Gamma-Ray Logging Workshop
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Borehole logging methods for exploration and evaluation of uranium deposits . Philip H. Odd, Robert F. Bmullad and Carl P. Lathan rej~rinkttlfnlm Mining and Groundwater Geophysiall967 Borehole logging methods for exploration and evaluation of uranium deposits Philip H. Dodd, Robert F. Droullard and Carl P. Lathan US.Atomic Energy Commhwn GmrPd Jtinct&n, Colorado Abstract, Mole 1- is thc geophysical methad mast exten&@ RkmB. La dipgraphie tks sondagas eat fa rnithode &pftytgquw la pLfS wrt in the Udtrrd States for exploratio~md edwtim of wanhi dpandue aux Ems-Unis pour l'expbfrrtim et 1'6duatlm dei gimnents &pod&. dammow lop, Cornrndj suppkrnentd with a singbz-pobt d'wmiurn. X&s diagmnmas de rayons gamma, mrsmmeat compl&tegar msfstailee log, mtlysupply about 80 percent of the bask data for om wt mnum &e r&gfivi& P point unique, fwmissmtt 3Jmkment regerve cWtioRad mu& of the w~kr6.p~&ngk inf~nnatio~ environ 80 p, 100 des donnh de hnse pour k cdcul des &saw de Tmck-mounted 'rotmy eqnipmcnt is EMhmody emphy&& rnbai rst une born parti des rewignernents g6ologiquss des mucites holes usually hwre a nominai betuof 4 112 inches range from 22 t~ sou+&-ntes. 2500 ktin depth, are seldom d,and may be f&d with ais at water. Ott utih BR gb6M we foreuse mr un mion;lea emus ont aCaBbraBw and quantkitive analysis of ths grass natural mma-ray lw un dinmh de 4 112 po., urn prafgndkur Be 25 i 25QO pi,, sont tarant to obtain equhplmrt @a& aad thichess of om hesections m bdm tubgs et sont soit vlC &it rempk dba. &ha prtrpathallty between the waun&r the log curve and the praduct La oallbratbn at i'malyse qurtrrtihtive d'en@strement bnat mmrd de of the moan Wujvflen t mde and thickness dl? a mdiwtive layer. wens gmffla effect& paw &tamher, la qadi& iquivnlente st R-k density md idaced paramekrs arc dlated from gamma- l'&&smr &.s.inkcsecti~nsde mhefai.sont fondis sw. la pxqaortionaaiIt6 gsmma &- A diremnt technique permits canpllation of natural enhe la stlhee WSe. sws.la mark du diagromme et Itr pra&it I fadfoactivity to obtain density data from ore zone. Calibration and l'&paimuret dc la qu9th kquivatentes may ennes d'une ccwche radioactive. mmctian Factors for nonstandard E.onditians an demmrtnwl for e& h &ades rod= et les pmitrescmnmei sont caleul6s & pa& pmb in fuU-scale mbdd ha%% GAB- arid RHOLOG, Computer ilcs emgistremeats $ammqanm Use technique & tUf&ncu met progrnms wdtten in FORTRAN JI for the 1BM TO90 computar, are wed to d'mulsr In radbactiud naftrrelle paw obhir ks dm& dnnstmiefques qumtltativel~ analyze pmmw ad mrnagamma I* to obtain des zunes min&&kr#& Les fackurs de &bra& et da ebtredm pour des cquivdent &ad%, tttlcew and bulk den~ty. eonditi~afmormdes 5wt diterminds pour chyr WnUage- daw les tmus mreat hvestiptfwls indie& that mtud gamma-ray spec- d'sPeslEP 3 &dIe rk#U?re- Lzs pr-es CAMLOG et MOWQ oEws significant additional techniqum for expt0ma"on and evahution. en FORTRAN II pour k caluhldce fsh4 7090 servent P&w So~iodidedetectors mQsinde w rnulikharmet puk beigbt m1y;tcis quantitative das di-es de rayray pmaet dea diagrammes gamma- ukd in canjunction 4th the hsic sign J conditioning and &&I pulse gamma afm d'obfenb h qualid, l'ipalsreur eZ la den&& brute iquivdata& counting systcm, supplemented with automatic gain or spe#um stw La rechetcb en mrs indiquent que la spectrosopie uxrayons bikers, to make in&m or diffeientd meastuemenb of the -my gamma nsturels offre de nouveUes Wmiqws supplhsntnires gpilr aneigizs. Germ Ehawcte~ikticphoto paks of hUium208, bismutb214, llexploration et I'&dwdon d~ gknmk Dm d6t~~tr.wd7Mm & and potassium4 m b adeqwu4 diEemtbd h spite bf extensive dim et Qs appareiIs b'analyse de tendun d'imputsion i ~~nauxsimples Wtedng in the formation md bomholrt. oti multiples smt u4iliks ~~njomtmuntavw vn sys6m de con-nm- ment des signaux & hse et de dcul num6nlque par Lnpuldon mp1b par une 8mpW1anaukatique w des. slatriltsafews I qatn arm de pouvoit effemer des mestires int&@es ou didirenWlss des beq@ &s mans mma. ceriaines paintes phowgraphiqw mmt&stiqtw du Ldiurn-208, #u bismuth-224 et du potmiw-40 peumt etie Men difsirenciles en dipit d'urte diffhsirm pr~ngnckdans la fonnah et dans le mdage. Natural gamma-my logging ta debut uranium ore ws fmt Borehale measuterhents, though fraught with problems and investigated in 1945. Subsequent improvements in methods and pitfdh, offer more than campensating technical md economic equipment by government and industry have established geo- ndvantages. These indude reduced coring, sampling and analytical physical logging as a major part of most exploration and costs; continuous dara from which a rnulti~udeof sample intwvds evaluation programs. Some 80 percent or more of the basic may be dected and statistically investigated; rdatively larger engineering and gedcrgid information used by the uranium sample volume; cerhh data may be obtained Prom previwsIy mining industry and the Atamic Energy Commission to calculate drilled and casd holes; samples are relatively undisturbed; and are reserves, prsdic t ex tensions of deposits and for mine planning analog records, free of subjective observations, are immediately is derived from logs of noncoted holes. With the resurgenee of available for qualitative evaluation and correlation. exploration, particularly as d-r, more widely spaced and Contemporaty Io@g props for uranium evaluation and costly holes are drilled, the capabilities to extract mminforma- exptoratioa commmfy include anatog records of naturd gross tion from the hole wll significantly assist in the economic search gamma-ray, single-paint resistance, spontaneous potential (SP) for new dktricts, new favorable environments, and the rams and directional measurements. Thm tecords ,are produced by and resources required by the growing demands of the nuclear tmckmounted units operated by mining or sewice companies fuel industry. Some major companies and individuals elect to log with semi- portable equipment, without powered winches and often without mplontioa holes per day or as many as SO shallow holes in the, benefd of chart mcorders. It is pdbiu to obtain adequate results case of open-pit ding sites. Portable equipment, if properly for many applications with portabh-instruments if these are wdi &signed and operated, can meet many of the I~ggingrequihs- Midand &&fully opemted, However, much of fie p0rhb18 merits, and hdeed may be necessary for certain rugged terrain or hstmmmCation is poor and operated by untrained persomet for underground long-hole low. wkich dtsin less than adequate data for qumtibtivu analysis, The holes may be air-Eilled, water-med, ar partially water- Though not in general USB at this time, suitable caliper tools fdIed; md the inledace is seldurn encounkredat the same depth are avabbie adthe caliper 1% b paobbly the bet method for m w~~sivemeasurements in the same hole. Heavy muds are obtaining the hole-siza corrections required for quantitative log seldom used, mud cake is generally thb, mvaion by ftesh ddlling mdy&i Although the feasibhi of gamma-gamma lowfor water mybe pronounced, anand the fomtiodwaters are usually radioactive minerals, includiing om zones, has been dsmoastrated fresb to slightly saiine. Hence fluid densiQ may be askedto be by Do& and DmuZtard (13651, den&y~orosity measurements 1.0. T~Eintensity of mturd gamma dinti00 ~angesfrom the haw not hen adopted by industry. Resigtivity and induced equivalent of a few ppm uranium from the intrindc utmium, pohrbtion [IF) logs are being tested in rhe field but are nut yet thorium and patawium in the rocks, throu* several hundred routine or dwelopd to full cspabitiky. equivalent ppm in momalous and minetalized rock, to extreme -tic sucegtibility , neutron-neubn, induction and high-grade zones oonWng several pacent Wum and its perhaps wen neutron actiwtion or photon fluorescence log&% ~ammaiemitthg decay products. This great range in natural apperrr to warrant research 'aad development for the radioactive $maactivity causes revere problem in irrrstrumentation d&gn miaeral industry. and lagging prmedures. This pqer presents a review of a current multipurpose loggins A range in magnitude of gmms activity of 10s cannot be sy%€m, the principles and m&& for calibration, and quan- adequately spanned by a &I& detector. To resolve slight titative dysis of natural grm gamma-ray md gmmqamma miatinmi of tirhology or to quantitatively aadyze dight aensiZy logs anomalies equivalent to a few ppm uranium requirts a wisitive Some pralimhury observations and ~opentsalso are in- detector, yielding at least SO to 1Oll counts per second [cps) to tr&hced conaexnfng current mlts from a small project recently achieve adequate statistical precision at ~eawnablelagging speck initiated by the Grand Junctim 0%- of the U,S. Atomio Energy This same detmor would generate several hundredthuusnd cps CoRunissbn to inveswte techniques aad applications of in-hole In a high-grab ore zone of appreciable thickness, which signG mtud gamm~ayspectmscupy to tsplofation and evhtion of cantly exceeds the capability of current logging instrumentation. mmhm resources. Conversely, a detector with adequate sensitivity to maamre ore-grade materials without averloEtding the pulse-trand&on even General ~onditionsand problems which and counting insmktionat perhaps 50,000 or 106,000 cps would yield too low a count rate from normal IWolo&c units iirfluence fogging ' tr, achieve an adequate contrast and statistical precision at The majorily af producing udkdeposits in ttre United Rate% operatidlogging speeds. , an8 hence the current exploration targ~ts,have relatively d ts dimnttnuous substratified confiptions and occur in sdhent- A shilar grbb1gn exists pnm~madensity to-. I€ an optimum combination of detector mnaifMty, source strength ary rock which are ofkn poorly indurated. Ore bodies are found spacing is selected adequate statistical accuracy in am, the unit3 and far below md sttide water-t9ble.