Airborne Applications for Coal Exploration

Coal Prospection

Coal prospection is on the rise globally – driven by the need to find proven reserves that can compliment existing reserves of oil and gas. Coal is also an important resource for developing countries as they seek to secure resources to drive their economies to further heights.

Geophysics in coal exploration is also on the rise, as companies realize the many benefits of using methods, such as airborne magnetics, to address a variety of challenges in exploration.

Airborne Magnetics at a Glance

Airborne magnetics involves attaching magnetic sensors to helicopters, fixed wing or UAV craft, and measuring the resulting magnetic felds. Either single or multiple sensors may be used – giving the option of mapping what are known as, “gradients” – changes in magnetic fields that may be diagnostic of the subsurface.

These methods have been used for a number of years but GEM is now the first to offer an ultra-high sensitivity magnetometer capable of resolving subtle characteristics of coal deposits.

Targeting Coal Deposits

From a physical perspective, coal deposits have a number of properties that are useful in exploration. Firstly, coal deposits are less magnetic than igneous or metamorphic rocks – giving a way to identify them from airborne data. And, in addition, coal deposits are typically located in basins which can be defined with geophysics.

In looking at airborne applications for coal exploration, there are a number of benefits that only an airborne magnetics survey can deliver:

Detailed mapping of often unknown igneous instrusives including dykes, flows and sills Location of basement faulting and fracture systems
Lithological and structural enhancement of existing geological mapping
Mapping paleochannel and other hydrological features
Mapping basin and sub-basin architecture
Knowledge of basin structural & tectonic history

Ultimately, high resolution airborne geophysics assists with preliminary resource quantity and quality estimations, helps in efficient mine development and organization, and provides knowledge for managing hydrogeological challenges on the property.

GEM delivers state-of-the-art magnetometers and gradiometers for highest sensitivity surveying. With GEM, you have at least an order-of-magnitude increase in resolution over other systems – enhancing your opportunity to delineate basement and achieve other objectives.

The Potassium magnetometer sensor is the world’s highest sensitivity airborne magnetometer – making it an ideal choice for your next survey installation or system configuration. With GEM, you now have the power to address coal challenges cost effectively and accurately.