platinumminer

Here is a site I use up here in Canada and it seems to have better resolution in the hinterlands here - ( might use Bing?) http://vertisee.mcelhanney.com/Apps/MapsByAir_public/ It opens in western Canada but scrolls to the world Not the best but another tool

I am sort of sworn to keep the location quiet but how about - 'only in Canada - eh!' No fines on the first go-round but then the work is in progress - maybe there will be more pics later in the year. GS

Yes to platinum Apparently the first 20 pans were empty and some of the pieces were picked off the shovel GS

Everybody loves a good picture, sorry I can't relate the story as the work is on going. No metal detectors were used here just a determined guy with a gold pan. About 60 pans over two days last week - 58 grams total. Maybe there will be more pictures ? May we all be blessed at some point with this handful ! GS

From what I see in the picture is what we call a "pin finder". We use it to find property pins and also while doing road construction we use it for locating manhole covers and valve box covers that we leave intentionally low so the graders and other equipment can work without destroying our new infrastructure. It won't work on buried lines too well unless they are extremely close to the surface and made of a magnetic material - like iron. There are locators made to find under ground lines - the best of which requires you to hook a signal to the cable and use a receiver to trace the line - the line has to be electrically conductive. Some line detectors are a two box type that allow you to (with two people) induce a current with the transmitter box while trying to detect it with the receiver. This works best if you know sort of where the line is. But all in all I agree a couple of bent copper rods works in a pinch too but be carefull they are not as accurate as a shovel.

Chuck That has to be the best advice I've read yet - I definately will follow it where ever possible Barry

Ken - LOL! - sorry that you think that it has to be political - I'm too old to get into that *rap - LOL! Chuck - I have several placer properties where there is lots of platinum. I am looking to get a detector to try my hand at that aspect of prospecting but there are issues like extreme hot ground. From what I've read it might be an undetectable area but the gold and platinum is there and it's of great size so I'm going to give it a shot once I get enough info to decide on the right detector. Barry

Chuck * Hope I don't get into trouble for posting live links - I tried to look at the forum rules but just a blank page when I click it ! For BC's Mineral Titles Online site go here: http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/mining/titles/ - main Titles page http://www.mtonline.gov.bc.ca/ - start of MTO has map viewers links http://www.gov.bc.ca/empr/ - Main Ministry of Mines Page It is a good start page for everything mining is BC. You do not need to goto the MTO site itself unless you want to aquire mining property or do you required paperwork - this site requires a BCEID which is an Electronic Identity so that only you can work with your own claims etc. To get to maps use the map viewer for either placer or mineral. Zoom in on an area and find tenure numbers which you can do a tenure search on to see who owns it. The map viewer is not too intuitive but they used to have a good tutorial there somewhere. Also on the site you can find all the current legislation as well as newsletters and links to other departments where reports are available. MINEFILE is another great tool as it gives reports and what was done and found in different areas. Some old reports are available for downloads as pdf files. One must have is Bulletin 28 - Placer Gold Production of BC. http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geolsurv/Pu.../Bull28/toc.htm Of course the annual report are the best way to see what was happening on a year to year basis - starting in 1876. I have these on MICROFICHE (as well as some in hardcover) and use them constantly for research. http://www.em.gov.bc.ca/Mining/Geolsurv/Pu...og/cat_rpts.htm To put it simply - just way too much to read even if you had a full year to do nothing but. We here are lucky that the government is taking this seriously enough to give it to us for free. Barry

LOL! Mining law in BC Canada has changed much in the past 150 or so years, you do not have to work your 'claim' (we call them cells now -LOL)other than to do enough work to satisy your yearly 'assessment'. We do have one of the best online systems and you can do all your 'paperwork' from the comfort of your computer. When we went to the online system it sort of started a staking rush and now the whole province has somebodies mark on it. Unfortunately most of the staked ground is worthless and so people put it up for sale on e-bay to try and get the gullible to buy sight unseen. As anything look before you leap but remember when it comes to mining the only ones getting rich are the ones mining the miners. On the other hand goto 'mineral titles online' to see the very best up to date maps on the province. All the information you could ever want on who owns what and where is there - very impressive.