Bauxite Geology

Radar is used routinely to image bauxite structure on major mine sites worldwide.

SSI have collected thousands of km of data on Bauxite mine sites. Drilling only gives part of the picture. Look at what the drillhole show and then what happens when you add radar to the picture.

Radar provides a cost effective, simple to implement mapping solution that is easily integrated with existing data. It can be run at exploration feasibility level through to a fully developed mine site,. SSI have experience with this range of applications

Bauxite is the primary ore for Aluminium. Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust after oxygen and silicon. Because of its chemical reactivity, aluminium is never found in nature as an element but always in its oxidised form, as one of a selection of about 250 different minerals. Other important compounds include the hydroxides, a group which includes bauxite, the base raw material for primary aluminium production.

GPR data collection. A 200 MHz antenna is towed on a skid behind the survey vehicle.

Careful survey planning correlating surveys to Bore data, and will setup survey grid all contribute to a good result. SSI have a series of process and controls to ensure this happens

SSI

These are example of good quality GPR data over Bauxite showing the base of the bauxite

The bauxite to iron stone interface is shown as the line of "parabola on the images (white).

Tropical environments do present challenges. Weather and rain affect output and access can be poor SSI have been working with lateritic exploration in Australia and Asia. The images represent a taste of what we have done. Feel free to ask questions. There are a few trade secrets but the method works very well.

Reflection Picking and Data Quality

Data processing ensures a clean data set for interpretations. This enables accurate identification of the reflector that represents the ironstone floor. The largest factor controlling the quality of the reflector is the nature of the geological transition from bauxite into ironstone, the larger the transition zone, the weaker and more ambiguous the GPR reflector becomes. It takes experience to get good results. SSI have that experience and knowledge.

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