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Information and links on a variety of technical aspects of mining & mineral exploration.
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 Eagle and High Peak Mine, CaliforniaMonday, April 28, 2008If you're up in the mountain town of Julian, CA (located about 60 miles northeast of San Diego), the Eagle and High Peak Mine is a must-visit. read more » The Comstock LodeTuesday, April 22, 2008Gold and silver strikes made millionaires and paupers, settled new cities, and civilized many parts of the West. But no other strike had more influence than the Comstock Lode read more » The Hope DiamondFriday, February 29, 2008Louis XIV, of France bought the gem later known as the "Hope Diamond," in 1668, from a French Trader named, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. read more » SCHOTT Lighting Used at Bisbee Mining MuseumTuesday, February 12, 2008SCHOTT’s fiber optic products are helping illuminate the award winning Digging In exhibition at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum in Bisbee, Arizona. read more » The Town That Joe BuiltFriday, February 01, 2008Nestled away in the rolling hills of the Franklin County area of southern Illinois lies the forgotten town that in 1904, was only a breath away from being the nations capital. read more » The History of Rock DrillingTuesday, December 18, 2007Although the method Agricola described for breaking rock might be regarded as the most primitive imaginable, the origins of metal mining in fact go back much further. read more » My Darling Clementine: Monongah Mining DisasterThursday, December 06, 2007The worst mining disaster in American History occurred in the community of Monongah, West Virginia on December 6, 1907. read more » Unconventional CrudeWednesday, November 07, 2007The 12 November 2007 issue of the New Yorker includes an article called Unconventional Crude by Elizabeth Kolbert. read more » Ghost TownsWednesday, October 31, 2007Here are extracts from an excellent blog article called Ghost Town. I repeat only the few paragraphs that deal with towns that reverted to the ghosts as a result of mine closure. read more » Coal CityThursday, September 27, 2007If you go to Google.earth and zoom to Coal City, Indiana, you will see the town in question: a small community clustered around a north-south road, and surrounded by fields and reclaimed spoil piles. read more » Underground Transport on Inclined RoadsMonday, September 10, 2007Until the mid 20th century, pit ponies were one of the primary ways man and material was transported from underground coal mines. read more » Archaeology and Mines: The Southern California BightFriday, August 10, 2007On a clear day, Catalina Island stretches across the horizon twenty-five miles off the Huntington Beach coast. Many times I have walked the dog along the beach and gazed out at the far island. read more » Jacksonville, OregonFriday, July 20, 2007There are, or at some time in the past have been, at least 270 mines in Jackson County, Oregon (Mindat). In the Jacksonville District there are the Grace Diggings, Jacksonville Placer read more » History of MetallurgyFriday, July 13, 2007A History of Metallurgy (1994) is edited by Fathi Habashi of the Department of Mining & Metallurgy, Laval University, Quebec City. It is a collection of articles from a multi-volume work. read more » Darya-i-NurThursday, May 31, 2007Considered to be the most celebrated diamond in the Iranian Crown Jewels and one of the oldest known to man, the 186-carat Darya-i-Nur is a crudely fashioned stone measuring 41.40 x 29.50 x 12.15mm. read more » Southern African Mining HistoryWednesday, May 09, 2007The 27 January 2007 issue of New Scientist reports that in 1795 in County Wicklow in Ireland, a local teacher found gold in the local river. For six glorious weeks the locals panned for gold, recovering 80 kilograms. Then the usual happened read more » Labradorite, Aurora Borealis Entombed in StoneMonday, April 23, 2007The name Labradorite comes from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a famous locality for the stone. The mineral was discovered by Moravian missionaries at Ford Harbour read more » History of AmethystMonday, March 12, 2007The name "amethyst" comes from the Greek meaning "not drunken," and Amethyst has long been considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness. read more » Stone to NuclearWednesday, February 28, 2007Bomvu Ridge 40,000 years ago may have been the first large-scale underground mine anywhere. Australia well populated 60,000 years ago? read more » Mine Sand PilesThursday, February 22, 2007My father regularly drove us out to those piles of golden sand, so soft and warm in the summer sun. And here we would spend happy hours climbing up the sand and sliding down, and climbing up and sliding down read more » The Klondike RainmakerWednesday, February 14, 2007Historically, most of the gold recovered in the Yukon and Alaska was recovered by placer mining, which involves the separation of loose particles of gold from the surrounding sand or gravel read more » I Think Mining BlogWednesday, January 31, 2007Some paper magazines will never die. They are the ones with high quality, thoughtful, well-written articles. The rest are doomed to fade and wither. Part of their problem is the competition of Blogs read more » Mining and the Twelve Days of ChristmasThursday, December 28, 2006A blog-like review of the 2006 mining industry, mining technology, and the twelve days of christmas, and prospects for mining in 2007. read more » Mine-ExplorerMonday, December 18, 2006Three examples of what make the British unique (I emphasize, that to the best of my knowledge I have no British ancestors going back at least three generations.) read more » Tiger's-Eye, Yesterday's DiamondTuesday, November 21, 2006In London in the mid-1870s, 25 shillings-about $85 in today's terms-went a long way. You could buy 7 grams of gold, 40 liters of rum, or about a half kilogram of opium. read more » A Life Underground in the Cornish Tin MinesWednesday, November 15, 2006Any job working below the earth's surface is potentially hazardous and tin mining in the southwest of England was no different. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was commonplace for children to be employed at the tin mines. read more » Mining LampsFriday, November 10, 2006Here we show you a miner's oil lamp made from sturdy cast iron, which comes from the 1800's from Peru. Whale oil, a wick and a strong wrist was all that was required to bring light to the working face. read more » The First Synthetic DiamondWednesday, November 1, 2006Back in the 1950s the scientists from General Electric were not the only ones trying to make diamonds. Unknown to them, in a magnificent old hunting palace on the outskirts of Stockholm read more » George RappelyeaTuesday, October 31, 2006One mining engineer I would love to have met and about whom I would love to know more is George Rappelyea. read more » The Cullinan DiamondFriday, October 20, 2006At first, the mine superintendent thought he was the brunt of a practical joke. While making a routine check of the premises at the end of the day, Frederick Wells caught the reflection of the setting sun glimmering off the wall of the mine shaft. read more » Letseng-la-Terae: The 603 Carat Lesotho Promise DiamondFriday, October 13, 2006Letseng is a mine best described by superlatives. At 3,100 m altitude it is the world's highest diamond mine; at just over 2 carats per 100 tones (cpht) it is the world’s lowest grade kimberlite mine; at over $1,200 a carat it has the world's highest average cost per carat... read more » The Legend of Saint Barbara, Patron Saint of MinesMonday, October 2, 2006Barbara lived in the 3rd Century AD in Nicromedia, the capital of the Roman province of Bithnia (Asia Minor). She was the only child of Dioscuros, a high ranking and wealthy man. read more » Looking Back... On Orvil JackThursday, September 14, 2006Have you ever seen Orvil Jack turquoise? It's not something that you'll forget, especially the vivid green stones that have become its trademark color. read more » ParanumismaticsFriday, September 08, 2006Paranumismatics are known by several names depending on which coalfield or even region of a coalfield they hailed from. read more » |
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