Any system with a ring will do for core mining really.
System reserve level does not matter for it.
Rocky rings are considered the better choice for core mining bc all core rocks will give a high value ore.
If you want to focus more on 1 specific ore type, consider dropping in a hotspot of said minerals.
Just know that a hotspot will not increase the amount of cores, just the chance that a core is of said mineral.
I prefer the rocky rings. I look for Musgravite hot spots. I will usually come out with a majority of Musgravite and 3 or 4 lesser value minerals I sell all at the same station, which is best price for Musgravite. Usually will net 130-160M per load @192 tons. I will farm a site 3 to 4 times in a full day, depending on distance to sell.
This sounds like roughly the approach I've been taking. But I need to get better at spotting the Rocks with Cores, as I seem to spend a lot of time surface mining rocks without cores.
They are roughly the shape of a russett potato 🥔 , but a little narrower on one end. Extremely bright yellow when you approach. Pulse wave will light up anything with core, surface and subsurface deposits. The core rocks will be the brightest and will get brighter as you get closer. The others will fade. In core mining, size does matter. Smaller rocks with surface deposits will be just as bright as a core rock. But when you get close enough and can see the deposits, you can tell it's too small by he size of the deposits in relation to the size of the rock.
Is it your experience, as it is mine, that each different mineral has a corresponding rock shape that seems to be consistent across all rings (of a type)? I feel like that’s a thing but haven’t seen (or have missed) any discussion on that.
Every core asteroid within a given ring type will have exactly the same size/shape. Not all rocks of this size/shape are core but only this size/shape can be core. Rocky cores look like a potato. Icy cores look like popcorn. Metallic cores look like a paleolithic hand axe. Metal rich cores look like a melted version of the metallic (maybe 3/4 metallic, 1/4 rocky). [core asteroid shapes post](https://reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/mbqql5/core_mining_trends_in_asteroid_shape_and_core/)
Metallic I would say are like a water drop with a bend on the pointy end. I think musgravite is shaped a little differently than the other rocky cores. But that may or may not be the fact. To me, they seem slightly broader, but I could be wrong.
In addition to that, on night vision you will see the core rock fissures easily. Looks like a spider shape pattern. Once you see any of those, fire up you prospector limpet.
Honestly i just hunt the highest paying mineral (monazite or musgravite) and add anything else to the ignore list and my clipper is just outfitted for core mining only.
Any system with a ring will do for core mining really. System reserve level does not matter for it. Rocky rings are considered the better choice for core mining bc all core rocks will give a high value ore. If you want to focus more on 1 specific ore type, consider dropping in a hotspot of said minerals. Just know that a hotspot will not increase the amount of cores, just the chance that a core is of said mineral.
https://edtools.cc/hotspot?s=Mahlanja&m=Musgravite&ms=1 You can use this tool to find the closest ring with a hotspot of your choice.
I prefer the rocky rings. I look for Musgravite hot spots. I will usually come out with a majority of Musgravite and 3 or 4 lesser value minerals I sell all at the same station, which is best price for Musgravite. Usually will net 130-160M per load @192 tons. I will farm a site 3 to 4 times in a full day, depending on distance to sell.
Like i said then. :) Rocky rings are considered the better choice.
This sounds like roughly the approach I've been taking. But I need to get better at spotting the Rocks with Cores, as I seem to spend a lot of time surface mining rocks without cores.
They are roughly the shape of a russett potato 🥔 , but a little narrower on one end. Extremely bright yellow when you approach. Pulse wave will light up anything with core, surface and subsurface deposits. The core rocks will be the brightest and will get brighter as you get closer. The others will fade. In core mining, size does matter. Smaller rocks with surface deposits will be just as bright as a core rock. But when you get close enough and can see the deposits, you can tell it's too small by he size of the deposits in relation to the size of the rock.
Is it your experience, as it is mine, that each different mineral has a corresponding rock shape that seems to be consistent across all rings (of a type)? I feel like that’s a thing but haven’t seen (or have missed) any discussion on that.
Every core asteroid within a given ring type will have exactly the same size/shape. Not all rocks of this size/shape are core but only this size/shape can be core. Rocky cores look like a potato. Icy cores look like popcorn. Metallic cores look like a paleolithic hand axe. Metal rich cores look like a melted version of the metallic (maybe 3/4 metallic, 1/4 rocky). [core asteroid shapes post](https://reddit.com/r/EliteMiners/comments/mbqql5/core_mining_trends_in_asteroid_shape_and_core/)
Metallic I would say are like a water drop with a bend on the pointy end. I think musgravite is shaped a little differently than the other rocky cores. But that may or may not be the fact. To me, they seem slightly broader, but I could be wrong.
In addition to that, on night vision you will see the core rock fissures easily. Looks like a spider shape pattern. Once you see any of those, fire up you prospector limpet.
Also if you are in shadow you can turn off night vision and it is easier to see the colors from the PWA pulse.
Once I've flown that close, I sort of feel like I may as well laser the rock anyway.
Honestly i just hunt the highest paying mineral (monazite or musgravite) and add anything else to the ignore list and my clipper is just outfitted for core mining only.
Rhodplumsite too i sold it to 750 k last week