| Speaker: | Nigel Phillips Ideon Technologies |
| Title: | Cosmic-ray Muon Tomography: Applications and New Developments |
| Date: | Thursday, February 20 |
| Time: | 4:00pm to 4:40pm PST |
| Location: | Room 111 – 409 Granville Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 1T2 |
Abstract
Muon tomography-derived density models can be used in a wide variety of settings from exploration and resource characterisation to void mapping and monitoring. Where density is correlated with mineralization, muon tomography can complement existing exploration techniques in both near-mine and early-stage settings.
Ideon Technologies has successfully deployed muon tomography to precisely identify and map a variety of exploration targets on greenfield sites and in the complex operational environment of active brownfield mine sites. The output delivered is a high-resolution Earth model that can improve the accuracy of tonnage estimates and drill targeting, expedite geological modelling, and directly inform mine planning.
Ideon has now imaged the Earth’s subsurface at resolutions ranging on the order of 5 m to 50 m. By advancing simulation and modelling methods such as Bayesian inference and hybrid geometry inversions, Ideon is reducing geological uncertainty and giving mining companies greater confidence to move earlier, faster, and with less downstream risk.
This presentation will share the latest developments in cosmic-ray muon tomography with case studies, detailing the resolution that can be recovered and the meaningful uncertainty that can be obtained.
Bio
Nigel began his career in geology, transitioning to geophysical fieldwork, and has since accumulated over 25 years of experience in the mining industry. His work has included roles with major companies such as Newmont and Rio Tinto. He earned a master’s degree at the Geophysical Inversion Facility and served as a research associate at the Mineral Deposit Research Unit at the University of British Columbia.
Nigel’s leadership in the industry includes heading a consulting group at Mira Geoscience, where he also conducted training in geophysics and earth modelling for exploration and mining firms. He later worked at Computational Geosciences, specializing in electromagnetic modelling, joint inversion, and machine learning techniques.
Currently, Nigel is the Director of Geosciences at Ideon Technologies. In this role, he oversees data simulation, analysis, and earth modelling, with a focus on 4D data integration, stochastic inversion modelling, uncertainty quantification, and geostatistics. His current work involves advancing high-resolution geophysics to innovative applications throughout the mining cycle, from exploration to resource estimation, to geotechnical block-cave monitoring.
Recording