3D seismic imaging of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the Flin Flon mining camp, Canada: Part 1 - Seismic results

摘要

A 17-km ~2 3D-3C seismic survey was conducted within the active Flin Flon mining camp located in Manitoba, Canada. The results for the vertical component data as obtained by conventional dip-moveout and prestack time-migration processing sequences and comparison of images from the 3D seismic volume with the subsurface location of known ore zones and the mine horizon generally showed a very good correlation. A well-defined diffraction response from the shallowest ore zone was observed in the unmigrated data with a corresponding phase reversal in the migrated data at the transition from intact ore to backfilled ore zone. The geometry of unmined and backfilled ore zones compared well with strong reflection amplitudes on corresponding cross sections to depths of ～1000m. At greater depths, the ore zone had a weaker seismic signature due to a combination of effects, including imaging conditions, ore composition, and the increased presence of rhyolite within the mine horizon. In the case of the deeper ore zones that were characterized by low signal-to-noise levels, poststack migration was important in focusing weak ore-related reflections. The 3D data demonstrated the feasibility of detecting and accurately locating ore zones as small as a few million tons to depths of up to 1500 m.