Abstract
Ore mining fundamentally depends on the definition of its tenor and volume, something extremely complex in disseminated mineralization, as in the case of certain types of deposits of gold and sulfites. This article proposes the use of electrical tomography for definition of a geophysical signature in terms of electrical resistivity and chargeability, in an outcrop of mineralized quartz lode at the end of an inactive gold mine. One of the targets was to analyze the continuity of the mineralized body, the occurrence of new outcrops and the applicability of the method as an auxiliary tool in mineral extraction. Three parallel lines of electrical tomography in a dipole-dipole arrangement, being orthogonal to the orientation of the gold lode, were installed in an area outside the mine. The results allowed the geophysical characterization of the mineralized zone by high resistivity (above 1000Ω.m) and high chargeability (above 30mV/V). The results of the 2D inversion models were interpolated in 3D visualization models, which allowed definition of the contour surfaces for the physical parameters measured, and the morphological pattern modeling of the mineralization. The data reveal the existence of a new lode in subsurface, localized 30m to the south of the lode outcrop. The versatility of the acquisition and data processing indicate the application potential of electrical tomography as a criterion for sampling and tenor definition in ore extraction activities, since it is objective and low cost.
Keywords:
ore extraction; sulfides; electrical resistivity tomography; 3D modeling
