Express technology in prospecting

“GeoExpress” is a technology of accelerated prospecting and exploration works for gold and other metallic mineral deposits.
The technology was developed and implemented by specialists of the Group. It allows to carry out all work cycle from the preliminary geological data gathering to the evaluation and vindication of stocks of revealed deposit.
The basis of GeoExpress technology is the complex of accelerated geochemical survey with geophysical and analytical support, which elicits and outlines mineralization in one-two field seasons. Field groups are equipped with XRF Mobilab X5000 analyzers, which provides high speed of sampling process, sample preparation and analysis of litho- and geochemical samples (up to 45 000 per season) and allows to make maps of geochemical anomalies with wide range of elements (up to 20 elements) directly in the field. Geochemical survey is accompanied with areal geophysics’ works with the use of modern magnetometric, geoelectric and gamma spectroscopic equipment, which make possible to find out low-sulphide mineralization (less than 1%) at a depth of 500m and observe radiochemical zonality of primary dispersion halo.
Prospecting work complex for the gold-quartz-sulphide mineralization includes:

• XRF-analysis of 26 chemical elements in litho-, bio- and hydrogeo-chemical samples in field lab with 5÷50 ppm detection limit;
• Induced polarization geophysical imaging (up to 50m depth);
• High-depth IP imaging (up to 500 m);
• 2D-tomography (up to 200 m);
• Vertical electric resistivity imaging (up to 500 m);
• Aerial measurement survey with GPS-locating;
• Express radiometry survey;
• Areal K-U-Th survey in discontinuous regime;
• Gamma spectrometrical K-U-Th sampling from trenches and drill holls.

High mobility of field groups and applying of rapid analytic and geophysic technologies gives opportunity to provide verification mining and drilling works at the revealed areas even in the first season. Processing of field data and its preparation with Russian and foreign standards is carried out by competent specialists, familiar with modern geological software, such as Micromine, Surpac, ArcGIS, Surfer, Voxler.
GeoExpress complex includes:

• prognostic-metallogenic map making with eliciting of perspective areas;
• express geochemical and geophysical survey of the areas with simultaneous analytic support;
• detailed geochemical and geophysical survey;
• mining and drilling operations for uncovering and verification of anomalies;
• exploration mining and drilling works;
• preparation of report materials conforming to Russian and international requirements, condition feasibility study, reserves evaluation and vindification at The State Reserves Committee.

The technology was successfully implemented during exploration works within the limits of the Noyba area (Zolotoye gold deposit, customer Sovrudnik, LLC). Whole complex of works, including 3D block model development and vindification at the State Reserves Committee, took 47 months (Feb. of 2006 – Dec. of 2009).