Placer examination principles and practice

Abstract

As the title suggests, the subject matter in this book deals for the most part with the examination and testing of placers. It is intended primarily as a guide for the professional mineral examiner who examines mining claims located on public lands of the United States. The book has been divided into eight parts or sections. Parts I and II, which deal with placer-forming processes and types of placers, are intended as a review of placer fundamentals. Other sections bring together the fundamentals of placer investigation and industry-proven testing procedures. Part VIII is a glossary of the placer industry, setting out more than three hundred placer-related terms and definitions, many of which have not previously appeared in glossary form. In scope, this book covers problems of placer investigation from initial reconnaissance to computing the value of a blocked-out placer. It is intended to serve as a reference book as well as a manual for day-to-day work. Its use should help the mineral examiner identify his sampling problems and select procedures appropriate to the purpose of his examination and to the deposits involved. While this book has been prepared specifically for use by Bureau of Land Management personnel, it is hoped that it will at the same time be useful to the mining profession generally.