Questions about prospecting / finding ores.

[DragonStryder]

Hello all.

I am new to this game and only been playing for 2 days.
I am struggling with using the prospect tool and finding ores. specially copper / Malachite.
everywhere i check the prospecting tool just gives a low indication of some random ores but can't for the life of me find any copper / malachite or other useful ores like Tin / Iron...

So obviously i am doing something wrong. do i just mine tunnels and then prospect at random depths? or do i keep prospecting like i do now on the surface? where exactly is it best to find Malachite to make copper? any tips are very much welcome as i simply cannot find any copper besides some bits on the surface..

[Giciel]

Hello.

I assume you are using the Density Search Mode on your prospecting pickaxe, if so you should get readings in your info log with quality of ore deposits and percentages like the following example :

Found 3 traces of ore in this area :
Ultra high Magnetite (4,19%)
Poor Limenite (0,67%)
Miniscule amounts of Graphite, Native copper
 

This reading tells you that there is a high opportunity to find Magnetite in the area, with the percentage actually being parts-per-thousand (4,13 magnetite ore in a thousand block in this example). You could interpret those readings as Magnetite having a ultra high spawn chance in the prospecting zone, with the parts-per-thousand being the quantity.
If you want to find copper, you should do density searches on a large scale, with each reading being 160 blocks apart, or less if you want more precision. Don't be afraid to look far away if you don't find anything interesting near you.

I'll also say just in case, that under the bits of copper or other ores you find on the surface, there is always an ore deposit not to far down generaly.

The readings will also stay on your map, here you can see the mess i've made (red means very few ores, green means high ores) :

In my case, I've wasted many prospecting pickaxes trying to find and outline the high density zones. You should to it in a grid pattern, with each reading spaced by 80-160 blocks as for best results.

On a side note, there is an alternate mode to the prospecting pickaxe that is not activated by default, called the Node Searching Mode which scan ore deposit in a set search radius. Useful in caves and/or in tunnels dug by you.
You'll need to enter this command : 

/worldConfig propickNodeSearchRadius [0-12]

0-12 being the search radius.

[DragonStryder]

Awesome, thank you for the information!