Aggregate Resource Inventory of Grays Harbor County

The Washington Geological Survey (https://dnr.wa.gov/washington-geological-survey) has announced the publication of a new resource titled the, "Aggregate Resource Inventory of Grays Harbor County."  The publication consists of a 1:100,000-scale map and a pamphlet describing the methods and results of the study.  Both may be downloaded for free from the link here as a 13 MB ZIP file.

The significance of this new report for gold prospectors in particular should not be overlooked.  Although the stated purpose of the study is to provide information on the location of construction aggregate used in the manufacture of concrete, asphalt, sand, gravel, and other materials essential for roads, homes, businesses, and bridges, these glacial outwash aggregates also sometimes contain placer gold.  The editor is aware of one such deposit in Snohomish County that reportedly provides the company owning the site with significant supplemental income from gold recovered from the sand and gravel mined.

As always, be sure you have either permission or other legal right to prospect and mine on any property you intend to investigate before you begin any operations.

Happy hunting!

 The link to the WGS announcement is here. 

Washington Department of Natural Resources Releases Geologic Map of the Port Townsend Quadrangle

The Washington State DNR has released a geologic map of the Port Townsend Quadrangle at a scale of 1:100,000.

The map may be downloaded for free as a .zip file at https://dnr.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2026-02/ger_ms2026-01_geol_map_port_townsend_100k.zip

This map is the latest in a series of geologic quadrangle maps of Washington State produced by DNR and complements the statewide geologic map.  The various geologic maps may be found at the link here. 

Follow the link here to read the official announcement from DNR. 

Four New 1:24,000-Scale Geologic Maps Published by The Washington Geological Survey

 

The Washington Geological Survey, a division of the DNR, has just released four new 1:24,000-scale geologic maps.  The areas of the state covered by these maps are Enumclaw in King and Pierce Counties, Tanwax Lake in Pierce County, Manastash Creek in Kittitas and Yakima Counties, and Cougar Mountain in King County.

The individual maps may be downloaded for free from the links below:

Enumclaw

Tanwax Lake

Manastash Creek

Cougar Mountain

Geologic maps are useful to prospectors in identifying localities where particular minerals are apt to occur.

For more details about these new maps, please visit the Washington DNR webpage here.

As always, safe and happy prospecting!