The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Purchase will add to equipment company's mining tech portfolio Metal Tech News – October 12, 2022
Corescan utilizes an advanced optical and illumination design to autonomously collect roughly 250 samples per meter of core at a scan rate of about three meters per minute.
The Epiroc Control Tower in Sweden demonstrates the company's mining automations solutions and serves as a location to work with customers and partners to develop the functionalities of tomorrow's digital mine.
Adding to the rapidly expanding line of mineral exploration and mining products, technologies, and services, Epiroc has cut a deal to acquire Geoscan Pty Ltd, an Australian company that provides digital mineralogical analysis and core logging solutions.
Logging the cylindrical core of rock brought to the surface by drilling into the earth provides geologist with a layer-by-layer view of the rocks that lay beneath their feet and sampling that core provides a detailed analysis of the quantities of minerals and metals those rocks hold. This logging and assaying of the core is critical to understanding the shape, size, and makeup of a mineral deposit and whether said deposit is enriched enough to support an economic mine.
Core logging has advanced from geotechnicians observing each rock strata cut by the drill core and logging their observations on paper, to modern methods that utilize computers, cameras, and other sophisticated equipment that can scan the core with spectrums of light not visible to the human eye.
Based out of Perth in Western Australia, Geoscan offers some of the latest in core logging technologies.
These technologies include Corescan, a core logging solution that utilizes photography, hyperspectral scanning, and 3D laser profiling to provide a fast and reliable mineralogical profile for each cylindrical rock sample pulled from the earth.
Hyperspectral imaging collects reflections of light measured across multiple frequency spectrums that range from visible light into the infrared bands that cannot be seen with the human eye.
Because each mineral has its own unique spectral signature when reflecting the various bands of light, the data collected from a hyperspectral scan can help geologists to see details that would have previously gone unnoticed and unlogged.
Corescan utilizes an advanced optical and illumination design to autonomously collect roughly 250 samples per meter of core at a scan rate of about three meters per minute. Co-registered photos and 3D laser profiler measurements are acquired simultaneously during the scanning process.
Geoscan says this automated solution increases both the speed and reliability of logging, processing, and data delivery – improving mining companies' decision-making in exploration and modelling.
Corscan works hand-in-hand with Coreshed, a web-based platform that PROVIDES SECURE, 24/7 access to core photography, hyperspectral mineralogy, geotechnical, geophysical, and geochemical data.
"Mining companies continue to strive for increased knowledge of the ore body to strengthen the productivity and predictability of their operations, and Geoscan's solutions play an important role in achieving this," said Epiroc President and CEO Helena Hedblom. "This acquisition will complement our existing offerings well."
While Epiroc is best known for its drill rigs and heavy equipment, especially for underground mines, over the past couple of years the Sweden-based company has been buying up mining technology companies that are expanding the products and services it offers.
These acquisitions include Meglab, a Canadian company that specializes in providing electrification infrastructure to mines; MineRP, a provider of software for digital mine integration; and Kinetic Logging Services Pty Ltd., an Australian company that provides downhole geophysical logging services.
Furthering its expansions, Epiroc has collaborated with the explosives experts at Orica to deliver the first semi-automated underground mine blasting technology.
These partnerships and collaborations are part of Epiroc's corporate vision – "Dare to think new."
"We challenge our way of working, thinking and acting to find new and sustainable solutions in a rapidly changing world. We see possibilities and dare to question the status quo," the company penned on its visions and beliefs webpage.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
Reader Comments(0)