Brownfield Exploration
Brownfield exploration, comprising mine sites exploration and near mine exploration, is on the increase in industry. Discovering new ore zones and extending existing ones “in the shadow of a headframe” is not only the most prospective geologically it is also fundamentally more economical to find ore near existing mining infrastructure. However, exploring near mines can be expensive -- if by drilling alone. The time required to thoroughly investigate highly prospective areas proximal to the mine with drilling can be prohibitive and the return on exploration expenditure relatively low.
Traditional geophysical methods are limited due to extreme cultural noise providing few options for mine engineers and mine geologists who have a direct mandate to exploit new resources as a key means of extending mine life and maximizing company value by detecting all available ore on each property.
This is where the Titan 24 Deep Earth Imaging technology fits in. Unlike traditional methods, processing of full waveform Titan 24 data enables Quantec’s specialists to remove noise sources from data through application of proprietary methods. Titan 24 is likely the only method that works consistently in this noisy and challenging environment.
Titan 24 has been deployed in over 50 brownfield exploration projects, including Kemess North, B.C.; Copper Mountain, B.C., Lomas Bayas, Chile; Resolution, Arizona; Chelopech, Bulgaria; Cigar Lake, Saskatchewan; and others. And as Quantec’s experienced professionals have demonstrated, a Titan 24 survey can be conducted directly over and around the mine site, compiled with existing drilling information, and ultimately used to target drilling at targets with high potential for discovery.
Mine Site Exploration
In mine site exploration work, the objectives may be multi-fold, including finding new ore at depth or in extensions, developing plans for mine infrastructure, or evaluating ground before siting mine infrastructure in a particular location that may be overlying a potentially economic orebody.
In the example below, Copper Mountain Mining Corporation had re-opened an historic mine and was trying to determine whether a) there was more ore present and b) it was appropriate to consider a Super Pit on site to more economically extract remaining ore. To assist them in making these determinations, Quantec Geoscience performed a 4-line Titan 24 survey directly over Copper Mountain’s mine site over a period of 6 days.
Minesite survey at Copper Mountain, Canada. Results show the presence of significant,
previously unknown mineralization at depth under pits 2 and 3. Drilling of this anomaly
returned excellent grades of 1.3% copper over 100 m. Titan 24 results were also used to
make a decision on the construction of a Super Pit at the mine.
Results more than exceeded expectations – the survey detected significant geophysical signatures which when drilled delivered 100 m of 1.3% Cu which was one of the better intercepts seen at the mine. Moreover, management was pleased as it meant many additional years of mine life. For mine engineers, the results led to a decision to proceed with the Super Pit. Ultimately, the Titan 24 survey resulted in the discovery of significant new tonnage – the survey saved many months of expensive drilling and allowed mine engineers to make key plans regarding mine development, such as the Super Pit..
Near Mine Exploration
In near mine exploration work, the objective is to find new mineralization or satellite orebodies in the vicinity of a mine (i.e. outside of the mine limits). Prospective areas for this type of activity are typically along geologic strike where the greatest potential for mineralization may occur. This was the case at African Copper where a Titan 24 survey found a complete new orezone within 350 m of the existing mine.
In our second example, the company under consideration is Northgate Minerals who own the Kemess North mine in British Columbia. At Kemess North, the issues were different. The existing mine was running out of ore and it was proposed to conduct a Titan 24 survey to first characterize the geophysical signatures at the mine and then use these to extrapolate any new ore zones present along strike for a distance of almost 2 km under post mineral cover up to 400 m thick. The survey was conducted as a helicopter-supported job conducted in mountainous terrain over talus slopes – a challenging environment.
Within 4 days, Quantec had completed the survey and were starting to generate results. Results indicated that the geophysical signature of the mine site was present at a depth of between 500 and 700 m and a distance of 2 km from the actual mine site. When drilled, the core returned a contained mineralized width of 341 m of 0.39 g/t gold and 0.31% copper – the largest mineralized section in the entire camp. Ultimately, the survey located two new ore bodies with a combined economic value of multiple millions of dollars; giving a very high return on investment for this survey.
Minesite and near mine survey at Kemess North, Canada. Two Titan 24 surveys were performed
along a single line at Kemess North over a 4 day period in rugged terrain. The minesite survey established a geophysical signature for the deposit which was then used to define two new deposits near the mine. Drilling led to an intersection of the largest intercept in the Kemess North exploration program.
The Bottom Line
Brownfield exploration leads to significant benefits as we have seen here with many dollars of ore discovered with direct impact on each company’s bottom line. However, it’s not easy getting high quality data in these environments and we recommend that you consider groups that are specialists in this area, such as Quantec.
Through its technology and field procedures, Quantec has mastered many of the conditions that can affect data quality, such as power lines, buildings and other infrastructure. The company is also familiar with working in active mine sites where safety considerations (see next image) and the ability to coordinate survey activities with ongoing mine activities is key.
Quantec survey technician working with Titan 24 survey gear and safety equipment. The
company’s personnel are specially trained in safety procedures through training courses and
survey planning processes. It is important to use a group with this level of certification to protect
your minesite’s safety rating.
In summary, Quantec is available to perform many types of brownfield investigations in either a mine site or near mine environment with a significant return on investment in terms of extending mine life, finding new ore for cash flow, siting infrastructure (condemnation) and related activities. To make the most of your ore – either in the mine or nearby – it’s important to consider the value of new technologies, such as Titan 24 Deep Earth Imaging, and how to apply them in a mining environment that calls for much more efficient and effective exploration and selection of drill targets to depth.
To access all information on this page in pdf format, select Minesite Solutions.
For more information on any of Quantec’s service areas, please Contact us.