Key strategies for predictive exploration in mature environment: model innovation, exploration technology optimization and information integration

摘要

Prediction has become more and more difficult in mineral exploration, especially in the mature exploration environment such as Tongling copper district. For enhancing predictive discovery of hidden ore deposits in such mature environment, the key strategies which should be adopted include the innovation of the exploration models, application of the advanced exploration techniques and integration of multiple sets of information. The innovation of the exploration models should incorporate the new metallogenic concepts that are based on the geodynamic anatomization. The advanced techniques applied in the mature exploration environment should aim at the speciality and complexity of the geological setting and working environments. The information synthesis is to integrate multiple sets of data for giving a more credible and visual prospectivity map by using the geographic imformation system(GIS) and several mathematical methods, such as weight of evidence and fuzzy logic, which can extract useful information from every set of data as much as possible. Guided by these strategies, a predictive exploration in Fenghuangshan ore field of Tongling copper district was implemented, and a hidden ore deposit was discovered.