Resource Exploration

In our geopolitical dependency, the exploration of raw materials is becoming increasingly important again. This includes on the one hand energy resources such as coal, oil and gas, and on the other hand especially mineral raw materials such as industrial minerals, metals as well as industrial rocks and minerals (construction raw materials). During a geophysical supported exploration of raw material deposits, several questions often have to be clarified. The depth of the top and bottom of the raw material deposits as well as the spatial distribution and thus a quantitative estimation are in the focus of most projects. Furthermore, the composition as well as a grain size distribution can be estimated via various physical properties, such as the specific electrical resistance. The connection with groundwater resources is also important for various raw materials and their exploitability or (legal) exploitability.

If a mineral resource reaches economic viability for mining, it is referred to as a deposit. In geophysics, a wide variety of methods are available for resource exploration. Seismic reflection is used for the structural exploration of deeper-lying (> 50 m) deposits. Seismic refraction is available for the exploration of rather shallow (< 150 m) deposits and usually provides very reliable results for the upper boundary, and sometimes also the lower boundary, of these deposits. Geoelectrics can clearly depict the grain size distribution in unconsolidated sediments.