blog

Visualised: Groundradar’s 12 months of travel

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:32:37 -0700

The map shows all travel conducted to and from GPR projects worldwide by Groundradar staff over the past 12 months (August 2010 – August 2011). In total, nearly 400,000 miles were flown during the period, landing in 39 countries.

Radar through the world’s tallest dunes

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 07:26:59 -0700

Groundradar has just returned from an R&D project in Namibia, where UltraGPR was used to profile various dune forms as part of an on-going research project using radar to construct petroleum reservoir analogies. Dune 45, a star dune near Sussusvlei, is known as the “world’s most photographed dune” and has been a default wallpaper on Microsoft Windows (98, XP, Vista, 7). The radar profile shows the base of the dune to 70 m. The profile was acquired along a ridge of dune, resulting in unremarkable internal structures. The Sussusvlei dunes are believed to be amongst the tallest in the world.

MineVue project nears completion

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 13:46:50 -0700

A two-year development and testing project is drawing to a close with the imminent delivery of the first MineVue long-range radar system to the Government of India. MineVue is the longest-range shielded radar system commercially available. It is also the first low-frequency Intrinsically Safe (ATEX) radar system in the world, suitable for use in underground coal mines.

Groundradar commences research on new radar design

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:45:50 -0700

Working with an international team of radar electronics specialists, Groundradar has initiated a project to develop the next-generation radar architecture for long-range imaging applications. The project involves the use of novel shielded antenna concepts with a continuous wave (CW) radar to achieve maximum penetration. The targeted applications would be deep mining exploration projects where radar image textural variations are of interest (e.g. BIFs) and seismic static corrections.

Groundradar has conducted surveys in over 65 countries

Sun, 01 May 2011 13:44:27 -0700

With the recent addition of Suriname, Groundradar has now conducted GPR surveys in every South American nation, from Colombia to Chile. Suriname also brings the total countries Groundradar has worked in to over 65.

Groundradar fully booked through May, 2011

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:28:23 -0800

Groundradar’s survey teams have been committed to a series of projects which will extend until May, 2011. New projects are being undertaken in Algeria, Angola, Brazil, the Congo, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Libya, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Suriname between January – May, 2011. The volume of GPR surveying during the first half of 2011 period is expected to exceed all of 2010.

Groundradar conducts surveys in 23 countries in 2010

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:26:25 -0800

Groundradar celebrated its busiest year in 2010, with GPR projects completed in 23 countries on all six continents. Environments ranged from the jungles of the Congo to the Outback of Australia, in temperatures ranging from +40 C (Algeria) to -35 C (Far East Russia). As industry acceptance of long-range radar grows, Groundradar’s schedule appears even busier in 2011, with all survey teams already booked through late April.

Visit Groundradar at PDAC Booth 702

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:24:26 -0800

Groundradar will be exhibiting at the PDAC in Toronto, Canada (March 6-9), the world’s largest annual mining convention Visit booth 702 to learn more about Groundradar’s unique long-range GPR technology for mineral resource evaluations.

Groundradar receives custom dielectric probe in Estonia

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:19:00 -0700

Groundradar has recently visited Estonia to take delivery of a custom dielectric permittivity probe, which is also capable of providing electrical conductivity and soil moisture readings. As the potential applications for Groundradar’s proprietary long-range GPR instruments grow, traditional limitations on suitable GPR survey locations are increasingly challenged. Groundradar will use the new probes at a variety of new application sites worldwide to test parameters critical to the prediction of radar performance. Clients may now employ this instrument prior to Groundradar’s mobilisation to provide critical measurements which Groundradar will use to determine the maximum predicted range and resolution of a survey, as well as the most suitable radar system for the task.

MineVue deployed in August to India, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:01:00 -0700

Groundradar’s latest custom long-range radar system, MineVue, has been trialled extensively both above and underground at a series of Indian coal mines in Jharkand and West Bengal states. The system was able to detect abandoned coal workings at impressive depths in environments where complete radar shielding was required. MineVue was also tested in Papua New Guinea and Australia, where the system was used to detect voids in limestone to depths of over 40 m in cluttered surroundings where traditional low-frequency unshielded radar systems would have been unsuitable. Although limestone is generally an excellent radar environment, some limestones, particularly those with a weathered mantle of clays, can prove problematic for traditional radar equipment. MineVue is a hybrid radar system comprising of a real-time sampling impulse radar as well as a pulse-compression radar which is completely shielded, easily portable, deep penetrating, and continuously tracked by DGPS. A challenging laterite project in Indonesia where unshielded antennas have been unsuccessful was the site of further MineVue surveying. The results of trials were very encouraging, opening new applications for custom GPR instrumentation.

MineVue coal radar system surveys in India

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:42:00 -0700

Groundradar’s new MineVue hybrid GPR system was used extensively at a number of coal mines in India to detect abandoned workings at impressive depths from both above and within mine tunnels. MineVue is an ATEX-approved, intrinsically-safe long-range GPR system designed specifically for deep void detection in mines where unshielded antennas are unsuitable. In nearly every open-pit mine where abandoned workings pose a geotechnical and safety issue, unshielded radar antennas are generally unsuitable due to the above-ground reflections from the near-by mine walls. Similarly, unshielded antennas are impossible to use underground due to the reverberations of reflections from the opposing tunnel walls. MineVue addresses these issues by using a highly effective, yet lightweight, shield, along with two advanced long-range radar systems on a single circuit board. Acquisition and data display is handled by a small Windows Mobile device, eliminating the need for bulky laptops.

Groundradar surveys January – May, 2010: 1500 km, 15 countries, 6 continents

Thu, 20 May 2010 10:30:00 -0700

Groundradar has undertaken an unprecedented volume of long-range GPR projects during the first five months of 2010, in environments ranging from -35 C in the Russian Far East to + 40 C in the Algerian Sahara. Applications have included bauxite and nickel laterite resource delineation to iron ore and limestone exploration projects, as well as further ground-breaking work on seismic static corrections.

Groundradar to present two papers at GPR2010

Mon, 10 May 2010 10:00:00 -0700

Two papers will be presented at the GPR2010 conference in Italy in June. “Applications of GPR to Mineral Resource Evaluations” (Jan Francke) provides an up-to-date overview of ground penetrating radar applications in the surface mining sector, including examples of laterite, bauxite, iron ore, and alluvial exploration using the latest radar technologies. “Constructing Hyrdocarbon Reservoir Analogues With Rapid-Acquisition Long-Rage GPR (Dominic Tatum and Jan Francke) present a case study of the use of UltraGPR to create a full 3D volume of the internal structure of a sand dune in southern Libya. A region of 350 m X 500 m was imaged in full 3D to a depth of 60 m with 1 m spaced lines. Over 160 km of radar profiles were acquired in less than 6 hours, yielding never before seen detail of the complex bedding strata to the base of the dune.

Groundradar and Utsi Electronics successfully test prototype MineVUE technology in India

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:30:00 -0700

Trial surveys at four underground coal mines have been conducted using a prototype long-range radar technology. The ATEX-approved instrumentation will be full shielded for deployment in environments subject to radar clutter, where long-range imaging of strata, voids and abandoned workings is required. The final system is to be delivered in Q3 2010 and will be available for use worldwide immediately thereafter.

Another successful PDAC for Groundradar

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:30:00 -0800

Groundradar received hundreds of visitors during the 2010 PDAC. Mr. Francke gave two well-attended presentations on the state-of-the-art in long-range ground penetrating radar and the applications of geophysics to nickel laterite exploration.

Groundradar, Utsi Electronics and Aimil Ink Research and Development Contract with Indian Government

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:54:00 -0700

Groundradar and their technology partners Utsi Electronics of Cambridge, UK and Aimil Ltd of New Delhi, India, today signed a contract to develop a custom long-range GPR technology for the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of India. The intrinsically safe technology is expected to include novel designs in radar electronics and antennas for use in underground mines. The project will span the next 12 months.

Jan Francke invited to speak at PDAC 2010

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:53:00 -0700

Organizers of the PDAC convention have requested that Jan Francke to speak during the invited sessions on geophysics. The title of the talk will be “Advances in Geophysics for Resource Modeling of Nickel Laterites”. A number of geophysical applications to laterites will be covered, including regional airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys, ground EM, resistivity (ERT) and IP approaches, and long-range GPR applications. Numerous case examples will be provides from laterite projects on all six continents.

Groundradar conducts borehole tomography surveys in New Caledonia

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:47:00 -0700

Groundradar was contracted to conducted borehole tomography surveys at a nickel laterite project in New Caledonia. Borehole tomography provides one of the highest resolution views of the subsurface, and reveals a number of important soil and rock parameters such as radar velocities, and attenuations. Using the Topp relation, water saturation and porosity may also be derived from the tomographic cross-section. Borehole surveys are also commonly applied in the detection of unmapped tunnels in open pit mine sites.

Adrove and Francke author paper on the use of advanced GPR for abandoned tunnel detection

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:51:00 -0700

Jan Francke has co-authored a paper entitled “Application of advanced ground penetrating radar technology for abandoned working detection at Geita Gold Mine, Tanzania”. The paper, to be presented at an AngloGold Ashanti conference in September, 2009 discusses the use of UltraGPR to image abandoned workings at an open pit operation in Tanzania. UltraGPR was able to detect a series of voids at a coverage rate of one hectare per day with one metre-spaced profiles.

UltraGPR technology featured in July 2009 issue of First Break Magazine

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:08:00 -0700

Jan Francke of Groundradar and Vincent Utsi of Utsi Electronics have written a paper on advances in long-range GPR technology. A detailed background on radar theory is provided, along with case histories from a variety of mining and geotechnical applications. First Break is the leading publication in Europe serving the geoscience and engineering communities, with a circulation of over 15,000 copies monthly. The article, entitled "Advances in long-range GPR systems and their applications to mineral exploration, geotechnical and static correction problems" is featured as a Special Topic in the July 2009 issue (www.firstbreak.nl). A downloadable version of the paper is available here (©2009 EAGE).