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Laboratory and Field Measurements of Electrical Resistivity to Study Heap Leaching Pad No. 3 at Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Near Surface Geoscience 2016 - 22nd European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Sep 2016, Volume 2016, p.1 - 5
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Abstract
In this paper, we present the results of laboratory and field measurements of electrical resistivity used over a part of heap no. 3 at Sarcheshmeh copper mine, Iran. Heap leaching technology has been used at Sarcheshmeh mine to extract low-grade copper ores with dilute sulphuric acid. Although careful attention is given to have a regular acid sprinkling on the surface of the heap, permeability changes of the pads produce an irregular pattern of leachate distribution under the surface. It is very important to monitor the leachate movement within these structures. Geophysical methods can provide invaluable insight into heap leach pads and detect possible areas of copper being remained. Before performing resistivity field surveys, laboratory measurements were performed on the samples taken from Sarcheshmeh low grade ores and saturated in sulfuric acid. Then, a small part of heap no. 3 was selected for resistivity field surveys. Two-dimensional resistivity surveys were carried out along three parallel survey lines with the Wenner-Schlumberger array. The results of resistivity measurements showed that the resistivity values were in the range of 3–13Ωm. With the help of the results obtained from laboratory measurements, the acid saturated zones, low moisture and dry zones within the heap were detected.