Certerra Subsurface
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Mining

Geophysical Solutions for Mining

Geophysics for mining enables understanding of complex internal behavior in engineered rock piles, tailings, and waste materials. Our geophysical characterization provides a comprehensive view of subsurface conditions, delivering actionable insights that support more informed operational and environmental decisions.

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Mining

Understanding Mining Subsurface Conditions

Mining materials often behave unpredictably due to complex internal interactions. Without characterization, operators may struggle to understand nonuniform flow, internal saturation, unstable zones, or pathways that transport impacted water. Waste rock and tailings can allow fluids to move rapidly, carrying metals and creating environmental concerns when water leaves containment or migrates to nearby sources.

Mining

Mining Characterization Services

Geophysics provides essential insight into the internal behavior of mining materials. Our services clarify subsurface structure, fluid movement, and overall performance across heap leach pads, waste, and tailings.

Worker in a hard hat and vest on a barren, wired landscape with a bright sky background. Worker in a hard hat and vest on a barren, wired landscape with a bright sky background.
Heap Leach Characterization

Heap leach characterization reveals internal hydraulic structure and material variability within heaps–supporting better understanding of flow behavior, stability, and recovery potential.

Surface view of tailings dam used in Tailings Dam Characterization to assess saturation distribution, internal material behavior, and potential fluid migration pathways using geophysical methods for subsurface stability and environmental monitoring. Surface view of tailings dam used in Tailings Dam Characterization to assess saturation distribution, internal material behavior, and potential fluid migration pathways using geophysical methods for subsurface stability and environmental monitoring.
Tailings Dam Characterization

Maps internal conditions within tailings and dam structures to clarify saturation patterns, material behavior, and potential pathways for fluid movement.

Person in orange gear bends over water in rocky area, creating ripples. Person in orange gear bends over water in rocky area, creating ripples.
Geophysical Mapping

Provides a subsurface view of internal structure, highlighting features that influence fluid flow, material behavior, and long-term site performance.

Technician installs monitoring line during Metallurgical monitoring, collecting subsurface data on hydraulic performance, pressure response, and internal behavior to support process optimization and informed operational adjustments within engineered mining materials. Technician installs monitoring line during Metallurgical monitoring, collecting subsurface data on hydraulic performance, pressure response, and internal behavior to support process optimization and informed operational adjustments within engineered mining materials.
Metallurgical Monitoring

Tracks internal conditions affecting metallurgical behavior, helping identify zones influencing extraction efficiency, solution movement, and performance trends.

Technician carries geophysical survey cable through rugged terrain during Mineral exploration, supporting subsurface mapping of structures, boundaries, and anomalies to guide drilling priorities and reduce exploration uncertainty. Technician carries geophysical survey cable through rugged terrain during Mineral exploration, supporting subsurface mapping of structures, boundaries, and anomalies to guide drilling priorities and reduce exploration uncertainty.
Mineral Exploration

Tracks internal conditions affecting metallurgical behavior, helping identify zones influencing extraction efficiency, solution movement, and performance trends.

Technician inspects injection and monitoring lines during Enhanced metal recovery, collecting subsurface data on fluid distribution, pressure response, and under-leached zones to support optimization and improved resource extraction. Technician inspects injection and monitoring lines during Enhanced metal recovery, collecting subsurface data on fluid distribution, pressure response, and under-leached zones to support optimization and improved resource extraction.
Enhanced Metal Recovery

Identifies dry or under-processed zones and clarifies internal structure to support improved resource extraction and optimized recovery strategies.

Technician carries geophysical instrument across mine surface during Seepage and ARD mapping, collecting subsurface data to identify preferential flow paths, saturation zones, and conditions linked to acid rock drainage. Technician carries geophysical instrument across mine surface during Seepage and ARD mapping, collecting subsurface data to identify preferential flow paths, saturation zones, and conditions linked to acid rock drainage.
Seepage and ARD Mapping

Reveals pathways where impacted water or acidic drainage may develop or migrate, helping reduce environmental risk and improve long-term management.

Crew assembling airborne electromagnetic method transmitter loop on runway prior to AEM subsurface survey. Crew assembling airborne electromagnetic method transmitter loop on runway prior to AEM subsurface survey.
Airborne Surveys

The airborne surveys provide rapid coverage of large areas for assessment of geological conditions.

Mining

Geophysical Methods for Mining

We use multiple geophysical methods to reveal internal structure, fluid behavior, and material variability within mining systems. Each technique contributes complementary data, creating a comprehensive view of subsurface conditions that guides safer, more efficient decisions throughout the life of your mining assets.

Airborne Electromagnetic Method (AEM)

High-coverage subsurface mapping tool offering clarity on structural complexity and fluid distribution across large sites.

Electrical Resistivity

Electrical resistivity measures variations in subsurface electrical properties to reveal differences in material composition.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance measures signals from hydrogen nuclei to reveal subsurface moisture content and pore structure.

Seismic

Seismic methods measure the travel of acoustic waves through the ground to characterize subsurface materials and structure.

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