Golden Success During Economic Turmoil

Anaconda Gold, which operates the only mine producing just gold in Newfoundland and Labrador is experiencing a good level of success during these troubling times in the resource sector. With many mines cutting back or closing, this small scale well run operation is not only operating but also providing good paying jobs to 90 people in the small rural community of Baie Verte and nearby towns.

Dustin Angelo, CEO of Anaconda Gold said that the mining operation at Pine Cove pit in Baie Verte has about two-and-a-half years left, so Anaconda is looking into the potential of a nearby deposit called Stog 'er Tight.

"Right now we've got an exploration program going on. Our goal is to extend the life of the project over 10 years," said Angelo.

Read More Here

Have you heard about Bitgold?

I am a true gold bug and I am a Bitgold user because utilizing commodity money makes sense for responsible citizens seeking to peg their labour, goods, and services to a unit of account that mimics their own personal consumption and savings requirements.

2015 was a year when an idea became a business defying logic, conventional wisdom, and the laws of linearity. An idea, hatched by two young entrepreneurs has now evolved into a global platform spanning 600,000 members in nearly 200 countries. An idea that has led to a 50 person team operating a platform that safeguards over $1.5 billion of precious metal assets for over 100,000 members with a positive balance. An idea that has seen some of the world’s greatest investors from George Soros, Albert D. Friedberg, Adam Fleming, Eric Sprott, James Turk and others join with unwavering support and assurances of integrity.

Roy Sebag, Founder and CEO of BitGold, has created “a legal, tax-compliant and existing financial-system compatible gold standard, available to all global citizens.

He describes it this way "BitGold is just like paypal except it only utilizes one base currency: weights of gold. The platform superimposes up to 160 different currency values on top of your gold weight allowing you to "think" in your local currency"

Not only does BitGold allow you to save in gold but to send and receive payments from family members or friends who are BitGold users. Users can also spend their vaulted gold with our unique GoldMoney Prepaid MasterCard at more than 30 million point-of-sale and withdraw local currency from ATM machines.

Eric Sprott from Sprott Asset Management speaking at the Sprott-Stansberry Natural Resource Symposium on July 31st, 2015 in Vancouver, took the opportunity to discuss his thoughts on BitGold, its relation to bitcoin and the role BitGold will play in the development of the gold market.

Video Link Below

The best way to learn more about BitGold is to open a free account. Use this link and you will get some free gold upon completion of sign up: Learn more about Bitgold Here 

#bitgold 

An Emerging Gold District in Eastern Canada

The 2013 Global Survey of Mining Companies by the Fraser Institute ranked the Newfoundland among the top ten most attractive jurisdictions for mining investment worldwide. Mining is a major economic activity in Newfoundland and Labrador. The most important mineral is iron ore. Several other minerals are also mined in the province, including silver, gold, lead, copper and zinc.

New mineral discoveries continue to be advanced even in these trying times of limited financing, particularly within the last five years. The island portion of the province is now considered to be an important emerging gold district on Canada’s East coast. Key gold discoveries have been made in a wide range of environments prospective for world class deposit types. At least 6 gold deposits continue to increase in both scope and amount of insitu contained ounces. Two expanded and modernized gold mills are now in operation, while a third mine is in the financing and development stage.

In a nut shell, the latest developments and discoveries are due largely to exploration success fostered by prospecting spirit combined with excellent geology and a stable political climate with a secure mineral tenure system.

The province remains relatively under-explored compared with other mineral-rich jurisdictions, thus creating a unique opportunity for mineral resource investment and new mineral finds. This is illustrated by the discovery of the world-class Voisey’s Bay nickel-copper-cobalt deposit on surface in 1993, during reconnaissance helicopter prospecting in search of diamonds.

Newfoundland and Labrador is the largest and most geologically diverse of Canada’s Atlantic Provinces. Its present setting on the eastern edge of the North American continent is the latest manifestation of a diverse and protracted four billion year history of cratonic, continental margin and oceanic evolution. The province hosts a collage of metallogenic environments well preserved in rocks formed at varying crustal levels in Archean, Proterozoic and Paleozoic mobile belts.

Newfoundland and Labrador is not only geologically diverse but also richly endowed with a wide spectrum of minerals, including iron ore, base and precious metals, uranium, tungsten, molybdenum, antimony, rare earths and industrial minerals.

Gold discoveries alone have been numerous over the last decade.These gold prospects include well-documented examples of high- and low-sulphidation epithermal deposits, bulk tonnage intrusion and sediment-hosted deposits, and gold-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits. These highly prospective yet underexplored environments represent opportunities for significant new discoveries, in what is becoming an emerging gold district.

The province has a mining tradition spanning generations, and a sought-after work force with a diversity of mining experience and expertise. It has a diversified mining and mineral exploration service industry, geophysical and engineering consultants, diamond-drilling companies, and a large community of prospectors.

2014 has been challenging for the global mining and exploration industry but mining projects continue to progress in the province. The future remains promising with new mines or expansions in construction, or in advanced feasibility studies; and other mines returning to production after hiatuses. Mining will continue to be a major contributor to employment and economic development in the province.

Will the price of gold reach $5000 per ounce or higher?

Gold and the price of gold gets plenty of attention and it is a subject that is gets regular coverage from media sources. Every day there are reports, articles and commentaries from industry stakeholders, stock market gurus and financial advisors etc.

Some are bullish on gold, some are bearish and some promote having a contrarian approach. It is can be difficult to take a side on either opinion as there are good points being made each way.

As a gold prospector I am in the camp that cheers on the price of gold and would relish seeing the price increase. I think that the price will gradually edge up to higher levels that better correspond to the true value of the metal when compared to fiat money, as has been seen in history.

Charles Oliver from Sprott Asset Management LP believes that the price of gold may reach $5,000 per ounce or higher within a few years and maybe even go beyond that. He focuses on gold and silver investments as a portfolio manager for the Sprott Gold Precious Minerals Fund and the Silver Equities Class. Below are some quotes from a recent article by Henry Bonner in which Charles makes his case for higher gold prices.

When Henry Bonner spoke to Mr. Oliver last summer, he said the weakness in the gold price in the face of unprecedented money printing from the Fed had taken him by surprise.

Quotes from the March 11, 2014 story:

Have we passed a decisive point since then? Is gold heading up? (Bonner)

“I believed throughout 2013, with the price of gold coming down, the fundamentals were only getting better,” he answered. “During that time, the Chinese bought like mad and the Fed printed another trillion dollars through QE. Nonetheless, heavy selling took the gold price down.

“Today, the difference is that the sellers are exhausted, and physical demand is catching up. One of the numbers we are looking at is the quantity of registered inventories on the COMEX for gold. That’s the amount of physical gold that is available when someone asks for physical delivery instead of a cash settlement.”

Mr. Oliver continues: “One day, we might see someone try to break the market on the physical side, by demanding delivery of more tons than can be supplied – hence driving the price up.

“Because of this threat, I would tell investors in the metals to stick to ‘fully-allocated’ products, where you have a claim to a specific amount of metal that is physically held in a vault, not lent out or hypothecated.”

So have we reached a point where physical demand will drive the price up? (Bonner)

“The demand coming from China boggles the mind. Imports of gold through Beijing were somewhere on the order of 100 tons a month last fall. Assuming this trend continues, China might import 1,200 tons or more this year. That is nearly half of the world’s annual mine production of around 2,600, whereas 5 years ago, they hardly imported any. I believe a good portion of the 800 tons that were sold from ETF holdings subsequently were shipped to Asia.”

Could gold head lower in the near-term? (Bonner)

“As far as the price going down again, we already saw gold bounce off from $1,180 in December, which represented a 39 % retracement from the peak – a significant number from a technical perspective. Certainly another powerful support level would be around $1,000. There were several times before 2008 when gold hit that level and came back. I believe that would be a very firm support level for gold if it dropped again.”

Where is gold headed a few years out? (Bonner)

“In 1980, when the gold price peaked at $800, it took 1 ounce of gold to buy the Dow Jones Index. After 1980, financial assets took the lead over hard assets. In 1999, it took 44 ounces of gold to buy the Dow Jones, at a gold price of $250. If gold were to regain the position it held in 1980, we could easily see a 3:1 ratio – gold at $5,000 given the current level of the Dow Jones, or even $15,000 if gold returns to the 1:1 level.

“Ultimately, I believe that the gold price could reach $5,000 within a few years, and perhaps go well beyond. Deficits and rising debts, exacerbated by demographic issues, are here to stay. And money printing and higher gold demand along with them.”


The Full Article from Sprott Asset Management is available here

How does the price of gold effect the propsector and the value of his / her claims ? Read More here 

Island of Newfoundland: An emerging Gold District on the East Coast of Canada

Specimen of gold in quartz undisclosed location in Nl

Exploration and development for gold is gaining momentum on the Island of Newfoundland. Much of the recent and current production of the precious metal is linked to the beginning of modern gold exploration, led by Noranda and a host of juniors. These efforts which peaked in the 1980s, quickly resulted in significant gold discoveries, many of which are associated with major crustal structures across central Newfoundland’s greenstone terranes. Richmont Mines’ Nugget Pond and Hammerdown Mines and BP-Selco‘s Hope Brook Mine were the direct result of these early finds.

Since that time, exploration has been sporadic, carried out by local junior miners and prospectors, supported by government surveys. Nevertheless, key gold discoveries have been made in a wide range of environments prospective for world-class deposit types. These occurrences include well-documented examples of high- and low-sulphidation epithermal deposits, bulk tonnage intrusion and sediment-hosted deposits, and gold-rich volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits.

These highly prospective yet underexplored environments represent opportunities for significant new discoveries, in what is becoming an emerging gold district. The following projects reflect some recent success stories in this region.

• New resource estimates were reported on several advanced gold projects in central and southern Newfoundland; Preliminary Economic Assessments are in progress.
• Rambler Metals & Mining plc is producing from newly defined high-grade copper and gold lenses from a historic Au-rich VMS deposit in the Baie Verte mining district of northeastern Newfoundland.
• Anaconda Mining Inc. is operating the open-pit Pine Cove mine, a mesothermal (orogenic) gold deposit associated with a major structural feature, the Baie Verte Line. The company processed 287,747 dry tonnes of ore, and sold 14,879 ounces of gold in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2013.
• Marathon Gold recently reported total measured and indicated resources at the Leprechaun Deposit of 10.5 million tonnes grading 2.28 g/t gold for 775,000 ounces of gold and 1.5 million tonnes at 2.79 g/t for 140,000 ounces of gold.
• Benton Resources Inc. has assembled a large land package covering the highly prospective Cape Ray Fault Zone. Benton now owns six separate deposits having either 43-101 compliant or historic resources totalling more than 448,000 ounces of gold, with silver and base metals.
• Maritime Resources Corp. is exploring the Hammerdown and Orion orogenic gold deposits, and several other gold zones. An initial Independent NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Estimate released in June 2013 estimates the property to contain more than 400,000 ounces of gold in the measured and indicated category and over 600,000 ounces in the inferred category, both are at a 3 g/t cut-off grade.
• Coastal Gold Corp. is exploring the historic Hope Brook gold mine on the south coast of Newfoundland. An updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate released December 2013 reports 19.9 million tonnes indicated at 1.93 g/t Au for 1,239,000 ounces of gold and 1.3 million tonnes inferred at 3.22 g/t for 138,000 ounces of gold.

Despite the current weakness in financial markets, greenfields gold exploration continues on the Island of Newfoundland, with significant results. Notable amongst these has been the recognition of new areas of widespread epithermal gold mineralization in eastern Newfoundland by Silver Spruce Resources and Puddle Pond Resources. Bonanza-grade, gold-bearing quartz veins were found by a local prospector in a little-explored silicic volcanic terrane on the Baie Verte Peninsula. These claims have since been optioned by Bowmore Exploration.

Newfoundland and Labrador is a highly attractive exploration destination and a globally competitive mining jurisdiction, with world-class deposits of iron, nickel-copper-cobalt and zinc-lead-copper.

The province ranks ninth worldwide in the most attractive jurisdictions for investment in mining, according to an annual global survey of mining executives recently released by the Fraser Institute... Read more at this link

Gold Prospects in Newfoundland

Over the last year there have been many news releases of new gold discoveries and advanced exploration results from companies and prospectors working in Newfoundland and Labrador Canada. These announcements fully support the view and beliefs that many people have held and thought for years - "There is great potential for the discovery of new gold deposits in the province".

Exploration and prospecting continues in many areas of the province, this work that is being undertaken by Junior exploration companies and also individual prospectors. The effort is paying off for many prospectors and companies alike!

Over that last few years more than one company has conducted exploration work that resulted in several muti-million once in situ gold deposits being discovered. These deposits at the time of writing, continue to be expanded with solid results occurring on a regular basis.

Even considering the down turn of the stock market and the reduction of gold prices below historic highs, it is still an exciting time and worthy endeavour to explore for gold in Newfoundland.

What is of equal importance to prospectors is that most of these discoveries have come about as a result of applying new thinking and geological modeling when planning and conducting exploration work especially when reviewing historically known gold occurrences.

I recently did some work on one of my claims that had past sampling, geo mapping, geophysical surveys and prospecting results up to 19.5 grams per tonne gold. Using a fresh line of thinking we obtained grab sample results up to 45 grams per tonne outside the historic area of stripping and a non-selective channel chip sample of 5.95 grams per tonne over 6.5 meters that included nondescript rock, alteration areas and one spot of visible gold.

An example of a NL gold press release ... http://www.marathon-gold.com/news/News-Releases/News-Release-Details/2013/Step-Out-Channel-Sampling-at-the-Victory-Gold-Deposit-Returns-Interval-of-211-gt-Au-over-1818-meters/default.aspx

Quality Mineral Properties available in Newfoundland and Labrador! 

There is opportunity out there Happy prospecting and safe travels. 

Gold exploration budget topped 6 Billion 2012

Gold exploration budgets increased drastically since 1999, reaching an all-time high of more than $6 billion in 2012, but the total amount of precious metal found in major discoveries fell short of replacing global production, shows a report by SNL Metals Economics Group.

While it is too early to judge the success of recent exploration, says the report, data for 1990-2012 reveals that miners' annual discovery-oriented gold exploration budget more than doubled between 1990 and 1997 from $930 million to about $2.2 billion.

According to the document, exploration budgets fell in 1998 along with gold prices to recover by 2003, jumping an average of 31% annually until last year. Read More at Source

Video Documentary of The Hemlo Gold Discovery

Prospectors John Larch, Don McKinnon and Richard Hughes discovered gold in the Hemlo camp in the early 1980s, starting a staking rush not seen in Canada since the Klondike gold rush of the late 19th century. Two companies, Golden Sceptre and Goliath Resources, secured rights to a large land package in the area, and were subsequently acquired by Noranda.

Scientists discover bacteria that can make gold out of mine waste

I knew that they would try to find a way to eliminate gold prospectors .Quote from here

Quote:

Gold prospectors may one day use Petri dishes to help with their quests. A species of bacterium forms nanoscale gold nuggets to help it to grow in toxic solutions of the precious metal, reports a paper published online today in Nature Chemical Biology. Link 

Anyway there are those in the business, like me,  that have a gold deposit and have worked hard to define it, and we should not abandon the ship just yet. This idea is still yet a few clouds off of being real.  No doubt that there is probably someone somewhere that is going to try and build a company around this new dream, and get funding with no real understanding or proof,and has will lots of advertising. 

Reality is if you own the gold .. then you still own it 

Kevin Puil: $4/lb Copper Is on Its Way [TV, TREVF] - The Gold Report

Kevin Puil: $4/lb Copper Is on Its Way - The Gold Report

Found this article on the gold report website. It's an interview with Kevin Puil discussing copper prices, companies exploring for the metal and other things. What I find interesting is his opinion that copper could see $4 / lb this year or better.

Here is a quote for the interview:

Quite frankly, I think you could see copper peak above $4 a pound ($4/lb) this year, and $3.75 is reasonable for an average. It's interesting to look back at the five-year average for copper. Even though a lot of analysts are using ~$2.75/lb as their long-term outlook, copper has only broken below $3/lb for that brief amount of time during the financial crisis. The rest of the time, it's been well above $3/lb. I think it's about time they brought the price up to a more realistic level.

Read The Interview Here

Even with the Canadian Penny going out of circulation, the need and demand for copper will be with us for a long time in the foreseeable future. Manitoba Copper producers and explorers with nice deposits are worth following. I am following Mustang Minerals, VMS Ventures, HudBay Minerals and others.

Does reality TV’s gold boom suggest an end to soaring prices? - Business - Macleans.ca

Does reality TV’s gold boom suggest an end to soaring prices? - Business - Macleans.ca

The last time TV was so caught up in a trend it was in the house-flipping genre (Flip This House, Flip That House), which seemed to hit its peak just before the U.S. housing market crashed. Is there a similar warning sign in the TV gold boom?

Some analysts on Wall Street, at least, seem to think gold’s wild ride may be nearing its end.

MBN Home Repair Do It Yourself Library | Home Improvement Articles From Manitoba Builders

MBN Home Repair Do It Yourself Library | Home Improvement Articles From Manitoba Builders

Just a short little comment plugging some posts I am writing for a new blog covering Handyman Do It Yourself tips for  Manitoba Builders Network. Take a peek and tell me what you think. Thanks

Always good to have some construction experience!

Gold has gone down river

I have been looking at some placer mining operations lately. Who hasn't with new TV shows based on placer mining operations popping up on a seemingly regular basis. I wish that I could say that I am taking a close look at placer mining because of the resurgence of interest created by mainstream television, but i can't.

Everything those folks do and have done is a credit to their perseverance, work ethics and integrity. It takes a no holds barred determination to go out on a limb buying equipment to start an operation, and a rock hard commitment to see it through. Let alone, diving in skin freezing water to recover gold.

Most of the time, you'll find guys like me looking at hard rock deposits and chipping out samples or drilling things to find a lode bearing area.  I have for many years focused on locating the source of the gold and hoping that it would eventually lead to making a mine. Some of that work has paid off, but it is a long drawn out waiting game. In any case in Canada right know the time involved between making discoveries of gold or other minerals in a hard rock environment and actually seeing a mine develop is at least 12 years.

So I have been thinking. What if I reversed my focus and used what I know about local gold deposits and started looking down stream or down river from the locations. Would I find placer gold that is more easily won? After all, I have often panned in streams and rivers day by day hoping to trace lode gold upstream.

Free gold is liberated and moved by erosion and usually carried down river to end up in river turns or crevices. I am thinking  that it may be easier to mine the gold that I panned over looking to trace the lode rock, than to actually wait to see a hard rock mine developed. That's a bit of a twist for me.

But I don't think it's far fetched, I know where several lode deposits are and I know where the rivers or streams that run off of the area are. I have traced them upstream and totally ignored the downstream possibilities. Until now.

It could be more rewarding to start a wee mobile placer operation down stream.

So Who Has Silver?

Do investors want to own silver because the latest GDP number means that the Fed will continue with QE easing by buying $85 billion a month in mortgage paper and Treasuries? Maybe they see silver and gold as a good "have at hand" store of value. Or maybe they just like the soft, lustrous look and feel of the transitional metal. Each person has their own reasons for owning silver, however these day it is likely safe to say that most folks who own silver in quantity are doing so for the future value.   

It looks like that there are a rather large number of people whom think silver is a great investment these days. I like silver because it looks nice when made into everyday things like utensils and especially when minted into coins and bars. (you now where this is headed)  Many others see silver a good store of value.  

So what is the fuss all about anyway. Lets have a look at some of the media things relating to silver these days...

Hear is a quote from Gregor Gregersen at Silver Bullion Pte Ltd... 

“Our clients are worried that a major currency crisis or mass bankruptcies would occur,” said Gregor Gregersen, the 36- year-old founder of Silver Bullion, whose sales now average about S$6 million ($4.9 million) a month. “It all has to do with falling confidence in the heavily indebted Western governments and financial institutions.”  Link

Bloomberg has been reporting on silver rather frequently  including this article  

Bloomberg reports:

Sales of American Eagle silver coins by the U.S. Mint jumped to a record this month on increased demand for an alternative to currencies as the U.S. central bank presses on with unprecedented stimulus. Sales surged to 7.42 million ounces so far in January, the biggest monthly total since 1986, when the Washington-based Mint began the transactions. The figure compares with the 1.635 million ounces sold in December.

Wasn't it just  Last week that the Royal Canadian Mint put limits on the quantity of sales for its Silver Maple Leaf coin? Yet another link

So what do you think about all the fuss over silver? Leave your comments below if you wish.


My two cents are:

Silver when seen in the weathered natural form out in the field, in a vein outcrop, is rather ugly looking, it's dark and often tends to leave a black satin. But it is rather pretty when refined and it seems that it is  becoming more valuable.  

The last thing I think you should do is rely upon anything I have written above as Investment Advice. I am a mineral prospector who looks at trends in the market mainly to guide my own activities when choosing where to focus and what minerals to focus on in prospecting work. Do I own silver? Yes i do, but my business doesn't include advising people on how to invest. Call the experts for that.

Silver is becoming a mineral that is attracting more attention from the prospector community, and I think that it is about time that it did. A good dream would involve finding a deposit of silver mixed with gold at a high grade. A near perfect dream would involve finding silver and gold mixed with base metals at a profitable mine grade.

After prospecting for a long day in the cold of Manitoba

Gordon Brown sold Britain's gold at a knock-down price

On 7th May 1999 the British Government under Gordon Brown, announced a restructuring of the UK’s reserve holdings to achieve a better balance in the portfolio by increasing the proportion held in currencies. Since that time a total of approximately 395 tonnes of gold has been sold at 17 auctions, run by the Bank of England on the Treasury’s behalf. The first auction took place on 6th July 1999 and "the program" concluded with the 17th auction on 5th March 2002.2002 report by the HM Treasury


I just finished reading a July 5 2012 news story carried in the Telegram, reported by Thomas Pascoe who worked in both the Lloyd's of London insurance market and in corporate finance before joining the Telegraph. In which he said that a great deal of Gordon Brown’s economic strategy would strike a sane man as troubling.

Here are some highlights from his blog at The Telegram

One decision stands out as downright bizarre, however: the sale of the majority of Britain’s gold reserves for prices between $256 and $296 an ounce, only to watch it soar so far as $1,615 per ounce today.

When Brown decided to dispose of almost 400 tonnes of gold between 1999 and 2002, he did two distinctly odd things.

First, he broke with convention and announced the sale well in advance, giving the market notice that it was shortly to be flooded and forcing down the spot price. This was apparently done in the interests of “open government”, but had the effect of sending the spot price of gold to a 20-year low, as implied by basic supply and demand theory.

Second, the Treasury elected to sell its gold via auction. Again, this broke with the standard model. The price of gold was usually determined at a morning and afternoon "fix" between representatives of big banks whose network of smaller bank clients and private orders allowed them to determine the exact price at which demand met with supply.

The auction system again frequently achieved a lower price than the equivalent fix price. The first auction saw an auction price of $10c less per ounce than was achieved at the morning fix. It also acted to depress the price of the afternoon fix which fell by nearly $4.

It seemed almost as if the Treasury was trying to achieve the lowest price possible for the public’s gold. It was.

One of the most popular trading plays of the late 1990s was the carry trade, particularly the gold carry trade. In this a bank would borrow gold from another financial institution for a set period, and pay a token sum relative to the overall value of that gold for the privilege.

Once control of the gold had been passed over, the bank would then immediately sell it for its full market value. The proceeds would be invested in an alternative product which was predicted to generate a better return over the period than gold which was enduring a spell of relative price stability, even decline.

At the end of the allotted period, the bank would sell its investment and use the proceeds to buy back the amount of gold it had originally borrowed. This gold would be returned to the lender. The borrowing bank would trouser the difference between the two prices.

This plan worked brilliantly when gold fell and the other asset – for the bank at the heart of this case, yen-backed securities – rose. When the prices moved the other way, the banks were in trouble.

This is what had happened on an enormous scale by early 1999. One globally significant US bank in particular is understood to have been heavily short on two tonnes of gold, enough to call into question its solvency if redemption occurred at the prevailing price.

Read More Here

Related Document in PDF Review of the sale of part of the UK gold reserves

Any guesses as to the particular USA bank referred to? Feel free to comment on this post.

I like this quote from Thomas Pascoe " It was a lesson which could have acted to restrain all players in the credit market boom of the 2000s. It was a lesson which nobody learnt.

Large Unexplored Quartz Vein System In Manitoba

A day to remember ... Not many veins exist that a person can actually lean on 

Back in 2007 while staking mineral claims west of the Rice Lake Gold Camp in Manitoba we experienced a bit of a heat wave when temperatures hit above 40 degrees C, and I found myself needing to take a break from making "claim posts" and cutting lines.

At the time the crew and I were carrying out a project and staking an area of about 38 sq miles, or just over 98 sq km's. Needless to say, it was hard work as there were many kilometers of lines that required cutting / blazing and there were hundreds of post markers that had to be completed.

That particular project required that land package be divided into 38 individual mineral claim blocks with each requiring that wooden marker posts be erected every 400 meters along each and every line. We staked over 240 km of boundary and erected and recorded over 350 individual claim posts along those boundaries.

We found ourselves a bit over worked about mid day and worried about heat exhaustion or worse. I decided that the best course of action was to take a break and get out of the heat. I got on the radio and talked with the crew and we agreed to shut down work and take a break. We headed for the nearby lake to cool off and relax a bit, have a lunch and to do things other than work, until the heat diminished some.

To me relaxing in the bush involves a dip in the water, a lunch and a leisurely "walk about" prospecting and looking at the geology, nature and stuff like that. I just have to be moving but mind you I would rather be walking about and prospecting "nice and slow" in that kind of heat.

Cat seen in Manitoba

During that opportunity "to walk about" I happened upon an outcrop of "Greenstone" that hosts a series of hydrothermal vein systems ranging in size from about 1 inch wide up to the width seen in the photo above and somewhat "bigger" a few paces back along strike.

This vein structure is located in a part of the region of Manitoba where the Rice Lake Greenstone Belt is in contact with structures of North Caribou terrane. The visual evidence indicating that can be identified easily if you carefully prospect and visually map the area.

I prospected these veins only in a general manner at the time "casually", yet i managed to get 'a kick" of gold along with some notable numbers for other metals from assay later. I didn't have the time to get back and do a detailed prospecting survey yet . Time and finances were not aligned with my desire to explore it at the time. I did get a day back there last year, in which I gathered a few more samples and later got some assay work done on. Those results indicated significant gold numbers in some samples and also well above background in others.

Yes, there could be a nugget effect happening within some of the assay samples and the results have been very high on selected samples, however on a chip sample over 2 meters the results were still very promising. It is far to early to determine what style or amount of gold occurs here let alone beginning to understand the where for all as to how the gold was deposited.

One of the very few records available on the area indicates that not far from this vein structure, a drill core was made in the past, that reported a gold assay exceeding 1 ounce per ton over a length of 25 feet of core, beginning from surface.

Today in 2012, we have a situation where gold prices have climbed and many new gold discoveries have been made in the area and have been proved to be occurring in similar type geology. Yet, this structure still exists and is still unknown and under explored. I am sure that I will explore it when time and resources permit.

If you wish contact me, I'll be selecting a partner willing to take some risks in exploring this and other occurrences. Not large risks are needed, but a risk none the same, so if you you are not prepared to support or prospect this, or can't get it in your budget to do so, don't worry, there are always other things to do.

This area is now being recognized as one of the very few grass root gold exploration targets remaining under explored in Manitoba. Junior gold exploration companies have taken notice of the area and there is a modern gold mine and milling complex operating close by. Within the Rice Lake Gold Camp San Gold Corp has recently made significant new gold discoveries.

Mining Companies See Billions in Value lost

The mining sector's bellwether companies were all beaten down on Thursday as the price of metals and minerals continued to slide and economic indicators from across the globe painted a bleak picture for the mining industry.

The market was very much influenced by several things, among them:

Bad news out of China and a new survey that showed manufacturing activity in the country is set to decline for the eighth month in a row in June.

The same survey conducted in Europe also released on Thursday supplied more reasons to sell – Europe’s banking and sovereign debt crisis is now dragging down even the powerhouse of the region Germany with factory output contracting at its fastest pace in three years.

As if that was not enough US manufacturing data released as the New York market opened also indicated an already tepid recovery was losing steam.

More at Mining.com

Not very good news for prospectors or anyone in the mining industry. We'll have to keep our boots to the ground and wait out the storm.

The Case of 480,000 oz. of Klondike gold

Found an interesting write up at Mining.com, the story is about a decade old court case over salvage rights to 480,000 ounces of gold. Yes nearly a half million ounces of Klondike gold!

At $1600 us per ounce that haul is worth about $768,000,000 ! Can you imagine finding that! What would that experience feel like, and no wonder it took a decade to settle it.

The steamship SS Islander carrying the gold from the Klondike and sank near Juneau, Alaska, August 15 1901. The ship was full with passengers, mail and 480,000 oz. of gold bullion. The SS Islander was favoured by businessmen and wealthy since it was better outfitted than most vessels.

Around 2 a.m. on Aug. 15 the Islander hit an iceberg in Lynn Canal, south of Juneau.Within five minutes, the bow was completely underwater making the ship inoperable. The boat sank 15 minutes later. Forty people lost their lives.

When the boat sank, salvage was not possible due to the depth and low temperatures under the water. A salvage company did managed to raise two thirds of the hull in 1934 but 60 feet of the forward hull section, the heavier part of the boat, broke away and stayed on the bottom.

Both Ocean Mar and Yukon Recovery made separate expeditions in the '90s and discovered the hull section independently leading to the dispute.U.S. District Court Judge H. Russel Holland said Ocean Mar located the vessel first, disappointing rival company Yukon Recovery.

Read the Story - Link at Mining.com

The following article is re-posted here in it's entirety as is from ArticleCity.com in accordance with their permission and policies. I like the content and the straight forward manner in which the author Brian Cheek presents the infomation.


Should I Buy Gold?
 by: Brian Cheek

Investors often ask me, " Should I buy gold ?" The answer is simple, in my opinion: Gold should be a part of every investor's portfolio. Whether or not you believe gold is going to appreciate short term or not is a matter for speculators, but smart investors who want a diversified portfolio will want to own gold for its protective qualities. Gold is a wonderful diversifier, and it offers protection against many adverse events in the marketplace, as we will discuss below.

Why Should I Buy Gold?

Gold adds another layer to a portfolio filled with stocks and bonds. Gold is a completely different asset class than stocks are. Even the ETF that trades like a stock behaves like godl because it is tied to the price of bullion. When compared to the stock market, gold has behaved in a roughly inverse fashion to the stock market since 1971 when the gold standard was abandoned. For traditional buy and hold investors, gold can provide returns when the stock market underperforms.

Gold Offers Protection of Value

Gold protects against inflation. Inflation occurs when the money supply is increased, causing each unit of currency to be worth less. Then this happens, prices for goods and services will rise. This will cause the price of gold to rise as well, because it will take more of the dollars (which are each worth less due to inflation) to buy an ounce of gold. The stronger the inflation, the faster gold will rise. Many investors keep some gold in their portfolio for just this reason.

Gold Investors are Prepared for Disasters

Since the economy of every nation (and the worldwide economy) is based on trust, it can collapse when that trust is eroded. Think about this: the paper that money is printed on is not worth anything. It is worth value because of the trust that people have in the government and the economic system. As soon as a nation defaults on its debt, the money becomes worthless-it is literally not worth the paper on which it is printed. Gold, however, will always be worth something. In this way, it is currency. So, some people like to have gold around as a protection against a bank failure, a war, civil unrest, or severe political climate changes or any other disaster that might cause a currency decline or failure. Indeed, history shows that when a nation is facing war, economic or political uncertainty, or a financial crisis, the demand for gold rises sharply.

Know Your Investment Strategy

You have to decide what type of investor you are, so that you can determine how to work gold into your portfolio. For instance, if you are risk averse, and you do not want to store gold in your house, then you may want to get a gold account, gold certificate, or buy shares of the gold ETF. If you feel gold will appreciate in the long run, and you want to reap higher rewards, you can invest in mining stocks and the gold miners ETF, both of which are leveraged, meaning they multiply advances and declines in the gold price. For a buy and hold investor with average risk tolerance, 25-30% of a portfolio invested in gold is reasonable. A more speculative investor may choose to hold a higher percentage in gold, and use more leveraged instruments like gold stocks and futures. There is no right or wrong amount of gold to hold. There is only the amount that is right for you.

Knowing Where to Buy Gold

Owning gold has never been easier than it is today. Once you know your strategy, then you can start to pick out which investment vehicles make the most sense to you. There are many ways to own it, several of which can be done with clicks of a mouse. You can, of course, opt for gold bullion or gold coin ownership. If you want to own it but have someone else take possession of it, then gold accounts and/or gold certificates are for you. If you want to trade it like a stock, then the gold ETF will be your choice. For those who want a little more risk with the potential for higher rewards, there are gold mining stocks, the gold miner's ETF and leveraged ETF funds.


About The Author

Brian is an expert on gold investing and gold prospecting. His website, The Gold Spot is a comprehensive guide for gold investors and gold mining hobbyists.

For more information on gold buying decisions, go to Should I Buy Gold?
Visit the author's web site at: http://www.the-gold-spot.com

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_10948.shtml

Gold Mining Museum in Dahlonega Georgia

I recently ran across this interesting video about gold mining and the Museum in Dahlonega Georgia. I thought that it was worth sharing. I really like the information provided on historical mining in the area and the very first gold rush in North America. This is a good presentation on old mines and equipment that are over 100 years old and still operating!
Hope you enjoy it.

There is a short advertisement at the beginning  that plays before the video, it comes from the source.

Link To Video of Museum in Dahlonega Georgia