Exploration
Forough Abbas Janpoor; Amir Yazdanpanah; Maysam Abedi; Abbas Bahroudi
Abstract
This study presents a novel data-driven multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework that integrates a hybrid Prediction-area (P-A) weight assignment technique with the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method to develop a robust gold prospectivity model for the Koodakan, Mokhtaran, ...
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This study presents a novel data-driven multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework that integrates a hybrid Prediction-area (P-A) weight assignment technique with the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method to develop a robust gold prospectivity model for the Koodakan, Mokhtaran, and Basiran quadrangles in South Khorasan Province, Iran. The proposed framework effectively addresses two fundamental challenges inherent to supervised mineral potential mapping: the limited availability of known mineral occurrences and the inherent ambiguity in delineating barren terrains. A comprehensive suite of 18 evidential layers was compiled, encompassing lithological, structural, geophysical (magnetic, radiometric, resistivity), hydrothermal alteration, and geochemical (Au, Ag, Cu, Bi, Pb, Zn) datasets. The resulting WASPAS-based model exhibited superior predictive performance, attaining a high prediction weight of 1.51 and successfully capturing 82% of known mineral deposits within only 18% of the total study area. Benchmarking against the Multi-Index Overlay (MIO) method—which yielded a weight of 1.38 and identified 80% of deposits within 20% of the area—corroborated the enhanced efficacy of the WASPAS approach. Furthermore, validation using P-A plot analysis confirmed that WASPAS substantially reduces exploration risk and refines target prioritization, positioning it as a robust and efficient solution for prospectivity modeling in data-constrained geological settings.
S. Torbati; S. Alipour; M. Rostami; S. Hajializadeh
Abstract
The Agh-Dareh and Zarshouran mines are two known active gold deposits in Takab, NW Iran. In the present study, the potentials of two species of Astragalus (A. microcephalus from Agh-Dareh and A. effusus from Zarshouran mines), as the dominant plants grown in these areas, were assessed for the bio-accumulation ...
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The Agh-Dareh and Zarshouran mines are two known active gold deposits in Takab, NW Iran. In the present study, the potentials of two species of Astragalus (A. microcephalus from Agh-Dareh and A. effusus from Zarshouran mines), as the dominant plants grown in these areas, were assessed for the bio-accumulation of the major, trace, and rare earth elements (REEs). The plant and soil samples were collected from the mining areas and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). According to the results obtained, A. effusus in the Zarshouran mine passed a high ability in the accumulation of some major elements such as S, P, K, Ca, and Zn. Although the amounts of the examined trace elements in the soil samples were more than those in the shoots of both examined plants, the potential of A. microcephalus in the absorbance and translocation of Cd, U, Tl, and Pb was more than that for A. effusus. It became clear that the performance of A. microcephalus from the Agh-Dareh mine in the uptake and transportation of REEs was more than that for A. effusus from the Zarshouran mine; also both plant species absorbed and transported much more light REEs than heavy REEs did. According to the results obtained, the present study provides some geochemical findings about the substrate and leads to the increasing information about the plants as a useful indicator of metal mineralization.
C. Bempah; H-J. Voigt; A. Ewusi
Abstract
The focus of this research work is on the determination of the impact of mining on the groundwater quality in the historical mining region of SW Ashanti region in Ghana. This work describes the characteristics of the groundwater chemistry and pollution of the aquifer in the gold-ore bearing formation, ...
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The focus of this research work is on the determination of the impact of mining on the groundwater quality in the historical mining region of SW Ashanti region in Ghana. This work describes the characteristics of the groundwater chemistry and pollution of the aquifer in the gold-ore bearing formation, which is highly weathered and fractured. The fractures control the permeability and depth of the groundwater within the studied area. The concentrations of the major ions and trace elements (As, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn) present are determined in 63 groundwater wells at dry and wet seasons. The results obtained showed that the concentrations of these ions and elements were below the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values for drinking water. However, concentrations of the As and Fe ions were very high above the guideline values. The wells with high As and Fe concentration levels might be located at an apparent rock fractured zone that extends to a nearby mine. Such fractured zones allow groundwater to move more rapidly away from a mine, creating more severe mine-drainage pollution in their paths. The results obtained from this study suggested a possible risk to the population of the studied area, given the toxicities of the As and Fe ions, and the fact that for many people living in the studied area, groundwater is a main source of their water supply.
