Print Email Facebook Twitter Integrating earthquake-based passive seismic methods in mineral exploration Title Integrating earthquake-based passive seismic methods in mineral exploration: Case study from the Gerolekas bauxite mining area, Greece Author Polychronopoulou, Katerina (National Technical University of Athens) Malinowski, Michal (Polish Academy of Sciences) Cyz, Marta (Geological Survey of Finland) Martakis, Nikos (Seismotech S.A.) Apostolopoulos, George (National Technical University of Athens) Draganov, D.S. (TU Delft Applied Geophysics and Petrophysics) Date 2023 Abstract As the global need for aluminum constantly rises, bauxite is considered to be a critical mineral, and the mining industry is in search of new and effective exploration solutions. In this context, we design and implement a purely earthquake-based passive seismic survey at the Gerolekas bauxite mining site in Greece. It is a very difficult exploration setting, characterized by rough topography, limited accessibility, and a very complex geotectonic regime. We gather a passive seismic data set consisting of four months of continuous recordings (May to August 2018) from 129 stand-alone 3C seismological stations. We then analyze this data set and extract 848 microearthquakes that will serve as sources for the application of local earthquake tomography (LET) and transient-source seismic interferometry (TSI) by autocorrelation. We apply LET to estimate the 3D P- and S-wave velocity models of the subsurface below the study area and TSI by autocorrelation to retrieve the zero-offset virtual reflection responses below each of the recording stations. The velocity models provide a relatively coarse image of a previously completely unexplored part of the mining concession, whereas the higher-resolution virtual reflection imaging illuminates in detail the different interfaces. We also reprocess three lines of legacy active seismic data that were shot in 2003, using the LET P-wave velocity model for depth migration, and confirm the improvement of seismic imaging. Finally, we evaluate the obtained results using well data and jointly interpret them, extracting useful information on the expected target depths and indicating that earthquake-based passive seismic techniques can be an innovative and environmentally friendly option for mineral exploration. Subject depth migrationearthquakeinterferometrypassive seismictomography To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:23f1b6a7-c545-4a19-a993-1702edd82782 DOI https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2023-0213.1 ISSN 0016-8033 Source Geophysics, 89 (1), WB35-WB56 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2023 Katerina Polychronopoulou, Michal Malinowski, Marta Cyz, Nikos Martakis, George Apostolopoulos, D.S. Draganov Files PDF polychronopoulou_et_al_20 ... y_from.pdf 41.47 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:23f1b6a7-c545-4a19-a993-1702edd82782/datastream/OBJ/view