AUV-CSEM: An Improvement in the Efficiency of Multi-Sensor Mapping of Seafloor Massive Sulfide (SMS) Deposits with an AUV

Abstract

Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits are of interest because of their potential as copper and gold orebodies. This mineralization is often highly conductive, and consequently, electromagnetic mapping of these deposits for ranking of drilling targets often follows autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) surveys that include multibeam bathymetry, side scan sonar, and chemical sensor data collection. This paper describes the results of two engineering tests to enable the simultaneous collection of standard payload AUV data with electromagnetic data for rapid determination of drilling targets. The resulting system is shown to be an efficient and cost-effective method for concurrent high-resolution multisensor and electromagnetic mapping in an SMS environment.