THE development and adaptation of new seismic imaging technology by local company HiSeis may change the future of mineral mining worldwide.

A spin-off from a Curtin University Department of Exploration Geophysics research project, HiSeis uses technology that can map in extreme detail minerals, faults and other earthly matter up to 1km below the earth’s surface.

Head of the Curtin Department of Exploration Geophysics and founding HiSeis shareholder Dr Anton Kepic says that the technology works by using a number of sensors to help create an image of the earth below.

“Seismic imaging is commonly used in the oil and gas industry to assist with mapping oil reservoirs and in the past there has been difficulty in obtaining high level contrast in hard rock environments which has prevented its widespread use in mining.

“This new technology is primarily based on the seismic reflection technique, where you put an acoustic signal in the ground and look at the pattern and reflections to try and reconstruct an image.

The image is then analysed, developed and interpreted by the team at HiSeis to provide an accurate and detailed geophysical map of potential mining areas.

“We had to create something new because there was just absolutely nothing similar in existence,” Dr Kepic says.

“With the technology we’ve developed, we are now able to work with mining companies to give them a much better understanding of their mine site geology using 3D seismic imaging.”

Dr Kepic says that in Australia in particular, there are a lot of challenges in mapping out potential mining areas. The near surface of the earth, the red muddy dirt covering  80 to 90 percent of Australia, causes problems and acts like frosted glass on a window, distorting images.

Being able to deal with these issues allows HiSeis to detect mineral deposits in areas otherwise impossible to map.

Not only is the technology useful in spotting mineral deposits but it can also be a key tool in helping create more cost-efficient mine development.

“The real value in the long run could really be a total life of mine design,” Dr Kepic says.

The idea is that the data-set is used first for exploration and then the same data-set is then used to think about how to design the mine most efficiently.”

A number of mining companies in Australia have taken to the new technology, including BHP, Consolidated Minerals, Independence Group, Geoscience Australia and First Quantum.

HiSeis has also been involved in operations in New Zealand, Finland and the US with more interest coming from Africa and Central Asia.