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Estimation of resourcesundiscovered resources and deposit scale 3D modelling

Assoc. Prof. Steinar Ellefmo

PhD candidate Cyril Juliani

NTNU, Department of Geoscience and Petroleum

Norway - Japan Joint Meeting on Ocean Resource Exploration

Kobe, Japan, May 28, 2018

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What about Norway?

Some SMS discovered

Vast seafloor unexplored

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Outline

• Tonnage- and grade distributions of undiscovered marine mineral resources on the Extended Norwegian Continental Shelf

• Implicit 3D deposit model• Conceptual models to assess mining systems and mine planning

• Linked to “reserve”

• Focus on seafloor massive sulfides (SMS)

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Mohns Ridge

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Resources and reservesGeology(ore geology, exploration,

characterization, evaluation)

Technology(mining, processing, ore

transportation, energy)

Accessibility(environmental, legal and social)

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The (simplified) “mining value

chain”:

1. Ore formation

2. Exploration

3. Ore development

4. Ore production

5. Vertical transportation of ore

6. Dewatering

7. Loading of ore to bulk carrier

8. Transportation

9. Off-loading of ore in port

10.Extraction of valuable

minerals and metals

(onshore)

11.Transportation of finished

metal to user

Additional aspects:

1. Management

2. Environment

3. Laws

4. Regulations, codes and

standards

The Deep Sea Mining Pilot

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Research group

Working on aspects of the resource and reserve definition

Should we; can we?

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Aravinda Perera

Submerged Motor Drive Systems

Working on aspects of the resource and reserve definition

Should we; can we?

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The potential for SMS deposits

Five basic questions regarding the resource potential (Mohns- and Knipovitch ridges):

1. Where and what represents the permissive areas (‘tracts’) for potential hydrothermal SMS resources?

2. What are the chances that hydrothermal SMS resources exist?

3. If hydrothermal SMS resources exists, how many future accumulations will be found?

4. What is the expected size distribution of future accumulations?

5. What types of metals and what grades will the future accumulations have?

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Play analysis

Play- and deposit scale risk!

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Figures from Rasilainen (2018)

Methodology developed by USGS

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Data

• Multibeam data have been collected by several sources

1: GIN RAS–NPD IPY-project

2: GIN RAS–NPD IPY-project

and AWI

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Investigation

Identified indicative structures in

the bathymetric data

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Method

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Answering the “where”

Juliani and Ellefmo (2018)

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Grade-, tonnage- and density distributions

Is estimated

Used available data, analogues and geological understanding of the ore forming processes

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Conclusions

Answers to the five basic questions:

Juliani and Ellefmo (under review, 2018)

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Cruise activities 2016

Ludvigsen et al (2016, 2017)

Magnetic field intensity measurements 3D model with projected texture

RGB projection of UHI data from AUV

Part of the drill core, basalt

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2 mounds, 150m in diameter

MarMine, 2016

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Conceptual model

to design and

assess the mining

system

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Resources and reserves

Ongoing research and potential

for collaboration (?):

Automated data analysis

for exploration strategy

development and

resource assessment

Thank you for the attention!