A team of Russian scientists, led by Alrosa’s head of the company’s geophysical exploration program, will test new technology based on seismic waves to help detect kimberlite fields.
Quoted in Rough & Polished, Alrosa’s senior geophysicist Evgeniy Goncharov explained how the new tech works: “Seismic waves when passing through different kinds of rock change their property, which will help us determine kimberlite pipes. To create a 3D map of the underground area it is important to do the measurements at different depths, thus the detectors will move down the holes in 2-4 meter steps”.
The new tech demands the drilling of two holes, each 130 meters deep, spaced at 250 meters from each other. Then, an emitter is put in one hole, producing seismic waves; a detector that registers the activity of the waves is put in the other hole. The waves, which move with varying speeds through different types of rock, can cover a distance up to 250 meters. The data received can then be used to determine which kind of rock is more likely a kimberlite. According to the report, the new tech will be tested in March 2019.
