Abstract
The integrated interpretation of data from various technologies has the potential to obtain a more accurate estimate of subterranean earth properties. In this paper, we implement the joint interpretation of geological and geophysical data for mineral exploration in the northeastern region of Inner Mongolia, China. The joint application of several methodologies reduces the exploration risk. We first determined an approximate and large potential area for mineral exploration with geological data and magnetic data interpretation in Gaoerqi. Results from the two types of data analysis show that the ore deposit strikes roughly east in the northern part of the Gaoerqi mining area. Next, we employed the audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) method to study the subterranean electrical resistivity distribution and divide the earth into four layers. Inverted resistivity sections from the AMT data illustrate that the ore deposits are likely developed in the low-resistivity zone of the survey area from the land surface to 300-m depth. Finally, the high-resolution borehole-to-surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method was employed for further investigation of the location and attitude of the potential ore deposits. Inverted resistivity sections from the ERT data show that two prospective areas for mineral exploration were observed in the west of the survey area and that the eastern portion of the survey area warrants further investigation.
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Acknowledgements
This work was co-supported by the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 41630320, China Geology Survey under Grant No. 12120113098800 and Grant No. 1212011120204, and National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) under Grant No. 2014AA06A610 and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project. GZ is grateful for research support from the School of Geophysics and Information Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), and Geological Survey Institute of Inner Mongolia. Moreover, GZ thanks to all the members of the research group for their hard work of collecting the magnetic, AMT and ERT data. We especially wish to mention the assistance of Dr. Ling-Jun Guo provided the geological data. The hard work of all members of the research group and the research support of the university and institutes have contributed to the achievement of this paper. The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editors for giving the constructive suggestions. GZ would also like to thank the Elsevier language editing service for polishing the paper.
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Zhang, G., Lü, QT., Zhang, GB. et al. Joint Interpretation of Geological, Magnetic, AMT, and ERT Data for Mineral Exploration in the Northeast of Inner Mongolia, China. Pure Appl. Geophys. 175, 989–1002 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1733-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-017-1733-5