Capstone Mining Corporation reports about the successful assay results from 58 drillholes completed in 2009 at its high grade Minto copper-gold mine in the Yukon. These holes were drilled with a variety of objectives, ranging from infill drilling within existing resources to regional exploration.

Eleven other reported holes were drilled on a variety of chargeability anomalies from Pole-Dipole Induced Potential and Titan-24 Direct Current Induced Potential surveys. Most of these holes intersected anomalous copper mineralization and locally higher grade mineralization over narrow intervals, but did not adequately explain the anomalies, some of which are comparable in size and tenor to those over the Minto North and Minto East discoveries. Follow-up down-hole geophysics suggests these chargeability targets may be offset from the limited coverage of the surface IP surveys. This issue will be addressed by a more extensive Titan 24 DCIP survey in 2010, in order to support more refined targeting for further exploration drilling in mid-2010.

Anatoly Legchenko (LTHE, IRD, France) and Ugur Yaramanci (LIAG, Germany) report on the 4th International Workshop on the magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) method applied to non-invasive groundwater investigations, held in October at the University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France.

Magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) is a recently developed method for hydrogeophysical exploration. The very first soundings were carried out between 1979 and 1981. Since 1996, when a new generation of MRS equipment became commercially available, the number of MRS users has been increasing. Arrival of this geophysical method initiated intensive scientific discussions and exchange of experience. Apart from traditional geophysical meetings, these exchanges were channelled through specialized workshops: Berlin, 1999; Orléans, 2003; and Madrid, 2006.

While the efficiency of the MRS applied to groundwater-related studies is already proven, many technical details are still under development. A new generation of hardware and continuing progress with software are expected to improve accuracy and robustness of the technique. Thus, MRS workshops continue contributing to development of the method and establishing new scientific collaborations.

The 4th International Workshop was organized by the Laboratoire d’étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement (LTHE), Grenoble, France in co-operation with the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Hannover, Germany. The organizer got scientific support from different research organizations and national geological surveys; Near Surface Geoscience Division (NSGD) of European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers (EAGE); Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), France; Berlin University of Technology (TUB), Germany; Université Joseph Fourier (UJF), France; Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Germany; Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France; and Instituto Geologico y Minero de España (IGME), Spain.

Organization of this event was made possible thanks to financial support of BRGM, IRIS-Instruments, and LTHE, and the administraton of Grenoble city. The MRS2009 workshop was attended by 81 participants from 19 countries. In total, there were 46 contributions to the workshop given by scientists from different countries.

Communications and discussions during MRS2009 Workshop took place in a friendly and constructive atmosphere and covered a large spectrum of subjects related to instrumentation, data processing, modelling, inversion, and field results. The technical programme consisted of different topics addressing all aspects of MRS.

It has already become a tradition to publish the most significant contributions on MRS in special issues of European geophysical journals. For MRS2009 it was decided that a special issue of Near Surface Geophysics will be prepared. This will also be open to authors who did not attend the workshop but want to submit original article related to MRS method. The deadline for submission is set to 31 December, 2009.

Looking ahead, the 5th International Workshop on MRS will be organized in Hannover in fall 2012.

Some details from IRIS Instruments: http://www.iris-instruments.com/Pdf%20file/7-Magnetic_Resonance/presentation_%26_papers.pdf

Hannans Reward Ltd., an explorer focused on prospecting for gold and base metals within Western Australia has conducted airborne VTEM and ZTEM (Geotech Ltd.) and detailed ground FLTEM.
Heli-borne geophysics (VTEM) has identified multiple, well defined and well located EM anomalies within the Forrestania Project.
Majority of the EM anomalies are located within the newly acquired Stormbreaker ground position. Hannans’ Managing Director Damian Hicks said, “The recently completed heli-borne survey (VTEM) within the Stormbreaker Prospect has been extremely successful, generating anomalies covering an aggregate strike length of 14km. Hannans can now focus its future ground based exploration activities on these discrete anomalies.” Importantly the majority of the EM anomalies are located within the newly acquired ground position, which has not previously been exposed to any modern nickel exploration. The previous owners were solely focused on gold exploration.
We also have a newly developed airborne geophysical technique (ZTEM) being trialled over the Stormbreaker Prospect to determine if any additional deeper EM anomalies can be identified. Once the current helicopter surveys are finished we’ll immediately start ground based geophysical surveys (FLTEM) to further refine the EM anomalies. This will also assist with 3D modelling of the anomalies in preparation for drill testing. With such a large number of EM anomalies, it is anticipated that this ground surveying will continue through December and into January 2010.”
The detailed FLTEM surveying will refine the 13 recently identified priority VTEM targets and is anticipated to be completed during January 2010. Upon receipt of the final FLTEM data, geophysical modelling and subsequent drill hole positioning can commence.

Corex Gold Corp. has commenced a 3D IP Survey on its Santana gold project in Sonora State, Mexico. The program will consist of 42 line-kilometres grid, which will cover the central project area known as El Nicho and the most prospective targets of the Santana Project, including the Cerro La Cobriza area located 2 km to the North East of El Nicho North.

SJ Geophysics Ltd. an industry leader in geophysical modeling and computer analysis will conduct a 3D IP survey on the Santana Project to test the continuity of the mineralized trends already identified by the mapping, geochemical survey and 5000 m of RC drilling. The IP survey will be acquired with the 3D IP technique which will consist of a modified pole-dipole survey with 50 m spaced dipoles. An estimated 25 to 30 lines will be spaced 100 m apart and will be approximately 1500 m in length.

The primary target will be oxide mineralization between the surface and 150 m of depth, on wider zones of silicified and brecciated to breccia bodies in contact with high level intrusive plugs Corex may elect to add to the lines if a good indication of mineralization at greater depth is recognized.

The purpose of the 3D IP Survey is to identify signatures at depth which will further delineate drill targets and compliment the geochemical targets previously outlined. This work will be followed by a 30,000 m drill program that will commence in 2010. The drill program will include Diamond drilling as well as an RC program of the known mineralized areas as well as newly identified gold zones.

Saskatoon – Titan Uranium Inc announces that it has commenced geophysical programs on several Athabasca Basin properties in Saskatchewan. A D.C. Resistivity and Max Min Horizontal Loop ElectroMagnetic (HLEM) geophysics program on Titan’s wholly owned Bishop I and Meanwell properties is now underway with results expected in January 2010.  In addition, geophysical work will be carried out over Titan’s R-Seven Project beginning in early January 2010 consisting of TDEM (Time Domain ElectroMagnetic) Moving Loop surveys with results expected by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

D.C. Resistivity is the geophysical technique of choice in the Athabasca Basin due to its ability to image hydrothermal alteration systems often associated with fault zones and unconformity-type uranium deposits.  The alteration zones show up as resistivity “chimneys” due to the significant contrast in resistivity between the structural zones and their surrounding rocks. The program will consist of ten lines totaling 20 line km, with line spacing of 150 m.
Max Min HLEM and TDEM Moving loop surveys are electromagnetic (EM) techniques used to detect and delineate conductors and conductive formations in the Precambrian basement rocks at or under sandstone cover.  Both EM surveys have been designed to optimize resolution within that interval. The surveys will consist of eleven lines of HLEM (24.2 km) and two lines of TDEM Moving Loop (17 km).

Most of the Athabasca Group sandstone rocks exhibited moderate to strong bleaching and clay alteration was well developed.  Strong alteration was found in basement rocks below the unconformity, mainly along fractures. Weak Uranium anomalies were observed in both the sandstone and basement rocks.

2010 diamond exploration programme with a budget of $13.5 million has been approved by Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. for the 9,800 square kilometre Chidliak project on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.

A helicopter-borne airborne geophysical survey will commence in March 2010. The survey will be designed to cover kimberlite indicator mineral anomalies not covered by the 2008 survey. The exact size and boundaries of the survey will be determined after all results from the 1,273 kimberlite indicator mineral samples collected in 2009 are received in February, 2010. Approximately 50 kimberlite-type anomalies will be evaluated by ground geophysical surveys during the spring and summer phases of the programme.

Discoveries of high concentrations of kimberlitic indicator minerals (“KIMs”) on the 980,000 hectare Chidliak property in 2006 and 2007 encouraged Peregrine to look for new kimberlite deposits in the area due to the excellent potential for further diamond discovery. The property is located 150 km northeast of Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut. Based on the favorable indicator mineral results, a heliborne magnetic/electromagnetic survey commenced in July, 2008, the survey, flown at 100 metre line spacing, was completed in August. In July, August and September 2008 Peregrine discovered the CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3 kimberlites, estimated at six, three and two hectares respectively. The CH-1 kimberlite was discovered when a kimberlite outcrop within a circular magnetic anomaly selected from an airborne geophysical survey was identified. A second kimberlite outcrop measuring approximately 20 metres by 25 metres was discovered in August, 2008, near the edge of an estimated three-hectare geophysical anomaly located 1.5 km from CH-1; this kimberlite was named CH-2.

Inventors: Morrison, Edward B.,  Lo, Bob Bak. AIRBORNE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY USING AIRSHIP.

A method and system for geophysical surveying. A non-rigid airship having a self-supporting gas envelope and propulsion units coupled to the gas envelope, the propulsion units being configured to control the steering and altitude of the airship without the aid of a rudder or elevators, is provided with geophysical survey equipment, and geophysical data is collected while flying the airship. Also a method for geophysical surveying that includes providing a first airship with a first set of geophysical survey equipment, providing a second airship with a second set of geophysical survey equipment that is complimentary to the first set, and conducting an airborne geophysical survey by flying the first airship and the second airship along a designated flight path within a predetermined range of each other.

Inventors: Kuzmin Petr; Morrison, Edward Beverly. DOUBLE-SUSPENSION RECEIVER COIL SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

The present invention is a double-suspension receiver coil apparatus and system for conducting electromagnetic surveys including, both ground-based and airborne measurements. The present invention includes at least one receiver coil suspended by way of first suspension members within an inner frame and said inner frame being suspended by second suspension members within an inner ring which is further enclosed within an outer frame. The double-suspension receiver coil apparatus functions so as to maintain the receiver coil position while minimizing vibrations in order to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio and enable accurate measurements. The receiver coil may be in an airborne system in a near-horizontal position or in a ground system in a vertical position.

Inventors Morrison, Edward B., Lo, Bob Bak. Detection of Porphyry Copper Deposit Using Natural Electromagnetic Fields.

A method for identifying a possible porphyry copper deposit which includes flying an airborne sensor over a survey area measuring natural electromagnetic fields in the survey area, and then determining, in dependence on the measured natural electromagnetic fields, if one or more sub-areas in the survey area have a resistivity pattern that corresponds to a predetermined resistivity signature for a porphyry copper deposit. The predetermined resistivity signature includes a higher resistivity inner region at least partially surrounded by a lower resistivity outer region.

Inventors: Kuzmin, Petr; Morrison, Edward Beverly. LARGE AIRBORNE TIME-DOMAIN ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSMITTER COIL SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

An airborne time domain electromagnetic survey system is provided. The system and apparatus of the present invention are able to address the interest in exploring base metals and uranium deposits at depths approaching 1 kilometer. It encompasses a transmitter coil having a large magnetic dipole moment, flight stability, which is light weight, compatible with small helicopters, and can be transported, setup and repaired in the field. It is of a semi-rigid modular structure that can decrease the incidence of damage or breakage during take-off or landing in rough terrain.

Source: www.patentstorm.us

Aarhus Geophysics ApS at Department of Earth Sciences of University of Aarhus (Denmark) which provides software and know-how for large scale surveys, presents some news about their activity.

At software level, the Aarhus Workbench has undergone a robust developing phase on the GIS components, and on the QC of inversion results: completely revolutionized the colour scale interface, created a shading option for horizontal maps, and the possibility to create comprehensive print ready pdf maps is activated. Regarding the second issue, the user can now visualize, with just few clicks, different maps on the GIS component of the parameters that allow to QC inversion results. These include, for example, data residual, difference between frame altitude input and output, model parameter sensitivity analysis, etc.

In terms of AEM data processing, inversion and survey planning it is also continuing with a number of new projects both for private and public clients worldwide. As an example,  the first ever AEM survey dataset from the Venice lagoon, in Italy has processed. The results of this project are very promising in terms of applicability of AEM data to hydrogeological modeling within and underneath wetlands, lagoons, and surface waters in general. The description of the project: “Surface water–groundwater exchange in transitional coastal environments by airborne electromagnetics : The Venice Lagoon example” (pdf). The low 12.5 Hz base frequency was used on the project.

Apollo Minerals Limited announces the initial results from its recently completed maiden drilling campaign at its Mt Oscar tenement in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Significant magnetite mineralisation intersected in all 5 RC holes drilled. The initial drill programme was designed to target the highest magnetic amplitudes as modelled by independent geophysical consultants of high resolution airborne magnetic data flown over the Mt Oscar project area. The drilling comprised five reverse circulation (RC) holes drilled on four, approximately 200 metre-spaced sections, for a combined length of 1,440 metres. Further detailed geological mapping and geophysical modelling is being planned in order to better understand the geometry and continuity of the mineralisation.

Apollo has completed a low level  airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the tenements, carried out preliminary mapping work and undertaken an analysis of rock chip samples collected from Apollo’s portion of the project area. Apollo is very encouraged by the results of the airborne survey, the preliminary mapping and the analysis of the rock chips which returned grades of up to 51.9% Fe. A low level survey was carried out at 50 metre line spacing over the Mt Oscar area and 100 metre line spacing over other parts of Apollo’s tenements.  The survey confirmed the presence of a substantial portion of the highly magnetic Mount Oscar Project area within EL 47/1379.  The magnetic high indicates a significant banded iron formation (BIF). The survey also outlined two additional magnetic anomalies within EL 47/1378,  which is largely soil-covered.  These newly discovered magnetic highs could represent either iron-rich bodies similar to Mount Oscar, or discrete ultramafic sills, similar to the nearby Radio Hill and Sherlock Bay, both of which conIn April 2009, independent consultants Southern Geoscience completed a geophysical interpretation of the Global Mount Oscar Project Area (the Apollo and Fox Resources tenements combined). Twenty six forward magnetic models and one 3D inversion model were generated from airborne magnetic data to obtain estimates for the volume/tonnage of the highly magnetic banded iron formation (“BIF”) in the Global Mount Oscar Project Area.

It was determined from this that the Global Mount Oscar Project Area down to the first 250 metres of vertical depth from surface is estimated to contain 800 million tonnes of iron ore. This estimate is considered possibly accurate to +/- 25%, however it should be considered accurate to +/- 50% for planning purposes, and to be broadly indicative at best.  Previously announced drill results from Fox Resources were utilised to confirm the accuracy of the model.

Southern Geoscience believe that, overall, the comprehensive modelling has provided a reasonably good indication of the total volume for the significant BIF sequence at Mt Oscartain significant nickel sulphide deposits.