pjbooks Chapter 52: Four Scientific Explanations for the Mysterious Mine
Chapter 52: Four Scientific Explanations for the Mysterious Mine
It's so boring, so incredibly boring.
Although he had expected it, Jason still overestimated himself.
With the detection capabilities at his disposal, Jason already knew the outcome before Connor drilled, but he had to pretend he didn't know.
The roar of the drilling rig and the ubiquitous mosquitoes in the dense forest kept Jason mostly holed up in his car, studying the geology books Swell had sent him.
Jason compared the geological conditions in the book with those in the book, one by one.
1. Hydrothermal gold mineralization areas
During their migration, geothermal fluids (hot aqueous solutions containing minerals) are controlled by geological structures such as faults and fissures, which can locally enrich and deposit gold, forming point-like veins or ore pockets.
For example, hydrothermal fluids tend to accumulate at the intersection of fault zones and at the contact zone between the rock mass and the surrounding rock, forming dense gold deposits, while the content is extremely low in areas far from these structures.
2. Localized enrichment areas of placer gold deposits
After being weathered and eroded, gold particles are transported by water flow and deposited by gravity in areas with gentle terrain such as riverbeds and terraces (e.g., eddy zones and river bends), forming point-like gold deposits.
This type of distribution is controlled by topography and hydrodynamics, and is concentrated only in specific depositional sites, while it is scattered and low in content in other areas.
3. Gold mineralization associated with igneous rocks
Some gold deposits are related to magmatic activity. For example, when intermediate-acidic rock masses (granite, granodiorite) intrude, the gold elements they carry may be locally enriched in the fissures or contact zones inside the rock mass, forming point mineralization.
The unevenness of magmatic activity can cause gold to be densely distributed only in specific rock segments or fracture zones.
4. Impact mineralization or meteorite impact zone
Extreme geological events (such as meteorite impacts) can instantly melt crustal materials under high pressure, causing gold to accumulate locally in the center of the impact crater or in specific impact structures, forming a point-like distribution.
This type of situation is relatively rare, but it will show obvious characteristics of high local content.
Based on the current situation, Jason found four possibilities in the geology books.
All four of these situations will lead to strange occurrences in that area.
To be honest, Jason himself doesn't know the specifics right now.
After marking the four scenarios above, Jason closed his eyes and activated his detection abilities.
Detection range: 15 meters (upgradeable: 1 meter for every 100 ounces)
[Detection depth: 15 meters (upgradeable to 100 ounces, or 1 meter higher)]
[Estimated weight: 137.6 ounces]
[Upgradeable gold ounces: 817.35 ounces]
[Note: Gold does not absorb energy; it is only used for upgrading purposes, and its value remains unaffected.]
[Note: Only gold discovered through exploration using one's own methods is of useful value.]
The estimated content refers to the gold content within the currently detected area. It hasn't been mined yet, so it's just serving an exploration purpose. The upgrades below are what Jason needs most right now.
Jason originally intended to keep them as backups, but now he's decided it's time to use them.
All the spare capacity was added to the detection depth, increasing it from 15 meters to 23 meters.
"Jason, Jason, is he asleep?" Brent leaned against the car window, knocking on it, looking at Jason lying on the seat, his voice lowering.
Brent's voice made Jason open his eyes. When he saw that it was indeed Brent, Jason was a little surprised, especially after getting out of the car. Not only Brent, but also Ada and Little Hart were there.
Jason asked in confusion, "Didn't you guys say you were going on a road trip? Why are you back so soon?"
"Uh, well," Little Hart said a little embarrassedly, "our car broke down on the way, and we waited on the roadside for most of the day before we ran into another car. Otherwise, we'd probably still be stuck in the wasteland."
Jason asked incredulously, "Aren't you good at fixing cars?"
Ada spoke up, chuckling awkwardly, "Well, the engine blew out. We can't fix it with the tools we brought."
Jason fell silent after hearing what the two said.
Jason glanced at the two of them speechlessly, then turned to Brent and asked, "What about you? Why did you suddenly decide to come here? Weren't you supposed to be at the mine with Andy learning how to operate the equipment?"
Jason's tone was less than pleasant upon learning of Brent's presence.
Land-based gold panning is unlike underwater gold mining; it involves operating large-scale equipment and requires a higher level of expertise. If Brent doesn't give him a reasonable explanation, then there's no point in him staying with the gold panning team.
Sensing something was off about Jason's tone, Brent quickly explained, "Ada and the others didn't know the way, so I brought them along. And Andy and I have been learning at the mine; we can now operate excavators, bulldozers, and ore washing machines."
Brent felt a chill run down his spine; this was the first time he had ever seen Jason question him with such a serious expression.
With a salary, bonuses, and even a filming fee from the photography crew, Brent really didn't want to lose this job.
Jason's expression softened slightly: "Alright, drilling here will take a little longer, then we'll be busy. I hope you guys don't cause any problems."
"Don't worry, absolutely not!" Brent quickly assured him.
"Um, Jason, I'm going back to the mine to study now." As he passed Ada and the others, Brent nodded with a bitter expression, then hurriedly drove away.
After a long silence, Ada remarked, "Jason, you're really starting to act like a boss."
Little Hart nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Jason, you have a certain air about you that's hard to describe."
"Alright, alright," Jason said helplessly, the seriousness on his face disappearing. "I invested too much this time, I was a little nervous, that's why I acted like this. I'll definitely be more careful next time."
"I think this is fine, don't you think, little Hart?" Ada disagreed with Jason's statement. In her opinion, a successful person must have authority, otherwise how can they manage their subordinates?
Little Hart waved his hand. "Alright, alright, let's stop discussing this. Show me the drilling results right now; that's what I'm most interested in."
He took the drilling report out of the car and handed it directly to the two men.
"This gold content is incredible, Jason, you're going to make a fortune!!!" Little Hart exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the drilling results, genuinely happy for Jason.
"Jason, it looks like you're going to have your own mine."
Ada sighed with emotion. He was the eldest son in the family, but now Jason had his own business, while she was still working for her own boss.
The gap is widening.
However, Ada was genuinely happy that Jason had a career.
Looking at the two of them, Jason asked curiously, "What are you planning to do next?"
Little Hart put down the drilling data in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll stay here in the mining area and go on a road trip when I have time."
"What about you, bro? You're not planning to stay in the mines either, are you?" Jason looked at Ada, wanting to hear his plans.
Ada shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and said with a wry smile, "I'm not planning on a road trip anymore. There are too few people here in Australia. We were lucky this time. If we had been unlucky, Little Hart and I wouldn't know how we would have gotten back."
"Alright, have you guys prepared the supplies?" Jason's words left Ada and Hart completely bewildered.
"We need to prepare supplies?" Little Hart asked in surprise, his tone hesitant.
Ada, standing to the side, also looked confused; he hadn't thought much about it.
"Snap"
Jason slapped a mosquito off his arm, then looked at the two men with a helpless expression and said, "You see, this mining area isn't fun."
"Not to mention the mosquitoes, where do you sleep at night? How do you eat? How do you wash up? And..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Little Hart quickly stopped Jason. "We'll just go buy some later."
Jason was speechless at the two of them; he couldn't understand their thought processes: "Seriously, what are you two doing staying in the mine?"
There were lots of mosquitoes, the noise was deafening, and there was hardly any entertainment; it was practically an ascetic's life.
Even so, the two of them still came in with great enthusiasm.
Jason wouldn't have stayed here if he hadn't been putting on a show and had doubts about the land marked "not recommended for mining".
The two drove away, and when they returned, it was already close to evening.
The pickup truck was loaded with food and supplies, not just for the two of them, but also for Jason and Connor's team.
"No way, you guys really came here for a picnic?" Jason was both amused and annoyed by the sight of a pickup truck full of beer and drinks, along with a barbecue grill and grilled meat.