Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 902: Chapter 898 Excavation

The so-called weathering zones are actually just normal expressions of mountain bodies.

Weathering zones usually appear after earthquakes due to the alteration of rock textures following mountain body faults.

This natural phenomenon can be seen in many places, such as Hainan No.1 Mountain and Yunnan’s Stone Forest at Lunan, where the unique peaks and rocks of Dongshan Ridge, and the peculiar peaks, hidden caves, stone forests, and underground rivers of the Stone Forest at Lunan, are all results of rock weathering.

The appearance of weathering zones brings not only physical changes in rocks but also subsequent chemical changes.

For example, coal mines undergo structural and color changes during the weathering process. Some rocks contain calcium carbonate, which undergoes chemical changes during weathering, resulting in various strange shapes, like stalactites, which are the result of weathering.

Of course, weathering happens under specific conditions, and the formation of weathering zones is closely related to the structure of the mountain body. Therefore, many geological experts determine weathering zones based on the local mountain terrain and geological phenomena that have occurred there.

An essential step is to determine the weathering zone based on the macroscopic features of rock samples, such as color, luster, structure, and hardness.

The emergence of jadeite raw stone mines is usually accompanied by weathering zones. If a weathering zone exists in the mineral vein, it proves that geological changes have occurred here, such as earthquakes that altered the structure and distribution of the mountain body. A weathering zone indicates jadeite mines in the area.

However, the appearance of weathering zones is not necessarily good news. For Myanmar’s jadeite mine owners, weathering zones are actually a nuisance.

Jadeite is a hard but brittle material, and earthquakes can change the rocks in the mountain body. High-intensity vibrations can cause all the jadeites in the jadeite raw stone to shatter, leading to splits. Such jadeites are worthless even when uncovered.

So many mine owners hope to discover weathering zones but fear that weathering zones will appear at the core of jadeite mineral veins.

Of course, weathering zones also vary in layers; a fully weathered exposed mountain body differs significantly from the internal rock layers of a heavily weathered mountain body.

Myanmar jadeite mines generally face weathered fissure zones, but the weathering zone found by Huo Sining in this Chicken Blood Stone mine is a weathered block stone zone — a weak weathering zone, which does not affect the Chicken Blood Stone mine inside.

The Magnetite held by Elder Zhu has very distinct features; it has tiny cracks on one side of the rock, indicating the weathering zone’s location is slightly off. The Chicken Blood Stone mine they discovered is already at the edge of the weathering zone, so the rocks inside remain intact.

This discovery is not what surprises Elder Zhu the most. What astonishes him is that there are two mineral veins: one iron mine and one Chicken Blood Stone mine.

It’s extremely rare for a weathering zone to exist between two distinct mineral veins.

Because iron ore produces reddish-brown ferric oxide through weathering, tying the formation and color change of Chicken Blood Stone together, a vague hypothesis forms in Elder Zhu’s mind.

If ferric oxide infiltrates the Chicken Blood Stone mineral vein, the color of these Chicken Blood Stones might turn into a landscape of red.

At the thought of this possibility, Elder Zhu’s heart is filled with excitement.

If this hypothesis becomes reality, then the Chicken Blood Stone inside this rock wall is far from ordinary.

Soon, two other experts, holding the same type of rock, approached Elder Zhu, their faces tense and expectant:

”Elder Zhu, look, these are all dug rocks with identical features. This should be the edge of the weathering zone, and the Chicken Blood Stone inside won’t be affected.”

These experts have never encountered such circumstances, but they evidently understand what it means to find a weathering zone between two completely different mineral veins, so their eyes burn with passion, even their breaths are heavier.

”If there truly is a Chicken Blood Stone vein here, this vein likely contains Da Hong Pao and Man Tang Hong!” Elder Zhu’s voice trembles a bit.

Da Hong Pao refers to stones with over fifty percent of Chicken Blood Stone being red, while Man Tang Hong means the whole stone being red. Such Chicken Blood Stones are not only expensive but also exceedingly rare.

Huo Sining was shocked when she heard these experts’ assessments.

She had observed the insides of the stone using the Heavenly Eye, so she knew how extraordinary and astounding those Chicken Blood Stone mines were inside.

Yet, these experts reached an accurate prediction of the situation inside the Chicken Blood Stone mine by merely examining a few ordinary rocks; these geological experts truly live up to their reputation.

Before long, a square block of Magnetite measuring two meters was chiseled open by the workers, revealing regular layers of rock within, faintly showing red. These layers have clearly been infiltrated by the iron ore.

The experts were thrilled, but with the samples collected, their task was complete. The three experts were reluctant to leave, but regardless of unwillingness, they had to depart.

Huo Sining followed Gu Xu out of the cave last, and Wu Jun was already waiting outside. Seeing Gu Xu and Huo Sining emerge, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, ”Captain, the manpower is ready, and the transport route is set.”

Gu Xu nodded decisively and issued the order: ”Immediately extract the Chicken Blood Stones; within three days, every single Chicken Blood Stone must be removed from this cave!”

Those Gu Xu brought in were former retirees, all under his command, so he wasn’t too worried about them leaking information.

But the longer they waited, the likelier the news might leak out. If they didn’t act quickly, once outsiders learned about this, the plan would be jeopardized, then three billion might not even settle the problem.

Wu Jun clearly understood the gravity of the situation, and with a stern nod, he replied, ”Yes, I guarantee the completion of the task!”

The Changhua matter essentially concluded with Huo Sining. According to the pre-arranged distribution plan, she was merely responsible for funding, while Gu Xu and his four childhood friends handled the rest. Since things had basically been set, coupled with supervision by Ouyang Jun and Qin Tian, she didn’t need to worry further. So, she packed her belongings and hastily returned to the Imperial Capital.

At the Imperial Capital Glazed Tile Factory, Jubao Pavilion where Li Quan was, was fully prepared, merely awaiting the ribbon-cutting and opening two days later.