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Seismic methods for deep mineral exploration

Mature technologies adapted to new targets

University of Western Ontario, Canada

Bernd Milkereit

University of Toronto, Canada

Matthew Salisbury

Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

Corresponding author: deaton@uwo.ca

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Nonseismic methods—such as electromagnetic, induced-polarization, and potential-field surveying techniques—have been the geophysical backbone of mineral exploration for decades. These methods exploit anomalous physical properties of ore deposits (e.g., enhanced conductivity, chargeability, or magnetization) to locate potential targets for drilling. Although well suited to many shallow (< 500 m) exploration problems, the underlying physical principles of these methods impose inescapable limitations on their sensitivity and resolving power at depth. Recent declines in base metal reserves caused by the depletion of known shallow deposits and declining rates of discovery for new deposits underscore the need for geophysical exploration methods that can locate economically viable deposits at depths of up to several km. Seismic methods offer one possible solution.

The need to develop efficient and robust seismic imaging techniques for mineral exploration has long been recognized. In the 1980s two key case histories established the potential of seismics as a mapping tool in the hardrock environment. Green and Mair (1983) presented seismic images of complex fracture systems at a radioactive waste disposal site in the Canadian Shield. Subsequently, Pretorius et al. (1989) demonstrated the usefulness of an integrated seismic and petrophysical approach to image key geologic structures for mineral exploration in Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa. These initial studies served as catalysts for a number of largely independent research efforts over the following decade—in North America, southern Africa, Scandinavia, and Australia—aimed at developing useful and cost-effective seismic technology for deep mineral exploration and mine planning.

A number of fundamental aspects of seismic exploration for minerals, including the acoustic properties of ores and the scattering characteristics of orebodies, were poorly known until recently. Moreover, significant advances have been made in seismic imaging technology for mineral exploration, from downhole seismic techniques to large-scale 3D surveys over known deposits. This article reviews some advances in applying seismic . . . [Full Text of this Article]