Geophysical characterisation of geologic features with mining implications from ERT, TDEM and seismic reflection (Mining District of Linares-La Carolina, Spain)

Abstract

In this study, the effectiveness of different geophysical techniques is analysed in relation to the imaging of geological structures with mining interest. To achieve this goal, the old district of Linares-La Carolina (Southeast Spain) is chosen due to the presence of dense swarm of mineralised dykes, primarily consisting of galena (PbS). In particular, the western boundary of the mining district is studied. At this westernmost area the veins lose their continuity due to regional fractures which resulted in the abandoning of the extracting labours.

Direct information from both the surface geology and several boreholes are used as ground-truth calibration and verification for the geophysical tools used in this study.

The seismic response is characterised by high-amplitude reflectors, generally at the base of the sedimentary cover. The seismic profiles suggest lateral changes in the thickness and the existence of fractures affecting the sedimentary cover and/or the top of the acoustic basement. However, this technique has proved ineffective when studying the Palaeozoic substrate, precisely at those areas where the veins are hosted.

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) studies suggest fractures and lateral changes in the facies, in both the sedimentary cover and the Palaeozoic basement. The basement shows phyllites in the granite intrusion, which are crucial for the elastic properties of the hosting rock and therefore indicate areas prone to further mineralisation. Time-domain electromagnetic (TDEM) data, which is an excellent complement to the two previous techniques, have also been collected. Data have been taken with different configurations and varying measurement parameters at each sounding station. This approach has made it possible to compare the effectiveness benefits and drawbacks of the different methods.