Critical minerals demand has doubled in the past five years and continues to rise, elevating the importance of effective mineral exploration. Magnetic data is an indispensable tool in achieving this goal. This powerful geophysical method provides crucial insights into the subsurface, helping explorers to identify and map mineral deposits with greater accuracy and efficiency. Here’s why magnetic data is so important:
- Cost-Effective Mapping of Large Areas: Magnetic surveys can cover vast regions quickly and at a relatively low cost. This allows exploration companies to efficiently screen large areas for potential mineral deposits, focusing their efforts and resources on the most promising targets.
- No Need for Historical Data: The geological features causing magnetic anomalies may have formed millions or even billions of years ago, but their magnetic properties are accurately recorded by recent data sets. The magnetic signature of rocks remains stable over time unless altered by geological processes such as metamorphism, weathering or tectonic activity. This means that the magnetic anomalies detected today can provide information about ancient geological processes and structures.
- Identification of Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks: Mafic and ultramafic rocks, that are often associated with valuable mineral deposits such as nickel, cobalt and platinum, produce distinctive magnetic anomalies due to their high iron content. By analysing these anomalies, geoscientists can pinpoint areas that are likely to host these critical minerals.
- Detection of Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) Deposits: Magnetic data, combined with gravity data, is particularly useful in identifying IOCG deposits. These deposits are characterised by the presence of magnetite and hematite, which create strong magnetic and gravity anomalies. Mapping these anomalies helps to locate and model the geometry of IOCG ore bodies.
- Mapping of Radiogenic Granites for Lithium Exploration: Radiogenic granites, which are important sources of hard rock lithium, can be effectively mapped using magnetic data. These granites typically have lower magnetic susceptibility compared to surrounding rocks, creating identifiable contrasts in magnetic surveys.
- Locating Titanium Sands and Carbonatites: Magnetic surveys can identify titanium sands, which contain minerals like monzanite that produce significant magnetic anomalies. Similarly, carbonatites, which can host rare earth elements, produce distinctive magnetic signatures that aid in their detection and mapping.
- Structural Interpretation and Tectonic Reconstructions: Magnetic data is invaluable for understanding the structural framework of an area. By mapping faults, folds and other geological structures, geoscientists can reconstruct the tectonic history of a region, which is crucial for predicting the locations of mineral deposits.
- Enhanced Targeting with Advanced Data Processing: Modern techniques such as 3D inversion of magnetic data allow for the detailed modelling of subsurface structures and mineral deposits. This enhances the accuracy of exploration efforts, reducing the risk of drilling non-productive wells and increasing the likelihood of successful mineral discovery.
At Getech, we have reprocessed, micro-levelled and careful merged magnetic data to address the key problems in data of varying vintages and specifications. The result is a unique database to aid exploration programmes.
Learn more here: https://getech.com/getech-explore/products/content/magnetic-data/
