiFi or USB. First become aware of InReach on a thread on DP a fair while back so maybe is time to refresh and discuss InReach/Comms again.

I came across this class. It might be of interest to some of you. Seems to be expensive at a $100 bucks for the class. But just think if it gets you a couple of nuggets. https://theprospectinggeologist.com/online-lidar-map-making-class/

I don't know exactly where to put this so I'll start here. Maybe Clay has it on his links or someone else has posted it but it got me to some maps I would not have found. I still don't understand most of the nomenclature. https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/mapview/?center=-97,39.6&zoom=4 MapView Betaby the NGMDB MapView lets you explore some of our favorite geologic maps from the NGMDB (USGS/AASG).

I have been seeing an ad for Zoleo at the top of the DP page and thought you folks might be interested to hear an opinion about it. I bought one a year ago and have taken it with me whenever I go detecting because where I go is out of cell phone range. I am highly impressed with this little gizmo. It is about the size of a pack of smokes, it's very lightweight and easy to hook onto a harness or belt loop. I won't go into too many details but I encourage anyone who is interested in getting a satellite communicator that works very well to look into this one.It is a relative new kid on the block - but it has great and responsive customer service. It uses an app on your phone so, for instance, you can type a message on your phone but send it with the Zoleo if you are out of phone range and family or friends who download the app can use it to contact you as well. It has a check-in button to say "I'm okay" and gives the coordinates. It uses the Iridium satellite network…the good one…to relay a help call in case of trouble, with all the help that call triggers. It is worth reading up about, there is a lot in a small well-thought-out package. I have no association with the company. Oh, and Happy Holidays to everyone...

I have updated my files for historical goldmines in Google Earth and have put them in PDF file that makes it simple to get the type and state that you want. Historical Gold Mines in Google Earth.pdf

I thought I’d try using a pedometer just to see how far I stroll along the beach on my hunts. The reviews I’ve read on many are not very complimentary. It seems the common complaint centers on accuracy and battery life. I’d appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. Thanks

I thought it would be cool to overlay a geological map onto a topographical map. And maybe a property map onto an aerial image map. Then I would like to put these custom maps onto a smartphone GPS app. That way when I’m in the field, I can see that I’m in a favorable rock type area or approaching a private property boundary. I see that MapWindow is a free GIS software that will let me make map layers. And for smartphones, it seems that Gaia GPS is a popular app. Does anyone have experience making custom maps on their desktop then downloading them onto a smartphone GPS app? If so, what desktop software and smartphone app do you like? Google Earth has layering capability... has anyone use GE to create downloadable map files for a smartphone? PS, if you have done this for a handheld GPS instead of a smartphone I'd enjoy hearing about that as well. Thanks

Thinking of downloading the Gaia GPS App to my iPhone. Wondering if anyone has experience with this App? Thanks for any input.

Hello, I am using an iPad as a topo map when I’m out in the field, and also GoogleEarth, and have already downloaded the BLM’s active and inactive gold mine and prospects KML database for Google Earth and was wondering if anyone has found a good source for downloading BLM and/or National Forest KML files? I only seem to have found some local ones for Alaska on the BLM map server website, but nothing for any of the lower Western states. Thanks!

I use to mine in No. CA in the 80s & 90s and used topographical maps back then with lots of details , fire & logging road etc. Any suggestions , I would like to check display & available details ?

Hello everyone, I'm getting my first GPS device and narrowed it down to a few. I was wondering if anyone experienced with these can tell me if im doing this correctly or not. ? Garmin GPSMAP 66s or GPSMAP 64s. Which one would last the longest, most durable Also, correct me if im wrong. For us electronic prospectors wouldnt it be a good idea to get the HuntsView map? Or do i get the SE 24k and combine it with the BirdsEye What map(s) do you all use?

I use Google Maps for most of my navigation and prospecting trips. It gets me to where I want to go and if I download the offline map I still know where I am out in the field with the GPS on my phone. I can put in locations from various formats but I still have not been able to find the format for putting in the numbers in the UTM-EAST and UTM-NORTH format. How is that done on the search bar in maps? Mitchel

Has anyone used “Land Matters” website to look for a prospecting site? I recently did, and today I went out to the selected spots. None of the topo photos were the same, some roads and trails don’t exist anymore. I also forgot to take my GPS...Those photos must be ancient!

Finally got a video up that goes over and shows some the uses and benefits of lidar maps for the gold prospector and metal detectorist. I also delve into some drone usage stuff at the end of the video. Let me know what you think, and if your interested in some feel free to contact me. I will hopefully have a website up in the near future, when i do i will let everyone know here. Thanks for watching!

G'day everybody, Just thought I would start a thread on making your own gold maps to better your chances at striking it rich or at least finding a bit of gold. If this topic has already been done before please let me know & I'll remove it. I can't find anything specific on making your maps on the forum. So what are the things available for us to use in making custom gold maps? Geological maps, topographical maps, books such as Ghost & gold series, Department of mining websites, google earth etc...there is plenty of resources that we can use. I live in sunny north QLD Australia, so any info I can share with you will be based on what we have available in our QLD. Every state in Australia has its own mining department along with (rules and regulations) that differ from state to state. Department of Mines & Energy in QLD is the website I use to gather a lot of information, so far it has paid out very well in some areas. In particular small isolated gold occurrences. I often look around the fringes of existing gold fields looking for potential gold locations especially along fault lines with historical gold workings. The more remote the area the better, as there are fewer chances of modern detectors having worked the area in recent years. To get the ball rolling I thought I would just post a couple of pics of areas I have researched & marked out where I've found gold & see where it leads us.

Not sure if any of you knew of this site: https://www.historicaerials.com/ They have a view that shows old photos back to 1938 and topos going way back. The viewer is slow but has nice reference as you can click through the dates and see changes. It is a little hard to see but you can see some old trails, lost foundations and even early farm fields that have either been built over or trees have grown in. I use it to find some spots and I plug the gps coordinates into my phone's gps.