Drops (commonly known as ores from Miner's Haven) as they are also known as, are used to provide your base with money. These are dropped by all money based droppers. They can be upgraded with upgraders to increase the value. The money will be added once it is collected by one of the collectors.
All drops will be destroyed when using the Radioactive Drop Destroyer, no exceptions.
Resources are gained by Resource Cards, which are a separate type of drop.
In Nick's eyes they're known as capsules.