Seismic in the Drilling Workflow – Phase 2: MinEx CRC Project 5

The Challenge

Modern mineral exploration beneath sediments and weathered regolith is dominated by the use of drilling to sample below the surface. By improving technologies for the non-invasive imaging of buried geology, we could reduce the amount of drilling needed to discover and characterise hidden mineral systems.

Key Findings

Drilling delivers significant acoustic energy to the surrounding rock. Collected through fibre optic cable deployed either down a bore hole or at the surface, this energy provides the basis for distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), delivering seismic imaging of structures, ore bodies and other geologically distinct features with a smaller footprint and less environmental disturbance than conventional seismic imaging.

Continuous data collection via DAS also enables real-time monitoring of geotechnical hazards and mine operations.

Benefits to WA

Many of the most exciting exploration targets in Western Australia lie in areas where the richly-endowed geology of the State’s proven mineral provinces plunges beneath more recent layers of rock. Lowering the barriers to understanding these buried targets will reduce the risk for companies investing in exploration to underpin the productive future of the minerals industry in WA.

Report DOI

DOI: 10.71342/625067501794