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Table of ContentsSampling and AssayingChanneled SamplesDuplicate SamplesDevelopment of a DiscoveryProspecting in CanadaFinancing for ProspectorsExploration Companies Sampling and Assaying A prospector sometimes fails to reap the full advantage, or even any advantage, from a discovery, because of his manner of handling it. The first step is to ascertain the value of the mineral deposit; in most cases, this must be done by having

Table of ContentsVeinsCapping and StainsFloatSome Natural Aids to DiscoveryPanningMagnetic AttractionElectromagnetic MethodTopographic FeaturesGlacial HollowsRock Associations of MineralsGeological RelationshipsContacts The search for mineral deposits can be made to produce better results if special attention is given to certain surface appearances. Experience has shown that minerals sought for in a known area are distributed in definite relations to the rocks of that area. The

Table of ContentsDevelop an Exploration ProgramSystematizing the Prospecting WorkHow to Evaluate a Work of GeologistsFood SupplyQuantity and Kind of FoodImportance of Well-Cooked FoodThe Prospector’s ToolsProspecting Pocket CompassNotebook and DiaryA Typical Day’s WorkUsing the Pocket CompassProspector’s License, Staking, and RecordingGeological Survey Reports and MapsWhat the Maps ShowMap ReadingContour LinesSectionsIrregularities in Staking Claims The prospector’s most valuable prospecting equipment for his business is his

Table of ContentsDiamondsRubies and SapphiresEmeraldSpinelDiasporeChrysoberylPhenacitePeridot or OlivineTopazGarnetTourmalineHyacinth or JacinthTurquoiseQuartzVarious Precious Stones This interesting list may lead to a more careful watch for precious and semi-precious stones and their names. Most gems are crystals of unusual quality in regard to transparency and color; they are to be looked for in those rocks that have crystallized slowly, or in cavities that have been

Table of ContentsPyriteGraphiteApatiteFluorsparCryoliteBariteCelestiteAsbestosMagnesiteTalcFeldsparLithium MineralsMicaCorundumGarnetTripoliteRottenstoneFuller’s EarthClayDeposits from Evaporation GypsumSaltPotash SaltsNitrateCoal, Petroleum, Natural Gas A number of minerals are mined because of their use for other purposes than as ores of metals. Some of these minerals are of such importance as to warrant special mention. Pyrite Pyrite, or iron pyrites, FeS2, is found in workable deposits as follows: At or near contacts of

Table of ContentsTitaniumManganesePyrolusitePsilomelaneChromiumTungstenMolybdenumVanadiumPatroniteCarnotiteRoscoelite Titanium The ores of Titanium are rutile (TiO2), and ilmenite (FeTiO3). Rutile has been found in quantity in gabbro-pegmatite along with apatite; also with ilmenite in anorthosite. The red or reddish-brown crystals (Fig. 39) of rutile are not likely to be overlooked; it is used mostly in electrodes of are lamps. The market price for rutile is 10

Table of ContentsImpurities in Iron OresHematiteIron Ore FormationOrigin of Iron Ore-BodiesMagnetiteLimoniteSiderite The iron minerals that are at present used as ores are hematite, magnetite, limonite, and siderite; also, occasionally ankerite, goethite, and turgite. Hematite is the most important iron ore.       The iron content of the pure minerals is as follows: Ankerite is a carbonate of lime, magnesia,

Table of ContentsCopperWhere to Find Copper in British ColumbiaWhere to Find Copper in YukonWhere to Find Copper in ManitobaWhere to Find Copper in OntarioWhere to Find Copper in QuebecWhere to Find Copper in New BrunswickWhere to Find Copper in Nova ScotiaNickel and CobaltWhere to Find Nickel and Cobalt in OntarioWhere to Find Nickel in Manitoba Copper Copper ores are found in a great variety

Table of ContentsWhere to Explore for Mercury MineralsWhere to Find Antimony DepositsWhere to Find Arsenic Ore Where to Explore for Mercury Minerals The principal ore of mercury is cinnabar, HgS, known by its bright red color (vermilion-red when powdered), its great weight, and its softness. Cinnabar is found in irregular veins, breccia zones, stockworks, and disseminations in rocks of all kinds and

Table of ContentsSilverWhere to Find Silver in OntarioWhere to Find Silver in British ColumbiaWhere to Find Silver in YukonLead and ZincOre Minerals of Lead and ZincLead-Zinc Deposits near Igneous IntrusionsWhere to Find Pb & Zn In OntarioWhere to Find Pb & Zn In QuebecLead-Zinc Deposits Independent of Igneous IntrusionsWhere to Find Lead & Zinc In OntarioWhere to Find Lead & Zinc In Quebec Silver

Table of ContentsPlacer GoldPanningOrigin of PlacersMinerals Associated with GoldOccurrence of PlacersGold in ConglomerateGold Veins and Other Gold DepositsCountry RocksWhere to Find Gold in OntarioWhere to Find Gold in Quebec, Nova Scotia, and ManitobaWhere to Find Gold in BC & NWTAlterations in RocksMineralizationPanning for GoldWhere to Find Platinum Placer Gold Placer deposits of gold are formed by the concentration of the gold from the

Table of ContentsDirection of MovementStrike FaultDip Fault The complete study of faulting belongs to mining rather than to prospecting. But there are surface results of importance to the prospector. As explained, faulting is due to the breaking of the rock under strain; there has been displacement at the same time, so that the two sides of the break do not fit.

Table of ContentsMechanical Deposition of Sedimentary Mineral DepositsChemical Deposition of Sedimentary Mineral DepositsOre Deposition by Water from SurfaceWhat minerals are found in Sedimentary Mineral DepositsConcentration of Ore Bodies by WeatheringBy Removal of Valueless MaterialBy Solution of the Valuable MaterialMineral AssociationsRelative Ages of RockTimes of Forming Mineral DepositsGreat Periods of Ore Deposition Mechanical Deposition of Sedimentary Mineral Deposits In some cases, the ore mineral, on

Table of ContentsMineral DepositsMagmatic SegregationPegmatite dikes An ore is defined as a mineral or rock from which some valuable constituent, usually a metal, can be profitably extracted. Thus hematite and magnetite are ores of iron; galena is an ore of lead; zinc blende is an ore of zinc. With the ore-mineral is more or less material of no value, called

Table of ContentsCrystalline LimestoneSlatePhylliteGraywackeQuartziteGneissSchistsSerpentineSoapstone or StealiteWhat is MetamorphismDefinition of Metamorphism: Rocks that have been formed from other rocks, sedimentary and igneous, by internal changes caused by pressure, heat, and the chemical action of the solutions and hot gases, are called metamorphic rocks and here is a list: Crystalline Limestone Crystalline Limestone is a rock that results from the crystallization of the calcite