EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY
Minerva Intelligence last year said it had signed a contract with Freeport Resources Inc for the provision of all components of its TERRA Mining AI suite
Officer of Minerva Intelligence . “ The Star Mountains project reaffirms the value Minerva ’ s AI technology can bring to the mining and explorations sectors , and we look forward to quickly providing deep insights into Freeport ’ s newly acquired data assets .”
The data analysis will involve three studies , the first two being 3D studies : a DRIVER study and a K- Means study , to evaluate the multi-element drilling data from Freeport ’ s Olgal deposit . DRIVER ’ s key advantage is its ability to spatially evaluate all the elements typically returned by modern laboratories , not simply the elements of direct economic interest . The work this typically entails is too time-consuming and complicated to be carried out by project geologists . DRIVER also compares identified geochemical exploration vectors to its database of hundreds of past and present mines around the world and identifies those most similar to the explored target . The resulting similarity rankings can then provide reliable , explainable models upon which geologists can build their exploration strategies .
The third study will be a combined 2D and 3D analysis using Minerva ’ s SOLACE workflow to align and standardise the available surface and drilling data from the rest of the Star Mountains property so that it may be incorporated into the company ’ s TARGET application .
Upon completion of the project , Freeport will be given a complementary three-month subscription to
LEO , Minerva ’ s mining and exploration-focused document management software for quick and easy document search and retrieval .
Last year Minerva also acheived LEO inclusion in mining-focused SaaS platforms , including Oren ( the new mining software marketplace run by IBM and Shell ) and Axora , a similar platform with deep ties to major mining interests .
MinEx CRC ’ s National Drilling Initiative
On a regional scale , while mineral exploration companies have always used existing historical national datasets from geological surveys and other sources , today things are getting much more proactive , including new collaborative programs between research institutions , industry and others , but also looking again at core that has been sitting in storage with new technology .
MinEx CRC , cited as the world ’ s largest mineral exploration collaboration , recently successfully completed its first National Drilling Initiative ( NDI ) campaigns , including a 10-hole , 4,000 m drilling campaign in the East Tennant area of the Northern Territory of Australia , to assess the mineral potential of basement rocks in the region .
While gold has been mined from the Paleoproterozoic rocks around Tennant Creek since the early 1930s , there has been almost no mineral exploration in the covered rocks to the east of Tennant Creek in the 90 years since , according to MinEx CRC .
“ The East Tennant drilling campaign was designed to test stratigraphic and structural interpretations and assess the mineral potential of basement rocks to the east of the Tennant Creek mineral field ,” MinEx CRC CEO , Andrew Bailey , said . “ These basement rocks are under-explored and concealed by hundreds of metres of younger sedimentary rocks .”
The drilling campaign is part of a world-first scientific drilling program , the NDI , designed to understand the evolution of the Australia continent , provide clues about where to search for new mineral deposits and bring forward the next generation of mineral exploration technology , MinEx CRC says .
Included within the NDI campaign was a 1,750 m drill hole ( known as NDI Carrara 1 ) at a location near the Northern Territory / Queensland border , around 250 km northwest of Mount Isa . This hole was designed to capture geological and stratigraphic information from a previously unknown sedimentary basin , and to assess the basin for potential to host energy and mineral resources .
In collaboration with Geoscience Australia and geological survey organisations in every state and territory , the NDI will manage and deliver a seven-year program with multiple drilling campaigns spread across Australia . Results from the drilling program have uncovered a range of igneous and metasedimentary rocks , enabled a better understanding of the structure and stratigraphy of the area and helped to refine pre-drilling interpretations of the region ’ s prospectivity , according to the collaborative project .
Drilling has also provided pinning points to constrain cover thickness , with prospective basement typically concealed beneath less than 200 m of Georgina Basin sediments and less than 30 m of Cambrian basalt of the Kalkarindji Suite .
Geoscience Australia ’ s Chief of Minerals , Energy and Groundwater Division , Dr Andrew Heap , said : “ We are proud to be a participant of the MinEx CRC through our Exploring for the Future program , which identified the region as a highly-prospective frontier . The drilling results are confirming this view and will support the continued development of the Barkly Region .
“ A range of detailed analyses are planned to comprehensively characterise the drill core , which will provide insights into the geological evolution and mineral systems potential of the region . These results will be released throughout 2021 .”
Dr Heap added : “ Projects like this reveal the geology underneath the vast sedimentary cover that extends across most of Australia and open up frontier regions for exploration and resource discovery . In the
DISCOVERING MORE WITH AI & MACHINE LEARNING ENHANCED EXPLORATION
t : + 61 3 9618 2500 w : sensore . com . au e : info @ sensore . com . au
FEBRUARY 2021 | International Mining 17