High-Resolution Near Surface Airborne Electromagnetics ? SkyTEM Survey for Uranium Exploration at Pells Range, WA

Abstract

The SkyTEM airborne EM system has been deployed in Australia since late 2006, and has been flown for a variety of applications including salinity mapping, palaeochannel detection, geological mapping and base metals exploration. Economic geological applications of the system have included gold and uranium exploration, as well as direct detection of massive sulphides. The SkyTEM instrument was designed to produce airborne electromagnetic data of a quality comparable to that which can be obtained from existing ground TEM systems, and is unique in that it can alternately transmit in low-moment, early-time sampling, and high-moment, late-time sampling modes, thus providing a combination of high-resolution shallow information with a maximum depth of exploration comparable to that of other contemporary EM systems. The instrument directly measures parameters crucial to quantitative interpretation of the electromagnetic data, including pitch, roll and altitude of the transmitter and receiver as well as transmitted current. We demonstrate application of the SkyTEM system to palaeochannel mapping for uranium exploration at Pells Range, Western Australia. The SkyTEM data is shown to provide results in very good agreement with geological mapping and regional-scale drilling. The SkyTEM survey successfully mapped a paleochannel system within the Moogooloo Sandstone which is host to the uranium mineralisation.