Chris's Prospecting Encyclopedia

Have you ever dreamed of finding your own gold nuggets? Check in here to learn the basics of placer mining - and how you can go out and prospect for your own placer gold. Whether its panning, sluicing, metal detecting, dredging or dry washing - here is a whole series of pages that form up a basic guide on how gold mining works, and how you can get involved.

Can't really afford expensive equipment to find gold nuggets? Are you a die hard DIY enthusiast interested in making your own home made mining equipment? Just want to get better recovery with the equipment you have? Check here for free plans and other design information on making your own prospecting equipment, and improving what you already own. I've done it, and because I'm an engineer and not an equipment dealer, I'll give you straight and honest information about what's practical to do for yourself and what's possible but not practical. From dredges to sluices to dry washers, its all here.

Gold Mining can get a little technical, and it just seems to foster a lot of questions. Want to learn what to do about getting the gold out of black sand? Curious about sulfides, tellurides and other gold or silver bearing minerals and hard rock ores? Maybe you want to learn about how to use mercury to process your ore or how to melt your gold into a solid button or bar. All that type of information and so much more is located here in the Miner's Reference Pages.

Here is your invitation to join me for a virtual trip out on the trail prospecting for gold, silver and gemstones. We will be conducting our search all across the western US, and we'll be using a variety of equipment, including a metal detector, a dredge and other prospecting tools. Most of the locations I visit are in California or Nevada. For those who have been to this website before, these are the old Chris' prospecting adventures pages. 

Gold just doesn't grow on trees, nor is it spread randomly over the whole western US. You have to find the right location to prospect if you are going to be successful in your search for gold. Here is a wealth of information on locations you can search for placer gold, including great places to camp with your family. This set of pages includes locations to prospect in California, Alaska, Nevada and Arizona.

Many gold prospectors also have an interest in hunting and collecting gems and minerals - we have a little rockbound in us. Check here for information of interest to rock hounds and mineral collectors.  These pages include a combination of gemstone references, my experiences and locations for hunting gems.

Owning your own mining claim is one of the last great opportunities left to Americans. Check in here to take a virtual tour of Chris's mines and claims for gold, silver and gems. See what its all about in the remote parts of the great American west - I own a number of mining claims.

Finding and mining your own gold is fun, but have you ever thought of investing in gold and silver?  Here is a discussion of the case for gold, possible gold investment vehicles, and the discussion of investing in gold and silver mines stocks. Mining stocks are a high risk, but high rewards type of opportunity. Before you tell your broker to buy anything on your behalf, here are a few things you ought to know.

Want to learn more?  This website has loads of information, but there is always lots more to learn. Here is a large list of books I recommend on Prospecting for gold, rock and mineral collecting, geology, jewelry making, etc. Each recommend selection has a link where you can make a purchase and get these books directly from Amazon if you wish. 

I prospect for gold with both an MXT by White's Electronics and a Minelab PI detector, and have been successful with each of them. I did up these web pages on using the MXT by Whites - they represent a full "how to" kind of guide about using this interesting multipurpose metal detector in a variety of environments, both for prospecting as well as general coin shooting and treasure hunting.   

Check out my latest prospecting articles by subscribing to:

Great prospecting adventure videos and product demonstrations at:

Nevada Outback Gems