Field Guide
Mineral Exploration 101
A plain-English guide to how mineral exploration actually works — drilling, core logging, sampling, assays, and geophysics — written for geologists, students, and anyone reading drill results.
New articles published every Tuesday and Thursday.
Exploration Fundamentals
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What Is Mineral Exploration? The Process, Stage by Stage
Mineral exploration is the staged search for economically viable mineral deposits — from area selection and surveys through drilling to resource definition. Here's how each stage works, what it costs, and why most prospects never become mines.
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Exploration Methods Explained: Mapping, Geochemistry, Geophysics & Drilling
The four core mineral exploration methods are geological mapping, geochemical sampling, geophysical surveys, and drilling. Here's what each one detects, what it costs, and how they work together as a funnel from wide-area search to a drilled discovery.