Final answer:
Exploring the subsurface for minerals involves drilling, geothermal techniques, and studying natural exposures, not merely searching horizontally for fossils.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ways in which the subsurface can be explored for minerals do not include searching horizontally across rock layers with the aim of finding fossils. Instead, methods such as drilling through layers of sand, silt, and rock to reach mineral deposits, using geothermal heating technologies to extract thermal energy from the Earth's crust, and analyzing exposed cliff faces or road cuts for geological history are commonly used. Technologies such as lithostratigraphy and geophysical well logging help geologists identify the characteristics of subsurface formations to better locate mineral resources.