teck chair - university of toronto

TECK CHAIR

IN EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS 2001-2019

A

PREPARED BY

Emeritus Professor Bernd Milkereit

Final Activity Report

TECK CHAIR IN EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS | 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW AND DIRECTION OF RESEARCH 2 OUTLOOK – 2019 AND BEYOND 2 PROJECT LOCATIONS 2011-2019 3 RESEARCH PROJECTS 5 STAFF AND STUDENTS 21 PUBLICATIONS ( 2016 -2018) 23 EXPLORATION 17-SEISMIC METHODS WORKSHOP 26 FIELDWORK AND CONFERENCE 28


OVERVIEW AND DIRECTION OF RESEARCH

In 3-year phased retirement, I maintained a highly visible research program in exploration geophysics. We

combined the development of new geophysical exploration technology/methodology with drilling projects

conducted by industry (mineral exploration). By 2018, we completed three major multi-year research projects.

The NSERC-CRD “Integrated multi-parameter footprints of ore systems: The next generation of

ore deposit models” was approved in 2013 and it provided the experimental and computational

framework for advances in exploration geophysics and petrophysical studies of large Copper,

Uranium and Gold deposit in Canada. Dong Shi a PhD student in Earth Sciences, worked on 3D

seismic data from the Athabasca basin. Yue Du’s recently completed undergraduate thesis

investigate the linkage between eleastic moduli and geotechnical parameters.

“Integration of geophysical, geological and remote sensing data”: the NRCan Targeted

Geoscience Initiative (TGI-5) will supported lab and field based studies across the Cordillera in

BC. Postdoc Iris Lenauer coordinated data compilation from various provincial and federal

databases (and international remote sensing / satellite data). In Earth Sciences, the project

supported undergraduate research by William Mcneice (2017) and Alex Furlan (2018).

Integration of magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) Data from Central Slave Craton Area –

supported by the NWT Government. The goal is to develop multi-parameter geophysical

models to help mineral exploration companies better understand the the range of geophysical

signatues associated with kimberlites in the Slave Province. ES undergraduate Alex Furlan

presented first results at the Resources for Future Generations (RFG) conference in Vancouver

(June 2018).

OUTLOOK – 2019 AND BEYOND

In retirement, I plan to raise funds from industry to support field-based undergraduate research projects,

MSc students (if available) and post-doctoral researchers. In 2019, we expect to renew a base metal exploration

project (in New Brunswick), “Geophsical Imaging of a Devonian Rift System (New Brunswick)”.


PROJECT LOCATIONS 2011-2019

We combine development of new geophysical exploration technology/methodology with the drilling projects

conducted by industry (mineral exploration in Canada) or International Continental Drilling Projects (ICDP) (gas

hydrates, impact craters and hydrothermal systems). Recent research projects focus on unique pressure-

temperature conditions related to meteorite impacts (Chicxulub, Mexico; Sudbury and Canada) the physical

properties of permafrost and gas hydrates (Mackenzie Delta, Canada) and 3D seismic & rock physics research

projects for mineral exploration (Ontario, Québec, Northwest Territories,British Columbia, New Brunswick and

Athabasca Basin) (Figure 1 and Table).

Figure 1: Location map of past, current and future scientific drilling projects, seismic and borehole geophysical

studies conducted between 2011 and 2019.

D


Location Project

A Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Neotecnoics Impact

Physical Rock Properties

Borehole Geophysics

B Bathurst Mining Camp, NB, Canada Physical Rock Properties of

Massive Sulfides

C Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan,

Canada

Borehole Geophysics

Vertical seismic profiling (VSP) Mineral

Exploration.

3D-3C Seismic Imaging

D Malartic, Québec, Canada 3D Borehole DC/IP Imaging

E HVC (Highland Valley Copper), B.C.,

Canada

Near Surface Seismic Imaging

F Northwest Territories, Canada Airborne geophysics and remote sensing for

expense

G Cordillera, BC, Canada Integration of remote sensing, geophysics

and geology for copper deposits


RESEARCH PROJECTS

Imaging volcanic stratigraphy beneath glacial cover using magnetic field methods and

petrophysics (E. Veglio et al., 2017)

In New Brunswick, Canada, Devonian age bi-modal volcanic- sedimentary rocks provide a favourable

geological setting for base metal exploration. Much of the study area is densely vegetated and covered by

glacial sediments of up to 25 meters. A large comprehensive database of geophysical, petrophysical, and

petrological information exists for an area of known base metal mineralization. Combined data includes those

obtained from airborne, surface, and drill core surveys, producing a range of resolutions and physical rock

properties of the study area. The few occurrences of bedrock outcrops on the property confirm occurrences of

rhyolites and tuffs, as well as the presence of mineralization. There are no known outcrops of the highly

magnetic basalt flows observed in the drill core, identified as a marker unit. The integration of ground

magnetic data with magnetic susceptibility measured from drill core was combined to delineate the shallow

volcanic stratigraphy beneath cover.

Figure 2: a) regional airborne magnetic data with a uniform grid spacing of 200 m (NRCan 2016), b)

local high-resolution airborne magnetic data, east-west trending flight lines with a spacing of 150 m, c)

ground walk magnetic data of the property, black line indicates the profile seen in Figure 3, location of

boreholes are plotted as circles.


Figure 3: Ground magnetic profile bottom along with its upward continuation, (top) for comparison with

the local high-resolution airborne magnetic data.

Fault Control of Intrusives (Lenauer et al, 2017)

A fault interpretation of the magnetic data in central British Columbia, Canada, revealed that four distinct fault

generations dominate the structural character of the area. Northeast-striking dextral faults, north-northwest

striking sinistral faults, west-northwest striking sinistral faults and north-northwest striking dextral faults each

represent a distinct tectonic event characterized by unique local shortening and extension directions. Potassic

alteration, inferred from Th/K ratio from an airborne gamma-ray spectrometer survey shows preferential

correlation with north-northwest and westnorthwest striking faults. These same fault orientations are also the

dominant orientations of faults that intersect and are peripheral to intrusive bodies, as interpreted from the

airborne magnetic data. Faults with both alteration signature and spatial association with plutons, strike

mostly west-northwest and east-northeast, indicating that faults of this orientation likely played a key role in

the localization of magmatic activity.


Figure 4: Overview of location and topography of study area in central British Columbia, Canada. Rugged

topography and limited access favour extensive remote sensing studies prior to ground data collection.

Figure 5: Interpreted faults attributed by

relative age. Line thickness proportional to

fault length.


A Synthetic Test of Q Tomography for Multi-Source VSP data (Shi and Milkereit, 2017)

Previous work observed an extremely strong seismic attenuation (i.e. low seismic quality factor, Q) in the

Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. Q measured from VSP datasets through various methods confirmed

Q can be as low as 7.8 at McArthur River, and 24 at Millennium. Such condition is one of the key factors

affecting the 3D seismic image quality. The observation also suggests the strong attenuation is highly

localized, and tends to associate with sandstone alterations (i.e. argillic and/or silicic). The high contrast Q in

the Athabasca Basin provides a special case allowing the imaging of the mineral (i.e. uranium) alteration zone

though a tomographic inversion of multi-offset VSP data. To accomplish this task, seismic velocity and Q

models based on known Athabasca Basin geological and geophysical observations are utilized to generate

synthetic Multi-offset VSP datasets through full waveform viscoelastic modelling using Finite-Difference (FD)

software package SOFI3D. The Q tomography result from the synthetic datasets provides reference to verify

the future attenuation image of the field 3D multi-offset VSP data from the Athabasca Basin.

Figure 6: The 3D geological model of the Athabasca Basin with alteration extending to the surface. The

alteration can potentially increase the sandstone porosity, thus significantly affecting seismic wave attenuation.


Figure 7: Y=500 m plane snapshots of p- and s-wave wavefield snapshots at 100 ms and 150 ms from Figure

6 ) model. Darkly shaded are low Qp and Qs zones.


Monitoring Change: Geophysical, Petrophysical and Geotechnical studies (Milkereit, B. et al,

2017)

The objective of the SUMIT( Smart Underground Monitoring and Integrated Technologies) project was the

development of new methodology, instrumentation, and work flows for long-term, detailed study of the

stress, strain, and time-lapse geophysical responses of a well-characterized volume of rock in a deep mine. For

the SUMIT project, the selected test site was at a seismically active mine at 1-2 km depth with dedicated

boreholes (I) to characterize the 3D rock volume through core, logging, and geophysical imaging in order to

quantify the initial stress state and physical properties and then (II) to monitor the temporal and spatial

variations of these extrinsic conditions and stress and associated physical properties within the rock volume

over the following 3 years. In the process, we developed the first dynamic (time variant, time stamped) 3D

deep mine model through the integration of geology, physical rock properties, infrastructure, production and

backfill (Fig.8).

Lab measurements on drill core samples confirmed that most physical properties of crystalline rocks are

highly stress dependent. The SUMIT data showed that P- and S-wave velocities and electrical properties are

linked directly to changes in stress due to the reduction of fracture porosity. For rock mass characterization,

borehole geophysical data provide reliable estimates of geotechnical parameters such as dynamic Young’s

modulus at elevated in situ stress levels. Borehole televiewer data map the direction of minimum and

maximum horizontal compression. The continuous borehole geophysical and televiewer data confirm the

important role of geology, as elastic moduli and concentration of azimuthal stress vary with lithology at the

SUMIT test site, the first time-lapse geophysical surveys for stress monitoring were conducted in two slim

holes in the vicinity of the active mine at 1 to 2 km. Over a two year period, the large volume rock mass (of

approx. 2,000,000 m^3) in the immediate vicinity of an active mining zone exhibited reduction in resistivity,

indicating small fracture porosity reduction due to higher stress levels. In contrast, a large rock mass

surrounding a much deeper control borehole away from mining showed no change in physical rock properties

over the same period of time. Borehole-based electrical measurements are ideally suited to monitor the rock

volume around a borehole as resistivities are more sensitive to temporal stress variations than seismic

velocities (for very low fracture porosities). Within the SUMIT project, a new strain meter with multiple fibre

Bragg grating (FBG) segments was designed. For passive monitoring of temporal variations of physical rock

properties in a rock mass, the concept of H/V multi-component seismic sensor measurements was advanced.


Figure 8.1: P-wave snapshots here represent a simulation of a blast located on the top left corner of

model, no mining activity in designated stope areas. The used source central frequency is 200Hz

Figure 8.2: The mine model shows are bodies mined out and the voids remained in stope areas.

Note strong reflections and severe attenuation of seismic signal.

Figure 8.3: Snapshots represent the mine model after orebodies are mined out and voids

cemented backfilled. Backfilled areas generate strong reflection, significant travel time changes,

and lateral amplitude variations.


Deriving Geotechnical Parameters from Density and Incomplete Seismic Datasets

(Du,Y. et al., 2018; Kassam,A. et al., 2016)

A three-parameter configuration framwork provides a comprehensive visualization for the relationship between

density, seismic velocities, and elastic moduli such as Bulk Modulus, Young’s Modulus, and Poisson’s Ratio.

However, these constants can not be obtained with the absence of shear wave velocity measurements. With

the datasets missing shear wave measurements, the task is to carry out an error analysis and conduct a

relative range for elastic modulis, which are essential for geotechnical purposes. We achieve this by adding a

variable Vp/Vs range to the three-parameter plot.

It is important to analyze whether geophysical parameters can represent some of the mineralogical and

geotechnical parameters in order to minimize risk for the follow-up exploration progress. Density (d),

resistivity, and compressional wave velocity (Vp) data were obtained from boreholes in the Athabasca Basin.

However, the obtained data provides no information for the shear wave velocity. Without information from the

shear wave velocity, it is impossible to calculate the elastic properties precisely since they all depend on this

variable. In order to provide an estimate of the elastic properties of the host rocks in the Athabasca Basin with

the absence of the shear wave velocity, we conducted error analysis on these elastic moduli. The significance

of estimating these elastic properties is to provide essential information on whether the follow-up exploration

process would be attainable. To visualize and interpret the geophysical data, we used a three-parameter

configuration framework shown in a 3D plot. A surface representing the bulk modulus is calculated using the

empirical relationships between density, seismic parameter and bulk modulus (in compossibility). The benefit

of using such a framework is that the data obtained from all types of minerals, including the high-density

ones such as iron-oxides and massive sulfides, all fall on this theoretically surface. An estimate for the Vs

values is derived from the empirical ratio of compressional wave velocity and shear wave velocity. Typically, the

Vp/Vs ratio ranges from 1.5 to 3.0, but it can range up to 8.0 for very soft materials. Using the estimated Vs,

the data can be plotted onto the surface, with an error bar representing the range of the estimated elastic

modulus.


The three-parameter framework is advantageous in visualizing rock characterization for various types of

minerals. The error analysis in bulk modulus and Young’s modulus due to uncertainties in shear wave

velocities provides a proxy for the realistic ranges of the attainable values in these elastic constants for

different rock types. Both the bulk modulus and Young’s modulus are positively related to the seismic

parameter. Errors in these elastic parameters due to uncertainties in Vs are more sensitive to high density and

seismic parameter materials and less sensitive to low density and seismic parameter materials. The results

provide useful information for its practicability in mineral exploration purposes.

Figure 9: Addded data from Athabasca basin (yellow) and error bars for all data points. Error percentage is obtained from

setting Vp /Vs to range from 1.7 to 2.1 and is approximately 10%. The color bar represents the Young’s Modulus of the

estimated data for the errors trends.


Finite-difference Modeling of Seismic Wave Attenuation in the Athabasca Basin (Hebert

et al., 2017)

From the geological formation present in the Athabasca Basin, uranium deposits are observed through

unconformities between sedimentary sequence and metamorphic basement rocks. Uranium deposits formed

within fracture zones of the basin by the different stages of silicification and argilization creating high

alteration zones. This resulted in high wave attenuation (low Q values) that can be found along unconformity

where ore deposits are located making the interpretation of the sandstone basement extremely difficult.

The investigation on attenuation strength can alter seismic results and cause loss of image. Different

petrophysical profiles were used to derive the nature of the low reflectivity (high attenuation) along the

unconformity seismic profile.

The origin of the low reflectivity from McArthur River Mine hypothetically arises either from the composition

and thickness of the overburden or the overall region where silicification and argilization. Both models

produce highly contrasting seismic velocities. These models are compared to resolve the nature of the high

attenuation zone causing the loss of image in seismic results by using elaborated processing methods with

modeling software (SOFI2D).


Figure 10: From top to bottom. P-wave and S-wave propagation for the elastic model, visco-elastic

model with high attenuation at the overburden, visco-elastic model with high attenuation at the

unconformity. All snapshot images have been computed with SOFI2D seismic software at times 150 ms

and 200 ms.


Multi-parameter visualization of petrophysical and geochemical data for base

metal exploration (Hebert, C., et al, 2018)

A large petrophysical and geochemical dataset has been obtained from archived drill core for a base

metal exploration project located north of the Bathurst Mining camp (New Brunswick, Canada). The

integration of this large, heterogeneous dataset presents a unique opportunity for statistical analysis of

correlating and visualising multi-parameter behaviour in a bi-modal felsic/mafic geological setting. Large

variation in parameter distribution enables questioning the linkage between petrophysical and

geochemical parameters. To better characterize mineralization and alteration zones, a statistical approach

has been developed for interactive visualization of the contribution of each parameter to the exploration

model. The integration of geophysical and geochemical datasets produced robust results for imaging

wide-spread alteration zones and associated base metal mineralization.

Geophysical and geochemical parameters are considered as the foundation of mineral exploration and

exploitation. It is used in many earth science and engineering domains to interpret geological and

economical interest. This study addresses the importance of multi-parameter correlation in the context

of preliminary visualization of near surface geology. The study area for this analysis is located north of

the Bathurst Mining Camp in New Brunswick (Canada). This location has been selected due to the

extensive datasets of geophysical and geochemical parameters collected since the 1970s. The analysis

focuses on multi-parameter correlation and visualization for the facilitation of patterns and vectors in

the context of base metal mineral extraction.

Due to the large number of boreholes in the area, a unique opportunity arises in building an extensive

database of petrophysical data on drill cores. Hence, correlation between multiple parameters can be

assessed. Figure 11 represents an example of the large dataset obtained for each borehole. This example

shows the different petrophysical parameters collected from the drill core of Borehole B with a depth of

range of 100-200 meters. It is important to also consider the difference in measuring scales for each

parameter. Depending on the geophysical or geochemical method, the scale of measurement varies

from 1 centimetre to 1.5 metres. In Figure 11, consistent measurements have been made over the 100-

m interval.


Figure 11. Example of Borehole B with petrophysical and geochemical data (obtained from drill core)

and the corresponding core boxes.

From these results, it can be concluded that it is difficult to estimate the influence of each parameter on

mineralization patterns. With the large database collected, it has been possible to map out the

distribution patterns for each parameter. The nature of the distribution for the geochemical and

geophysical properties measured in the Nash Creek area is distinguished through statistical application.

Figure 12 shows a different distribution for each parameter collected in the area.

Figure 12. Multi-parameter distribution. I) Normal distribution of density values according to lithological

units. Values from 2.2 to 3.6 g/cm3. II) Bimodal distribution of magnetic susceptibility (values of 5 to 70

x10-3), III) Geochemical distribution in percent concentration. Values ranging from 0 to 10%.


Deep Mine Wavefront Reconstruction using true 3D Sparse Data (Carey, A. et al., 2016)

Using the two-way wave equation, energy can be propagated iteratively backwards in time through a second

order finite difference grid. Using RTM (reverse time migration) to extrapolate wavefields incrementally

backward in time offers insight into localized peak particle velocity (PPV) and peak particle acceleration (PPA)

used in hazard assessment. With conventional microseismic monitoring, event triangulation is used for source

location only, whereas using RTM would allow one to visualize and analyse the wavefield throughout

propagation, up to and including determining wave amplitudes at the origin. Microseismic monitoring arrays

used in mining typically have closer spacing than conventional monitoring arrays, but due to high variation in

attenuation and low signal-to-noise ratio resulting from small events and mining operational noise, the data

actually recorded is sparse. This makes it significantly more difficult to use migration techniques. This study

investigates a way to recreate wavefronts from sparse data, which can then be used as input for RTM. In

addition to determining source location, the wavefield may then be analysed throughout propagation for local

anomalous behaviour that could lead to potential safety hazards. By applying several straightforward steps to

sparse data, wavefronts can be reconstructed to be used as input for RTM. This allows wavefields to be

extrapolated backwards in time with true 3D geometry.

Figure 13: Model of Nickel Rim South Mine in Sudbury, Ontario. Shown are 3-component (3C) geophones as

red cubes, 1-component (1C) geophones as yellow cubes, the nickel ore body in grey, the copper ore body in

gold, and the mine infrastructure in green.


Figure 14: a) Forward modelled wavefields at three separate time steps in a densely sampled model space. b)

Resulting wavefield from reverse-time migration, at corresponding time steps to forward

modelled results.

High Resolution Marine Seismic Imaging in the Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada, (Zajch, A. et al.,

2016)

The Sudbury basin has long been an area of investigation due to its unique geology and economic

deposits, however anomalous neo-tectonic activity has often been dismissed due to extensive mining

and the absence of active tectonic structures in the area. To improve the safety of current and future

economic projects it is essential to determine if neo-tectonic activity has been an ongoing, and

therefore a natural, phenomenon. Lakes provide the optimal environment for investigating neotectonics

as the selective preservation of sediments in lakes produces intact sediment records and conserves

imbedded features such as sediment slumps and offsets. Two lakes (Lake Vermillion and Fairbank Lake)

were surveyed to find evidence of changes in hydrology or sediment features indicative of neo-tectonic

activity prior to anthropogenic influence. These lakes are contained within the larger Huron basin which

includes the current Lake Huron.

High resolution marine seismic surveying provided the optimal approach for investigating the evolution

of post glacial environments in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The work demonstrates how shallow marine

seismic surveying can be used to examine the sediment record for environmental changes and how it

can be applied to relatively time discrete events, such as seismicity.


Figure 15: A DEM of the Sudbury basin and northern shore of Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada from the

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (2006). The study area containing Lake Vermillion and Fairbank

Lake (red circle) lies in close proximity to Sudbury known for its mining operations.

Figure 16: Classification of acoustic facies in a sample seismic profile collected from the Huron basin

(left) and corresponding lake levels (right) provides a basis for interpretation. The four periods identified

on the seismic profile (left) by the segmented red line correlate with the four acoustic facies observed in

the Sudbury basin


STAFF AND STUDENTS Faculty: Bernd Milkereit, Teck Chair in Exploration Geophysics (August 2001- June 2019)

Graduate Students (PhD) Ramin Saleh (2011 – present), Co-superviser Q. Liu

Ken Nurse (2011 – present)

Graduate Students (MSc) Betka Ondercova (2019 –present)

Postdoctoral Researchers Iris Lenauer (2016-2018)

Hernan Ugalde (2017-2018)

Summer Research Assistants: 2017: Camille Hébert, William McNeice, Alex Furlan

2018: Jessica Liu, Betka Ondercova, Alex Furlan

Visiting Scientists: Flora. L. Sun, China University of Petroleum, Nov-Dec 2017

RECENT GRADUATIONS

Ph.D. Completed

Dong Shi, 3D-3C seismic imaging, Athabasca Basin, Canada, Dept. of Earth Sciences, University

of Toronto, 2018

Maria Tibbo, A true-triaxial laboratory seismic velocity experiment under in-situ stress

conditions, (co-supervised with Prof. P. Young), Dept. of Physics, University of Toronto, 2018

M.Sc. Completed

Camille Hebert ,Multi-parameter geophysical imaging of base metal deposits

(co-supervisor C. Bank) 2017-2018.

Erica Veglio (2016-2017) Focused Investigation of Bedrock and associated base metal

mineralization beneath glacial cover based on geophysical, petrophysical and petrological data,

Northern New Brunswick, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto

Alexander Carey (2015-2016); 3D Seismic Wavefield Reconstruction from Sparse Data,

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto

Anisa Kassam (2015-2016) Elastic Moduli Extraction from Full Waveform Sonic Data, Department

of Earth Sciences, Universiyt of Toronto

Andrew Zajch (2014-2015); An Investigation of Holoscene environments, Tectonic and

paleochannel in the Southern region of the Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada.


Jianing Zhang (2014-2015); Seismic Monitoring: Organization of 3D/4D Seismic data from a

Deep Mine, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, August 2015.

Na Wang (2014-2015); 3D Elastic/Visco-elastic Modelling of Full Waveform Sonic Data,

Department of Physics, University of Toronto, August 2015.

SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE THESIS/ UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH REPORTS

Song, Ye, Estimating the depth to magnetic sources in bedrock, Nash Creek,

NB, Canada, 21p, December 2018.

Du, Yue, An investigation of elastic and geotechnical parameters,

Dept. of Earth Sciences, April 2018.

Shuangyi (Jessica) Liu, Constraining volcanic stratigraphy in a Devonian

Half-graben using multiparameter geophysics on core, Dept. of Earth Sciences, 2018.

McNeice, W., Effect of Porosity on Elastic Moduli, Department of Earth Sciences, April 2016.

Veglio, E., Integration of Walk Magnetic and Airborne Magnetic Data, Department of Earth

Sciences, 43p, April 2016.


PUBLICATIONS (2016 – 2018) For earlier publications, please see previous Annual Reports archived at the “Exploration Geophysics” website.

Scientific Journals and Books:

Morris, W., Underhay, S.L., Ugalde, H., Milkereit, B.,

Borehole Magnetic surveys in weakly magnetic sediments (Chicxulub impact crater) versus strongly

magnetic volcanics (Bathurst Mining Camp)" Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 21p.,

https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2018-0040

Ugalde, H., Milkereit, B., Furlan, A. and Lenauer, I., Integration of Magnetic and Electromagnetic

(EM) data from Slave Carton Area, NWT Open File Data Report, 30p & online data, 2018.

Lin,C., Saleh,R., Milkereit,B., and Liu, Q., Comparison of effective media for transversely isotropic

models based on two-scale homogenization and Backus averaging: with applications to borehole

sonic logs, Pure and Applied Geophysics, 174, 2631-2647, 2017.

Milkereit,B., Xia,K., Young, P., Schmitt, D., Qian, W., Guo, K., Saleh, R., Nurse, K.,Tibbo, M., Kassam, A.,

Cai, J., Carey, A., Raghavaraju, R. and Kanoppoulos, P., Monitoring change: geophysical,

petrophysical and geotechnical studies, in: Smart Underground Monitoring and Integrated

Technology, editors: D. Duff, P. Kaiser & S. Katary, CIM, 101p, 2017.

Sun, L.F., Milkereit, B. and Tisato, N., “Analysis of velocity dispersion using full-waveform multi-

channel sonic logging data: a case study.” Geophysical Prospecling, 64, 1016-1029, 2016

Conferences Proceedings/Expanded Abstracts:

Ugalde, H., Morris, W. and Milkereit, B., FDEM & Magnetic Data Integration for Kimberlite

Exploration: Apparent Susceptibility Mapping and Constraints on Remanent Magnetization, EAGE

Near Surface Geophysics, Porto, 2018, 4p.

Hebert, C., Veglio, E, Liu, S., Sun, L., and Milkereit, B., Multi-parameter visualization of

petrophysical and geochemical data for base metal exploration, EAGE Near Surface

Geophysics,Porto, 2018, 4p.

Hebert, C., Veglio, B. and Milkereit, B., Building 3D Density Models for Exploration,

Geoconvention, Calgary, 2018, 4p.

Shi, D. and Milkereit, B., 3D Seismic Anelastic Waveform Modelling of Intrinsic and Scattering

Attenuation Effects, Geoconvention, Calgary, 2018, 4p.

Du, Y., Shi, D., and Milkereit, B., Deriving Geotechnical Parameters from Density and Incomplete

Seismic Datasets, Geoconvention, Calgary, 2018, 4p.

Shi, D. and Milkereit, B., The composite azimuthal effect of intrinsic and scattering attenuation on

3D seismic data, EAGE, Copenhagen, 2018, 4p.

https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2018-0040


Lenauer, I, Ugalde, H Lenauer, I, Ugalde, H. and Milkereit, B., Fault Control of Intrusives, SAGA

conference, Cape Town, 5p., 2017.

Veglio, E., Ugalde, H. Lenauer, I., Bank, C., Milkereit, B., Imaging volcanic stratigraphy beneath

glacial cover using magnetic field methods and petrophysics, EAGE Near Surface Geophysics,

Malmoe, Sweden, 2017, 4p.

Shi, D. and Milkereit, B., A synthetic test of Q tomography for multi-source VSP

data,Geoconvention, Calgary, 2017, 4p.

Hebert, C., Shi, D., Milkereit, B., Finite-difference modeling of the wave attenuation in the

Athabasca Basin, Geoconvention, Calgary, 2017, 4p.

Lesher, M., Hannington, M., Galley, A., Ansdell, K., Astic, T., Banerjee, N., Beauchamp, S., Beaudoin,

G., Bertelli, M., Bérubé, C., Beyer, S., Blacklock, N, Byrne, K., Cheng, L.-Z., Chouinard, R., Chouteau,

M, Clark, J., D'Angelo, M., Darijani, M, Devine, M., Dupuis, C., El Goumi, N., Enkin, R., Farquharson,

C., Fayol, N., Feltrin, L., Feng, J., Gaillard, N., Gleeson, S., Gouiza, M., Grenon, C., Guffey, S.,

Guilmette, C, Guo, K., Hart, C, Hattori, K., Hollings, P., Joyce, N, Kamal, D., King, J, Kyser, K.,

Layton-Matthews, D., Lee, R., Lesage, G., Leybourne, M., Linnen, R., Lypaczewski, P., McGaughey, J.,

Mitchinson, D., Milkereit, B., Mir, R., Morris, W., Oldenburg, D., Olivo, G., Perrouty, S., Piercey,

S., Piette-Lauzière, N., Raskevicius, T., Reman, A., Rivard, B, Ross, M., Samson, I., Scott, S.,

Shamsipour, P., Shi, D, Smith, R., Sundaralingam, N., Taves, R., Taylor, C., Valentino, M, Vallée, M.,

Wasyliuk, K., Williams-Jones, A., Winterburn, P., Integrated Multi-Parameter Exploration Footprints

of the Canadian Malartic Disseminated Au, McArthur River-Millennium Unconformity U, and

Highland Valley Porphyry Cu Deposits: Preliminary Results from the NSERC-CMIC Mineral

Exploration Footprints Research Network , in “Proceedings of Exploration 17: Sixth Decennial

International Conference on Mineral Exploration” edited by V. Tschirhart and M.D. Thomas, 2017,

p. 325–347, 2017.

Zajch, A., Milkereit,B., Eyles, N., High Resolution Marine Seismic Surveying in the

Sudbury Basin, Ontario,Canada, EAGE Near Surface Conference, Barcelona, 2016, 4p.

Carey, A, Shi, D. and Milkereit, B., “Deep Mine Wavefront Reconstruction using True 3D Sparse

Data”, EAGE Near Surface Conference, Barcelona, 2016, 4p.

Kassam, A., and Milkereit, B., “Analysis and Visualization of Dynamic Elastic properties in 3D

space for High Density Minerals”, EAGE Near Surface Conference, Barcelona, 2016, 4p.

Milkereit, B., and Kassam, A., “A Rock Physics Framework for High Density Crustal Rocks”, SEG-

AGU Workshop on Physical Properties of Crustal Rocks, July 2016.

Shi, D., Sun, L.F. and Milkereit, B., “Seismic detection and delineation of a low Q structure”, 78th

EAGE Conference & Exhibition, 2016. Vienna, Austria 30 May – 2 June 2016.

Tibbo, M., Schmitt, D., Milkereit, B., Nasseri, M.H.B., Young, R.P., “Experimental Measurement of In

Situ Stress”, EUG, Vienna, 2016.


Shi, D., Sun, F.L., and Milkereit, B., “Seismic Imaging in a low Q environment”, Geo Convention

Optimizing Resources, March 7 – 11, Calgary, Canada, 2016.

Kassam, A., Milkereit, B., Gerrie, V. and Drielsma, C., “Linking Seismic and Geotechnical

Parameters using the Velocity-Density Relationship”, GeoConvention, Calgary, 2016, 4p.

Carey, A., Shi, D., and Milkereit, B., “3D wave-equation based wave front reconstruction using

finite-difference reverse-time migration”, GeoConvention, Calgary, 2016, 4p.


Exploration ‘17

Seismic Methods & Exploration Workshop, Toronto, October 26, 2017

Organized by Bellefluer, G and Milkereit, B

In many parts of the world, exploration for mineral deposits is moving progressively but

persistently to greater depths, relying on knowledge gained from previous exploration campaigns

but also on new exploration tools and techniques to efficiently guide deep and costly boreholes.

With encouraging results recently obtained in various mining camps, seismic methods continue to

make valuable contributions to deep mineral exploration worldwide. This workshop built on

successful seismic case studies presented during Exploration 17 and addressed technical aspects of

the seismic workflow with a particular focus on state-of-the-art methods that have proven impacts

and/or open new frontiers in mineral exploration. Four general topics were covered:

- New trends in seismic data acquisition and processing

- Seismic methods in ongoing exploration programs

- Rock physics and quantitative analysis

- Ambient noise and seismic interferometry

The workshop included keynote presentations covering those topics and most importantly, plenty

of time for discussion. The aim of the workshop was to bring together industry, academia, and

research funding agencies to discuss novel developments, share experiences, and generate new

way-forward ideas. Proceedings of this exciting workshop on seismic methods for mineral

exploration edited by G.Bellefluer and B. Milkereit are available on the Exploration’17 website:

(www.dmec.ca) or send request to [email protected]

Seismic for Mineral Resources – a Mainstream Method of the Future, Urosevic, M., Bona, A.,

Ziramov, S., Pevzner, R., Kepic, A., Egorov, A., Kinkela, J., Pridmore, D., Dwyer, J.

Setting the Foundation – Integrating Seismic Reflection into Zinc Exploration Workflows,

Hewson, C., and Moynihan, C.

Applications of Seismic Methods as a Tool for Uranium Exploration and Mine Planning,

O’Dowd, C., Wood, G., Keller, C., and Fitzpatrick, A.

Enhancing Bandwith in Seismic Data Acquisition for Mineral Exploration, Snyder, D.B.

Seismic Interferometry: Cost-effective Solution for Minermal Exploration? Malinowski, M.,

and Chamarczuk, M.

http://www.dmec.ca/

mailto:[email protected]


Developing Cost-effective Seismic Mineral Exploration Methods, Malehmir, A., Maries, G.,

Bäckström, E., Schön, M., Marsden, P.

Petrophysics and Seismic Characteristics of Host Rocks and Alteration of VMS and

Porphyry Deposits: Examples from Lalor and New Aton, Bellefleur, G., Schetselaar, E., Wade, D.,

White, D., and Dueck, P.

Active Source Seismic Imaging in the Kylylahti Cu-Au-Zn Mine Area, Finland, Heinonen, S.,

Malinowski, M., Gislason, G., Danaei, S., Koivisto, E., Juurela, S., and the COGITO-MIN Working Group.

Passive Seismic Interferometry for Subsurface Imaging in an Active Mine Environment:

Case Study from the Kylyahti Cu-Au-Zn Mine, Finland, Chamarczuk, M., Malinowski, M., Koivisto,

E., Heinonen, S., Juurela, S., and the COGITO-MIN Working Group

Seismic Imaging of the Kylylahti Cu-Au-Zn Ore Deposit Using Conventional and DAS VSP

Measurements Supported by 3D Full-waveform Seismic Modeling, Riedel, M., Cosma, C.,

Komminaho, K., Enescu, N., Koivisto, E., Malinowski, M., Luhta, T., Juurela, S., and the COGITO-MIN

Working Group.


FIELD AND CONFERENCES

Top: Dong Shi’s 3D Seismic presentation at the

2018 EAGE conference (Copenhagen);

Right: Yue Du’s rock physics poster at the 2018

Geoconvention (Calgary);

Bottom: Jessica Liu’s borehole geophysics poster

at 2018 PDAC conference (Toronto).


Fieldwork in New Brunswick

(Summer 2017 & 2018):

Camille Hebert and Iris Lenauer on field site

observing outcrops and, Camille scanning

magnetic susceptibility of drill Orecore samples.

teck chair - university of toronto

Documents