Numerical simulations of borehole radar detection for metal ore

摘要

We perform finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical simulation for metal ore detection by borehole radar. The ore-body model is adopted from a practical Ni-Cu-Pt ore body which is a magmatic deposit located in Sudbury, Canada. We design three boreholes along a cross-section perpendicular to the geological strike of the formation which is composed with overburden, ore zone, iron formation, peridotite, granite-gneiss, and sediments. Single-hole measurements within these boreholes are simulated. The simulated data are processed by conventional procedure. We analyzed the simulated borehole radar profiles and found that some interfaces could be detected and some could not, also the ore zone is very absorptive to the wave. By synthetic interpretation of the data from several boreholes, the azimuth ambiguity of the borehole radar could be overcome with some in prior geological information; the geological structure could be delineated exactly. It is inferred that borehole radar is a potential tool for metal ore detection.