f Application of electrical methods in mining-quarry natural resources investigations

In mining industry is very important to quantify and locate the natural resources. These resources help to determine the value of new land to expand or create new quarries and mines. In order to know this, it is very challenging and expensive for the mine developer. This is usually done by excavating pits, drilling wells, and studying the geology of the area. This practice is very expensive when covering wide areas. Geophysics offers the opportunity for nonintrusive characterization covering wide areas in relatively short period of time, thus minimazing the number of wells to characterize a site, and therefore obtaining a great deal of valuable information at a competitive price. The study was conducted at the former urban 28 site of Guadassuar, Valencia, Spain. The area is characterized by orange tree plantations and other agricultural crops. The geology of the area is mainly composed by Quaternary deposits governed by the Jucar River´s dynamics. The first layer was formed by river overflowing, which deposited large amounts of silty loamy deposits during different flooding episodes. A second layer of unconsolidated sediments (sand and gravel) were deposited by the river varying in thickness and location. This is the layer of most interest for mining. The sand and gravel layer is underlain by clay.