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

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

Illumination diagnosis for retrieval of reflections from ambient-noise seismic data in the Siilinjärvi mining site, Finland

Reflection seismic methods are becoming popular in mineral exploration, because they allow high-resolution delineation of the exploration targets, even at great depths. Seismic interferometry can be used to retrieve reflections from passive seismic data, removing the need for active seismic sources and, therefore, reducing the cost and environmental impact of exploration. The retrieval of reflections can be challenging, since passive seismic records are typically dominated by surface waves. Therefore, illumination diagnosis, a method which allows the isolation of the portions of the passive data where body-wave signals are stronger, can be a valuable step that improves the quality of the reflections retrieved from seismic interferometry and reduces the overall computational cost of the processing stage. Here, we validate the performance of the method to effectively isolate the portions of the passive data dominated by body waves and apply it on an ambient-noise seismic dataset acquired in the Siilinjärvi mining site in Finland

EXTRACTION OF UNDERLYING GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE FROM SEISMIC DATA USING DATA MINING TECHNIQUES

The development of seismic-imaging technology has substantially improved the exploration of subsurface deposits of crude oil, natural gas and minerals. Recent advances in data capture, processing power and storage capabilities have enabled us to analyze large volumes of seismic data. In this study we report on the implementation of machine learning and data mining techniques for analysis of seismic data to reveal salt deposits underneath the soil. Several seismic attributes have been extracted from these datasets. Using information gain, the best six attributes (homogeneity, contrast, energy, median, peaks and average energy) have been selected for further classification. Finally we compared the results obtained using four different clustering techniques: k-means algorithm, expectation maximization algorithm, min-cut algorithm and Euclidean clustering.Computer Science, Department o

Data Vaults: a Database Welcome to Scientific File Repositories

Efficient management and exploration of high-volume scientific file repositories have become pivotal for advancement in science. We propose to demonstrate the Data Vault, an extension of the database system architecture that transparently opens scientific file repositories for efficient in-database processing and exploration. The Data Vault facilitates science data analysis using high-level declarative languages, such as the traditional SQL and the novel array-oriented SciQL. Data of interest are loaded from the attached repository in a just-in-time manner without need for up-front data ingestion. The demo is built around concrete implementations of the Data Vault for two scientific use cases: seismic time series and Earth observation images. The seismic Data Vault uses the queries submitted by the audience to illustrate the internals of Data Vault functioning by revealing the mechanisms of dynamic query plan generation and on-demand external data ingestion. The image Data Vault shows an application view from the perspective of data mining researchers

Update Heat Flow Density Map for Portugal

New thermal conductivity, heat production and temperature data obtained in Portugal were used to produce a new heat flow density map. Heat flow density values in Portugal vary between 42 and 115 mW/m2 and allow the extrapolation of temperatures to depths not yet reached by existing boreholes. Additionally, temperature maps at 500 and 1000 m depths and a two-dimensional model constructed along a north-south profile in the area where there is more geothermal information are given

Preliminary assessment of industrial needs for an advanced ocean technology

A quick-look review of selected ocean industries is presented for the purpose of providing NASA OSTA with an assessment of technology needs and market potential. The size and growth potential, needs and problem areas, technology presently used and its suppliers, are given for industries involved in deep ocean mining, petrochemicals ocean energy conversion. Supporting services such as ocean bottom surveying; underwater transportation, data collection, and work systems; and inspection and diving services are included. Examples of key problem areas that are amenable to advanced technology solutions are included. Major companies are listed

Independent Expert Scientific Panel – Report on Unconventional Oil and Gas

No abstract available