Mines and Yours

[AoA]

When a worker builds a mine, I should have a small chance of discovering some resource. Has anyone actually discovered a new resource by building a mine? How small of a chance is it?

Although it does seem sort of an exploit that I could try to mine any possible plot, and then after its built, if there's no resorurce, switch to some other improvement then maybe build the mine again to try again. It seems I have a lot of free workers hanging out later in the game as I don't build that many cities. Improvements get built fast enough to let a plot be something you don't want for a little while.

[quantum_mechani]

Actually, you instead have a small chance of getting a resource every turn the mine is worked.

[Kekkonen]

What he said. The discovery may go undetected for a good while, because the game only gives small text announcements in the upper left hand corner of the screen. I've gotten gold this way, but didn't realize it until I noted that all of a sudden one of my cities wasn't in an immediate need for a temple any more.

[MattPilot]

I've gotten iron once. I've also noticed the AI getting bonus resources on a few occasions.

[Frank Johnson]

In one game I had an early city, I believe my 2nd, with access to 5 or so grass hills which were promptly mined. One contained copper. When I discovered iron working iron appeared on a grassland square next to the hills. Later another source of copper and a source of gold were discovered in the hills. This was all well after the mines were dug.

[Datajack Franit]

so basically you get the resources to appear after discovering the proper technologies (in case of copper, iron, uranium and aluminium), if they aren't already there (as gold, silver and gems) they will have a chance of appearing if you have a mine improving the %. I've been told that windmills work on this purpose as well

[AoA]

Thanks for the info.
I got it now. I assumed that it would be more of an immediate thing....like in SMAC there'd be a popup.
However, that would explain why I never thought I got one, because I probably missed the notification. Plus destroying the mines again and again doesn't help, I'm sure.