Prospecting & Mining Basics
 of Gold & Base Metals

From out of the ground, mining provide the raw materials for the manufacturing, construction and chemical industries and most of the energy minerals on which our society is so dependent. Finding these mines has required years of detailed prospecting. This prospecting work and the techniques used to discover those metals (gold or otherwise) is more ”high-tech” than ever. These mines produce many of the things we often take for granted. They are the source of all the metals you see in the buildings, cars, airplanes and household products around you, many of the raw materials for our building and chemical industries and even the gold, coal and uranium which produces much of the electricity we consume every day. Even the sizing (strengthening agent) in the paper on which this book is printed is derived from the product of a mining operation somewhere in the world. Although mining in Europe is in decline, the historical mining areas of Saxony & Silesia in eastern Europe and the tin fields of Cornwall in England are the cradles of technologies in mining, mineral processing and metallurgy processes. The Mediterranean countries of Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Turkey have had their histories colored much by the earliest of mineral production and trade. The Greeks financed their wars with the Persians largely with silver produced at Laurium, and the Romans produced copper at Rio Tinto, an area still in operation. The Phoenicians carried on much of trade and traveled as far from their homes as Cornwall for tin. The search for metals, precious stones and other minerals is at the root of many great events in history, both ancient and modern. This process has determined much of the world’s economic geography and demography. Many of the world’s developing countries export their mineral wealth to the developed world in exchange for foreign currency, making minerals an important part of international trade.The United Stated has abundant mineral resources, notably in the Nevada, which is now one of the busiest gold mining areas in the world. Idaho, California and South Dakota, too, produce their share of gold. America also has the great copper camps of Montana, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico and the lead and zinc of Missouri. Nebraska and Wyoming produce uranium, while the ranges of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan still produce iron ore from mines that fueled the Industrial Revolution.

The history of much of Latin America and Australia, too, has been shaped by minerals, while many Asian nations appear to hold the future of mining in their hands. Mining is as old as civilization itself – as old as the hills, one might say – and with each new use of the Earth’s minerals discovered in this silicon-based technological age, it becomes clearer that mining will always be with us. Whatever you area of interest is, let it be a hobbyist or a an in depth learner, this site has been designed to provide you with a greater understanding of the world of mining. We hope you find that it lives up to its title.