Arizona republican., 1898-09-13
MINING NEWS.
THE PRosPEcToRs GUIDE.

ue lOllOWlnS IS a portion Of one Ot series of articles being published ill the Denver Mining Reporter:
 it is valuable to know in W. Tt char acter of rocks certain ores and min erals are most likely to be found, and 1t is of equal or more value to know what conditions are most likely to in- dicate the presence of ore. A granite country which is not broken by vol canie or internal forces, and which does not contain dikes, is not a prom lslng region. In fact, if any granite country, free from dikes, contains good mines of ore, we do not know where it is. So, too, if sedimentary rocks are all regular and unbroken, it is not worth while prospecting them. But 1T they are broken, tilted, faulted anG cut with dikes, they are worth careful eX- animation. Many prospeotors. lE new region, hunt far more for good looking porphyry' than they do for feat, certain that the. best place to find ore is near the porphyry. In this they are correct.
 Supposing that ore was entirely un- acquainted with a region in which he was prospecting, the plan he should follow would be this: Firt obtain the best possible idea of the formation of the country by a general look at ii. from distance. Secondly, take day for general reconnaissance; get in this good idea of where it is broken by faults and cut with dikes, and then de vote your attention to this region. Ot- ten the days reconnaissance will clearly indicate where you want to work Dikes may be found protruding c.. 1lx- have been easily located. If they have been, one should hunt for float or crop pings in their neighborhood. If they have not been readily located, begin systematic work by hunting for float in the gulches. In doing this, remem- Der that the outside of a weather-stain- ed rock does not always indicate it's nature Be free in breaking rocks, and study them carefully. If one has previously obtained samples of various minerals, he will have something to as sist him in judging the character Of what is found. In case of doubt, test it with the blow pipe. Remember that good prospecting does not consist in travelling over great many miles of ground each day, looking for some rich thing sticking out of the ground which
 
 sists in a careful study of everything found, and when any good piece of float or mineral is discovered, painstaking careful tracing of it to it's location. If a good piece of float is found, you know it came down the gulch or down the hill Mark the spot where it was found, so you can return to it again. Don't go off imagining. you can find the r,1 that you may not want to find it. This is sometimes bad mistake. One may travel up the gulch and hunt carefully for hours, and find no more like it. Then he should return to the place where it was found, and prospect the hill or mountain each side to find more. If more is discovered, keep on hunting carefully up the hl4., not alone in 9 straight line. but back and forth on the hill sitie. Rock never floats up hill. Rest assured that it came down. When no more can be discovered above where the last piece was found, it is time to hunt for the olptcrop in place. This is done by digging shallow holes or trenches, always looking for the float. Near the outcrop one is likely to find more float in the holes or trench, be- low the surface, than on the surface. This float is to the prospector what an animal track is to the hunter, aid ing him to trace it to its den. Find ing it in place requires patience, work and plenty of skill Remember that most mineral veins are blind or so covered with slide, earth or rock that they are not easily discovered. Often, however, vein whose outcrop is blind along most of it's length will in some spot show an outcrop for a few feet, where it can be discovered without trenching. So when one has about decided upon the probable loca- tion and course of the vein, it is advis- able to prospect along the surface where it's course or strike is supposed to be, and see if it can be found out cropping. If the outcrop be not found, one may at least find float or blossom in other places, which. will be an aid and additional guide in finding it. A thorough and careful examination of all the surface where the vein is sup posed to be generally saves good deal of time and labor of digging. There is considerable similarity between 8 hunter following the tracks of an ani nal and 9 pTospector trying to trace float to the vein from which it came. Sometimes the track of an animal can be easily followed in newly fallen snow, in which case no skill is required More often, however, it will cross hard, bare and rock ground, where only the skilled eye that detects newly dis turbed pebble, CT a slight disarrange- mena of the surface rocks or sand where the animals foot has touched it, is all the guide the hunter has. Here a keen eye that has been educated by practice gives the required skill. So too, often the float from g vein may be very small and scarce, and as difficult to sec as the blind track of a deer or elk. If the eye has been trained by st careful study of minerals. the work j5 made comparatively easy. Nothing can give such good and effective train ing, and appreciation of important small differences, as the study we have recommended
 THE AZURITE.
 Thomas Hughes, manager of the Az urite Copper and Gold Mining com