A review of drill hole time‐domain EM methods in mineral exploration

1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred V. Dyck
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Drill Hole

scholarly journals <i>dh2loop</i> 1.0: an open-source Python library for automated processing and classification of geological logs

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 6711-6740
Author(s):  
Ranee Joshi ◽  
Kavitha Madaiah ◽  
Mark Jessell ◽  
Mark Lindsay ◽  
Guillaume Pirot
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
String Matching ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Geological Survey ◽  
Database Structure ◽  
Automated Processing ◽  
Study Case ◽  
Textual Form

Abstract. A huge amount of legacy drilling data is available in geological survey but cannot be used directly as they are compiled and recorded in an unstructured textual form and using different formats depending on the database structure, company, logging geologist, investigation method, investigated materials and/or drilling campaign. They are subjective and plagued by uncertainty as they are likely to have been conducted by tens to hundreds of geologists, all of whom would have their own personal biases. dh2loop (https://github.com/Loop3D/dh2loop, last access: 30 September 2021​​​​​​​) is an open-source Python library for extracting and standardizing geologic drill hole data and exporting them into readily importable interval tables (collar, survey, lithology). In this contribution, we extract, process and classify lithological logs from the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) Mineral Exploration Reports (WAMEX) database in the Yalgoo–Singleton greenstone belt (YSGB) region. The contribution also addresses the subjective nature and variability of the nomenclature of lithological descriptions within and across different drilling campaigns by using thesauri and fuzzy string matching. For this study case, 86 % of the extracted lithology data is successfully matched to lithologies in the thesauri. Since this process can be tedious, we attempted to test the string matching with the comments, which resulted in a matching rate of 16 % (7870 successfully matched records out of 47 823 records). The standardized lithological data are then classified into multi-level groupings that can be used to systematically upscale and downscale drill hole data inputs for multiscale 3D geological modelling. dh2loop formats legacy data bridging the gap between utilization and maximization of legacy drill hole data and drill hole analysis functionalities available in existing Python libraries (lasio, welly, striplog).

Time-domain-induced polarization: Full-decay forward modeling and 1D laterally constrained inversion of Cole-Cole parameters

Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. E213-E225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Fiandaca ◽  
Esben Auken ◽  
Anders Vest Christiansen ◽  
Aurélie Gazoty
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Induced Polarization ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Step Response ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Inversion Algorithm ◽  
Modeling Tools ◽  
Polarization Response

Time-domain-induced polarization has significantly broadened its field of reference during the last decade, from mineral exploration to environmental geophysics, e.g., for clay and peat identification and landfill characterization. Though, insufficient modeling tools have hitherto limited the use of time-domain-induced polarization for wider purposes. For these reasons, a new forward code and inversion algorithm have been developed using the full-time decay of the induced polarization response, together with an accurate description of the transmitter waveform and of the receiver transfer function, to reconstruct the distribution of the Cole-Cole parameters of the earth. The accurate modeling of the transmitter waveform had a strong influence on the forward response, and we showed that the difference between a solution using a step response and a solution using the accurate modeling often is above 100%. Furthermore, the presence of low-pass filters in time-domain-induced polarization instruments affects the early times of the acquired decays (typically up to 100 ms) and has to be modeled in the forward response to avoid significant loss of resolution. The developed forward code has been implemented in a 1D laterally constrained inversion algorithm that extracts the spectral content of the induced polarization phenomenon in terms of the Cole-Cole parameters. Synthetic examples and field examples from Denmark showed a significant improvement in the resolution of the parameters that control the induced polarization response when compared to traditional integral chargeability inversion. The quality of the inversion results has been assessed by a complete uncertainty analysis of the model parameters; furthermore, borehole information confirm the outcomes of the field interpretations. With this new accurate code in situ time-domain-induced polarization measurements give access to new applications in environmental and hydrogeophysical investigations, e.g., accurate landfill delineation or on the relation between Cole-Cole and hydraulic parameters.

Seismic reflection profiles across the "Mine Series" in the Noranda camp of the Abitibi belt, eastern Canada

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Verpaelst ◽  
A. Shirley Péloquin ◽  
Erick Adam ◽  
Arthur E. Barnes ◽  
John N. Ludden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Seismic Survey ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Crustal Layer ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles

The Abitibi–Grenville Lithoprobe project completed a regional (line 21) and a high-resolution (line 21-1) seismic survey in the Noranda Central Volcanic Complex of the Blake River Group, Abitibi, Quebec. Line 21 provides a regional framework in which the Archean crust is divided into three layers, two of which are discussed here: the uppermost layer, which corresponds to the Blake River Group, is the least reflective, and lies above 4 s (12 km), and the mid-crustal layer, which is composed of a complex pattern of generally east-northeast-dipping reflectors and lies between 4 and 8 s. Within the regional data, the Mine Series of the Central Volcanic Complex is imaged as a semitransparent series of reflectors overlying a highly reflective east-facing structure interpreted as the subvolcanic Flavrian pluton. The high-resolution data (line 21-1) were collected in the vicinity of the Ansil mine. The seismic images in this region can be controlled by surface geology and extensive drill-hole data, and the project was designed to test the applicability of seismic reflection profiling in providing structural and stratigraphic information for use in mineral exploration: shallow-dipping reflectors correlate well with lithological variations or contacts in the volcanic sequence; strong subhorizontal reflectors correspond to diorite and gabbro dykes and sills; several abrupt lateral changes in the reflectivity coincide with known intrusive contacts such as the Lac Dufault pluton.

A helicopter time-domain EM system applied to mineral exploration: system and data

First Break ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Fountain ◽  
R. Smith ◽  
T. Payne ◽  
J. Limieux
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Mineral Exploration

Bayesian subsampling of time-domain electromagnetic data using kernel density product

Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-45
Author(s):  
Hai Li ◽  
Guoqiang Xue ◽  
Wen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Time Domain ◽  
Kernel Density ◽  
Model Space ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Bayesian Inversion ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Model Spaces ◽  
Time Domain Electromagnetic ◽  
Speed Up

The Bayesian method is a powerful tool to estimate the resistivity distribution and associate uncertainty from time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) data. As the forward simulation of the TDEM method is computationally expensive and a large number of samples are needed to globally explore the model space, the full Bayesian inversion of TDEM data is limited to layered models. To make high-dimensional Bayesian inversion tractable, we propose a divide-and-conquer strategy to speed up the Bayesian inversion of TDEM data. First, the full datasets and model spaces are divided into disjoint batches based on the coverage of the sources so that independent and highly efficient Bayesian subsampling can be conducted. Then, the samples from each subsampling procedure are combined to get the full posterior. To obtain an asymptotically unbiased approximation to the full posterior, a kernel density product method is used to reintegrate samples from each subposterior. The model parameters and their uncertainty are estimated from the full posterior. The proposed method is tested on synthetic examples and applied to a field dataset acquired with a large fixed-loop configuration. The 2D section from the Bayesian inversion revealed several mineralized zones, one of which matches well with the information from a nearby drill hole. The field example shows the ability of Bayesian inversion to infer reliable resistivity and uncertainty.

scholarly journals Application of electric polarization to contaminant detection in soils

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond N. Yong ◽  
Edward J. Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Contaminant Transport ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Electric Polarization ◽  
Induced Polarization ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Dielectric Measurements ◽  
Polarization Method ◽  
Contaminant Detection ◽  
Nonpolar Liquids

Preliminary experiments indicate the feasibility of constructing for field use a contaminant-detection instrumentation based on dielectric measurements. This study applies the technique of time-domain reflectometry to assess characteristic "signatures" of some selected contaminants and soil–contaminant mixtures. The results imply that a proper differentiation between various signatures can be attained, allowing an assessment in regard to soil–contaminant status. The proposed technique is similar in principle to the induced-polarization method applied in mineral exploration. Key words: electric polarization, contaminant transport, dielectrics, induced polarization, nonpolar liquids, time-domain reflectometry, relaxation, contaminant–soil interaction.

The role of simple computer models in interpretations of wide‐band, drill‐hole electromagnetic surveys in mineral exploration

Geophysics ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 957-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred V. Dyck ◽  
Gordon F. West
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Wide Band ◽  
Massive Sulfide ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Axial Component ◽  
Metal Mining ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Geophysical Surveys

Drill‐hole geophysical surveys are a means of extending the search for massive‐sulfide deposits to depths which are inaccessible to conventional surface techniques. The present investigation combines field and model studies of an electromagnetic (EM) prospecting method which utilizes a large, fixed transmitter loop with a downhole, axial‐component magnetic field sensor (solenoid). The system is shown to be well‐suited for detection of deeply buried massive‐sulfide conductors located in resistive host rock at appreciable distances from the drill hole. We propose that drill‐hole survey data collected with a wide‐band large‐loop EM system can be routinely used for estimating target parameters by forward modeling with two simple conductor shapes: a plate and a sphere in free space. Analysis of confined conductors is facilitated by “eigencurrent decomposition” of the induced current vortex into a set of noninteracting loops with simple RL‐circuit behavior. Solutions have been implemented in interactive computer programs which are fast, inexpensive, and sufficiently versatile to accommodate configurations and waveforms used in many practical EM systems. Both stationary and dynamic aspects of the induction process are exploited for diagnosis of three‐dimensional targets. Field studies at test sites in Sudbury and Noranda base‐metal mining areas with a commercial pulse EM system indicate that many important effects predicted by the model studies are, indeed, observable in survey data.

scholarly journals A New Ore Grade Estimation Using Combine Machine Learning Algorithms

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 847
Author(s):  
Umit Emrah Kaplan ◽  
Erkan Topal
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Absolute Error ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Mineral Deposit ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Feed Forward Neural Network ◽  
Grade Estimation ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Geological Information ◽  
Mining Projects

Accurate prediction of mineral grades is a fundamental step in mineral exploration and resource estimation, which plays a significant role in the economic evaluation of mining projects. Currently available methods are based either on geometrical approaches or geostatistical techniques that often considers the grade as a regionalised variable. In this paper, we propose a grade estimation technique that combines multilayer feed-forward neural network (NN) and k-nearest neighbour (kNN) models to estimate the grade distribution within a mineral deposit. The models were created by using the available geological information (lithology and alteration) as well as sample locations (easting, northing, and altitude) obtained from the drill hole data. The proposed approach explicitly maintains pattern recognition over the geological features and the chemical composition (mineral grade) of the data. Prior to the estimation of grades, rock types and alterations were predicted at unsampled locations using the kNN algorithm. The presented case study demonstrates that the proposed approach can predict the grades on a test dataset with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.507 and R2=0.528, whereas the traditional model, which only uses the coordinates of sample points as an input, yielded an MAE value of 0.862 and R2=0.112. The proposed approach is promising and could be an alternative way to estimates grades in a similar modelling tasks.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document