Borehole radar surveying for orebody delineation

The Arcolabs borehole radar system was developed to assist detailed orebody delineation particularly for mines extracting thin vein ore deposits. The probes are 32 mm and therefore fit in most common exploration and mining drillholes. The system has been successfully used at a number of mine sites to assist with ore delineation at a range of scales. Images from holes drilled alongside the extension of a massive sulphide orebody downdip from current development clearly showed the extent of the orebody and changes in thickness and dip of the orebody. The costs of these surveys were considerably less than the cost of delineation by drilling alone and the resulting image provided more detailed data which could be used to optimize the position of development. Estimates of potential savings from using the system to define the bottom of the orebody were of the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Images from short holes drilled at short intervals beneath the footwall of another orebody enabled a detailed wireframe of the orebody contact to be constructed. Better knowledge of the contact location helped to maximize ore extraction and minimize dilution.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.