Sir F.Head marvels how mines have been discovered in such extraordinary situations, as the bleak summit of the mountain of S.Pedro de Nolasko.

In the first place, metallic veins in this country are generally harder than the surrounding strata: hence, during the gradual wear of the hills, they project above the surface of the ground.

Secondly, almost every labourer, especially in the northern parts of Chile, understands something about the appearance of ores.

In the great mining provinces of Coquimbo and Copiapo, firewood is very scarce, and men search for it over every hill and dale; and by this means nearly all the richest mines have there been discovered.
Chanuncillo, from which silver to the value of many hundred thousand pounds has been raised in the course of a few years, was discovered by a man who threw a stone at his loaded donkey, and thinking that it was very heavy, he picked it up, and found it full of pure silver: the vein occurred at no great distance, standing up like a wedge of metal.

The miners, also, taking a crowbar with them, often wander on Sundays over the mountains.