Abstract
The detection and evaluation of concealed mineral resources deep in metallic mines and in the surrounding areas remain technically difficult. In particular, due to the complex topographic and geomorphic conditions on the surface, the detection environments in these areas limit the choices of detection equipment and data collection devices. In this study, based on metallogenic theory and the metallogenic geological characteristics of banded iron formation (BIF)-type iron ores, equipment for surface geophysical surveys (i.e., the high-precision ground magnetic survey method, the transient electromagnetic method, and the magnetotelluric method) and data collection devices capable of taking single-point continuous measurements were employed to detect the concealed iron ore bodies in the transition zone CID-1 between the Hejia and Dumu iron deposits in the Gongchangling iron ore concentration area in the Anshan-Benxi area (Liaoyang, China), a representative area of BIF-type iron ores. The results showed that an optimal combination of these geophysical survey methods accurately determined the anomalous planar spatial locations and anomalous profile morphologies of the concealed iron ore bodies. On this basis, we determined their locations, burial depths, and scales. Two anomalous zones induced by concealed iron ore bodies, YC-1 and YC-2, were discovered in zone CID-1. Two concealed iron-bearing zones, one shallow (0–150 m) and one deep (300–450 m), were found in YC-1. A 100 m scale drilling test showed that the cumulative thickness of the shallow iron-bearing zone was over 23.6 m.
Highlights
Over 5000 years ago, human societies gradually transitioned from the Stone Age to the MetalAge and began to develop and utilize metallic mineral resources.the inhabitants of the Aegean region and China discovered and started to use copper and bronze in 3200 BC [1,2]
Portable Transient electromagnetic electromagnetic method method (TEM) and MT data collection devices were used to survey the anomalous zones detected using the HPGMS method at fixed points and depths to determine the burial depths and sizes of the geophysical anomalies caused by the presence of the concealed iron bodies
Engineering drilling verification was performed based on the determined spatial planar and burial-depth profile anomalies caused by the concealed iron bodies to obtain accurate location and scale information about the concealed iron bodies
Summary
Over 5000 years ago, human societies gradually transitioned from the Stone Age to the MetalAge and began to develop and utilize metallic mineral resources (e.g., gold, copper, and iron).the inhabitants of the Aegean region and China discovered and started to use copper and bronze in 3200 BC [1,2]. Over 5000 years ago, human societies gradually transitioned from the Stone Age to the Metal. Age and began to develop and utilize metallic mineral resources (e.g., gold, copper, and iron). The inhabitants of the Aegean region and China discovered and started to use copper and bronze in 3200 BC [1,2]. Large-scale development and the use of various metallic mineral resources ensued. Outcropping ores were primarily developed and mined, and they remained dominant metallic mineral sources [3]. With continuous economic and social development, since the beginning of the third industrial revolution, there has been an increasing demand. Minerals 2020, 10, 1044 for metallic mineral resources. This situation is met with the dilemma that all the outcropping ores
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