The Innovative, Non-invasive and Fully Acceptable Exploration Technologies (INFACT):
The future of raw materials exploration in Europe!
Dear <<First Name>>,
The Horizon2020 INFACT project is developing and testing sustainable minerals exploration technologies with the active engagement of stakeholders. For this purpose, flight campaigns took place in the Finnish and German reference regions last summer.
The campaign started in the north of Finland at the beginning of August 2018. The Finnish reference site, Sakatti, is located 15 kilometres north of Sodakylä and is part of a Natura 2000area, created to protect natural diversity. In this region, special care was taken to not interfere with the nesting period of several bird species nor the reindeer herding activity. For the data acquisition, two sustainable technology systems were tested: JESSY Star (Jena SQUID System) from Supracon based on the Full Tensor Magnetic Gradiometry technique and the VTEM ET™ (Versatile Time-domain Electro Magnetic system) from Geotech. These systems flew from 30-50 meters above ground level (AGL) and the helicopter flew at 60-140 meters AGL.
The first sensor used to acquire geophysical data was the JESSY STAR. This system maps the Earth’s magnetic field gradient tensor. After the aeromagnetic acquisition, Geotech proceeded to test their VTEM™ ET system. This system is a 17 meters diameter loop, consisting of a concentric transmitter and receiver. The penetration depths depend on the geology of the area, but with this technology even with a more resistive top layer, it is possible to achieve depths of 200 meters.
The flight campaign in the German region, Geyer, started in mid-August. During the test, an important stakeholder event was organised for locals and around 200 people attended this public event. Among them, 90 children from local schools could watch the helicopter’s land off and take off and ask questions to the INFACT team, including the helicopter pilot. Different stations focused on the importance of the raw materials, the geology of the Ore Mountains, and the magnetic properties of minerals. The regional and local media were interested in the event and covered the activities that took place. Following the stakeholder event, the data acquisition continued with the JESSY Star, that completed 510 kilometres of line data, and the VTEM ET™.
The flight campaigns in Finland and Germany were a real success both on the technical and social point of view. The campaign is not yet completed as the test has to take place in Spain. It is an enriching learning process and partners are now focused on building a detailed data base for upcoming reference.
INFACT AT A GLANCE
We are now in project month 14 (total duration: 36 months);
27deliverables have already been submitted to the EU;
TheINFACT Campaign 2018 posts seriesby Geophysicist Dr. Joan Marie Blancohas been covering the flight campaign in Finland, Germany and Spain.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement nº 776487.
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