Various techniques are used in the search for a mineral deposit, an activity called prospecting. Once a discovery has been made, the property containing a deposit, called the prospect, is explored to determine some of the more important characteristics of the deposit. Among these are its size, shape, orientation in space, and location with respect to the surface, as well as the mineral quality and quality distribution and the quantities of these different qualities. In searching for valuable minerals, the traditional prospector relied primarily on the direct observation of mineralization in outcrops, sediments, and soil. Although direct observation is still