Submit to Minerals Review for Minerals Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Exploration Methods and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 11793

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping book cover image

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luan Thanh Pham

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Physics, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Interests: gravity inversion; magnetic inversion; semi-automatic interpretation; edge detection; Moho; basement; Curie point depth

Dr. Saulo Pomponet Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Mathematics, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, PR 19096, Brazil
Interests: computational geophysics; gravity and magnetic data processing; airborne geophysics; gamma ray spectrometry; numerical analysis

Dr. Le Van Anh Cuong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Geophysics, Faculty of Physics and Engineering Physics, VNUHCM-University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Interests: seismic exploration; electrical and electromagnetic methods in geophysics; geophysics in civil engineering; joint/cooperative geophysical inversion; supercomputing; artificial networks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geological structures often control the locations and geometries of mineral deposits, oil, and natural gas. Geophysical data interpretation can help in mapping these geological structures. These structures provide many types of information that are essential in both the exploration for new mineral deposits and during subsequent mining; therefore, they have a significant effect on the optimization of exploratory drilling operations as well as the understanding of mineral deposits. This Special Issue aims to publish new interpretation results obtained from geophysical methods, such as gravity, magnetic, seismic, electromagnetic, electrical, and radiometric methods, in geological and mineral potential mapping. Reviews, new methods, and data mining in geophysics are also welcome.

Dr. Luan Thanh Pham
Dr. Saulo Pomponet Oliveira
Dr. Le Van Anh Cuong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

gravity
magnetics
seismic interpretation
electromagnetic interpretation
electrical interpretation
radiometric interpretation
geophysical method
data mining

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 159 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for the Special Issue “Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping”

by Luan Thanh Pham, Saulo Pomponet Oliveira and Cuong Van Anh Le

Minerals 2024, 14(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14010063 - 4 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 765

Abstract

Geological structures often control the distribution of natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

15 pages, 31630 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gravity Data Enhancement Using the Exponential Transform of the Tilt Angle of the Horizontal Gradient

by Luan Thanh Pham, Saulo Pomponet Oliveira, Cuong Van Anh Le, Nhung Thi Bui, An Hoa Vu and Duong Anh Nguyen

Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1539; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121539 - 11 Dec 2023

Viewed by 996

Abstract

Detecting the boundaries of geologic structures is one of the main tasks in interpreting gravity anomalies. Many methods based on the derivatives of gravity anomalies have been introduced to map the source boundaries. The drawbacks of traditional methods are that the estimated boundaries are divergent or false boundaries appear in the output map. Here, we use the exponential transform of the tilt angle of the horizontal gradient to improve the edge detection results. The robustness of the presented method is illustrated using synthetic data and real examples from the Voisey’s Bay Ni-Cu-Co deposit (Canada) and the Tuan Giao (Vietnam). The findings show that the presented technique can produce more precise and clear boundaries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 8949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of the Regional Pai-Khoi-Altai Strike-Slip Zone on the Localization of Hydrocarbon Fields in Pre-Jurassic Units of West Siberia

by Aleksey Egorov, Vladimir Antonchik, Natalia Senchina, Igor Movchan and Maria Oreshkova

Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1511; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121511 - 30 Nov 2023

Viewed by 912

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a geological interpretation using gravity, magnetic, and seismic data to understand the oil and gas potential of pre-Jurassic sedimentary intervals and basement in the central West Siberia basin. The 200 km long Pai-Khoi-Altai strike-slip zone was investigated. Reconstruction based on a data complex indicate the right-lateral kinematics of the principal strike-slip faults and possible fault inversion. The study evaluated the spatial and genetic relationship between the conditions for hydrocarbon trap development and the strike-slip fault systems, such as “flower structures”. Strike-slip geometry and kinematics are confirmed based on 2D and 3D seismic data. Geological and geophysical criteria are used to forecast localization of hydrocarbon fields. Predictive zones are elongated in several different directions and have a different distribution pattern in the blocks separated by principal strike-slip faults, confirming its significance as a controlling factor for the hydrocarbon potential of the region’s structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 8451 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Electrical Prospecting of Gold Mineralization in Exhalites of the Digo-Digo VMS Occurrence, Central Brazil

by Pedro Augusto Costa do Amaral, Welitom Rodrigues Borges, Catarina Labouré Bemfica Toledo, Adalene Moreira Silva, Hygor Viana de Godoy and Marcelo Henrique Leão Santos

Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121483 - 24 Nov 2023

Viewed by 872

Abstract

The greenstone belts of the Crixás-Goiás Domain are economically important due to significant epigenetic gold deposits and the potential for under-researched syngenetic deposits. The gold occurrences associated with the volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in the region are documented only in the volcanoclastic rocks of the Digo-Digo Formation, Serra de Santa Rita greenstone belt. The objective of this work is to discuss the efficiency of the induced polarization methods in the time and frequency domains for differentiating and identifying potentially mineralized zones in the exhalites associated with the VMS-type gold of the Digo-Digo Formation. Data were acquired using a multielectrode resistivity meter with the dipole–dipole array and 10 m spacing between electrodes, as well as different current injection times (250, 1000, and 2000 ms). After the electrical data processing and inversion, the sections were integrated into ternary red-green-blue and cyan-magenta-yellow models to highlight areas of high chargeability, low resistivity, and high metal factor (frequency domain) and, thus, map the higher potential zones to host polarizable metallic minerals. The geological–geophysical model elaborated from the correlation of electrical and surface geological data allowed us to identify four anomalous areas related to potential mineralized zones. The geological data confirm that two targets are associated with the geological contacts between metamafic and intermediate metavolcanic units and the exhalative horizon. One of the targets coincides with a sulfide-rich exhalative horizon (VMS), while the last target occurs in the occurrence area of metaultramafic rocks, where gold mineralization occurrences have not been previously described, being a promising target for future investigations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 16095 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancement of Potential Field Source Boundaries Using the Hyperbolic Domain (Gudermannian Function)

by Ahmad Alvandi, Kejia Su, Hanbing Ai, Vahid E. Ardestani and Chuan Lyu

Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1312; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101312 - 10 Oct 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 728

Abstract

Horizontal boundary identification of causative sources is an essential tool in potential field data interpretation due to the feasibility of automatically retrieving the boundary information of subsurface gravity or geomagnetic structures. Although many approaches have been proposed to address these issues, it is still a hot research topic for many researchers to derive novel methods or enhance existing techniques. We present two high-resolution edge detectors based on the Gudermannian function and the modifications of the second-order derivative of the field. The effectiveness of the newly proposed filters was initially tested on synthetic gravity anomalies and geomagnetic responses with different assumptions (2-D and 3-D; imposed and superimposed; noise-free and noise-contaminated). The obtained results verified that the two novel methods yield the capability of producing high-resolution, balanced amplitudes and accurate results for better imaging causative sources with different geometrical and geophysical properties, compared with the other nine representative edge enhancement techniques. Furthermore, the yielded results from the application of the two strategies to a real-world aeromagnetic data set measured from the Central Puget Lowland (C.P.L) of the United States and a gravity data set surveyed from the Jalal Abad area of Kerman province, Iran, with detailed comparative studies validated that the edges identified via the two methods are in good agreement with the major geological structures within the study areas and the determined lateral information using the tilt-depth, top-depth estimation method. These features make them valuable tools for solving edge detection problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 9769 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping of the Structural Lineaments and Sedimentary Basement Relief Using Gravity Data to Guide Mineral Exploration in the Denizli Basin

by Fatma Figen Altinoğlu

Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1276; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101276 - 29 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1120

Abstract

The Aegean Graben System is a complex tectonic structure in Western Anatolia and the Denizli Graben is a member of this system that hosts many geothermal springs, ore deposits, and travertine areas. In this study, the gravity data were analyzed to determine the subsurface geological structures and the depth model of the basin. The Bouguer gravity anomaly has a NW–SE pattern that is consistent with the general trend of the Denizli Basin. The pre-Neogene basement depths range from 0.1 km to 2.3 km. The Denizli Basin is composed of the Çürüksu Basin and the Laodikia sub-basin. The basins have undulated structures with many depressions; the deepest depression region is in the northern part of the Çürüksu Basin, which is close to the Pamukkale Fault Zone. In addition, the new gravity lineament map was obtained by using new-generation edge detection techniques: the tilt angle of the horizontal gradient amplitude (TAHG), and fast sigmoid-edge detection (FSED) of gravity data. The new proposed lineament map shows that the Denizli Basin has complex structures consisting of NW–SE, E–W, and NE–SE trending lineaments, and the major NW–SE trending faults and NE–SW trending lineaments control the main structural configuration. The uplifts and depressions in the basin deposit and the intersection area of lineaments are promising prospective areas for mineral deposits and have energy resource potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 16463 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mineral Prospectivity Mapping for Orogenic Gold Mineralization in the Rainy River Area, Wabigoon Subprovince

by Pouran Behnia, Jeff Harris, Ross Sherlock, Mostafa Naghizadeh and Rajesh Vayavur

Minerals 2023, 13(10), 1267; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13101267 - 28 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1110

Abstract

Random Forest classification was applied to create mineral prospectivity maps (MPM) for orogenic gold in the Rainy River area of Ontario, Canada. Geological and geophysical data were used to create 36 predictive maps as RF algorithm input. Eighty-three (83) orogenic gold prospects/occurrences were used to train the classifier, and 33 occurrences were used to validate the model. The non-Au (negative) points were randomly selected with or without spatial restriction. The prospectivity mapping results show high performance for the training and test data in area-frequency curves. The F1 accuracy is high and moderate when assessed with the training and test data, respectively. The mean decrease accuracy was applied to calculate the variable importance. Density, proximity to lithological contacts, mafic to intermediate volcanics, analytic signal, and proximity to the Cameron-Pipestone deformation zone exhibit the highest variable importance in both models. The main difference between the models is in the uncertainty maps, in which the high-potential areas show lower uncertainty in the maps created with spatial restriction when selecting the negative points. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 2755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) of High-Quality Magnetic Data of the Obudu Basement Complex, Nigeria

by Stephen E. Ekwok, Ahmed M. Eldosouky, Khalid S. Essa, Anthony M. George, Kamal Abdelrahman, Mohammed S. Fnais, Peter Andráš, Emmanuel I. Akaerue and Anthony E. Akpan

Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091209 - 14 Sep 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 825

Abstract

The particle swamp optimization procedure was applied to high-quality magnetic data acquired from the Precambrian Obudu basement complex in Nigeria with the object of estimating the distinctive body parameters (depth (z), index angle (θ), amplitude coefficient (K), shape factor (Sf), and location of the origin (x₀)) of magnetic models. The magnetic models were obtained from four profiles that ran perpendicular to the observed magnetic anomalies within the study area. Profile A–A’ with a length of 2600 m is characterized by inverted model parameters of K = 315.67 nT, z = 425.34 m, θ = 43°, Sf = 1.15, and x₀ = 1554.86 m, while profile B–B’ with a length of 5600 m is described by K = 257.71 nT, z = 543.75 m, θ = 54°, Sf = 0.96, and x₀ = 3645.42 m model parameters. Similarly, profile C–C’ with a length of 3000 m is defined by K = 189.53 nT, z = 560.87 m, θ = 48, Sf = 1.2, and x₀ = 1950 m. Profile D–D’, which is well-defined by a 2500 m length, started at the crest of the observed magnetic anomaly and displays inverted model parameters of 247.23 nT, 394.16 m, 39°, 1.26, and 165.41 m. Correlatively, the estimated shape factor of the four models (Sf = 1.15, 0.96, 1.2, and 1.26) shows that the magnetic models are linked to thin sheets. Furthermore, quantitative interpretations of the models show that the PSO operation is rapid and proficient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 10973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preferred Orientations of Magnetic Minerals Inferred from Magnetic Fabrics of Hantangang Quaternary Basalts

by Jong Kyu Park, Ji Young Shin, Seungwon Shin and Yong-Hee Park

Minerals 2023, 13(8), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13081011 - 29 Jul 2023

Viewed by 818

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and paleomagnetic data from Quaternary basalt outcrops along the Hantangang River, Korea. A total of 554 samples were collected from 20 sites, representing three distinct units, Unit I, Unit II, and Unit III. Paleomagnetic data reveal a difference in the timing of eruptions between Units I and II, suggesting distinct periods by volcanic episodes. The mineral magnetic analysis identified titanomagnetite as the dominant magnetic carrier in the samples. AMS results indicated weak anisotropy and scattered AMS directions, indicating a low degree of preferred orientation of grains within the basalt rocks. The inverse AMS fabrics observed at specific sites are attributed to single-domain (SD) grains. Comparing the AMS data with the anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM) data, three distinct types of magnetic fabrics (normal, intermediate, and inverse) were discerned. The magnetic fabric was utilized to ascertain the flow direction based on the findings obtained from the AMS results. The findings suggest that the Quaternary basalts in this study’s area were primarily confined to the Hantangang River channel and its immediate vicinity during lava flow. However, distinct flow patterns are observed in the southwestern region, implying the presence of unknown volcanic sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Dimensional Multi-Trace Impedance Inversion in Sparse Space with Elastic Half Norm Constraint

by Nanying Lan, Fanchang Zhang, Kaipan Xiao, Heng Zhang and Yuhan Lin

Minerals 2023, 13(7), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070972 - 22 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 907

Abstract

Recently, multi-trace impedance inversion has attracted great interest in seismic exploration because it improves the horizontal continuity and fidelity of the inversion results by exploiting the lateral structure information of the strata. However, computational inefficiency affects its practical application. Furthermore, in terms of vertical constraints on the model parameters, it only considers smooth features while ignoring sharp discontinuity features. This leads to yielding an over-smooth solution that does not accurately reflect the distribution of underground rock. To deal with the above situations, we first develop a low-dimensional multi-trace impedance inversion (LMII) framework. Inspired by compressed sensing, this framework utilizes low-dimensional measurements in sparse space containing the maximum information of the signal to construct the objective function for multi-trace inversion, which can significantly reduce the size of the inversion problem and improve the inverse efficiency. Then, we introduce the elastic half (EH) norm as a vertical constraint on the model parameters in the LMII framework and formulate a novel constrained LMII model for impedance inversion. Because the introduced EH norm takes into account both the smoothness and blockiness of rock impedance, the constrained LMII model can effectively raise the inversion accuracy of complex strata. Finally, an efficient alternating multiplier iteration algorithm is derived based on the variable splitting technique to optimize the constrained LMII model. The performance of the developed approaches is tested using synthetic and practical data, and the results prove their feasibility and superiority. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

30 pages, 6382 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Tectonic Characteristics and Hydrocarbon Prospects in the Northern Area of the South Yellow Sea Based on Gravity and Magnetic Data

by Wenqiang Xu, Changli Yao, Bingqiang Yuan, Shaole An, Xianzhe Yin and Xiaoyu Yuan

Minerals 2023, 13(7), 893; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070893 - 30 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1286

Abstract

To further explore the geological structure and the Mesozoic–Paleozoic hydrocarbon prospects in the northern area of the South Yellow Sea (SYS), multiple geological and geophysical data were systematically gathered and compiled, including gravity and magnetic data, seismic surveys, drilling data, and previous research results. The characteristics and genesis of the gravity and magnetic anomalies are examined. This study employs residual gravity anomalies and multiple edge detection methods to identify fault lineament structures and assess the tectonic framework. Moreover, the study utilizes 2.5D gravity-seismic joint modellings and regression analysis to estimate the basement depth. Additionally, the study examines the basement characteristics and discusses the thickness of the Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata. Finally, the study further identifies prospects for hydrocarbons in the Mesozoic–Paleozoic. Our findings show that the faults are incredibly abundant and that the intensity of fault activity weakens gradually from NW to SE. Specifically, NE (NEE) trending faults are interlaced and cut off by NW (NWW), near-EW, and near-SN trending secondary faults, which form an en-echelon composite faults system with a dominant NE (NEE) orientation. Thick Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata are preserved, but we observe distinct variations in basement characteristics and the pre-Cenozoic structural deformation along the N-S direction. Therefore, the Northern Basin of SYS (NBSYS) and the Middle Uplift of SYS (MUSYS) are characterized by alternating sags and bulges in the S-N direction and in the E-W direction, respectively, forming a chessboard tectonic framework. Considering the oil and gas accumulation model, we identify three target hydrocarbon prospects in the NBSYS and two favorable hydrocarbon prospects in the MUSYS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Geophysical Data Interpretation in Geological and Mineral Potential Mapping)

► Show Figures