Here are some tips to help you find minerals in the landscape.

The lay of the land

The rocks containg mineral deposits are often different in hardness from the surrounding country rock. For example, if the gangue is Quartz, it is generally harder than its surroundings and thus very likely to form a distinct wall or ridge. Should the lode be softer or less resistant to erosion it will become evident on the surface as a furrow, on either side of which the country rock will form a ridge.

Colouration

Many mineral deposits containing certain metals will have been weathered through oxidation into brightly coloured species. The discovery of such coloured minerals is likely to lead to the finds of the primary mineral source nearby. Thus clues to Iron mineral deposits can be found by their general brown or red colours due to attendant ferric hydrate or oxide. Should the deposit contain Cobalt or Nickel these are distinguished by their red and green colours respectively, especially when Sulphur is present. For Copper, the green carbonate, Malachite, the blue carbonate, Azurite, or the blue-green silicate, Chrysocolla, are likely to be indicators.

Rivers and Springs

Most deposits, especially those which are accompanied by faulting, form excellent channels for the circulation of water. In consequence springs and water courses are good pointers to follow when prospecting. Some ores are weathered out of the host rock by water and carried downstream. If heavy, they may settle out into alluvial or placer deposits. Examples include Cassiterite, tin ore, and native gold.

Plants

Some plants have an affinity for certain metal salts for their development. Others, when they take up certain minerals will show changes in their leaves or flowers. Look out for straight lines of identical plants, especially on hillsides, as these often follow underlying veins. The violet, Viola Lutea, has an affinity for Zinc, the butterfly flower, Amorpha Canescens, likes Lead, and the clove, Polycarpaca Spirostylis, searches out Copper. Occasionally the lack of vegetation can also be indicative of minerals, especially if these are toxic to plants. Examples include Arsenic and Antimony.

Fragments in surface material

Fragments of ore or lode material can generally be found on the surface in most deposits. A lode with greater hardness than the enclosing rock gradually forms a projecting ridge which gradually breaks down, distributing its fragments within a narrow strip along its course. Such fragments can be carried by water or landslides down to valleys, where they undergo concentartion. Finding such deposits usually indicates the original lode somewhere higher up.

Magnetism

The magnetic properties of certain minerals provide a valuable means of discovering them. The method of detection is called magnetic prospecting. The principle is based upon the deviation of a magnetic needle at different points from the deposit. The degree of deviation can also indicate the size of the lode. This technique is particulalry useful for Magnetite.

Old documents and records

It is very useful to serach old maps and documents for evidence of past mining or extraction. A careful survey of these will in most cases give a good idea of the nature and extent of the deposit and its likely disturbance.

Fluorescence

Some minerals are highly fluorescent and can be located by illuminating with a UV lamp. Clealry such methods don't work in daylight, but the method works well at night or when prospecting underground

Radioactivity

Radioactive minerals are usually found by using a Geiger counter to scan the material for tell-tale signs of radioactivity.