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Ch. 6: Mining Gold Placers: Methods

Ch. 5: Workable Gravel in California Page of 331 Ch. 6: Mining Gold Placers: Methods Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
CHAPTER VI.
THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF MINING GOLD-PLACERS.
The gold alluvions occur in many different forms : in river channels, in basins and on flats, as surface de­posits of sand and gravel, or as accumulations of detritus (consisting of clay, sand, gravel, pebbles, and boulders of all sizes) covered with varying thicknesses of lava and other volcanic products.
Miners' Classification of Deposits.—Miners clas­sify the deposits in various ways, according to their mode of occurrence and topographical position, and according to the mining systems employed in working them. The term " shallow placers" is applied to deposits whose depth varies from a few inches to several feet, to dis­tinguish them from " deep placers," which often cover large areas and have a depth varying from one hundred to several hundred feet.
" Hill Claims," or deposits of gravel on hills ; " Bench Claims," or placers occurring in bench form on declivi­ties and above the level of existing rivers ; " Gulch Dig­gings," found in gulches and ravines; "Flat Deposits," on small plains or flats ; " Bar Claims," or bars of sand and gravel on the sides of streams, generally above the water-level ; and " Beach Sands," or the auriferous sands of the sea-shore, are terms in common use, as well as the names " sluice," " drift," and " hydraulic " diggings.
Classification of Mining Operations.—The min­ing methods in common use may be divided into two general classes—viz., Surface-Mining and Deep-Mining.
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Ch. 5: Workable Gravel in California Page of 331 Ch. 6: Mining Gold Placers: Methods
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