Abstract Historians have assumed that alchemy had a close association with mining, but exactly how and why miners were interested in alchemy remains unclear. This paper argues that alchemical theory began to be synthesised with classical and Christian theories of the earth in mining books after 1500, and served an important practical function. The theory of metals that mining officials addressed spoke of mineral vapours (Witterungen) that left visible markings on the earth's surface. The prospector searched for mineral ore in part by studying these indications. Mineral vapours also explained the functioning of the dowsing rod, which prospectors applied to the discovery of ore. Historians of early chemistry and mining have claimed that mining had a modernising influence by stripping alchemy of its theoretical component, but this paper shows something quite to the contrary: mining officials may have been sceptical of the possibility of artificial transmutation, but they were interested in a theory of the earth that could translate into prospecting knowledge.

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炼金术与采矿：早期采矿书籍中的成矿与勘探

摘要 历史学家假设炼金术与采矿密切相关，但矿工究竟是如何以及为什么对炼金术感兴趣仍不清楚。本文认为，1500年后，在采矿书籍中，炼金术理论开始与地球的古典和基督教理论相结合，并具有重要的实用功能。矿业官员讨论的金属理论谈到了在地球表面留下可见标记的矿物蒸气 (Witterungen)。探矿者部分地通过研究这些迹象来寻找矿物矿石。矿物蒸气还解释了探矿棒的功能，探矿者将其用于发现矿石。早期化学和采矿的历史学家声称，采矿剥离了炼金术的理论成分，从而产生了现代化的影响，