Development of 3-D seismic exploration technology for deep nickel‐copper deposits—A case history from the Sudbury basin, Canada

Milkereit, B.; Berrer, E. K.; King, Alan R.; Watts, Anthony H.; Roberts, Bruce R.; Adam, Erick; Eaton, David; Wu, Juntao; Salisbury, Matthew H.

doi:10.1190/1.1444873

Cited by 89 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…One of the best-known surveys acquired by Noranda is the Halfmile Lake 3D survey (New Brunswick) that led to the discovery of a 6-8 Mt massive sulfide lens at a depth of 1.2 km (Figure 9; Salisbury et al, 2000;Matthews, 2002;Malehmir and Bellefleur, 2009). Similar 3D surveys in the Sudbury complex also were successful in delineating massive sulfide deposits (see Milkereit et al, 2000). Figure 10 shows examples of 2D and 3D surveys over one of the Sudbury Ni-Cu-PGE deposits.…”

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lithoprobe was instrumental in establishing acquisition, processing, and interpretation approaches suitable for the hard-rock environment that is typical to several volcanogenic massive sulfide mining camps across Canada. This includes the Bathurst , Buchans (Spencer et al, 1993;Wright et al, 1994), Manitouwadge (Roberts et al, 2003), Matagami (Milkereit et al, 1992a;Adam et al, 1996Adam et al, , 1998Adam et al, , 2003Calvert and Li, 1999), Noranda (Adam et al, 1992;Verpaelst et al, 1995;Perron and Calvert, 1998), Selbaie (Milkereit et al, 1992b;Perron et al, 1997), Sudbury (White et al, 1994;Wu et al, 1995;Adam et al, 2000;Milkereit et al, 2000), and Thompson (White et al, , 2000 mining camps. During Lithoprobe, seismic reflection methods were proposed as a deep exploration tool that could improve the knowledge of structures and stratigraphy in existing mining camps, but also to provide drilling targets at depths beyond those achieved with conventional geophysical mining methods.…”

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seismic methods in mineral exploration and mine planning: A general overview of past and present case histories and a look into the future

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Due to high metal prices and increased difficulties in finding shallower deposits, the exploration for and exploitation of mineral resources is expected to move to greater depths. Consequently, seismic methods will become a more important tool to help unravel structures hosting mineral deposits at great depth for mine planning and exploration. These methods also can be used with varying degrees of success to directly target mineral deposits at depth. We review important contributions that have been made in developing these techniques for the mining industry with focus on four main regions: Australia, Europe, Canada, and South Africa. A wide range of case studies are covered, including some that are published in the special issue accompanying this article, from surface to borehole seismic methods, as well as petrophysical data and seismic modeling of mineral deposits. At present, high-resolution 2D surveys mostly are performed in mining areas, but there is a general increasing trend in the use of 3D seismic methods, especially in mature mining camps.

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Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismic methods in mineral exploration and mine planning: A general overview of past and present case histories and a look into the future

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“…Hence, Consolidated Minerals decided to experiment with the seismic reflection method and assess its applicability for exploration of deep and complex MS deposits in Kambalda, in the eastern goldfields district of Western Australia. Such an attempt was encouraged by several successful experimental surveys reported by Greenhalgh and Mason (1997), Calvert and Li (1999), Milkereit et al, (1991Milkereit et al, ( , 1996Milkereit et al, ( , 2000. Moreover, successful case histories in the Kambalda region, which is thoroughly studied by explorers for nickel and gold deposits (Neumayr et al, 2004) were reported by Stolz (2003) and Urosevic et al (2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeting nickel sulfide deposits from 3D seismicreflection data at Kambalda, Australia

2012

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The greenstone belts of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, host numerous Archaean gold, nickel, and iron ore deposits. These deposits typically are found in complex geologic structures hidden by a deep, heterogeneous, and often conductive regolith profile. This added complexity limits the depth of penetration for the potential field methods, but at the same time opens new revenue possibilities through the application of seismic methods. To explore this opportunity, we acquired highresolution, experimental, 3D seismic data over Lake Lefroy in Kambalda, Western Australia. The main objective was to map exceptionally complex, deep structures associated with Kambalda dome. Survey design used 3D ray tracing to improve the distribution of the common reflection points across ultramafic-basalt contacts which host numerous small, high-grade nickel sulfide deposits. A combination of small explosive sources, high-shot/receiver density, and exceptionally good coupling over the ultrasalty lake surface produced seismic data of very high quality. Processing focused on computation of accurate static and dynamic corrections, whereas imaging was helped by the existing geologic model. Advanced volumetric interpretation supported by seismic forward modeling was used to guide mapping of the main lithological interfaces and structures. Forward modeling was carried out using rock properties obtained from ultrasonic measurements and one borehole, drilled in the proximity of the 3D seismic volume. Using this information, geometric constraints based on the typical size of ore bodies found in this mine and a simple window-based seismic attribute, several new targets were proposed. Three of these targets subsequently have been drilled and new zones of mineralization were intercepted. The case study presented demonstrates that high-quality, high-resolution, 3D seismic data combined with volumetric seismic interpretation could become a primary methodology for exploration of deep, small, massive sulfide deposits distributed across the Kambalda area.

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“…To our knowledge, there is no 3D reflection seismic survey conducted for deep open-pit mine planning. Three-and twodimensional reflection seismic surveys have, however, been used for the exploration of deep-seated mineral deposits with several examples from Canada, South Africa, Europe, and Australia (e.g., Milkereit et al, 1996Milkereit et al, , 2000Salisbury et al, 2000;Adam et al, 2003;Pretorius et al, 2003;Malehmir et al, 2007Malehmir et al, , 2009aMalehmir et al, , 2009bMalehmir et al, , 2011Harrison and Urosevic, 2009;Bellefleur, 2009, 2010;Dehghannejad et al, 2010Dehghannejad et al, , 2012Cheraghi et al, 2011;Juhojuntti et al, 2012). Kevitsa, our study area, is a large nickel/copper deposit hosted by a massive ultramafic intrusion in northern Finland (Figure 1) with measured and indicated resources of 240 million tons (using a nickel cutoff grade of 0.1%) grading 0.30% nickel and 0.41% copper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D reflection seismic imaging for open-pit mine planning and deep exploration in the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, northern Finland

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A 3D reflection seismic survey was conducted over an area of about 9 km 2 at the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE (platinum group elements) orebody, northern Finland, where open-pit mining started in mid-2012. The principal objective of the survey was to image major fault and fracture zones at depth that may have an impact on the mine stability and safety. Mine planning would then take into account the geometry of these zones at Kevitsa. Processing results, using conventional prestack DMO and poststack migration methods, show gently dipping and steeply dipping reflections from depths of approximately 2 km to as shallow as 150-200 m. Many of the reflections are interpreted to originate from either fault systems or internal magmatic layering within the Kevitsa main intrusion. Further correlation between the surface seismic data and VSP data suggests that numerous faults are present in the imaged volume based upon time shifts or phase changes along horizontal to gently dipping reflections. Some of these faults cross the planned open-pit mine at depths of about 300-500 m, and are therefore critical for geotechnical planning. In terms of in-pit and near-mine exploration, the magmatic layering internal to the intrusion controls the distribution of the bulk of economic mineralization. The ability to image this magmatic layering could therefore guide future drilling, particularly by constraining the presumed lateral extents of the resource area. Exploration also will target discrete reflectors that potentially represent higher-grade sulfide mineralization.

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Development of 3-D seismic exploration technology for deep nickel‐copper deposits—A case history from the Sudbury basin, Canada

Cited by 89 publications

References 7 publications

Seismic methods in mineral exploration and mine planning: A general overview of past and present case histories and a look into the future

Seismic methods in mineral exploration and mine planning: A general overview of past and present case histories and a look into the future

Targeting nickel sulfide deposits from 3D seismicreflection data at Kambalda, Australia

3D reflection seismic imaging for open-pit mine planning and deep exploration in the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, northern Finland

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