Mineral ores do not look like the metals made from them. For instance, copper ore in the ground doesn't look like the copper metal in your water pipes. Instead copper ore will be green, blue or black. Forget about looking for nuggets of gold, most gold is in tiny flakes too small to see. It often takes a lab test to tell how much gold is in the rock.

Often one mineral ore will be associated with others. Copper is found in areas that may also show silver, lead and gold. Find one and there may be others close by.

If you spend time in the bush, hiking or driving, arm yourself with a mineral identification book and a rock hammer. Break a rock or two. Most rock is weathered on the outside. You have to break the rock to identify it and any mineral within.

Visit the BC Mines office in the Provincial Courthouse in Smithers. They display a complete collection of local mineral ores and rocks, all nicely labelled. Once you learn to identify one mineral ore, go on to learn one more. It won't take long to be able to identify the dozen most important minerals in our region.

There are a number of Internet sites devoted to the identification of minerals, complete with photos. Here's one: http://www.mindat.org/index.php

To see maps of local mineral claims:http://www.mtonline.gov.bc.ca/ and to learn more about prospecting: http://www.bc-mining-house.com/schoolofprospecting.htm