Measuring and testing – Miscellaneous
Patent
1983-05-23
1986-05-13
Levy, Stewart J.
Measuring and testing
Miscellaneous
436 25, 436 26, G01N 3324
Patent
active
045878471
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method of indicating deposits of ore, minerals, hydrocarbons or geothermal energy concealed beneath the surface of the ground. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for indicating deposits which do not exhibit those specific physical properties necessary when using geophysical prospecting or exploration methods known hitherto or as a complement to traditional exploration techniques.
Several methods for detecting deposits of, for example, ores, minerals, hydrocarbons, geothermal energy etc. concealed beneath the surface of the ground are known to the art. All known prospecting or exploration methods, however, rely upon the deposit having a property which is different to the general surroundings and which can be measured from above the ground surface. By way of example can be mentioned differences in density, which give rise to variations in the gravity field and differences in magnetic field strength. Some deposits release or generate traces of gas, which may be collected and analyzed. Once having found the deposit it is necessary to make boreholes or sink a shaft, partly to verify the exploration result and partly to establish the magnitude of the deposit, its composition and the quantities in which the substances incorporated in the deposit are present therein.
There are proposed exploration methods for detecting underground minerals, which methods are based on the determination of radon gas migrating to the ground surface. Such methods may be utilized for finding uranium ore deposits from which the radon gas originates, since radon is one of the decay products in the radioactive uranium series. Exploration methods utilizing radon determination and gas sampling methods related thereto are described in CA-A No. 1076 267, SE-B No. 308 955, SE-B No. 336 688, SE-A No. 8007338-0, U.S. Pat. No. 4 017 731 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 186 303.
It is further proposed to collect gas samples from gases migrating from other underground deposits, such as oil, coal, water and also inorganic minerals containing mercury, which deposits give rise to gaseous emanations of a nature which may be identified and related to the source. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3 987 677 discloses collecting gas samples in water covered areas, and U.S. Pat. No. 4 065 972 discloses collecting gas samples in a plurality of containers planted in shallow holes in the earth surface. It is also proposed to use similar techniques for logging bore-holes in the search for petroleum bearing formations. Such methods are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2 465 564 and 2 691 109.
Although some exploration methods based on sampling gases whose origin are in deep deposits of minerals, especially uranium, are proposed, these methods have not been put to extensive use for other elements. One reason is that the sampling techniques used do not yield accurate information relating to the concentration of such gases. As a result, exploration activities directed to locating promising underground oil, gas, and other minerals have concentrated on other techniques, such as seismic surveying with acoustic waves, electrical and nuclear well logging, test drilling and the like. While such efforts have yielded useful results in the past, the growing scarcity of rich deposits and the increasing expense of conducting such exploratory activities have rendered these techniques relatively undesirable.
Thus, prospecting or exploration techniques still lack a method in which the existence of and the composition of, for example, mineralizations in the ground can be discovered without requiring test bore holes or a shaft to be sunk.
It has now been surprisingly found possible to provide a prospecting or exploration method based on observations of a new physical-geophysical phenomenon and on the sampling and analysis of gas ascending through the ground and of the matter brought to the surface by that gas flow. It is possible in accordance with the invention to discover from trace substances accompanying the gas the presence of deposits of the af
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Kristiansson Krister
Malmqvist Erik L.
Boliden Aktiebolag
Levy Stewart J.
Ljungman Nils H.
Noland Tom
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