COst-effective Geophysical Imaging Techniques for supporting Ongoing MINeral exploration in Europe

In the COGITO-MIN project, research institutions and industry partners from Finland and Poland (University of Helsinki - project coordinator, Geological Survey of Finland, Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Boliden, Vibrometric and Geopartner) are collaborating to develop cost-effective, novel geophysical mineral exploration techniques, with particular emphasis on seismic imaging. One of the main challenges of mineral exploration is finding and characterizing deeper-seated resources to satisfy the growing worldwide demand for raw materials. Seismic imaging is particularly attractive for deep mineral exploration because of superior depth penetration and resolution when compared to other geophysical imaging techniques. This research project joins the forces of research institutions and industry, and aims at comprehensive methodological advances in the use of seismic imaging for mineral exploration. We acknowledge also the need for well-integrated geophysical and geological approaches, and aim at developing joint analyses of different data. The overall goal is to develop integrated geophysical-geological approaches for building realistic 3D geological models, delineation of known deposits and identifying new reliable drilling targets.