Resource Deposits are a limited cache of a specific material. Once mined, they disappear forever, giving you a decent amount of the associated material.
The following materials (all normal Resource Node materials) can be found as Resource Deposits:
- Iron Ore
- Copper Ore
- Limestone
- Coal
- Caterium Ore
- Raw Quartz
- Sulfur
- Uranium
- Bauxite
- SAM Ore
Where to Find Resource Deposits
Some Resource Nodes have a Resource Deposit on top of them that needs to mined by hand before an automatic Miner can be placed on top of the node. While you can scan for nodes and wells, you cannot use the Resource Scanner to scan for deposits.
Resource Deposit an also be found around the world for many materials that are not associated with a specific Resource Node. These deposits spawn in specific locations around the map and are not randomly generated.
There are quite a few Uranium deposits dotted around the map. These will cause radiation around them that can injure you if your are not protected against it. Remember too that mining the Uranium will add it to your inventory, which will still irradiate you.
Mining Resource Deposits
Resource Deposits can only be mined by hand; you cannot automate the collection of deposits. They do not take long to fully mine however, so pick them up when you find them.
Use of Resource Deposits
Unlike Resource Nodes and Resources Wells, deposits only have a limited amount of material in them before they are used up and disappear. Deposits do not respawn after being fully collected.
Despite this limitation, Resource Deposits can be very helpful in obtaining rare materials early for use in the MAM and other one-time unlocks. For instance, mining a deposit of Caterium will unlock the associated tree in the MAM, eventually allowing you to research the ability to scan for Caterium Resource Nodes.
Some deposits also hide Power Slugs inside them. You can normally tell if this is the case by looking for the signature glow of the slug emanating from the deposit