Find out what minerals are on or under your land.
The entire Earth is composed of minerals. Every parcel of land has its own distinct array of them. Learn the ancient art of minerals prospecting. Find out what minerals are on your land by practicing a few standard geological techniques to determine which minerals occur on and below the surface. Create a detailed minerals map and a brief geologic minerals report based upon your determinations within your study area.
Instructions
Determine if the Land Contains Minerals
1. Create a minerals map for your study area.
Map the location. Begin your investigation by collecting aerial photos and any geologic or topographic maps you can obtain for your area of interest. Have several photocopy enlargements made of the aerial photos and maps upon which you can write, sketch, and take notes in the field. Locate your parcel on the maps and sketch the outline of the property or boundary of the area you intend to survey.
2. Become intimately familiar with your minerals study area.
Survey the land. Become familiar with the entire study area. Learn about the physical characteristics of the land. Know the high and low places and whether there are any bodies of water. Using your compass directions and bearings, find and plot your position on the map from any location on the property. Observe, map, and note any outcrops of rock as well as color changes in soil and rocks throughout the surface of property. Sketch your observations and write your descriptions in your notebook and on your enlarged maps.
3. A geology hammer
Prospect for minerals. Begin prospecting for minerals at and below the surface of the land. Write and sketch your observations on your field maps and in your notebook. Plot several transects (lines) on your maps from one end to the other. Walk each transect and take notes on rocks and soils. Note any changes in the characteristics of any and all surface and subsurface materials. Try to identify minerals by sight; use your field guide to identify each rock and mineral type you encounter.
4. Collect mineral samples
Sample rocks and minerals. Collect rock and mineral samples throughout the site as you prospect along your mapped transects. Use your hammer, chisels, and shovel to take samples. Place specimens and samples of each rock, mineral, and soil type in disposable zipper lock sandwich bags. Mark the field location on the specimen bag, on your maps, and in your notebook. Be sure to collect samples that represent each area and geologic change throughout the site. Collect, note, and map additional samples that you find interesting, unusual, or worthy of further analysis.
5. A variety of tests will help you determine mineralogy of your samples.
Assay your minerals. Lay out your rock and mineral samples back at your workshop or laboratory. Use your field guide to determine the mineral contents of each sample as best as you can. Use the streak plate, magnifying lens, and acid dropper to perform various tests on your samples as outlined in your field guide to make your mineralogical determinations. If you have difficulty identifying all of your minerals, seek the assistance of an experienced geologist, prospector, qualitative chemist, or professional minerals assayer. Transcribe mineral data to your maps and notebook.
6. Refine your minerals map as you obtain new and more precise data.
Finalize your minerals map and report. Refine your minerals map as you continue to collect data throughout the project. Your final map will show all of the distinct rock, mineral, soil, or water types and areas that occur on the site. Write up a brief report or final notebook entry on what you did, how you did it, and what minerals you found and where. Be sure to refer extensively to your final minerals map that you have prepared and refined throughout the study.
7. Your mineral determinations will help you make mineral rights and mining decisions.
Make decisions. Once you have determined which minerals occur on your land, in what quantities, and where they occur, you can make your decisions whether or not to file a mining claim, to secure or to sell the mineral rights, and whether or not to pan or mine those minerals for fun or for profit.
Tags: your minerals, rock mineral, study area, your field, field guide, mineral samples
