Microbial Metal Resistance As An Exploration Tool

Exploration programs for mineral resources often involve analysis of soils or stream sediments for the mineral being sought or its pathfinders. Because many metals are toxic to microorganisms, patterns of metal resistance in soil or aquatic populations may provide additional useful information at a reasonable coat. These patterns in some cases have been more effective than the soil geo-chemistry and may be easier to obtain. Elevated levels of resistance to silver and its path-finders have been demonstrated in stream populations from an area of known silver deposits, and resistance to gold pathfinders has been demonstrated for gold-bearing areas. Uranium has also been located by this method.