Prospecting

Prospecting is the act of searching for minerals or ore deposits. Prospecting have found supply's of oil, coal, uranium, and other fuels that are important to todays industries. They have also found deposits of gold, silver, and other precious minerals.

Early Prospecting

In the United States prospectors where lured by the promise of rich gold, silver and other precious metals. They swarmed across the mountainous areas of the west. They carries picks, shovels, gold pans and whatever else they would need. Searching for petroleum early on meant drilling holes in rocks that might indicate an underground supply of oil. Other prospectors searched canyons and mountain peaks, hardly leaving a rock unturned while looking for wealth. The majority of early prospectors had no training and relied mainly on luck to discover deposits.

Modern Prospecting

Modern prospectors today rely on training and the study of geological sciences. Prospectors should be thoroughly trained in using instruments and geology and be capable of analyzing data from modern prospecting instruments.

Knowledge of previous prospecting in a geological area helps in determining location of new deposits. Prospecting includes drilling for samples in the ground and studying rocks that will be thoroughly analyzed in a laboratory environment.

Instruments play a large role in gathering geological data. They may use instruments that check for variation in gravity or magnetism in certain areas. Geiger counters are also used to determine amount of radioactive minerals in rocks. Ultraviolet lamps are used and may cause certain minerals to give off a different color. With the seismic method of prospecting, explosives are used to create small earthquakes. They can discover condition below the earth and study the shock waves through the rocks.

Chemistry is also used in prospecting. The presence of some chemical elements may indicate a large deposit. Chemical analysis of rocks and plants may indicate the presence of a buried deposit. Studying dissolved chemicals in streams and underground water may be helpful in finding deposits.

Today, large prospecting ventures require a careful study of geological environment, expensive instruments and highly trained personal.

People who prospect are known as prospectors. See, for example, Klondike Gold Rush.