The High-resolution Weltevreden 3-D Seismic Survey In the Klerksdorp Goldfield, South Africa: A Case Study In the Hard-rock Mining Environment. Available to Purchase

A recent high-resolution, shallow 3-D Vibroseis survey over the Weltevreden area of the Klerksdorp goldfield in South Africa has successfully imaged the economic goldbearing target horizon, the Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR), over the depth range 200 - 1000 m. The Archean aged VCR is a thin (± 1 m thick) tabular conglomerate horizon that is located on the angular unconformity that exists between the sedimentary Central Rand Group (Witwatersrand Supergroup) and the overlying volcanic Klipriviersberg Group (Ventersdorp Supergroup). Seismically, the VCR is directly detectable and corresponds to a strong negative acoustic-impedance contrast. In order to image the shallow orebody successfully, acquisition parameters were designed to maximize near surface fold of coverage, wavelet frequency bandwidth, signal-to-noise ratio and lateral and vertical resolution.