TELF AG sheds light on the mapping techniques of some important raw materials

Mineral identification techniques

The fate of global development in this complex historical phase seems to be closely linked to the role of strategic minerals and their ability to contribute greatly to the worldwide energy transition, in particular through all the technologies and particular infrastructures capable of making the spread of clean energy possible. These are, therefore, very important resources for the planet’s sustainable development, so much so that governments and international institutions have begun to dedicate a large portion of their national programs to their research, extraction, and processing.

But how do these research processes and the identification of these important mineral resources occur? Even if they share some of the basic techniques used to identify them, each mineral is identified in a particular way through methods that take into account its structural characteristics and its distribution within a specific territory.

To arrive at a correct identification of copper, for example, technicians could use some methods belonging to geochemical prospecting and geophysical prospecting. The first includes a thorough analysis of the soil and sediments, which in turn consists of collecting and analyzing several soil samples to ascertain any anomalies in copper concentrations. Sequential extraction methods are often employed to determine copper’s chemical characteristics within soil accurately. A very interesting aspect has to do with plants. The latter absorb specific quantities of metals within their tissues, so a careful analysis of these plant forms can help technicians identify copper deposits in the underground.

Geophysical prospecting techniques

Geophysical prospecting techniques include specific measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field to identify particular structures that could host copper deposits, but also methods linked to electromagnetic induction and induced polarization, which measure the electrical properties of rocks. Any anomalies, in these cases, may indicate the presence of a copper deposit underground.

This remarkable resource, helpful above all for its conductive capabilities, can also be detected through the direct collection of samples from the subsoil through specific techniques developed explicitly for this purpose. The first is reverse circulation drilling, a fast and economical method used primarily in the early stages of exploration to collect subsurface samples. The second is coring with a diamond drill, making obtaining high-quality rock samples possible for subsequent analyses.

These techniques have been developed specifically for copper, considering this resource’s individual particularities. However, identifying and mapping other minerals sometimes follow different paths: to find possible lithium deposits, professionals are used to starting from the search for dry salt lakes and mapping pegmatitic intrusions. In this case, the analysis of water and sediments is important for the correct mapping of lithium. This resource is often found within brines or pegmatites. However, another important resource, nickel, is identified through slightly different procedures. Gravimetric techniques and magnetometry are frequently used for this material, which is often associated with sulfides or ultramafic rocks.