Submit to Minerals Review for Minerals Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Related Special Issues
Published Papers

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 January 2020) | Viewed by 80971

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration book cover image

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paul Alexandre

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Geology, Brandon University, John R. Brodie Science Centre, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, Canada
Interests: geochemical exploration; metallogeny; geostatistics; mineralogy; geochronology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the mineral exploration industry faces new challenges (deeper deposits with lower grades in more remote regions), exploration geoscientists strive to develop novel exploration methods, techniques, and applications. These efforts affect the main fields of geophysics (e.g., ZTEM) and geochemistry (e.g., isotopes), but we also see the emergence of novel exploration methods or revival and redevelopment of established methods.

Submissions are invited for a Special Issue of Minerals reflecting on these recent developments. Of particular interest are manuscripts describing a novel exploration method or technique, or the novel application or a standards method, or case studies and success stories. A broad range of deposit types, commodities, and geographic regions will be considered. The intent is to achieve a comprehensive and timely anthology of the most advanced and recent developments in mineral exploration.

Dr. Paul Alexandre
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mineral exploration
economic geology
exploration methodology
geochemical exploration
geophysical exploration
novel exploration techniques
modern exploration techniques

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issues

Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration, Volume III in Minerals
Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration, Volume II in Minerals (13 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 149 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for Special Issue “Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration”

by Paul Alexandre

Minerals 2020, 10(3), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10030246 - 25 Mar 2020

Viewed by 2845

Abstract

The mineral exploration industry is [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

21 pages, 5612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D Mineral Prospectivity Modeling for the Low-Sulfidation Epithermal Gold Deposit: A Case Study of the Axi Gold Deposit, Western Tianshan, NW China

by Xiancheng Mao, Wei Zhang, Zhankun Liu, Jia Ren, Richard C. Bayless and Hao Deng

Minerals 2020, 10(3), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10030233 - 4 Mar 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5549

Abstract

The Axi low-sulfidation (LS) epithermal deposit in northwestern China is the result of geological controls on hydrothermal fluid flow through strike-slip faults. Such controls occur commonly in LS epithermal deposits worldwide, but unfortunately, these have not been quantitatively analyzed to determine their spatial relationships with gold distribution and further guide mineral prospecting. In this study, we conduct a 3D mineral prospectivity modeling approach for the Axi deposit involving 3D geological modeling, 3D spatial analysis, and prospectivity modeling. The spatial analysis of geometric features revealed the gold mineralization trends in convex segments (0–20 m) with a specific distance from fault 2, the lower interface of late volcanic phase, and the upper interface of phyllic alteration with steep slopes (>65°), implying that gold deposition was significantly controlled by the morphological characteristics and distance fields of geologic features. The present alteration–mineralization zone at Axi has a larger width in bending sites (sections No. 35–15 and No. 40–56) than elsewhere, indicating the location of two fluid conduits extending to depth. The prediction-area plots and receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated that (genetic algorithm optimized support vector regression (GA-SVR)) outperformed multiple nonlinear regression and fuzzy weights-of-evidence, which was proposed as a robust method to solve complicated nonlinear and high-dimensional issues in prospectivity modeling. Our study manifests spatial controls of structure, host rock, and alteration on LS epithermal gold deposition, and highlights the capability of GA-SVR for identifying deposit-scale potential epithermal gold mineralization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 6166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Mineral Exploration of the Jinchuan Cu–Ni Sulfide Deposit Based on Aeromagnetic, Gravity, and CSAMT Methods

by Jianmin Zhang, Zhaofa Zeng, Xueyu Zhao, Jing Li, Yue Zhou and Mingxu Gong

Minerals 2020, 10(2), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10020168 - 13 Feb 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7333

Abstract

The exploration of deep mineral resources is an important prerequisite for meeting the continuous demand of resources. The geophysical method is one of the most effective means of exploring the deep mineral resources with a large depth and a high resolution. Based on the study of the geological background, petrophysical properties, and aeromagnetic anomaly characteristics of the Jinchuan Cu–Ni sulfide deposit, which is famous throughout the world, this paper uses the widely used gravity, aeromagnetic, and CSAMT (controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics) methods with a complementary resolution to reveal the favorable prospecting position. In order to obtain better inversion results, the SL0 norm tight support focusing regularization inversion method is introduced to process the section gravity and aeromagnetic data of the mining area. By combining the results with CSAMT, it is found that the medium-low resistivity, high density, and the high magnetic anomaly areas near the structural belt can nicely correspond with the known ore-bearing rock masses in the mining area. At the same time, according to the geophysical exploration model and geological and physical property data, four favorable ore-forming prospect areas are delineated in the deep part of the known mining area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 4925 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Exploration Study of the Kagenfels and Natzwiller Granites, Northern Vosges Mountains, France: A Combined Approach of Stream Sediment Geochemistry and Automated Mineralogy

by Benedikt M. Steiner, Gavyn K. Rollinson and John M. Condron

Minerals 2019, 9(12), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120750 - 3 Dec 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4344

Abstract

Following a regional reconnaissance stream sediment survey that was carried out in the northern Vosges Mountains in 1983, a total of 20 stream sediment samples were collected with the aim of assessing the regional prospectivity for the granite-hosted base and rare metal mineralisation of the northern Vosges magmatic suite near Schirmeck. A particular focus of the investigation was the suspected presence of W, Nb and Ta geochemical occurrences in S-type (Kagenfels) and I-S-type (Natzwiller) granites outlined in public domain data. Multi-element geochemical assays revealed the presence of fault-controlled Sn, W, Nb mineralisation assemblages along the margins of the Natzwiller and Kagenfels granites. Characteristic geochemical fractionation and principal component analysis (PCA) trends along with mineralogical evidence in the form of cassiterite, wolframite, ilmenorutile and columbite phases and muscovite–chlorite–tourmaline hydrothermal alteration association assemblages in stream sediments demonstrate that, in the northern Vosges, S-type and fractionated hybrid I-S-type granites are enriched in incompatible, late-stage magmatic elements. This is attributed to magmatic fractionation and hydrothermal alteration trends and the presence of fluxing elements in late-stage granitic melts. This study shows that the fractionated granite suites in the northern Vosges Mountains contain rare metal mineralisation indicators and therefore represent possible targets for follow-up mineral exploration. The application of automated mineralogy (QEMSCAN^®) in regional stream sediment sampling added significant value by linking geochemistry and mineralogy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

12 pages, 15099 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of the CSAMT Method to Pb–Zn Mineral Deposits: A Case Study in Jianshui, China

by Zhenwei Guo, Longyun Hu, Chunming Liu, Chuanghua Cao, Jianxin Liu and Rong Liu

Minerals 2019, 9(12), 726; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120726 - 25 Nov 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5583

Abstract

The electromagnetic (EM) method is commonly used in mineral exploration due to the method’s sensitivity to conductive targets. Controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) is developed from magnetotelluric (MT) method with an artificial EM source to improve the signal amplitude. It has been used for mineral exploration for many years. In this study, we performed a case study of the CSAMT application for the Eagles-Nest lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) ore deposits in Jianshui, China. The Eagles-Nest deposit is located in southwest in China in forest-covered complex terrain, making it difficult to acquire the geophysical data. Based on the previous dual-frequency induced polarization (IP) results, we designed four profiles for the CSAMT data acquisition. After data processing and inversion, we mapped the subsurface resistivity distribution. From the CSAMT results, we inferred the location of the ore body, which was verified by the drilling wells. The Pb–Zn ore body was found at a depth between 373.70 m to 407.35 m in the well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

45 pages, 48878 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy—An Emerging Analytical Tool for Mineral Exploration

by Russell S. Harmon, Christopher J.M. Lawley, Jordan Watts, Cassady L. Harraden, Andrew M. Somers and Richard R. Hark

Minerals 2019, 9(12), 718; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120718 - 20 Nov 2019

Cited by 85 | Viewed by 14362

Abstract

The mineral exploration industry requires new methods and tools to address the challenges of declining mineral reserves and increasing discovery costs. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) represents an emerging geochemical tool for mineral exploration that can provide rapid, in situ, compositional analysis and high-resolution imaging in both laboratory and field and settings. We demonstrate through a review of previously published research and our new results how LIBS can be applied to qualitative element detection for geochemical fingerprinting, sample classification, and discrimination, as well as quantitative geochemical analysis, rock characterization by grain size analysis, and in situ geochemical imaging. LIBS can detect elements with low atomic number (i.e., light elements), some of which are important pathfinder elements for mineral exploration and/or are classified as critical commodities for emerging green technologies. LIBS data can be acquired in situ, facilitating the interpretation of geochemical data in a mineralogical context, which is important for unraveling the complex geological history of most ore systems. LIBS technology is available as a handheld analyzer, thus providing a field capability to acquire low-cost geochemical analyses in real time. As a consequence, LIBS has wide potential to be utilized in mineral exploration, prospect evaluation, and deposit exploitation quality control. LIBS is ideally suited for field exploration programs that would benefit from rapid chemical analysis under ambient environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

27 pages, 14975 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stochastic Modeling of Chemical Compounds in a Limestone Deposit by Unlocking the Complexity in Bivariate Relationships

by Nurassyl Battalgazy and Nasser Madani

Minerals 2019, 9(11), 683; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9110683 - 4 Nov 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3155

Abstract

Modeling multivariate variables with complexity in a cross-correlation structure is always applicable to mineral resource evaluation and exploration in multi-element deposits. However, the geostatistical algorithm for such modeling is usually challenging. In this respect, projection pursuit multivariate transform (PPMT), which can successfully handle the complexity of interest in bivariate relationships, may be particularly useful. This work presents an algorithm for combining projection pursuit multivariate transform (PPMT) with a conventional (co)-simulation technique where spatial dependency among variables can be defined by a linear model of co-regionalization (LMC). This algorithm is examined by one real case study in a limestone deposit in the south of Kazakhstan, in which four chemical compounds (CaO, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, and SiO₂) with complexity in bivariate relationships are analyzed and 100 realizations are produced for each variable. To show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, the outputs (realizations) are statistically examined and the results show that this methodology is legitimate for reproduction of original mean, variance, and complex cross-correlation among the variables and can be employed for further processes. Then, the applicability of the concept is demonstrated on a workflow to classify this limestone deposit as measured, indicated, or inferred based on Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) code. The categorization is carried out based on two zone definitions, geological, and mining units. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 13039 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Joint Inversion of 2D Gravity Gradiometry and Magnetotelluric Data in Mineral Exploration

by Rongzhe Zhang and Tonglin Li

Minerals 2019, 9(9), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9090541 - 7 Sep 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4772

Abstract

We have developed a mineral exploration method for the joint inversion of 2D gravity gradiometry and magnetotelluric (MT) data based on data-space and normalized cross-gradient constraints. To accurately explore the underground structure of complex mineral deposits and solve the problems such as the non-uniqueness and inconsistency of the single parameter inversion model, it is now common practice to perform collocated MT and gravity surveys that complement each other in the search. Although conventional joint inversion of MT and gravity using model-space can be diagnostic, we posit that better results can be derived from the joint inversion of the MT and gravity gradiometry data using data-space. Gravity gradiometry data contains more abundant component information than traditional gravity data and can be used to classify the spatial structure and location of underground structures and field sources more accurately and finely, and the data-space method consumes less memory and has a shorter computation time for our particular inversion iteration algorithm. We verify our proposed method with synthetic models. The experimental results prove that our proposed method leads to models with remarkable structural resemblance and improved estimates of electrical resistivity and density and requires shorter computation time and less memory. We also apply the method to field data to test its potential use for subsurface lithofacies discrimination or structural classification. Our results suggest that the imaging method leads to improved characterization of geological targets, which is more conducive to geological interpretation and the exploration of mineral resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 60200 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Joint MT and Gravity Inversion Using Structural Constraints: A Case Study from the Linjiang Copper Mining Area, Jilin, China

by Rongzhe Zhang, Tonglin Li, Shuai Zhou and Xinhui Deng

Minerals 2019, 9(7), 407; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9070407 - 2 Jul 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4341

Abstract

We present a joint 2D inversion approach for magnetotelluric (MT) and gravity data with elastic-net regularization and cross-gradient constraints. We describe the main features of the approach and verify the inversion results against a synthetic model. The results indicate that the best fit solution using the L2 is overly smooth, while the best fit solution for the L1 norm is too sparse. However, the elastic-net regularization method, a convex combination term of L2 norm and L1 norm, can not only enforce the stability to preserve local smoothness, but can also enforce the sparsity to preserve sharp boundaries. Cross-gradient constraints lead to models with close structural resemblance and improve the estimates of the resistivity and density of the synthetic dataset. We apply the novel approach to field datasets from a copper mining area in the northeast of China. Our results show that the method can generate much more detail and a sharper boundary as well as better depth resolution. Relative to the existing solution, the large area divergence phenomenon under the anomalous bodies is eliminated, and the fine anomalous bodies boundary appeared in the smooth region. This method can provide important technical support for detecting deep concealed deposits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 7679 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Bat-Optimized One-Class Support Vector Machine for Mineral Prospectivity Mapping

by Yongliang Chen, Wei Wu and Qingying Zhao

Minerals 2019, 9(5), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9050317 - 23 May 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3562

Abstract

One-class support vector machine (OCSVM) is an efficient data-driven mineral prospectivity mapping model. Since the parameters of OCSVM directly affect the performance of the model, it is necessary to optimize the parameters of OCSVM in mineral prospectivity mapping. Trial and error method is usually used to determine the “optimal” parameters of OCSVM. However, it is difficult to find the globally optimal parameters by the trial and error method. By combining OCSVM with the bat algorithm, the intialization parameters of the OCSVM can be automatically optimized. The combined model is called bat-optimized OCSVM. In this model, the area under the curve (AUC) of OCSVM is taken as the fitness value of the objective function optimized by the bat algorithm, the value ranges of the initialization parameters of OCSVM are used to specify the search space of bat population, and the optimal parameters of OCSVM are automatically determined through the iterative search process of the bat algorithm. The bat-optimized OCSVMs were used to map mineral prospectivity of the Helong district, Jilin Province, China, and compared with the OCSVM initialized by the default parameters (i.e., common OCSVM) and the OCSVM optimized by trial and error. The results show that (a) the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the trial and error-optimized OCSVM is intersected with those of the bat-optimized OCSVMs and (b) the ROC curves of the optimized OCSVMs slightly dominate that of the common OCSVM in the ROC space. The area under the curves (AUCs) of the common and trial and error-optimized OCSVMs (0.8268 and 0.8566) are smaller than those of the bat-optimized ones (0.8649 and 0.8644). The optimal threshold for extracting mineral targets was determined by using the Youden index. The mineral targets predicted by the common and trial and error-optimized OCSVMs account for 29.61% and 18.66% of the study area respectively, and contain 93% and 86% of the known mineral deposits. The mineral targets predicted by the bat-optimized OCSVMs account for 19.84% and 14.22% of the study area respectively, and also contain 93% and 86% of the known mineral deposits. Therefore, we have 0.93/0.2961 = 3.1408 < 0.86/0.1866 = 4.6088 < 0.93/0.1984 = 4.6875 < 0.86/0.1422 = 6.0478, indicating that the bat-optimized OCSVMs perform slightly better than the common and trial and error-optimized OCSVMs in mineral prospectivity mapping. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

23 pages, 7820 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Tools and Workflows for Grassroots Li–Cs–Ta (LCT) Pegmatite Exploration

by Benedikt M. Steiner

Minerals 2019, 9(8), 499; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9080499 - 20 Aug 2019

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 20171

Abstract

The increasing demand for green technology and battery metals necessitates a review of geological exploration techniques for Li–Cs–Ta (LCT) pegmatites, which is applicable to the work of mining companies. This paper reviews the main controls of LCT pegmatite genesis relevant to mineral exploration programs and presents a workflow of grassroots exploration techniques, supported by examples from central Europe and Africa. Geological exploration commonly begins with information gathering, desktop studies and Geographic Information System (GIS) data reviews. Following the identification of prospective regional areas, initial targets are verified in the field by geological mapping and geochemical sampling. Detailed mineralogical analysis and geochemical sampling of rock, soil and stream sediments represent the most important tools for providing vectors to LCT pegmatites, since the interpretation of mineralogical phases, deportment and liberation characteristics along with geochemical K/Rb, Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf metallogenic markers can detect highly evolved rocks enriched in incompatible elements of economic interest. The importance of JORC (Joint Ore Reserves Committee) 2012 guidelines with regards to obtaining geological, mineralogical and drilling data is discussed and contextualised, with the requirement of treating LCT pegmatites as industrial mineral deposits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Novel Methods and Applications for Mineral Exploration

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (11 papers)

Editorial

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI