California could be on the verge of its biggest gold rush in generations. Canadian mining company Lode Gold Resources Inc. announced Monday that it has launched engineering studies at the historic Fremont Gold Mine in Mariposa County, the latest move toward reviving a legendary Mother Lode operation that could be sitting on more than $8 billion worth of buried treasure. The company is pitching the project as a modern-day treasure hunt. The sprawling site spans more than 3,000 acres of privately owned land and mineral rights and includes two existing mine shafts, roughly 23 kilometers of underground tunnels and more ... (full story)