Covering Ground Fast: Aerial Subsurface Imaging for Mineral Exploration, including Gold and Copper

Lunasonde’s Aerial Georadiotomography (aGRT) images the subsurface from a fixed-wing aircraft flying at 6,000 to 10,000 feet, with no ground access, permits, or crews on the property. Low-frequency radio waves measure contrasts in subsurface permittivity and density, and the system delivers geo-registered 3D reconstructions at 10 m voxel resolution to depths of up to 2 km depending on geology, covering up to 30 square kilometers per day. This talk covers how the method works, results from Arizona surveys including copper systems and a fault imaged through roughly 1,000 m of overburden, and how exploration geologists are using the data to delineate targets and prioritize drilling across large ground positions in gold and copper districts.

https://lunasonde.com/

Speaker: Jeremiah Pate

Jeremiah is Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Lunasonde, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, which he founded in 2021 to make the underground world visible through low-frequency radar. A scientist and entrepreneur from the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. His early work included analyzing Martian craters for the Planetary Science Institute, prototype rocket engine development for R3 Aerospace, and a patented machine learning aircraft safety system that made him a three-time Intel ISEF finalist. Asteroid 34104 Jeremiahpate is named in honor of his research.