Unlocking the full potential of mineral exploration at depth: borehole logging methods and analysis for increased exploration efficiency

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Availability of mineral resources underpins all sectors of our economic activity. Continued development of emerging countries places a greater strain on these resources and thus our ability to discover and renew reserves is likely to be outstripped by demand. In order to meet this societal challenge, the mineral exploration industry must innovate. Since future reserves are likely to be found at depth, overlain by barren or transported cover and without surface expressions we must establish cost effective programs that allow for mineral prospection at depth. This research program provides solutions to increase the efficiency of these type of mineral exploration programs. The first, is to leverage the full potential of the investment made when the borehole is drilled by systematic acquisition of in-situ physical properties and transformation of these data into information that impacts exploration. The second is to limit cases where boreholes fail to intersect the target or run into expensive drilling hazards. As an analogy, the advent of systematic measurement of in-situ rock properties and transformation of the data into useful exploration information proposes a paradigm shift similar to what happened to photography. Digital photography eradicated the costs related to film and reduced significantly processing costs by allowing us to print only the good ones. This technology is now ubiquitous in our lives and has allowed us to use photography in ways unthinkable more than a decade ago. Automatic capture of metadata that identifies the time and place where the photograph was taken can be augmented by facial recognition. Thus, far from old shoe boxes and dusty albums, novel digital albums allow for rapid sorting and efficient retrieval of photographs base on these metadata. The nature of the digital information also means that it can backed-up and distributed freely. Not so for the rock-cores stored in traditional core-sheds that are unique. Core samples suffer from degradation as they age by being exposed to air and moisture that can cause oxidation. Only geological description and sparse assay data may remain from particular drilling programs.Systematic measurement of physical properties in-situ provides a quantitative assessment of the rock mass intersected by the borehole. These data are a source of quantitative information that is free from interpretational bias, can endure the passage of time without any degradation and can easily be stored, retrieved and shared amongst working groups throughout the life of a mining project. The digital nature of these data also provides an opportunity add value to the raw information by identifying spatial relationships between physical properties that may otherwise go un-noticed. Similar to what has been achieved for facial recognition in digital photography, it will enable rapid identification of prospective deposits. These data will allow for a better understanding of the rock mass, drilling hazards and provides information to steer drilling towards mineralisation. They will also provide a backdrop for integration of the information that describes the geology throughout life of mine planning and contribute to enhanced recovery, reduced environmental footprint and reduced energy requirements. The outcomes of this research program have the potential to be far-reaching and will promote a step-change in the way mineral exploration is done in Canada and abroad. It will provide an opportunity for the training of highly qualified personnel that is unique in Canada and for most of the world. These graduates will be able to engineer tomorrows exploration strategies and apply the innovations developed to meet the mineral exploration challenge faced by the industry and our society.