Airborne EM Applied to Sulphide Nickel - Examples and Analysis

Peter Wolfgram; Howard Golden

doi:10.1071/EG01136

ISSN: 0812-3985
E-ISSN: 1834-7533

Airborne EM Applied to Sulphide Nickel - Examples and Analysis
Authors Peter Wolfgram^a and Howard Golden^b
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^a Fugro Airborne Surveys Pty Ltd, 65 Brockway Road, Floreat, , Western Australia, 6014, Phone: +61(8)9273 6400, Facsimile: +61(8)9273 6466, [email protected] ^b WMC Resources Ltd, 191 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont, , Western Australia, 6104, Phone: +61(8)9479-8400, Facsimile: +61(8)9479-8496, [email protected]
Publisher: Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists
Source: Exploration Geophysics, Volume 32, Issue 3-4, Sep 2001, p. 136 - 140
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/EG01136
- Published online: 01 Sep 2001

Abstract

Exploration for nickel sulphides has often involved the application of airborne electromagnetic data. Some of the early successes of the technique were in Canada in the 1950s, detecting shallow massive sulphides in highly resistive host stratigraphies. As exploration for deeper deposits under cover proliferates, a comparison of different systems and an analysis of the depth of penetration of these systems is required.

An examination of field data from three known nickel sulphide deposits shows that the target anomalies are all above the noise level except where shielded by a flat-lying conductor. Using the geological models for each deposit, forward modelling was applied to determine that the ore bodies chosen for this study could be buried deeper before the system used would cease to be an effective exploration tool. Forward modelling also shows that all methods examined are able to identify the target. Systems with lower base frequency and wider transmitter pulse give the best results.

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References

Evans, D., 1998, BHP Internal Company Memo No. CM849, To Nickel Working Group, February 1998.
Leggatt, P.B., Klinkert, PS., Hage, T.B., 2000, The Spectrem airborne electromagnetic system - further developments, Geophysics 65, 1976-1982.
OGS, 2000, Report on Matheson Airborne Geophysical Survey, Geophysical data set 1101, Ontario Geological survey, Sudbury, October 2000.
Peters, B., and Buck, P, 2000, The Maggie Hays and Emily Ann Nickel Deposits, Western Australia: A Geophysical Case History, Exploration Geophysics 31, 210- 221.
Raiche, A., 1998, Modelling the time-domain response of AEM systems, Exploration Geophysics 29, 103-106.
Reford, S. and Fyon, A., 2000, Reid-Mahaffy airborne geophysical test site survey miscellaneous release - data (MRD) 55: Geological setting, measured and processed data, and derived products, Ontario Geological survey, Sudbury, October 2000.
Smith, R.S. and Annan, A.P, 1998, The use of B-field measurements in an airborne time-domain system: Part 1. Benefits of B-field versus dB/dt data, Exploration Geophysics 29, 24-29.
Smith, R.S., Annan, A.P, Me Gowan, P.D., 2001, A comparison of data from airborne, semi-airborne, and ground electromagnetic systems, Geophysics 32, in press.
Stolz, E., 2000, Electromagnetic methods applied to exploration for deep nickel sulphides in the Leinster area, Western Australia, Exploration Geophysics 31, 222-228.
Wolfgram, P. and Thomson, S., 1998, The use of B-field measurements in an airborne time-domain system - Part II: examples in conductive regimes, Exploration Geophysics 29, 225-229.

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): Airborne electromagnetic; Nickel sulphide

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Airborne EM Applied to Sulphide Nickel - Examples and Analysis

Abstract

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