Prospecting and Exploration
Valuables
Nature of Ore Deposits
Protore
(setting up the B/G values)
Associated Commodities
Ore
(occuring as an anomaly)
Tailings
(plant rejects that may be
used for back lling U/G mines)
Rejects
(as gangue minerals)
Ore Deposits
(Description)
Geological Perspective
Prime Commodities
Exploration revolves
Ores to be explored are governed by the following modi ying factors:
~ These modifying factors a ect viability of the prospect whether
turning the prospect to a mine or not.
Deleterious Substances
(any substance that can cause penalty)
Enrichment Factor
(multiplier necessa for minerals be mined at a pro t)
in the search for ore
Measuring Concentration and Abundance
Cut-o Grade
(minimum grade for mining to commence)
Main Techniques in the search for Ore
These refer to various techniques that do not penetrate the ground
to obtain data (carried out in aerial su eys esp. geophysical methods)
Methods require ground penetration carried out by drilling methods,
ground penetration su eys, on-the-ground su eys, and
Indirect Techniques
Direct Techniques
Direct Methods will always depend on the results
from Indirect Methods to guide people where drilling
and other methods should be speci cally carried out
Mapping
Oblique Photos
(snapped at lower angles)
By Camera Axis
Ve ical Photos
(snapped pointing ve ically downward)
Panchromatic Black and White
B/W
Infrared Black and White
Types of Aerial Photographs
By Film Emulsion
True Colored
(for original depiction)
Colored
False Colored Composite
(uses complementa colors)
Photogeology
(interpretation of aerial photos
for geologic investigations)
Small Scale ➡
(1 50,000 - 1 250,000)
By Scale Used
The reason was due to the absence of
natural blue color in the planet
Medium Scale ➡
(1 10,000 - 1 50,000)
Large Scale ➡
(1 20,000 - 1 10,000
Ve Large Scale ➡
(less than 1 20,000)
The larger scale used, the larger objects are seen
with more detailed features and better resolution
Parallax
(a tweak in the perspective; fa hest away seemed close to camera)
Issues
Aircraft Issues: movement and vibrations of the aircraft,
atmospheric issues, altitude, tilting, changes in scale
Technical Issues: e ect of scale due to ground distance,
correct exposure time, precision, camera vibrations
Application
Topographic Studies, Su ace Signatures, Vegetation,
Drainage Patterns, Access to Inaccessible Areas
Platform
Platforms can exist either as airborne, space-borne, or terrestrial
Passive Sensors
(used natural sources of energy)
Sensors
(tasked to detect and record)
Components of the
Remote Sensing System
Spatial Resolution: geometric prope ies of the ground
Spectral Resolution: span of wavelength
Sensor Resolution
Geological Prospecting Methods
Geological Data can either be the . forms:
~ as seen in maps
~ Photographic: uses re ection of light recorded on a light
sensitive emulsion lm w/c is transferred to paper
~ Electronic: recorded and emitted e-magnetic energy to
be recorded digitally on a device.
Active Sensors
(uses other sources of light in measuring
electromagnetic radiation)
Radiometric Resolution: degree of radiation that can be detected
Temporal Resolution: allow repetitive coverage of the area
Electromagnetic Radiation
(waves that travel through space)
Electromagnetic Energy Principle
(which comes in the form of signals)
~ Light Energy
~ Heat Energy
Energy Sources
Remote Sensing
(an aerial comprehensive process)
Electromagnetic Spectrum
(collective term for ranges and scope
of frequencies of e-magnetic radiation
It uses a sensor to detect the target object using electromagnetic
radiation from sensors attached to the aircraft or a drone
Operation
It is used alongside other conventional geologic methods such as
mapping, photogeologic interpretation, and structural analyses
Image Restoration
(corrects any defects in the images)
Contrast Enhancement
(improving depth by enhancing brightness)
Mechanism
Digital Image Processing
(a feature of the RS)
Image Enhancement
(improves image quality and information content)
Spatial Filtering
(improving linear featured and su ace discontinuities
Density Slicing
(produces density inte als using colors)
False Color Compositing
Information Extraction
(enhance geological features captured by image)
Prospecting Methods
Prospecting Methods
General Application
Identifying Metallogenic Provinces, Reveals su ace manifestations,
structural data from discontinuities, groundwater search, hydrocarbon
exploration, lithological maps produce ore-genesis models
Space Segment
(where information comes from)
Components
Ground Control Segment
(tracks the ight of satellites)
It is composed of 24 satellites which are
centered on the Ea h at 55° to the equator
These work by checking possible deviations
using orbital and clock data for recalibration
User Segment
(computes the information the users' need)
Global Positioning System
(a navigation system)
Types of GPS Receivers
1) Handheld GPS: ones found in phones
2) Di erential Code GPS: yields precisely known information
3) Carrier Phase Tracking GPS: used in land su eying and tracking
Electronic Total Station
Applications
Records and computes coordinates,
elevation, velocity, and time estimates
This is used in modern su eying to read slope
distanced from the instrument to the target entity
Ground-based mineral exploration, Ea hquake studies,
land-su eying, forest mapping, drainage mapping
Geophysical Prospecting Methods
Pedogeochemical Su ey (Soil Su eys)
It uses the B-Horizon since it records
mineral dispersions in the soil
Calcrete
(sand and silt cemented by calcareous minerals)
Silcrete
(sand and silt cemented by siliceous materials
Ferricrete
(sand and silt cemented by iron oxide materials
Red Limonite: nodular FeO rich su ace
Consolidated Weather Cover Su eying
(obtain data from weathered cover)
Laterite
(supergene enrichment of ma c to
ultrama c rocks by tropicalweathering)
Laterite Layers
Yellow Limonite: clay-rich transition
Saprolite: pa ially altered rock
Unaltered Ultrama c Peridotite (main rock)
Gossan
Lithogeological Su ey
Geochemical Prospecting Methods
Drift/ Till Geochemical Su ey
Stream Sediment Su ey
Hydrogeochemical Su ey
Vegetation Su eys
Geobotany
Biogeochemical Su eys
Geozoological Su eys
Vapor Su eys
Electrogeochemical Su eys
Radiogenic Isotope Su eys
Heavy Mineral Su eys
Polymetallic Nodule Su eys
Hydrocarbon Geochemical Su eys
Exploration Drilling
Drilling and Sampling
Sampling Principles
Economic Estimations
Mechanism
Types of Drills
Methods
Handling and Interpretation
2D: uses 3 satellites
3D: uses 4 satellites to compute
velocity and time