Using Borehole Radar to Image a Pothole in the Merensky Platinum Orebody

The Merensky orebody (reef) in South Africa is one of the world's most important platinum resources. Potholes (slumps) in the Merensky Reef lead to significant mining losses. This paper describes for the first time how borehole radar can be used to image potholes in the Merensky Reef. Three dimensional visualization of the borehole radar data is used to delineate these structures and to improve the geological model ahead of mining.