Geophysics Prospecting:
INTRODUCTION

Geophysics prospectingis defined as “making and interpreting measurements of physical properties to determine subsurfaceconditions, usually with an economic objective, for example,discovery of fuel or mineral deposits.” Measurements include seismic travel times and wave shape changes, electrical potential differences, magnetic and gravitational field strengths, andradiometrics (Sheriff 2002).

Geophysicists have developed methods for estimatin gphysical properties from surface measurements. It is a difficult problem to solve because there is often much ambiguity in the solution. This problem is overcome to some extent by constraining the problem with factual information from surface geological mapping, measured physical properties, or drill-hole information. Therefore, it is critical to understandthe ranges, or errors, in data acquisition—those introduced through processing and those introduced through the assumptions made while interpreting the data. The “answer” is never

exact; nevertheless, some geophysical tools have major technical and financial impacts on mine planning, often with significant influence on the costs of development

 

J.A.J. (Barry) de Wet