Seismic method for deep mineral exploration: Problems and prospects-A case study of the Tongling ore district

The search for deeper mineral resources is an important direction in the future exploration, and the seismic technique has great advantages in deeper mineral exploration that other methods cannot compete with. In order to test its effectiveness in detecting deep "stratabound" deposits and shallow ore-hosting structure and perfect the seismic exploration technique for metallic mineral deposits, the authors carried out seismic reflection and head-wave tomographic imaging experiments in the Tongling ore district. The results show that the method can accurately determine the distribution of the ore-bearing horizon, the contact zone between the Devonian Wutong Formation and Carboniferous Huanglong Formation, and also the large-scale structure within 5 km below the surface. The head-wave tomographic imaging may reveal the morphology of the shallow-surface rock bodies. The methods show potential value for searching for "stratabound" mineral deposits in the deep "second ore-concentration belts" in eastern China and show broad prospects for their application.