The Challenge

  • Uncomfortable and slow deployment due to vegetation
  • High levels of wind noise
  • HSE concerns due to curious wildlife; burying nodes to mitigate elephant’s inquisitiveness (several nodes already broken or lost)

While exploring a potential deposit site in South Africa, Tutume Metals required greater visibility into existing geologic structures than what they were getting with geological and aeromagnetic data alone. The exploration team wanted to use an accelerated passive seismic imaging solution to optimize structural geology for mineral exploration and deliver fast and cost-effective fault detection and characterization including fault position, depth of Cenozoic cover, and Karoo-basement contact.

The Solution

Geocomp delivered a versatile and scalable solution for passive seismic imaging with our (DFU-1C/System) S-scan 3D imaging system. Deployment is based on:

  • Three (3) lines of 49 nodes + seven (7) lines of 28 nodes
  • Hexagonal design, spacing 150m between each node and the six (6)surrounding neighbors
  • Use of opportunistic source assumption: elephants, trucks, wind

Every structure at the project site was compared with an aeromagnetic solution despite difficult and slow deployment due to vegetation, high levels of wind noise, and the presence of elephants. Using Geocomp’s 3D seismic imaging system, the project team was able to detect a contact at the site with the characteristics of a sedimentary/igneous boundary which coincided with a striking feature, a planar structure whose strike line runs northeast to southwest (a northeast orientation).

Services Provided

Passive Seismic Imaging

Passive seismic imaging solution provided greater visibility into structural geology and exploration

3D Imaging Integration

(DFU-1C/System) 3D imaging integration and application of subsurface imaging and detection

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