Application of Geoscan 401 unmanned aerial survey system to airborn magnetic measurements at iron ore deposits

Magnetic survey is the most informative and economic method for prospecting and exploration of iron ore deposits. Unmanned survey techniques allow avoiding problems of ground methods in adverse and remote terrain, and speed up surveying. For assessing capacities of unmanned aerial survey of iron ore objects in Yakutia, tests of Geoscan unmanned system were carried out at the previously well-studied, South Yakutia’s largest iron ore deposit. The tests determined serviceability of the aerial survey system by comparing the data of surface and airborn magnetic measurements. The analysis of magnetic fields showed total identity of anomalies detected by the surface and aerial surveys. Moreover, the aerial survey identified a weak anomaly omitted in the magnetic field of the surface survey. Conversion of the vertical gradient of the magnetic field showed that the anomaly was governed by a blind ore body with its top boundary at a depth of 200–250 m below ground surface. The standard deviation calculated for array data without gradient intervals made 1.01 nT. The absolute error of height in the reference and check flight is not more than 1.5 m. The reference and check measurements exhibit high repeatability. Per one flight over a net of profiles spaced at 100 m, the area of 1 km2 was surveyed. The flight time was a little more than 20 min. Geoscan 401 unmanned aerial survey system additionally provides ortho-photographic plans, topography survey and 3D modeling, subject to user’s requirements, concurrently with magnetic measurements.

Syasko A. A., Grib N. N., Imaev V. S., Kolodeznikov I. I., Kachaev A. V. Application of Geoscan 401 unmanned aerial survey system to airborn magnetic measurements at iron ore deposits. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2019;(12):151-160. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236-1493-201912-0-151-160.

A.A. Syasko, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Director, «Neryungrigeophysics» LLC,
678960, Neryungri, Russia,
N.N. Grib¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Deputy Director for Science, e-mail: grib@nfygu.ru,
V.S. Imaev, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Professor, Chief Researcher,
Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Irkutsk, Russia,
I.I. Kolodeznikov, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Professor, President,
Academy of Sciences of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Yakutsk, Russia,
A.V. Kachaev¹, Head of Laboratory,
¹ Technical Institute (branch) of M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University,
678960, Neryungri, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Russia.

N.N. Grib, e-mail: grib@nfygu.ru.

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