TITLE:
Performing High Resolution Seismic Reflection for Mapping Bauxite Layers
AUTHORS:
A. Qadrouh, A. Alanezi, I. Hafiz, K. Munir, M. Alyousif
KEYWORDS:
High-resolution Seismic Reflection Method; Depth Conversion; Bauxite
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Geology,
Vol.3 No.2B,
October
22,
2013
ABSTRACT: The seismic method is able to produce highly accurate
images of the Earth's subsurface. Having such detail is not only an important
factor in mining, but also in civil engineering. Bauxite exploration attracts
both government and industrialists to invest in it because of the high
percentage of aluminum present. The economic importance of extracting aluminum
from bauxite encouraged us to take this challenge; to image bauxite layers by
using a high-resolution seismic reflection method at Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Since the subsurface structure of the area is complex, this high-resolution
reflection method was carried out along a 2D line with geophone and source
interval, with settings at 5 m. The result for the seismic section shows
that the depth and thickness of the bauxite layer varied from 20
to 34 m, and 3 to 7 m respectively. In addition, the bauxite layer
was sandwiched between clay layers. In order to achieve an even more precise
depth than presented by seismic section alone, we tied the drilled wells to the
seismic data and we accomplished a well match with an approximation error of 1 - 2 m, which
may have been caused by the upper clay layer or by very shallow loose subsurface
material. The seismic method thus applied shows the ability to detect
significant details within the near surface of the earth, and considers more
cost-effective than only drilled wells.