Over the past few thousand years, people have been eager to understand the distribution patterns of mineral resources in order to locate "treasure basins". According to the "Guanzhi" chapter in the Book of Lord Guan, written about 2,650 years ago, more than 5,000 years ago, Xuanyuan Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) had a conversation with his minister, Bohao: "Where there are red sandstone above ground, there is gold below; where there are benign stones above ground, there is copper and gold below; where there are limestone above ground, there is lead, tin, and red copper below; where there is ochre below ground, there is iron above." This passage is the earliest known law of mineral exploration discovered to date. Nowadays, people's understanding of the distribution patterns of mineral resources is more accurate than in Guan Zhong's time, and a wealth of laws have been summarized, which are used to develop and utilize geological bodies - mineral deposits that are exceptionally rich in useful elements.
Take the above simple experience as an example, "where there are red sandstone above ground, there is gold below" actually refers to orogenic gold deposits. Orogenic gold deposits are the most common type of gold deposits in the world, mainly distributed in convergent boundaries of orogenic belts, where lump gold is often found, which is one of the earliest types of gold deposits discovered by ancient people. This type of gold deposits is often associated with arsenic, mercury, etc., and red sandstone (sand) is mercury sulfide. The Rand gold mine in South Africa is the largest gold mine in the world. Recent studies show that it was transformed from orogenic gold deposits, and about 40,000 tons of gold have been mined, accounting for about 40% of the world's gold production. At present, the mining depth has reached 4,000 meters, and there are still tens of thousands of tons of remaining reserves.
"Where there are benign stones above ground, there is copper and gold below" refers to magnetite. Magnetite plays a key role in the formation of porphyry copper deposits, so porphyry copper deposits often produce magnetic stones. According to modern mineral deposit theory and practice, geologists have gained a deeper understanding of the distribution of porphyry copper deposits. Almost all large and super-large porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) deposits discovered today are related to convergent boundaries. Among the 25 largest porphyry copper (gold, molybdenum) deposits in the world, 20 are distributed in the Pacific Ocean subduction zone, 3 in the Central Asian orogenic belt between China and Russia, and 2 in the Tethys-Himalayan orogenic belt from Iran to Indonesia. This is because elements are easily enriched at convergent boundaries during plate subduction, and the high oxygen fugacity of igneous rocks in subduction zones is conducive to mineralization. In addition, the large-scale uplift of orogenic belts is conducive to the exposure of ore deposits, making in-situ ore deposits that were formed deep underground available for mining.
As for "where there are limestone above ground, there is lead, tin, and red copper below", limestone may refer to carbonate minerals such as marble or limestone. From the pyramids of Egypt to the Qianling Mausoleum (the joint burial site of Wu Zetian and Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty) in China, carbonate rocks are used as the main building materials for tombs. The stone tablets, guardian statues, and stone animals in the tombs, as well as the Sphinx built by the ancient Egyptians, are often made of carbonate rocks. Wu Zetian's wordless stele in Qianling is carved from a whole block of marble-like carbonate rocks. Due to their low hardness, carbonate rocks such as marble and limestone are easy to process and carve, and are often used as materials for tomb construction. When limestone comes into contact with ore-bearing magma, it is often recrystallized into marble, and at the same time, lead, zinc, silver, and other mineral deposits are formed. Such deposits are often relatively small in scale, but have high ore grades. In addition, many sedimentary-modified lead, zinc, and silver deposits are also often found in carbonate rocks.
"Where there is ochre below ground, there is iron above" refers to the common phenomenon of "iron caps". "Ochre" is now used to describe color, referring to red-brown. Here it refers to red soil, which is often a collection of hematite and pyrite formed by the weathering of iron ores, presenting a dark red or light red color, which can be used as pigment. 几千年来，人们一直希望弄清矿产资源分布的规律，以找到“聚宝盆”。约2650年前的《管子·地数》记载，5000多年前，轩辕黄帝与大臣伯高有段对话：“上有丹砂者，下有黄金；上有慈石者，下有铜金；上有陵石者，下有铅锡赤铜。”这是迄今为止发现的最早的找矿规律。如今，人们对矿产资源分布规律的认识比管仲时代更加准确，总结出了更为丰富的规律，用来开发和利用那些异常富集有用元素的地质体——矿床。
就上述简单经验而言，“上有丹砂者，下有黄金”实际上讲的是造山型金矿。在造山带有特别丰富的金属矿床，而造山型金矿是世界上最常见的金矿类型，主要分布在汇聚边界的造山带中，其中常有块状金，可能是古人最早发现的金矿类型之一。这种金矿常与砷、汞等共生，其中丹砂（砂）就是硫化汞。南非兰德金矿是世界上最大的金矿，最新研究表明，它就是由造山型金矿改造而成的，已开采约4万吨黄金，占全球黄金开采量的40%左右。目前开采深度达4000米，尚有上万吨剩余储量。
“上有慈石者，下有铜金”中的慈石可能指的是大理岩或石灰岩等碳酸盐类岩石。从埃及金字塔到中国的乾陵（武则天与唐高宗李治合葬墓），碳酸盐类岩石都是主要建筑材料。墓地中的石碑、翁仲、石兽，包括古埃及人建造的狮身人面像等，更多采用碳酸盐岩。武则天在乾陵的无字碑就是用整块大理岩化碳酸盐岩雕刻而成的。大理岩和石灰岩等碳酸盐岩由于硬度低，易于加工雕刻，常被用作建造陵墓的材料。石灰岩与含矿岩浆接触往往会因受热而重结晶形成大理岩，同时也形成了铅、锌、钨、锡、铜、铁等矿床。这种类型的矿床规模往往较小，但品位很高。此外，许多沉积改造型铅、锌、银矿也常产于碳酸盐岩中。
“上有赭者，下有铁”指的是常见的“铁帽”现象。“赭”现在是用来描述颜色，是红褐色。这里指红色的土，往往是铁矿石风化后形成的赤铁矿和褐铁矿的集合体，呈现暗红色或浅红色，可用作颜料。