Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mineral

So I got these letters asking to buy mineral rights from me. What mineral rights? Scam or real?

mygothlaundry — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:55:52 -0800

So I got these letters offering to buy my mineral rights - for land in a state I've never been to, that I had no idea I owned and in fact can't imagine that I do own. Scam or preposterously possible? I got two letters today: one for me and one for my elderly aunt, using a c/o me address, which in itself sets off a few alarm bells, since she doesn't actually live with me anymore and we've only used my address for her in a couple of places: the hospital, the drugstore, etc. The letters are from a company called Enerlex, Inc, in Broken Arrow, OK. Googling has turned up their website and pages of businesslike results without anything that looks overtly underhanded. The letters are almost identical but not quite. Both of them had a document called a mineral deed enclosed and a postage paid return envelope. Both of them also had bank drafts attached.

Here's the text of my letter.

Enerlex, Inc., is currently purchasing mineral interests in Latimer County, Oklahoma. We would like to extend and offer to purchase the mineral interest that we believe you own in the above captioned county for $1,050. Two bank drafts totaling that amount are attached below.

If this offer is acceptable, please find enclosed a Mineral Deed, which needs to be signed, notarized and returned in the self-addressed stamped envelope. After you have returned the properly executed and notarized Mineral Deed to our office, please place the endorsed drafts in your bank for collection. Once the Mineral Deed has been received by our office, we will begin our title examination. Please note that the draft for $150.00 is yours regardless to cover the expenses and notary fees.

If you prefer, you may hold the drafts, thereby forgoing a collection fee at your bank. In that case, we will send a check for $150.00 immediately and a check for $900.00 upon completion of the title examination.

We would appreciate a reply within fifteen days of your receipt of this letter. After 15 days Enerlex reserves the right to rescind this offer. If you have any questions, please contact me at (800 number) or by my e-mail address listed below.

My aunt's letter is exactly the same except a) the amount is substantially more, although not, like, millions and b) my letter was signed in blue and hers was signed in black. Both of the mineral deeds are exactly the same.

I would just toss these, assuming they are some strange and convoluted Oklahoma version of a Nigerian 419 except for the fact that my mother died a year and a half ago. The estate was pretty simple and there was no mention of land or mineral rights or anything like that but I did inherit part of her IRA and some of her portfolio and, after removing the bulk of my inheritance to buy a house, I've left the rest of it alone and remained sadly ignorant of all things concerning money and finance (that is a whole other AskMe question for another time.) Is it possible, therefore, that these mineral rights do in fact exist and are part of my inherited IRA or invested (with Schwab, FWIW) money? I thought that was all less tangible stuff like stocks and bonds and, you know, that kind of thing. Is it possible that I inherited them without knowing about it? And where would my aunt have gotten these things? And, how did they find me and, more to the point, how did they find her? Any information would be great.

my many missing minerals

parallax7d — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:31:47 -0800

How can I get tested to see if I'm missing any trace minerals or vitamins in my diet without health insurance?

Help me absorb my vitamins & prevent my cold!!

Black_Umbrella — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:52:39 -0800

How fast do vitamins & Minerals absorb into the body? Alright, i am coming down with a cold, it is setting on fast and bad. I don't want it! My question is, does it help to take more vitamins then the recommended daily value?

I take Emergen-C as a supplement.

The first number is the amount, % is percent daily value

Emergen-C (super orange)
The first number is the amount, % is percent daily value

Vitamin C (as Mineral Ascorbates)
1000 mg 1111 %

Vitamin B1 (THiamine HCI)
.38 mg 25 %

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
.43 mg 25 %

Special Niacin Complexes
10 mg 50 %

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCI)
10 mg 500 %

Folic Acid
12.5 mcg 3.1 %

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
25 mcg 416 %

Pantothenic Acid
2.5 mg 25 %

Potassium
200 mg 5.7 %

Magnesium
60 mg 15 %

Calcium
50 mg 5.0 %

Zinc
2 mg 13 %

Manganese
1 mg 50 %

Chromium
10 mcg 8.3 %

Quercetin (Bioflavonoid)
10 mg *

Alpha-lipoic acid
2 mg *

So i guess my question is how long should i wait until i take another? If i take two at the same time do they build up and take two times as long to be used or does one just get passed on? If they do not stack how long should i wait until i take another?

Is there a mineral equivalent of the order of life?

Andy Harwood — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:21:42 -0800

I'm working on a college graphics project in which I have to make 30 images with the theme Animal Vegetable Mineral. My plan is to draw a picture of an animal eating a plant while standing on a rock or something, then to "zoom in" to the animal 9 times, illustrating the organism, organ system, organ etc. all the way down to quark. Then I want zoom out from the quark, this time illustrating the equivalent stages for the plant and when I get back to the original picture I want to zoom in to the rock. I found this list of the order of life but I don't know what the equivalent list would be for the rock.

ID this rock, please.

jamaro — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:32:25 -0800

Some years ago, a friend gave me this rock but we don't know what it's called. Can you ID it? The sample in the pic is ~2 cm square and my really bad photo of it doesn't show the spectacular rainbow colors it displays, much like an oily puddle in a parking lot. The most notable feature is its lovely rectangular formations.

Help, my barely restrained OCD-ness needs a name for this rock!

Is this gold?

Brodiggitty — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:30:48 -0800

Is that gold I'm seeing in this hunk of quartz? My girlfriend found the rock in Dawson City, Yukon while walking on the tailings of an old gold mine. I realize it's nowhere near pure, but amongst the grime and silvery metal, there is something metallic and gold coloured.

I know that veins of gold are found in quartz, and I'm fairly sure this is a hunk of quartz. The next picture in the album is the reverse side of the rock.

If it's not gold, what mineral/metal is it?

shine on your crazy tourmaline (or whatever)

luriete — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:09:47 -0800

When I was a kid living in La Mesa, California, my mother got to poke around in the tailings at local tourmaline and mica mines as part of weekend classes we took at the natural history museum. Are there any kinds of similar gemstone mines anywhere near where I live now - Sacramento, California - that offer similar opportunities?

Mineral Oil - Uses? 'Banned in Europe'?

jjsonp — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:14:38 -0800

Uses for mineral oil, and (why) is it 'banned in europe'? I bought some mineral oil (USP) to seal a bamboo cutting board I bought.

The instructions for the board said to use their special oil, but there wasn't any at the store and it turns out to be 'mineral oil (USP)' anyway at twice the price of generic.

When I googled 'uses for mineral oil' I saw several mentions of 'banned in Europe'. But I could find no legitimate references for this. (I did stumble on this and for about two seconds thought I was reading an actual article about baby oil).

'Banned in Europe' is a meaningless statement: is this supposed to mean the EU? If it is actually banned, where exactly, and why? (Looking for links/references to research or news articles)

From the wiki I know it's in a lot of (American, at least) makeup, lotion, 'baby oil', laxative, etc., and the industrial grades have a variety of uses. There are some interesting (household mostly) uses described here.

Do copper peptides = copper, or are they something else entirely?

specialfriend — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:30:59 -0800

Can copper peptide use cause copper accumulation in the body? I'm using a product called Folligen on my hair daily. Its ingredients include cupric sulfate and soy protein, which apparently combine to become copper peptides. The manufacturer claims that the way the product is formulated, any free copper molecules are unlikely. I'm not so sure. Am I essentially bathing my head in copper every night, or is the resulting "copper peptide" something completely different and safe?

mineral tablets and headaches

deeper red — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:56:50 -0800

Multivitamin tablets with minerals give me a headache. Is there a way around this? I'm a vegetarian on the go etc. Taking a daily multivitamin tablet is a good idea. Multivitamins are OK, and don't give me a headache, but the ones with minerals do. Is there a way around this? I've tried taking half a tablet a day, which I guess is better than nothing, and didn't get a headache.

Yes, a well-rounded diet should mean I don't need a tablet like this (apart from B12) but I've made my choice, OK? I'm looking solely for answers to the question here, and not any other advice. Thanks.

Coppery/iron-like smell in the air after it rains?

shivohum — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:21:59 -0800

Where I grew up in a suburb of LA, a coppery/iron-like smell, reminiscent of pennies or blood, would always waft unpleasantly through the air after it rained. I could never locate its source. Has anyone else had this experience, and what causes this?

I'm addicted to mineral water. Could I OD?

octavia — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:44:02 -0800

I'm gotten really addicted to mineral water. Are there any health risks, especially if that's all I drink? I've always had problems remembering to drink enough water, but of late I've gotten really hooked on the sparkling mineral kind. I've been drinking it every day, about 1-2 liters, to the point that i don't really drink normal water much anymore at all. Other than the mounting expense & diva-ish connotations, is there anything wrong with this habit? Do you think this could have any negative effects on my health?