Tag Archives: Reko Diq

Fleet Space to integrate gravity surveys into ExoShere end-to-end exploration platform

Fleet Space’s mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, is taking another step on its mission to becoming an end-to-end multiphysics platform powered by space and artificial intelligence (AI) with the addition of gravity surveys to its existing offering.

ExoSphere Gravity will now be available as an add-on to the real-time Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) surveys used by over 40 industry leading exploration companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold and Core Lithium. This means customers will be able to acquire gravity data in tandem with any deployment of an ExoSphere real-time ANT survey.

“Integrating gravity into our multiphysics offering represents Fleet Space’s commitment to delivering world-class, end-to-end exploration services that complement and enhance the data-driven strategies of the global mining industry,” Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space, Flavia Tata Nardini, says. “By leveling up traditional geophysical methods with ExoSphere’s vertically integrated hardware stack powered by space and AI, we can maximise the value of multiphysics datasets like gravity and decrease cost per discovery, all while minimising environmental impact. Reducing the friction between data acquisition, integration and targeting is essential to accelerate the path to discovery.”

Simultaneous acquisition of high-quality ANT and gravity data not only reduces the time and resources needed for data collection and minimises in-field logistics, but also enables the delivery of ANT survey insights plus two powerful gravity datasets with a single ExoSphere deployment, Fleet Space says. It does this through:

  • Cover-corrected gravity model: False positives are common with gravity anomalies due to the geometry of the cover/basement contact. Leveraging ANT data, ExoSphere will automatically conduct a cover correction of the gravity data to remove false positives with geological review and oversight from the Fleet Space team. This approach enables customers to make more precise targeting decisions by enhancing the accuracy and maximising the value of their gravity datasets; and
  • 3D density model: Density, as measured by gravity surveys, and seismic velocity, as measured by ANT, are critical metrics for effective mineral detection. The combination of ANT and gravity enables the creation of a 3D density model which provides customers a multidimensional view of subsurface structures, allowing for a clearer differentiation of rock types. The integration of these complementary datasets improves the identification of high-value targets, while also minimising the costs associated with data integration by other means, the company says.

Gerrit Olivier, Chief Scientist at Fleet Space, says: “Joint analysis of ambient noise tomography and gravity is critical to enhance vectoring into mineralisation and optimise drilling design. By simultaneously analysing multiple physical properties, we significantly de-risk and reduce the uncertainty of interpreting geophysical anomalies by delivering a far more comprehensive understanding of the subtle and significant geological connections of the subsurface composition.

“This integrated approach to multiphysics reduces false positives while also maximising the quality of data-driven decisions used to pinpoint high-value targets, making exploration faster, more efficient and ultimately more successful.”

To support the rapid and complex needs of drill planning and targeting, Fleet Space’s team of geologists and geophysicists will analyse and process ExoSphere Gravity data as part of the ANT survey workflow. This includes the development of a survey plan optimised for the complementary acquisition of the ground gravity and ANT data, in addition to the full suite of customer support provided by Fleet Space’s domain experts with interpretation, target ranking and account management.

The expansion of ExoSphere’s multiphysics offerings follows a series of deployments that have opened new frontiers in the scale and reach of exploration. This year, Fleet Space conducted the world’s largest real-time ANT copper survey across 1,800 sq.km of Australia’s Macquarie Arc in support of Inflection Resources exploration agreement with AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s highest real-time ANT survey with Gold Fields at Salares Norte in Chile and delivered 3D subsurface maps across 1,150 sq.km of Barrick Gold’s Reko Diq project.

By introducing gravity as an add-on to ExoSphere’s real-time ANT survey capabilities, Fleet Space says it is positioned to radically reduce the exploration search space and advance the data-driven targeting efforts of customers worldwide.

Fleet Space to deploy ExoSphere exploration solution at Barrick’s Reko Diq project

Fleet Space Technologies has announced the deployment of its end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, at Barrick Gold’s Reko Diq copper-gold exploration project in Pakistan.

Powered by the latest advances in space technology, AI, and 3D multiphysics, ExoSphere is being used to generate 3D subsurface maps of copper porphyry complexes and local groundwater systems for multiple zones of interest, comprising over 1,150 sq.km of the Reko Diq project, it says.

“Barrick Gold and Fleet Space are united in our use of cutting-edge technologies to enhance mineral discovery and unlock sustainability benefits across the exploration journey,” Flavia Tata Nardini, co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, says. “By applying the latest innovations in space, AI and 3D multiphysics to copper exploration, we demonstrate a more sustainable, scalable path to achieve the copper supply needed for our clean energy future, in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We are proud to deploy ExoSphere to advance Barrick Gold’s ESG objectives and support the development of a world-class operation at Reko Diq.”

Reko Diq represents one of the largest undeveloped copper-gold projects in the world. The area is one of several volcanic centres in the Chagai mountain range and part of the Tethyan Magmatic Arc which is known to contain significant copper-gold ore deposits of various grades. With plans to begin production in 2028, Reko Diq is poised to be a major contributor to Pakistan’s economy, delivering employment opportunities, investment in development programs and regional economic growth in the Balochistan province.

Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution has been leveraged to accelerate copper exploration across a number of projects. Recently, Fleet Space conducted the world’s largest real-time Ambient Noise Tomography copper survey with ExoSphere across 1,818 sq.km of Inflection Resource’s tenement portfolio in the Macquarie Arc of the Lachlan Fold Belt in Australia. After multiple new high-priority targets were identified at its Duck Creek project with ExoSphere, AngloGold Ashanti shifted the designation of Duck Creek from Phase 1 to Phase II under their Exploration Agreement with Inflection Resources − which includes drilling targets identified with ExoSphere’s geophysical surveys.