Abstract
Drilling is one of the most important, and can be the most expensive, of all mineral exploration procedures. In almost all cases, it is drilling that locates and defines economic mineralization, and drilling provides the ultimate test for all the ideas, theories and predictions that are generated in the preceding prospect generation and target generation phases of the exploration process.
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Notes
- 1.
The term “ targeted hole” is used here to refer to holes drilled on defined prospects where there is expectation of intersecting economic mineralization, as distinct from holes which are drilled primarily to increase geological or geochemical background knowledge.
- 2.
Although track-mounted RC rigs are available.
- 3.
The heaviest single component is the engine cylinder block. If less than 250 kg it can be carried on slings by four men.
- 4.
Epige netic deposits are those that formed after consolidation of their host rocks. Vein deposits are typical examples. This contrasts with sy ngenetic deposits, which formed at essentially the same time as their hosts. Examples of the latter are heavy mineral placer deposits or the (so called) sedimentary exhalative (S EDEX) deposits.
- 5.
Not all fault hosted ore deposits lie within dilation zones. In some cases their position is controlled by the physical or chemical nature of wall rocks, or by the intersection of two or more structures.
- 6.
For a definition of pitch see Fig. E.4.
- 7.
For the purpose of this discussion, a reve rse fault can be thought of as a steep dipping thrust fault.
- 8.
These are sometimes called tear, transcurrent or transform faults depending on their size and/or tectonic setting – but strike slip is a better term with no genetic implications.
- 9.
If holes are not grouped on sections but drilled with different azimuths and scattered irregularly across a prospect, combining the data points to build up a meaningful whole is much, much more difficult.
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Marjoribanks, R. (2010). Drilling: A General Discussion the Importance of Drilling. In: Geological Methods in Mineral Exploration and Mining. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74375-0_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74375-0_5
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