MINERAL EXPLORATION
HiSeis 3D seismic survey at Glencore Australia ' s Mount Isa
which means drilling could potentially start in the second half of 2023 . “ If we were to discover significant mineralisation in the first round of drilling , it would most likely take another two to three years to gather enough information for the engineers to determine how to mine it . Therefore , the entire process is likely to carry on into 2025 .”
Homing in on the target
From seismic solutions to mobile sample preparation units and greener core drilling , Paul Moore looks at some of the latest innovations and technologies in mineral exploration
Seismic-based mineral exploration is one the technologies currently seeing a lot of activity in the industry . One of the new technology and service providers is HiSeis , specialising in hard rock seismic solutions for targeted orebody discovery . Based in Perth , WA , HiSeis says it provides a full end-to-end service from design & acquisition of 2D and 3D seismic surveys , to advanced processing and geological interpretation of the subsurface . HiSeis originated from the research department of Exploration Geophysics , Curtin University , Western Australia . Such was success of the new techniques developed from the research that in 2009 the enterprise was spun out of the University as a fully commercial operation .
HiSeis has evolved into the most significant hard rock geological imaging company in the world . As of June 2022 , HiSeis has successfully completed over 150 seismic surveys for 75 separate clients in 15 countries around the globe . It states : “ Through combined innovative technology and the know-how from industry experienced personnel we can , for the first time , produce reliable and quality seismic images across a wide range of hard rock environment that will accelerate discovery time and improve life of mine planning .”
The company has worked on a lot of interesting projects in 2022 , but a cutting-edge 3D seismic survey at Mount Isa for Glencore Australia was a highlight . HiSeis says it is currently busy unlocking the value out of the data recorded in September , working closely with the Glencore team .
Alex Brown , Principal Geologist at Glencore , said : " We know that certain formations shown in the survey results indicate the possibility of copper or zinc-lead mineralisation . The purpose of a seismic survey is to gain a picture of what the underground landscape looks like so we can identify which areas will make promising drilling targets ."
In September 2022 , Mount Isa Mines ’ Exploration team supplemented a 2D seismic survey completed in 2020 with a cutting-edge 3D seismic survey . These surveys are the first steps in a process that will eventually tell it what future mining possibilities could exist for Mining Lease 8058 and investigate possible extensions to the life of the asset .
The sound waves are produced by trucks that create a vibration in the ground . Lines of receivers are set out on the surface to pick up and record the sound waves as it bounces back to the surface . The nature of these sound waves varies depending on the underground features enabling specialists to develop a picture of the underground formations .
Brown comments : “ We know that certain formations shown in the survey results indicate the possibility of copper or zinc-lead mineralisation . The purpose of a seismic survey is to gain a picture of what the underground landscape looks like so we can identify which areas will make promising drilling targets . Drilling is very expensive and at the end all we have is a small sample of a core , and the deposits surrounding the core can be completely different within as little as a handful of metres . This seismic survey will be able to leverage knowledge from our existing drilling , and hopefully reduce the number of drill holes we need to make a discovery .”
Glencore expects to have identified which areas it wants to drill by the middle of 2023
Adrok ’ s dielectric technology
Scotland-headquartered Adrok develops and uses advanced technology to supply geophysical services for locating , identifying and mapping subsurface natural resources ( minerals , oil , gas and water ). Adrok ’ s core technology is called Atomic Dielectric Resonance ( ADR ) and it now calls its overall offering Predrilling Virtual Logging ®. Atomic Dielectric Resonance technology was developed by Dr Colin Stove , as an improvement over synthetic aperture radar ( SAR ) and ground penetrating radar ( GPR ) to achieve deeper penetration of the Earth ’ s subsurface and high vertical resolution through the creation and use of a novel type of electromagnetic wave packet .
Adrok says ADR technology is faster , greener , cheaper and , an alternative to the conventional methods providing geophysical services . ADR is used as a geophysical technique to provide a precision instrument for the accurate geological recognition of rock layers and identification of rock types by transmission through the rock medium as well as reflection from each subsurface rock layer . Adrok ’ s technology has been developed to provide data outputs relating to stratigraphy ( like seismic imagery ); information on rock characteristics ( like well logs ); and rock petrography ( like cores ). It measures subsurface dielectric permittivity ; spectral ( energy , frequency and phase ) and material resonance , from ground level , without physically boring the ground . These measurements produce what Adrok has dubbed “ virtual boreholes .”
Adrok ’ s proprietary Atomic Dielectric Resonance technology is based on the principle that different materials will reflect and absorb electromagnetic radiation ( radio waves , microwaves ) at specific frequencies and energy levels . The ADR geophysical system transmits a pulse of electromagnetic energy containing a multispectral ( patented ) wave packet that resonates and reacts with the sub-surface materials . The reflections from the subsurface are recorded as a time domain trace and provide information about the location and composition of the materials encountered .
The transmitted ADR wave packet contains several frequency components in the range of 1-
FEBRUARY 2023 | International Mining 71