EXPLORATION AND SAMPLING
Sifting
the
prospects
The need for innovation in exploration is greater than ever
in these difficult economic times. John Chadwick examines
the quest for ever deeper deposits and diverse targets in
challenging environments
or early-stage exploration, Gedex says its
high definition airborne gravity
gradiometry data (HD-AGG™) “is the most
significant new technology capable of transforming
resource discovery to be developed in over 20
years. The HD-AGG system measures minute
changes in the strength and direction of the Earth’s
gravity field, to performance levels better than
1Eotvos (E)/√Hz, from a fixed wing aircraft.”
The cost effective imaging derived from this
data maps changes in the subsurface geology,
ranging from the near surface features to depths
in the orders of kilometres. This new exploration
data can be used either alone or quantitatively
integrated with other geophysical imaging
technologies (seismic, electromagnetics,
magnetics) as well as integrated with legacy
data to detect buried resources that current
generations of technology cannot effectively
image. Integration with HD-AGG data also
improves other technologies, enabling a new
generation of risk mitigation best practices to
evolve. As a result, Gedex clients can rely on
faster discoveries with lower project time, cost
and risk.
Gedex adds that it “delivers immense value
by reducing risk of exploration, fast-tracking
best prospects and ultimately accelerating
discovery success rates by providing mass and
density information at a quality that no other
geophysical system can. We can transform
resource discovery and development by
illuminating previously undetectable economic
deposits.”
GF Instruments has extended its line of
advanced multi-depth frequency domain digital
F
00 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2015
conductivity meters by adding the CMD-DUO
instrument for EM profiling and mapping up to
60 m depth. This two-man, easily operated set
with variable dipole distance (10 m, 20 m, 40 m
separation) and minimised weight serves for
fast distinguishing of geological structures like
bedrock, weathered zones, cavities, fissures and
for differentiation of rocks and sediments. The
contactless measuring technique is suitable for
surveys on stony, arid, frozen or artificial nonferrous surface. The CMD-DUO SW package
supports Bluetooth communication, GPS
connectivity, flexible data management and
processing with export to common mapping and
inversion software.
The CMD-DUO is a new probe added to the
classic single-depth CMD
instruments, and to the
multi-depth CMD-Explorer
and Mini Explorer that
measure conductivity and
in-phase to three depths
simultaneously. As these
conductivity meters offer
unique stability of
readings better than 1
mS/m per 10ºC over all
working temperature
range, and long-term
stability of calibration,
they can be used for
measuring of layered
conductivity and in-phase
maps as well as for
accurate in situ EM
inversion.
UAVs or drones are increasingly used. Insitu
(parent The Boeing Company) designed
Integrator to be a modular, flexible and multimission capable solution. The aircraft’s six
payload spaces can be customised with
cameras, communication capabilities and other
payloads to suit operational needs
Mira Geoscience continues to expand its
integrated interpretation and data management
software and consulting services to address the
challenge of exploration targeting for deep or
under cover deposits. Its innovations focus on
developing and applying quantitative analysis to
the integrated geology-geophysicsgeochemistry interpretation challenge across a
range of scales, commodities, and methods.
The software development focus is on
Geoscience INTEGRATOR for data management,
GOCAD® Mining Suite for advanced integrated
modelling, and Geoscience ANALYST for decision
making and communication. Mira Geoscience
also contributes to the development and
commercialisation of UBC-GIF and Fullagar
GF Instruments: CMD
Explorer conductivity
maps from three depths