Effective Mineral Exploration Under Cover: Addressing the Challenge Using Passive Seismic Methodology

Abstract

Passive seismic methodology is becoming a popular tool for estimation of cover depth, cover velocity structure and basement topography for mineral exploration applications. Analysis of passive seismic array data gives information on wavefield characteristics and constrains shear-wave velocity structure. Single station techniques are useful as a tool to rapidly estimate cover thickness but require further information from drill holes or array techniques for robust interpretation. The combined use of array and single station techniques provides an effective cover depth mapping methodology and allows for highly flexible survey design, adaptable for a range of applications. This paper provides a summary of relevant passive seismic techniques and overview of their effective use with several example mineral exploration scenarios.