Extracting high‐resolution P‐wave reflectivity of the shallow subsurface by seismic interferometry based on autocorrelation of blast mining signals

Tarek S. Imam; Tatsunori Ikeda; Takeshi Tsuji; Jiro Uesugi; Takeshi Nakamura; Yoshinori Okaue

doi:10.1111/1365-2478.13308

E-ISSN: 1365-2478

Extracting high‐resolution P‐wave reflectivity of the shallow subsurface by seismic interferometry based on autocorrelation of blast mining signals
Authors Tarek S. Imam^1,2, Tatsunori Ikeda^1,3, Takeshi Tsuji^1,3,4, Jiro Uesugi⁵, Takeshi Nakamura⁵ and Yoshinori Okaue⁶
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¹ Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan ² Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt ³ International Institute for Carbon‐Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan ⁴ School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan ⁵ Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan ⁶ Hishikari mine, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd, Kagoshima, Japan
Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
Source: Geophysical Prospecting, Volume 71, Issue 7 Special Issue: Mineral Exploration and Mining Geophysics, Sep 2023, p. 1267 - 1280
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.13308
- Received: 04 Jul 2022
- Accepted: 04 Nov 2022
- Published online: 21 Dec 2022

Abstract

Body‐wave reflections are sensitive to sharp velocity contrasts, making them useful for lithological imaging. We analysed seismic data from natural earthquake, ambient noise and mine blasts to map P‐wave reflection profiles at the Hishikari mine area by autocorrelation analysis. Because fissure‐filled gold veins are dominant in this area, we evaluated the potential of autocorrelation analysis for investigating the shallow subsurface, including the ore deposits. Seismic interferometry is commonly performed based on the autocorrelation of ambient noise or natural earthquake signals; here, we instead used blasting in the mine because blast events include high‐frequency signals that boost the spatial resolution of the imaging. To effectively extract P‐wave reflections from seismic signals including blast events, we applied Gaussian smoothing and spectral whitening to remove source effects and then investigated the optimum frequency band. We successfully obtained auto‐correlograms showing high‐resolution seismic reflectors at shallow formation depths. These reflections are interpreted to be lithological boundaries shallower than 500 m. A comparison with profiles obtained from ambient noise and earthquake data showed that blasting signals yielded highly spatially consistent reflections that would not be achievable with natural or ambient seismic sources. This study highlights the potential of using blast autocorrelation seismic analysis during short survey periods. By using single‐blast shots and dense seismic station spacings, we successfully achieved higher resolution 3D reflection images of lithological interfaces, possibly including ore veins.

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Extracting high‐resolution P‐wave reflectivity of the shallow subsurface by seismic interferometry based on autocorrelation of blast mining signals

Geophysical Prospecting 71, 1267 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.13308

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Article Type: Research Article

Keyword(s): data processing; imaging; passive method; seismics; signal processing

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Extracting high‐resolution P‐wave reflectivity of the shallow subsurface by seismic interferometry based on autocorrelation of blast mining signals

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