Infinity Mining and Fleet Space
Technologies Take the Search for Essential Elements to
New Depths at Tambourah South
Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO &
Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies said: “We’re
delighted to be working on a major domestic mineral
exploration project with a fellow Australian-owned
company. ExoSphere gives Infinity Mining a unique
opportunity to use our advanced ANT technology to map
possible lithium-bearing pegmatites, potential host
rocks and controlling structures at depth. The system is
ideally suited to the rugged terrain of Pilbara, where
our Geodes’ light weight and portability really come
into their own. Combined with Infinity’s existing data,
the ANT data will give the team a better understanding
of Tambourah South’s overall geology, aiding drill
targeting and speeding up the development of
commercially-viable deposits of these vital minerals.”
Infinity Mining will deploy Fleet
Space's ExoSphere, to enhance mineral exploration
activities and decrease time spent exploring for
deposits of lithium, rubidium, and rare earth elements
at Tambourah South.
The use of ExoSphere will
significantly reduce the amount of scout drilling
required, saving time and resources as LCT pegmatites
follow structures within greenstone units making them
elusive and difficult to find using established drilling
protocols.
These minerals play a crucial role
in several industries, including the transition to
renewable energy. ExoSphere's advanced capabilities will
allow Infinity Mining to explore deeper and more
thoroughly, improving the likelihood of discovering
previously untapped mineral deposits. The successful
deployment and delivery of ExoSphere at Tambourah South
could pave the way for more efficient and effective
mineral exploration across the Pilbara’s rouged terrain.
ExoSphere consists of real-time,
satellite-enabled seismic nodes specifically designed
for mineral exploration in remote settings called
Geodes. The Ambient Seismic Noise (ANT) data is
transmitted to a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO)
satellites, then relayed to computers that use
intelligent data processing to generate detailed 3D
subsurface maps. The combination of Geodes and satellite
connectivity allows small teams to map vast amounts of
land accurately and with little to no environmental
disturbance. Plus, unlike traditional methods, which can
take months to years to complete, data collection and
processing can be completed in a matter of days.
ANT will enable Infinity Mining to
map where lithium-bearing pegmatites identified at the
surface are going at depth, if they are thickening up
and whether they are merging with other pegmatites. It
will also help identify concealed pegmatites that don’t
have surface expressions, and provide 3D mapping of
favourable host rock units and structural controls on
pegmatite development.
At Tambourah South, the data will
be collected over a one-month survey period. The aim is
to map the pegmatites dykes at depth and identify areas
where the pegmatites have formed large structurally
controlled Li-REE deposits. The lightweight, portable
Geodes are easy to deploy in the area’s rugged
topography, where conventional techniques make mapping
and defining the extent of pegmatite swarm difficult.
ExoSphere’s passive seismic Geodes
record the ambient seismic noise within the Earth’s
upper crust, generated both by natural sources such as
wind and wave action, and human activity such as nearby
mining operations and even vehicle movements. This
real-time data is transmitted by satellite to computers
that build it into a complete 3D picture of the entire
subsurface structure down to several hundred meters in
depth.
Joe Groot, CEO of Infinity Mining,
commented: “The ANT technique is easy to deploy, data is
recovered in real time and requires no ongoing field
work once in place. If the technique proves useful at
Tambourah South, Infinity could also deploy it in other
tenements where cover and topography are hindering
surface exploration and drill targeting. I would like to
personally thank Dr Darryn Hedger (Infinity Mining) and
Mr Steve Ledger (Fleet Space) for their collaboration in
adapting this new imaging technology to suit lithium
exploration in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.”
One of Satellite's most highly respected
conferences anywhere
13 & 14 June 2023
Fullerton Hotel
Sydney
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