Published January 1962 | Version v1
Book

Application of nuclear physics methods to potassium-salts prospecting

  • 1. Physics Dept. II, Academy of Mining and Metallurgy, Cracow (Poland)
  • 2. Dept. VI, Institute of Nuclear Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow (Poland)
  • 3. Geological Institute, Warsaw (Poland)

Description

Radiation logging has proved to be a very useful method for identification of the main types of salt rocks in mines. Quantitative interpretation of gamma logs allows the potassium content to be estimated directly in the bore-hole. Comparison of the quantitative analysis for potassium, by a chemical method and a gamma-ray logging method, shows that the latter gives quite satisfactory results. It should be taken into account that chemical analysis of bore-core material concerns only the actual volume of the sample, while the radiation method gives information on the average potassium concentration of volumes about 10 times greater. Radiation logging proves to be useful not only for differentiation between sylvites and carnallites, but also enables some of the non-radioactive-salt minerals, such as kieserite or anhydrite, to be detected. It is possible by means of this method to estimate the content of the latter in potassium-salt rocks. Differentiation of clay salts from poor carnallites is also possible. Thus, a full geological profile of a given bore-hole may be obtained by applying the various radiation logging methods. Any doubts about the interpretation may be eliminated by the quantitative analysis of the neutron-gamma and gamma-gamma logs. The application, on an industrial scale, of radiation well-logging in potassium-salt mining is of great economic value. (author)

Abstract (French)

Le radiosondage s'est revele line methode des plus utiles pour l'identification des principaux types de formations sahferes dans les mines. L'interpretation quantitative des sondages gamma permet d'evaluer la teneur en potassium directement dans le trou de mine. Une comparaison entre l'analyse quantitative du potassium par la voie chimique et l'analyse par sondage gamma montre que cette derniere methode donne des resultats fort satisfaisants. Il ne faut pas perdre de vue que l'analyse chimique des matieres de forage ne porte que sur le volume de l'echantillon, tandis que le radiosondage renseigne sur la teneur moyenne en potassium de volumes environ dix fois plus importants. On a constate l'utilite du radiosondage, non seulement pour faire le depart entre les sylvites et les carnallites, mais encore pour le depistage des mineraux salins non radioactifs, tels que la kieserite ou l'anhydrite. Cette methode permet d'evaluer la teneur de ces derniers dans les minerais salins de potassium. On peut l'appliquer aussi pour differencier les sels argileux des carnallites pauvres. Ainsi, l'application des diverses methodes de radiosondage permet d'obtenir un profil geologique complet d'un trou de mine donne. Toute incertitude quant a l'interpretation pourra etre eliminee grace a l'analyse quantitative des sondes neutrons-gamma et gamma-gamma. L'application, a l'echelle industrielle, du radiosondage dans l'extraction des sels de potassium presente une valeur economique considerable. (author)

Abstract (Spanish)

Se ha comprobado que el sondeo con registro del perfil radiactivo constituye un metodo muy util para identificar los principales tipos de rocas salinas presentes en las minas. La interpretacion cuantitativa de los registros gamma permite evaluar directamente el contenido de postasio en la zona del orificio de sondeo. La comparacion entre los analisis cuantitativos de potasio realizados por un procedimiento quimico y por el metodo de sondeo con registro gamma, indica que este ultimo da resultados bastante satisfactorios. Cabe senalar que el analisis quimico de los testigos de sondeo solo se refiere al volumen real de la muestra, mientras que el metodo basado en la radiacion proporciona datos relativos a la concentracion media del potasio que se halla en volumenes unas diez veces mayores. El sondeo con registro del perfil radiactivo no solo resulta util para distinguir entre silvitas y carnalitas, sino que permite tambien detectar ciertos minerales salinos inactivos como la kieserita o la anhidrita. Con este metodo es posible evaluar el contenido de anhidrita en las rocas de sales potasicas y distinguir entre sales arcillosas y carnalitas pobres. Por lo tanto, se puede trazar el perfil geologico completo de una perforacion mediante el uso de los diversos procedimientos de sondeo con registro de la radiactividad. Las anbigueedades en la interpretacion pueden eliminarse estudiando cuantitativamente los registros hechos con los metodos nuetron-gamma y gamma-gamma. La aplicacion en escala industrial del sondeo radiactivo presenta un gran valor economico en la explotacion de los yacimientos de sales potasicas. (author)

Abstract (Russian)

Radioaktivnyj karotazh okazalsya ves'ma poleznym metodom pri opredelenii osnovnykh vidov solyanykh porod v rudnikakh. Kolichestvennoe obyasnenie gamma-karotazha pozvolyaet uchityvat' soderzhanie kaliya neposredstvenno v burovoj skvazhine. Sravnenie kolichestvennogo analiza na kalij khimicheskim metodom i gamma-karotazhnym metodom pokazyvaet, chto poslednij metod daet vpolne udovletvoritel'nye rezul'taty. Sleduet uchest', chto khimicheskij analiz materiala burovoj skvazhiny otnositsya lish' k fakticheskomu obemu obraztsa, togda kak metod radioaktivnogo karotazha daet svedeniya o srednej kontsentratsii kaliya, kotoraya v desyat' raz prevyshaet obem obraztsa. Radioaktivnyj karotazh okazyvaetsya poleznym ne tol'ko dlya differentsirovaniya sil'vitov i karnallitov, no takzhe pozvolyaet obnaruzhit' nekotorye neradioaktivnye mineral'nye soli, takie, kak kizerit ili angidrit. Blagodarya ehtomu metodu mozhno opredelit' soderzhanie poslednikh v kalijnykh rudnikakh. Vozmozhno takzhe differentsirovanie glinozemnykh solej iz chistykh karnallitov. Takim obrazom s pomoshch'yu razlichnykh metodov radioaktivnogo karotazha mozhno poluchit' polnyj geologicheskij profil' dannoj burovoj skvazhiny. Vsyakie somneniya otnositel'no interpretatsii mozhno ustranit' kolichestvennym analizom nejtron-gamma i gamma-gamma karotazhami. Ispol'zovanie radioaktivnogo karotazha pri dobyche kalijnoj soli v promyshlennom masshtabe imeet bol'shoe ehkonomicheskoe znachenie. (author)
Part of:
Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences and Industry. Proceedings of the Conference on the Use of Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences and Industry. V. 1

Additional details

Additional titles

Original title (English)
Application des methodes de physique nucleaire a la prospection des sels de potassium; Ispol'zovanie metodov yadernoj fiziki po izyskaniyu kalijnykh solej; Aplicacion de los metodos de la fisica nuclear a la prospeccion de yacimientos de sales potasicas

Publishing Information

Publisher
Globus, Druck- und Verlagsanstalt
Imprint Place
Vienna (International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA))
Imprint Title
Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences and Industry. Proceedings of the Conference on the Use of Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences and Industry. V. 1
Imprint Pagination
556 p.
Series
Proceedings Series
Journal Page Range
p. 123-134
ISSN
0074-1884

Conference

Title
Conference on the Use of Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences and Industry
Dates
6-17 Sep 1960
Place
Copenhagen (Denmark)

INIS

Country of Publication
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Country of Input or Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
INIS RN
43112913
Subject category
S58: GEOSCIENCES;
Resource subtype / Literary indicator
Conference
Descriptors DEI
ANHYDRITE; BOREHOLES; CARNALLITE; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; CLAYS; GAMMA RADIATION; MINES; MINING; NEUTRONS; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; POTASSIUM; PROSPECTING; RADIOACTIVITY LOGGING; ROCKS; SALTS
Descriptors DEC
ALKALI METALS; BARYONS; CAVITIES; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; ELEMENTS; FERMIONS; HADRONS; HALIDE MINERALS; IONIZING RADIATIONS; METALS; MINERALS; NUCLEONS; PHYSICS; RADIATIONS; SILICATE MINERALS; SULFATE MINERALS; UNDERGROUND FACILITIES; WELL LOGGING

Optional Information

Notes
6 figs, 2 tabs, 13 refs
Secondary number(s)
STI/PUB--20(Vol.1)