Exploration of the Mojave Desert was directly driven by the desire to locate gold—the Spanish began actively mining gold in Alta California as early as 1775 at the Potholes near Yuma, Arizona. After Mexican Independence in 1821, location and extraction of gold remained a priority, but it was gold…

Gold Prospecting Finding the Mother Lode. With gold selling at around $1900.00 an ounce, can a person earn an income prospecting for gold? This is an age-old question and one I find difficult to answer. The answer is of course, "yes," however, there is …

Prospecting in the desert has many challenges that are unique to this harsh environment. Primarily, it is the lack of water, or more specifically, the inaccessibility of water to process material using traditional alluvial mining methods. Of course, there are many gold-bearing areas that are in arid desert environments. And while it may be true […]

An Overview of Gold Mining in Arizona. Arizona is one of the most popular state in the US for gold prospecting. The gold deposits are also very widespread. With the exception of a few counties, generally there are good amounts of gold throughout the entire state. 1. The climate attract prospectors during the […]

The recreational gold prospector can find gold in the deserts and mountains of the western states, taking note of the history of prospecting in the region. One of the most famous prospectors of the past, "Pegleg Smith," traveled throughout the Anza Borrego desert …

How and Where to Find Gold in The Desert. Text and Photos by Lee Allen. A short history lesson, please. A million years ago, rocks melted, the earth cracked, and gold nuggets formed. End of class. A million years later, the nuggets are hard to find, but weekend prospectors search the desert wadis (washes), hoping to get lucky.

The earliest documented gold discovery within the Mojave Desert was along the Colorado River, about 10 miles northeast of Yuma. Mining increased considerably when several major discoveries were made in southern California and northwest Arizona. By the mid-1800s, thousands of miners were exploring the Mojave Desert in search of their fortunes.

There are many areas in southern Arizona where you can find gold. A short distance from Tucson are many gold mines, and you can still prospect for gold nuggets using metal detectors and drywashers. Conditions are harsh mining in the Sonoran Desert, but there is lots of gold that has not been found yet.

The Desert Gold Diggers is a non-profit prospecting club based in Tucson, Arizona devoted to all aspects of small scale mining, including panning, sluicing, dry washing, and metal detecting. In addition to promoting small scale prospecting, the club exchanges ideas and information on the various aspects of prospecting & mining.

Atacama Minerals is a US based early exploration mining company operating in The Atacama Desert in Chile, a world-renowned mining region. The project Flamenco with 1,830 hectares of mining claims, sits right on the iron fault along with the well-known Iron oxide copper gold …

In this video we discuss some gold prospecting techniques for working in the desert.

Gold Panning | Gold in the Desert | Gold Prospecting Clubs. Know Where to Look for Gold. The Southwest is full of promising places to look for some gold. In the southern half of California you can find good streams to work on public lands in that area west of Lake Tahoe, including Placer, El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties. Farther south ...

Gold Mining, Prospecting and Exploring in the Desert Southwest. Here you will find information on gold mining and prospecting. Tools, equipment, methods and techniques. How to find and research areas to prospect. What clues and indicators to look for while prospecting. How to travel and camp safely and comfortably in the desert.

Exploration of the Mojave Desert was directly driven by the desire to locate gold—the Spanish began actively mining gold in Alta California as early as 1775 at the Potholes near Yuma, Arizona. After Mexican Independence in 1821, location and extraction of gold remained a priority, but it was gold's "rediscovery" on January 24, 1848, at ...

Gold: Gold Mines Desert Mining History Gold and Silver Ore Milling & Processing Gold Dry Washer Arrastra Stamp Mill Chilean Mill Silver Smelter Recovery of silver from ore was a different process from that of gold Charcoal Kilns. Wildrose Kilns …