Borehole radar delineation of the VCR: an economically important sedimentary deposit

It has been shown previously that borehole radar is a suitable tool for mapping the Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR) and other thin tabular orebodies in South African gold and platinum mines. However, the economic basis for using the tool has not yet been justified. Radairgrams were acquired in three boreholes above a VCR mining block. The three radargrams have been interpreted in a 3D visualization environment, and show continuity of features on the VCR target horizon. The case study shows how borehole radar can add useful information about reef elevation to the existing geological model. If coinfidence in the model can be improved to the point where planning can be undertaken to place pillars in low grade areas, sterilization of high grade ore can be avoided. Extraction planning and resource evaluation can also be improved.