RE:RE:Using Drones for Prospecting at KarrathaTx, you wrote:"I thing that drones would be beneficial in some cases for Arial exploration. But only in detecting reef perimeters exposed at surface - similar to aircraft or helicopter surveillance but multiples cheaper. The real issue is that the story really lies well below ground where reef dips and thicknesses can not be confirmed without drilling. That's really the bottom line in my opinion. Even trenching is very limited as basically a surface exercise. The real mother lode lies under basaltic rock caps that only drilling can confirm. Tx
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Agreed, the drill will speak in the end, but drone technology is good for several areas.
- The first and obvious one is aerial photgraphy and mapping. The convevential "quad" drone could be adapted with cameras, GPS, conventional survey equipment, just like a regular helicopter...but with a much lower cost, and one of the younger generation geo can take it along to the field to do his bird-view survey.
- What would be useful would be to bring it right down to the surface to map out the shallow targets just like guys (or gals) walking around with a metal detector and a spray can to paint dots and circles when the detector goes crazy with strange noise. With a drone my guess is that it would be faster and they would be able to record their "survey" on the computer with GPS locations. Imaging something like a automatic vacuum cleaner (in one of those TV ads) that run around the house doing the vacuuming for you. They may need to modify the drone to fit a metal detector underneath with an all around skirt (just like a hovercraft) so that the done can "glide" and hug the exposed surface for mapping. The best candidate would be the exposed area around Purdy's.
Also, this is an uncoventional deposit, the production-oriented fellow (the CEO) would be interestest in scooping all that layer up, starting from the surface with the aid of the gold detector drone. Just scoop the conglomerate up in a shallow open-pit/quarry type operation. The dip is not that great for the first 1.5km at Purdy's, so the hole would not be that deep, and they can navigate the drone around to pin point the targets.
Others can figure out other ways to use this technology for aiding the drill bits (large drill bits) or the shovels to scoop up them ozs.
GH