Developing cost-effective seismic mineral exploration methods using a landstreamer and a drophammer

To be fully embraced into mineral exploration, seismic data require to be acquired fast, cheaper and with minimum environmental impacts addressing also the often brown-field highly noisy environment where these surveys are employed. Since 2013 and through a number of case studies, we have been testing a newly developed for urban environment, digital-based 240 m long, seismic landstreamer for mine planning and mineral exploration purposes. Here, we present a pilot study examining the potential of the streamer for deep targeting a known, down to approximately 850 m depth, iron-oxide mineralization in the Bergslagen mineral district of central Sweden. Combined streamer (100-3C-MEMS (micro-electromechanical system), 2-4 m spacing) and 75 wireless recorders (mixed 10 Hz and MEMS, 10 m spacing) were used. A Bobcat-mounted drophammer, 500 kg, was used to generate the seismic signal. Within 4 days, approximately 3.5 km of seismic data using 2-10 m source and receiver spacing were acquired. Reflection data processing results clearly image the mineralization as a set of strong high-amplitude reflections and likely slightly extending beyond the known 850 m depth. This is encouraging and suggests such a cost-effective exploration method can be used in the area and elsewhere to delineate similar depth range iron-oxide deposits.