How do we find a place rich in some mineral/rare earth element without digging up a lot of rocks? Like how did people know that there are tons of Opal under Australia without having to dig up the ground.
In: Earth Science
If there are tons of a certain material underground, there’s probably also a bit of that material on the surface.
Especially in places where the earth is disrupted by things like wind or water erosion.
Figuring out how much there is, is kinda educated guessing.
If you know that on average, the surface level contains about 1% of the total, you can deduct how much will be further underground.
This isnt an exact science for single spots, but when you apply it to large area’s with lots of samples, you can get quite reliable numbers.
Also, there’s earth sonar divices which can help identify certain materials underground. But those arnt that acurate.
I seem to remember hearing that they find large iron deposits by measuring the gravity and if it is in a certain range then they know there is iron there. Not sure for other elements.
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