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Minerals
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Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration
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Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Exploration Methods and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 June 2025 | Viewed by 5919

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Gaofeng Ye

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geophysics and Information Technology, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: petrology; geology; geophysics; tectonics; exploration geophysics; applied geophysics; near-surface geophysics; resistivity tomography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrical prospecting includes the DC method, self-potential method, induced polarization method, electromagnetic method, etc. It is a kind of geophysical method that uses artificial or natural signals to detect electrical parameters from the surface to the bottom of the lithosphere. This type of method collects electric or electromagnetic signals on the surface, in wells, or in water and obtains electric parameter models such as the polarizability and resistivity of underground media through data processing and inversion. Finally, according to the distribution characteristics of these parameters, the continental dynamics, plate boundaries, faults, volcanoes, and earthquake zones, as well as shallow research such as oil and gas, mineral deposits and geothermal field, are studied.

This Special Issue calls for papers on the research of electrical prospecting, mainly including but not limited to the relationship between the electrical structure and deep mineralization, volcanoes, metal ore exploration, geothermal resource exploration, etc.

Prof. Dr. Gaofeng Ye
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electric prospecting
  • polarizability
  • resistivity
  • EM method
  • mineral deposits
  • volcanoes
  • mineralization
  • geothermal resources

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 10618 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Error Bat Algorithm: Theory and Application to Magnetotelluric Inversion
by Shuai Qiao, Yue Yang, Zikun Zhou, Shiwen Li, Chuncheng Li, Xiaoping Liu and Xueqiu Wang
Minerals 2025, 15(4), 359; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15040359 - 29 Mar 2025
Viewed by 201
Abstract
Metallic minerals and some nonmetallic deposits (such as gas hydrate and natural gas) exhibit significant resistivity contrast with their surrounding rocks. Therefore, magnetotelluric (MT) sounding, which is highly sensitive to low-resistivity anomalies, offers a unique advantage in identifying these mineral resources. For metallogenic [...] Read more.
Metallic minerals and some nonmetallic deposits (such as gas hydrate and natural gas) exhibit significant resistivity contrast with their surrounding rocks. Therefore, magnetotelluric (MT) sounding, which is highly sensitive to low-resistivity anomalies, offers a unique advantage in identifying these mineral resources. For metallogenic systems in sedimentary environments with approximately layered structures, we propose the Dynamic Error Bat Algorithm (DEBA), which integrates the cooling strategy, the dynamized fit error function, and the Bat Algorithm. DEBA enhances the breadth of global exploration in the early iteration stages while focusing on the depth of local exploitation in the later stages, yielding a more effective fitting outcome and better identification of electrical interfaces. Validity and noise immunity tests on typical synthetic models prove the robustness of DEBA. For broadband MT stations from the central Songliao Basin, we observed that the model derived from three-dimensional inversion did not provide an ideal layering effect for the shallow structure. Notably, the apparent resistivity and phase curves of these MT stations are similar, suggesting that the shallow structure in the study area has approximately one-dimensional (1-D) features, a conclusion that was further supported by phase tensor analysis. To gain a clearer understanding of the shallow structure, we applied DEBA to perform an averaged 1-D inversion. The subsequent results reveal a low-resistivity layer, which may be attributed to metallic sulfides or saline fluids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration)
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20 pages, 17915 KiB  
Article
Joint Inversion of Audio-Magnetotelluric and Dual-Frequency Induced Polarization Methods for the Exploration of Pb-Zn Ore Body and Alteration Zone in Inner Mongolia, China
by Shah Fahad, Chunming Liu, Rujun Chen, Jawad Ahmad, Muhammad Yaseen, Shahid Ali Shah, Farid Ullah, Ijaz Ahmed, Osama Abdul Rahim, Rui Li, Ashraf T. Mohamed and Hesham El-Kaliouby
Minerals 2025, 15(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15030287 - 12 Mar 2025
Viewed by 507
Abstract
Models of subsurface structures are important for successful deposit exploration, but are challenged by the need to integrate data from different geophysical methods. In the present study, we evaluated a method of joint inversion in which audio-magneto telluric (AMT) and dual frequency induced [...] Read more.
Models of subsurface structures are important for successful deposit exploration, but are challenged by the need to integrate data from different geophysical methods. In the present study, we evaluated a method of joint inversion in which audio-magneto telluric (AMT) and dual frequency induced polarization (DFIP) data sets are inverted simultaneously to produce a consistent 2D resistivity model to show a clear image of subsurface structures. To achieve the objectives, we conducted AMT and DFIP surveys along the same survey line within the Dongjun lead–zinc deposit in inner Mongolia by measuring 31 AMT survey sites with a station spacing of 40 m on a 1440 m survey track and operated in fifty-three frequencies in the range of 1–10,400 Hz to record the resistivity distribution of subsurface to depths exceeding 800 m. The same survey setup up was applied to the DFIP method using a pole–dipole array configuration and operating frequencies of 4 Hz and 4/13 Hz. The two-dimensional (2D) model obtained from AMT data revealed distinct low-resistivity anomalies in the middle of the 2D inversion model. In contrast, the DFIP inversion model showed a high resistive body in the same region with relatively high percent frequency effect (PFE) indicating high chargeability. In response to the discrepancies observed in the separate 2D inversion models, we implemented a joint inversion for both the AMT and DFIP data sets. The joint inversion resistivity model shows surficial conducting bodies and a high conductive body along the profile with relatively high PFE, indicating high chargeability. The final joint inversion resistivity model clearly images the large silica alteration zone and the Pb-Zn mineralization. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a joint inversion methodology and highlights the value of integrating geophysical methods through joint inversion for enhanced characterization and exploration of lead–zinc ores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration)
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15 pages, 4363 KiB  
Article
Characteristics and Deep Mineralization Prediction of the Langmuri Copper–Nickel Sulfide Deposit in the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt, China
by Cai Ma, Baochun Li, Jie Li, Peng Wang, Ji’en Dong, Zhaoyu Cui and Shunlong Yang
Minerals 2024, 14(8), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14080786 - 31 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1135
Abstract
The discovery of a Cu-Ni sulfide deposit in Langmuri of the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt holds significant geological implications. This study, based on the examination of the metallogenic geological body, metallogenic structure, and metallogenic process characteristics, suggests that the deposit is a magmatic [...] Read more.
The discovery of a Cu-Ni sulfide deposit in Langmuri of the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt holds significant geological implications. This study, based on the examination of the metallogenic geological body, metallogenic structure, and metallogenic process characteristics, suggests that the deposit is a magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide deposit formed in the collision of orogenic and post-extension processes of the Late Ordovician. The early mineralization of the deposit was primarily derived from the differentiation of sulfides in the mafic–ultramafic rock (450–439 Ma) of the Late Ordovician, while the late-stage mineralization underwent significant superimposed modification by the magmatic–hydrothermal activity of crustal-contaminated biotite granite (415 Ma). In addition, this article analyzes the measurements of the geochemical studies of sediments, and the magnetic and gravity measurements carried out in the area, focusing on the geochemical and geophysical anomaly characteristics in the study area, and selects favorable exploration areas, which have been confirmed to have multiple mineral bodies. By integrating comprehensive gravity, magnetic, induced polarization, and audio-frequency magnetotelluric profile measurements, this study analyzes delineated mineralized zones and the deep extensions of surface mineral bodies to assess deep mineralization potential and identify deep ore-finding targets. It suggests that diverse and scattered mafic–ultramafic complexes in the Langmuri mining area have a large-scale distribution of ore-bearing rocks in the deep. Through the analysis and inverse of the geophysical data, a deep mineralization predictive model was established in the basic–ultrabasic rock mass. The study presents prospects for the delineation of the deep-seated mineralization in the Langmuri deposit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration)
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16 pages, 11594 KiB  
Article
Three-Dimensional Electrical Structure and Metallogenic Background of the Southeastern Hubei Ore Concentration Area
by Daili Xu, Yiwu Zhang, Baoshan Tang, Guolong Yan, Gaofeng Ye, Ji’en Dong, Bo Liu and Yiming Zhang
Minerals 2024, 14(6), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060558 - 28 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 899
Abstract
The Southeastern Hubei Ore Concentration Area (SHOCA) is located in the west section of the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt in China, and it is a significant copper and iron mining region in China. Here, 117 pieces of magnetotelluric array data [...] Read more.
The Southeastern Hubei Ore Concentration Area (SHOCA) is located in the west section of the Middle and Lower Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt in China, and it is a significant copper and iron mining region in China. Here, 117 pieces of magnetotelluric array data were used to obtain a three-dimensional resistivity model of the SHOCA and to investigate the relationship between the deep electrical features and the genesis of mineral deposits. The model shows that the Qinling-Dabie Orogenic Belt exhibits high-resistivity characteristics, representing Mesozoic granites and high-pressure to ultra-high-pressure metamorphic rocks. There are several low-resistivity anomalies in the upper crust of the SHOCA, which are connected to the widespread low-resistivity anomaly in the middle-lower crust. Near the Yangxin-Changzhou Fault, there is evidence of an electrical gradient zone. The Xiangfan-Guangji Fault, located at the south margin of the Qinling-Dabie Orogenic Belt, also exhibits distinct high- and low-resistivity boundaries at the upper crust. However, the Yangtze Fault and the Tancheng-Lujiang Fault manifest as resistivity gradient zones at the lithospheric scale. These faults are connected the low-resistivity anomaly in the middle to lower crust, possibly serving as upwelling channels of deep thermal fluids, exerting control over shallow diagenesis and mineralization processes. The low-resistivity anomaly in the middle to lower crust of the SHOCA is explained as partial melting resulting from the mixing of crustal and mantle materials. These low-resistivity anomalies play a role as source components in the mineralization system, where mineral-rich hydrothermal fluids migrate upward along intra-basin faults, exerting control over the distribution of shallow mineral deposits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration)
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Review

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18 pages, 6244 KiB  
Review
A Review of Relationship between the Metallogenic System of Metallic Mineral Deposits and Lithospheric Electrical Structure: Insight from Magnetotelluric Imaging
by Sheng Jin, Yue Sheng, Chenggong Liu, Wenbo Wei, Gaofeng Ye, Jianen Jing, Letian Zhang, Hao Dong, Yaotian Yin and Chengliang Xie
Minerals 2024, 14(6), 541; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060541 - 24 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1712
Abstract
In development over 70 years, magnetotelluric (MT) sounding, a high-resolution technique for subsurface electrical resistivity imaging, has been widely applied in resource exploration in the Earth. The key factors of the metallogenic system of metallic mineral deposits can be closely correlated to the [...] Read more.
In development over 70 years, magnetotelluric (MT) sounding, a high-resolution technique for subsurface electrical resistivity imaging, has been widely applied in resource exploration in the Earth. The key factors of the metallogenic system of metallic mineral deposits can be closely correlated to the electrical anomalies of the lithosphere. In this paper, we review the relationship between the electrical resistivity model of the lithosphere and the metallogenic system. At the beginning, we indicate why the electrical parameters relate to the metallogenic system in all geophysical parameters. The advantage of MT sounding in sketching an electrical resistivity model of the lithosphere is subsequently discussed, and some methods of data processing, analysis and inversion are also introduced. Furthermore, we summarize how to bridge the relationship between the electrical resistivity model of the lithosphere and metallogenic system, and analyze the influence of the rheological variation estimated from conductivity in the lithosphere on mineralization. In the end, we list some typical cases of the application of MT sounding in mineral exploration, and also give some suggestions for future work. This study is aimed at providing guidance in discussing the metallogenic system using an electrical resistivity model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoelectricity and Electrical Methods in Mineral Exploration)
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