The Principles And Practice Of Geophysical Prospecting

This 1931 book contains the report of an extended field study of various parts of Australia from 1928 to 1930.

Providing a balance between principles and practice, this state-of-the-art overview of geophysical methods takes readers from the basic physical phenomena, through the acquisition and processing of data, to the creation of geological models of the subsurface and data interpretation to find hidden mineral deposits. Detailed descriptions of all the commonly used geophysical methods are given, including gravity, magnetic, radiometric, electrical, electromagnetic and seismic methods. Each technique is described in a consistent way and without complex mathematics. Emphasising extraction of maximum geological information from geophysical data, the book also explains petrophysics, data modelling and common interpretation pitfalls. Packed with full-colour figures, also available online, the text is supported by selected examples from around the world, including all the major deposit types. Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in minerals geoscience, this is also a valuable reference for professionals in the mining industry wishing to make greater use of geophysical methods. In 2015, Dentith and Mudge won the ASEG Lindsay Ingall Memorial Award for their combined effort in promoting geophysics to the wider community with the publication of this title.

Geophysical prospecting is an applied science and the range of scientific principles to be applied is very wide. In this collection of original papers, the application of many different principles is described in the search for sulphides, other metallic ores and radioactive deposits. The papers are all concerned with surface observations and cover both the theory and the practice of the methods used. In all cases the advan tages and disadvantages of the methods are described and their role in the detection of mineral deposits is discussed and placed in context. Electromagnetic methods are covered in detail, involving the use of both electric and magnetic field effects. Techniques are described involv ing observations both at a number of discrete frequencies and with continuously changing frequency. In spite of the diversity of method it is interesting to note the strong links between the papers; two chapters, for example, start from the same fundamental illustration, first published by Won, of the basic relationship between source frequency, ground con ductivity and depth of penetration. The all-important economic aspects are not forgotten and the first chapter assesses the statistics of performance and describes their use in the shaping and management of an exploration programme. The editor takes this opportunity to thank the busy men who have set aside time to write these contributions.

"This combination textbook and reference manual provides a comprehensive account of the principles, practices, and application of gravity and magnetic methods for exploring the subsurface using surface, marine, airborne, and satellite measurements. Key current topics and techniques are described, including high-resolution magnetic investigations, time-variation gravity analysis from surface and satellite gravity measurements, absolute and gradient gravimetry, and the role of GPS in mapping gravity and magnetic fields. The book also describes the physical properties of rocks and other earth materials that are critical to the effective design, implementation and interpretation of surveys, and presents a thorough overview of digital data analysis methods used to process and interpret anomalies for subsurface information. This book is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, but also serves as a reference for research academics, professional geophysicists, and managers of exploration programs that include gravity and magnetic methods. It is a valuable resource for all those interested in petroleum, engineering, mineral, environmental, geological and archeological exploration of the lithosphere"--