exploration

noun4

1. •
   The process of exploring.

   • By this time, largely inspired by The Railway Magazine, I had begun to spread my wings, and had started on a long career of railway exploration. — 1957
2. •
   The process of penetrating, or ranging over for purposes of (especially geographical) discovery.

   • The exploration of unknown areas was often the precursor to colonization.
3. •
   The (pre-)mining process of finding and determining commercially viable ore deposits (after prospecting), also called mineral exploration.
4. •
   A physical examination of a patient.