Mineral exploration
In the mining and geology exploration is called with the search or the development ( close examination ) of deposits and mineral deposits in the earth's crust. The Exploration Geology is a part of the geology within the geosciences.
Historically, one can consider the exploration to be an essential precursor of geological research, as for several thousand years, a variety of mineral resources has been more or less developed and exploited systematically. An example of this are free to days passing coal camps that have been exploited very early in human history.
The main exploration areas of exploration geology are:
- Oil and gas deposits
- Coal deposits
- Ore deposits
- Geothermal
In terms of methodology can also groundwater development be considered as a task of exploration geology, since it is also a natural (albeit mostly renewable ) raw materials.
As part of the exploration of a deposit exploration follows the phase of prospecting. In that initially only a Höffigkeitsgebiet was identified that justify further investigations. Now the actual development with the determination of localized occurrence starts. The geological setting is now known, the risk that the investment made and the amount of work were in vain, is still only about 50%. The while prospecting commenced investigations ( geological mapping, sampling and drilling in mining, chemical and mineralogical- petrographic analyzes ) are systematically continued and expanded. At the end of this phase, the estimation of the dimensions of the deposit should be possible, as well as a first calculation of inventories. On the basis of these data it must be decided whether the further development of the deposit makes sense or not.
Exploration geologist is this a wide range of scientific methods to be applied in almost all the geological sciences
- Geophysical methods (gravimetry, Geoseismik, geomagnetic, geoelectric, borehole geophysics, etc.)
- Tectonic and geological analyzes
- Paleontological analyzes (eg stratification of cores )
- Geochemical analysis for the determination of enrichment values
- Geoinformation ( tectonic analyzes, development of strategies for exploitation and visualization)
The deposit is now proved. The exploration work will be complemented with technical tests ( testing of metallurgical processing, sometimes experimental mining), and find with the feasibility study ( feasibility - study), a provisional conclusion. For the entire exploration of a deposit is expected to periods of five to ten years. If the prepared within the framework of the Mountain economics feasibility study is positive, the actual mining can begin. Parallel to this is the further exploration in the lesser known parts of the deposit.
In addition to the exploitation of mineral deposits exploration geologists are now increasingly used in the processing of environmental damage because the scientific work in the environmental geology is as similar in exploration geology.