Assessing the potential of passive seismic receiver functions for ore body exploration

We use a passive seismic high-frequency receiver function method to image the shallow structure around a mine site. This is a relatively new application of a standard method for mapping major discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle at a scale small enough to be relevant in an exploration context. Data collected in a 21-instrument array is inverted for isotropic velocity structure. The retrieved velocities in the south-eastern part of the array match very well with available sonic log measurements in the top 800 m. Based on the differences in receiver function behaviour for stations across the array, recovered velocity profiles and their similarity to sonic log measurements, the target area is split into two separate regions along a north-northeast trending line that correlates well to the strike of the dominant structure in the area – the Navan Fault. Our results demonstrate the ability of receiver functions to provide both qualitative and quantitative information in an exploration environment.