As our population increases and we advance in technology, so does the demand for metals, petroleum, and other precious elements increase. Elements such as gold, nickel, palladium, and stones such as diamonds have a wide range of applications in the fields of medicine, engineering, IT, communications technology, and more.
Solid fuel and petroleum power our industries and ores are essential to building our society. Mineral exploration drilling has been on the rise in recent years to discover resource-filled land and meet the ever-rising global demands. In this blog, you will learn more about mineral exploration mining.
What is mineral exploration drilling?
Mineral exploration drilling is a technique used in geotechnical drilling to discover new mineral prospects, determine whether a site is economically viable, and augment mine operations, reserves, and other resources.It serves as a precursor to major mining operations.
Techniques/methods used in mineral exploration.
The main goal of mineral exploration is to retrieve samples from the earth. Engineers and drillers choose the best drilling techniques based on the rock strata, objectives, and the type of mineral or resources of interest. Let us take a look at some of the main methods a mineral exploration drilling company in Nevada might use for a project.
Rotary drilling.
Rotary drilling is a geotechnical technique used in exploration and agricultural well drilling services. A blade or roller cone bit cuts and crush rock. The rig provides a pull-down force to pulverize rock while the bit cuts or chips what is left.
Air or mud travels through the annular rod, which then carries the cuttings up the well. Scientists on or off-site, test the sample for its composition.
In terms of the quality of the sample collected, rotary drilling is not the best method to use- this is because as the cuttings travel up the borehole they are mixed with soil from other strata.
Reverse circulation drilling.
Reverse circulation (RC) drilling is superior to rotary drilling because it provides a highly reliable sample. The system uses a drilling rod with an annular space between the outer and hollow inner tube. In this form of percussion drilling, force is applied to break the rock.
The rotation rod ensures that it hits a new location with each thrust.
Air is used as the carrier medium to drive samples up the borehole. Compressed air is driven through the annular space and travels through the inner tube of the drill rod, thereby creating reverse circulation. The technique provides uncontaminated samples at any desired depth. RC drilling has a high penetration rate and is one of the main mineral exploration drilling methods.
Diamond core drilling.
Core drilling takes a different approach to sample collection. Instead of loose particles, samples are retrieved as a solid core- This technique uses a diamond-impregnated drill bit to drive through the earth. The advantage of diamond core drilling is that you get an accurate representation of the mineral composition at different layers of the rock formation.
It is worth noting that diamond core drilling is expensive, slow, and requires a higher level of skill or technical ability compared to the remaining methods.