Estimating Cover Thickness Using Seismic Refraction in the Southern Thomson Orogen — An UNCOVER Application

Abstract

The Southern Thomson Project was established to develop a better understanding of the geology and mineral potential of the southern Thomson Orogen. One way in which the Southern Thomson Project is improving this understanding is through the collection of seismic refraction data at 16 greenfields sites to assess the cover thickness (i.e. the amount of regolith and sedimentary basin cover overlying the basement geology). Seismic refraction data were collected using a standard linear array with 48 geophones and a 40 kg propelled weight drop as the energy source. An estimate of the cover thickness was produced from the refraction data using the time-term inversion method. This resulted in the creation of a three-layer model for each site, which accounts for the layers associated with the regolith, sedimentary basin cover and the basement geology.