Chris Gholson

The SL is used to signify that the coil is a Super-Lite, or "Open" in design like a wheel. Coils without the SL are Solid in design. All the Nugget Finder Advantage and Evolution Coils use Litz wire.

What a shame. My wife and stayed there quite a bit over the years. Great location and Cindy always kept the place up nice...bummer.

That's beautiful country down there for sure. I love the bottom photo with the sun flare...Nice first nugget to kick off the season!

Yeah the AZO forum got hit pretty bad over the weekend by spam. I think it was just one or two accounts that snuck through, but they have since been banned and all those posts deleted. Unfortunately it happens from time to time. Luckily everyone keeps a close eye, so it wasn't there for long. Frank, I didn't see anything under the Classifieds as of ten minutes ago. You might try refreshing.

Fake??? Ahh come on now guys, isn't that how those multi-ouncers look right out of the ground? I like the nonchalant thumbs-up after he washes it off.

I am selling this brand new Nokta FORS Gold metal detector. This unit has never been out of the box, and was designed for finding nugget & specimens. I only have one, so first-come-first-serve. Here is some information about the unit, along with a link to Nokta’s website. Please call Chris at 928.777.0267, or email: info@arizonaoutback.com. More technical info: http://noktadetectors.com/fors-gold-metal-detector.asp MAP Price: $595.00 Forum Price: $459 + FREE Shipping! FORS Gold metal detector, with all new advanced features, design and gold prospecting metal detector accessories, is a deep searching (for) gold detector developed based on gold prospectors’ needs worldwide. The FORS Gold is extremely sensitive to the smallest of gold nuggets. It has advanced settings which minimize the effects of highly mineralized soils and hot rocks frequently encountered in goldfields. Features: · Warranty : 2 Year Limited · Total Weight : 3.9 lbs (1.8 kgs) · Frequency : 15 kHz (+/- 100 Hz bandwidth) · ID Masking : Enables you to Search by Ignoring Unwanted Targets · Ground Tracking : Tracks the Changes in Ground and Automatically Adjusts the Ground Balance to Suit · Vibration Mode : Designed with the Hearing Impaired in Mind, also Ideal for Users who Do Not Want to Use Headphones · Digital Target ID : When Detecting a Target, it Displays on the Screen and Gives you an Idea about what the Target May Be Factory Included Accessories: Headphones 4 AA Alkaline Batteries 11.2x7" Waterproof DD Search Coil

Hi Rob, Congratulations to you and Dawnie on winning the award! We are all proud of you guys! Looking forward to seeing you for some hunting real soon.

Hi Way2cool, Last time I spoke with Rod was a little over a year ago. At that time he was living in Blanco, Texas...

How exciting!!! Congratulations to both of you! I can't wait to meet Riley!

SWEET!!! Way to go Rob! Congrats to you guys on the discovery!

AZO PROSPECTORS OUTING 2009 Join us for the biggest prospecting event of the season! All members of this forum are cordially invited to attend the AZO Prospector’s Outing which has been scheduled for this upcoming February 21st & 22nd, 2009! We are fortunate once again to be able to host the event at the historic mining camp of Stanton, Arizona nestled at the base of the famous Rich Hill. Come and join us for special guest lectures from professional prospectors, hands-on demonstrations, free raffles, a coin hunt, and a chance to see some of the industries newest equipment. Our guest lecturers this year will include: Chris Ralph (Reno Chris), Bob Dansie (Montana Bob), John Blennert (John B.), Chris Gholson, Steve Gholson, and Keith Semanko (Lunk). Some of the topics covered will include: Indicators of Gold Mineralization, Overview of PI & VLF Detectors, Calculating Gold Content of Specimens, Mental Aspects of Prospecting, Meteorite Hunting & Identification, Understanding Search Coils, and more! Remember, the cost of admission to this outing is absolutely FREE! So, please bring your friends and family – there’s plenty for all to see and do. There is open space for dry camping on the flats south of Decision Corner, or if you prefer, accommodations are available in the nearby towns of Wickenburg, Yarnell and Prescott. Stanton is located north of Wickenburg, east of Congress, or southwest of Prescott. The area is accessible by a light-duty dirt road which is easily traversable with a 2WD vehicle. You will need to bring your own folding chair, prospecting gear, camping equipment and any food or drink. Stanton (or Rich Hill) is one of the premier goldfields in the state and there is plenty of ground to work. However, most of this ground is under claim, so if you plan on prospecting please look into one of the following clubs: GPAA, Roadrunners, Weaver Mining, or 24K. These organizations have many gold-bearing claims which you can work for a yearly membership fee. Please contact us by phone (928-777-0267) or email (info@arizonaoutback.com) if you have any questions about the outing. We hope to see you there!

Hi Guys, One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Rich Hill has always been, “How did the gold get on top of the mountain?†While doing researching for the book we heard some interesting theories. Some felt that the nuggets actually originated from the Vulture lode to the south and were transported along the bottom of an ancient river until they ran across the top of Potato Patch where they became trapped in the crevices amongst the granite boulders. Another theory was that a powerful volcanic eruption occurred in the vicinity of the Potato Patch. The molten gold was spewed into the air where it cooled and scattered itself for miles around the mountain. Although I am not a geologist, I have spent many years exploring and prospecting the area and have developed my own opinions as to how the gold got there. Even though there is basalt on the flats around Decision Corner I think the volcano theory can immediately be scratched off the list, and the Vulture-Ancient River theory, although possible, not very likely. While the Vulture lode produced some excellent placer deposits, it seems like a very big coincidence that this gold happened to be deposited on a mountain that contains lode gold deposits of its own. Not to mention many of the nuggets found here are rough & angular in appearance, and there has also been a great deal of specimen, or gold/quartz float found here as well. If this gold had been transported for many miles in an ancient river we would expect it to be smooth & sluggy, similar to that found in the Mother Lode. Usually the most simple theories are the right ones, so personally I feel the gold at Rich Hill originated locally. At first glance the granite ‘bouldery’ terrain does not look like typical gold country, so it is easy to understand how different theories got started. However, with a closer look we find that Rich Hill does share qualities found in other famous gold producing areas around the world. Rich Hill itself is granite, but it is surrounded on the west, north, and east by schist. We also see this in the Bradshaw Mountains where the main mountain chain is granite while all the surrounding foothills are made of schist. Geologists believe that millions of years ago central Arizona lay at the bottom of an ocean. At some point plumes of magma pushed up and intruded the sediments at the bottom of this ocean. The magmas rich in quartz slowly crystallized into granite. This granite pushed upwards and ‘cooked’ the sediments and metamorphosed them into Yavapai Schist, or ‘greenstone’. It is believed that a later intrusion of hot magma occurred which formed the diabase dikes. The dikes themselves usually don’t contain gold, but they boiled the groundwater around them and created hydrothermal cells. The hot water mobilized the gold, silica and sulfides in the schists, and when they eventually cooled, gold-bearing lode veins were formed. When the Basin & Range Formation occurred Rich Hill rose high above the valley and the mountain itself was formed. This uplift, along with normal mechanical & chemical weathering began to wear down the new mountain. The gravels eroded from the mountain washed down and formed the alluvial deposits of Weaver and Antelope Creeks. The material on top of Potato Patch most likely weathered in place forming one of the richest eluvial deposits ever discovered in the state. Obviously no one was around to witness this event, but since we find similar conditions in other gold-bearing locations around the world, this idea seems the most plausible. However it happened, one thing is certain, the mountain known as Rich Hill was filthy rich in gold! Since its original discovery in 1863, it has given up 1000’s of nuggets ranging in size from pinheads up to lumps weighing a pound or more. It is a fascinating place, rich in both minerals and colorful ‘wild west’ history. If you’ve never been, grab your metal detector and pay a visit; there could be a whopper waiting with your name on it! P.S. I wanted to thank Doc for mentioning the book I coauthored about Rich Hill. It was an exciting project to work on that took nearly three years of research for us to complete. If anyone is interested I do have copies available, or you might be able to pick one up at Barnes & Noble. Here is a photo of Rob & I standing on the historic Potato Patch taken in the late 1990's.

Hi Sandtrap, I field tested the Garrett ProPointer and found it to be a good product. Good quality, easy to use, and enough sensitivity to detect tiny nuggets. In addition to an audio signal, the handle also vibrates when a target is detected which could be helpful for persons with bad hearing. It also comes with a holster so it can be worn on the hip. I don't use pinpointers very often simply because most of the gold in AZ is shallow, but for very deep nuggets or coin & relics, they are definitely handy. Jim Klein also wrote a review on this product in the Nov/Dec issue of the Gold Prospector's Magazine. I have not had a chance to test Detector Pro's new pistol pinpointer yet, but I hear it punches deeper than the Garrett...Good luck out there!

Hi Dawnie, Alyssa and I are so happy for you guys - congratulations! We'll see you both in Vegas