This was a project onshore Northern Ireland for a Platinum Group Elements (PGE) company to help them better delineate the mineral zones and structures on some of their exploration blocks.
Exploration/Project challenges
The challenge for this project was two-fold:
- Can ADR penetrate through hard igneous rocks, such as basalt and dolerite?
- Can ADR find faults in the subsurface (which would help mineral geologists potentially find sources of mineralisation)?
The survey area was in County Antrim just south of the famous Giant's Causeway, where the geology is characterized by:
- Thick Palaeogene basalt lava flows
- Water-bearing interbasaltic horizons
- Glacial till and peat at the surface
- Groundwater controlled by fractures rather than porous rock
