In regards to the excavation of minerals

[btaylor]

Do minerals have to be present in prospecting to find ore before you build a mine hole or is there always a chance to find some wherever you are?

[ysbryd]

http://www.havenandhearth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18450

As I understand it, if you have had NO reading for metal in the area, then there is none close. You can still use the minehole as a base for explorative mining, but you might have to go a long way.
You can also prospect on level 2 and maybe get luckier.

[saltmummy626]

well, see rustroot extract doesn't see as far as it used too. see, old rustroot detected about 1000, now it detects at like.... 50? at quality 20.
also, you don't need a mine hole anymore. just find a cave and try to mine the walls till you find a spot that is soft enough to mine WITH ore in it.

[MagicManICT]

well, see rustroot extract doesn't see as far as it used too. see, old rustroot detected about 1000, now it detects at like.... 50? at quality 20.
also, you don't need a mine hole anymore. just find a cave and try to mine the walls till you find a spot that is soft enough to mine WITH ore in it.

The exact distance you can prospect at is up for debate. Sevenless thought it was higher that the formula the wiki has.

I'm with saltmummy here. Find a cave nearby to get your first ore with. Hopefully there's one left that hasn't be closed up by someone. Otherwise you're going to be stuck with the tedium of prospecting for the ore you want.

If you have something else of value, there's always a lot of people willing to trade.

[btaylor]

I actually do have a cave but I am unable to target the walls for mining. I must be doing it wrong. I will try again.

[Saphireking65]

You are too close to the entrance. I don't know the exact distance, but an area around the cave entrance is unmineable.

[btaylor]

You are too close to the entrance. I don't know the exact distance, but an area around the cave entrance is unmineable.

That must be it. Thank you.

[kralmir]

50 tiles around it in every direction.

[Sevenless]

If you prospect and get no results it's quite likely there's no metal nearby. However, you can fail to prospect metal even if it's right beside you. The mining system has a random inbuilt failure chance. I prospect every 20 tiles or so. That way even if you fail, you have a good chance of catching the node again later.

Q24 extract found me a deposit 90 tiles away.