A COMPARISON OF IP TRANSIENT SHAPES OVER DISSEMINATED AND MASSIVE SULFIDE SHEETS IN THE LOWER PILLOW LAVAS OF CYPRUS*

A number of time‐domain IP traverses were carried out across two parallel mineralized sheets in the Lower Pillow Lavas, near Mitsero, Cyprus with Huntec Mark III equipment using the pole‐dipole array. In one sheet the mineralization was disseminated (2%S), and in the other it was massive (30%S). The transients were recorded at separation n= 2 at a number of points to give the complete shape of the curves. The normalized time integrals were anomalous over the two sheets, but were not significantly different; the highest values being observed over the disseminated sheet. Both sheets were also associated with high electromagnetic components of the decay curve. The chargeability and resistivity values obtained over the disseminated body were considerably higher. The metal factor was also of value in discriminating between massive ore, disseminated mineralization, and barren rock. The values of P2 and P3 for the two bodies were also compared (P2 and P3 are defined by

where M1 to M4 are the amplitudes of the decay curve at 55, 130, 280 and 580 ms respectively). For the massive ore, P was inversely related to M, but for the disseminated ore P was independent of M. Four simple parameters from the decay curves show that indices of curve shape offer the best prospect of grade discrimination.