Geophysical techniques are often employed in mineral exploration to detect the presence of ore-bodies, either directly or indirectly. Some ore bodies contain minerals which have different physical properties (such as density, magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity) from the host rock. These differences in physical properties, often referred to as contrast, can be directly detected by geophysical techniques as they constitute geophysical anomalies. Some common minerals which can be directly detected in this manner include magnetite, hematite and bauxite. However, there are also minerals which do not have physical properties which respond to geophysical measurements. This include gold, silver and tin ores. It would still be possible to detect them indirectly using geophysical techniques, either by mapping geological features hosting the minerals or detecting associated minerals which exhibit physical properties different from the host rock. A good example is the mapping of quartz vein associated with gold mineralization using electromagnetic method.

Commonly used geophysical techniques for mineral exploration include gravity, magnetic, electromagnetic (both frequency and time domain) and induced polarization (IP).