Exploration Method
About two thirds of Sweden’s surface is covered by moraine. One of the basic ideas behind the unique exploration method - matrix exploration - developed by two of Nordic Mine’s board members, Kjell Moreborg and Christer Löfgren during the early 1980’s, was that the composition of the moraine mirrors that of the underlying bedrock.
The purpose of all exploration work, naturally, is to identify a deposit worth mining. Traditionally, the starting point of the process is often an interesting mineral discovered more or less by chance. Another method is to use geophysical methods to measure the physical qualities of the ground, which can indicate a mineralization.
Matrix exploration is based on geochemistry. It is a direct method, which in its first stage of analysing the moraine shows the type of bedrock found in the area. If the results from these analyses indicate high grades of interesting minerals, Nordic Mines will start a more systematic evaluation through drilling and testing of the lower layers of moraine and the underlying bedrock. After a series of chemical analyses, the project is evaluated based on statistical models.
Compared to more traditional methods, this type of exploration is fast and cost effective. The main reason is that big areas can be scanned in a short period of time in order to identify a mineralization before more costly exploration, such as core drilling, is started. One single sample of moraine mirrors about one square kilometre of the bedrock.
Since the matrix exploration method was launched, a large number of deposits have been identified through it. In 2007, the unique exploration machine “Borrugglan” was taken into use, which made the exploration process even more efficient. Its high capacity and its ability to collect continuous samples from both moraine and rock down to deep levels has made it a key resource in the exploration process. The low ground pressure of the machine also makes it relatively kind to nature.
