Minerals To Begin

Aerial Search For Minerals To Begin In BSIP Next Year

The BSIP Government has nounced plans for an aerial ophysical survey of the Sole mn Islands, the aim of which is discover exploitable minerals

the Group.

'HE survey is expected to start in April or May next year, and it 11 continue for three and a half ars.

The BSIP’s Chief Geologist, Mr.

C. Grover, said in a radio talk June 30 that the aerial survey s “of the greatest possible moment” * the “grant-aided” Solomons be ase it would help to achieve inside years what would ordinarily take years or more.

“More than that,” he went on, “it ikes feasible some discoveries that »uld be impossible by any other own means.”

Mr. Grover said the techniques to used could neutralise concealment vegetation, deep soil cover and amps, and it would even be possible detect some types of mineral :urrences covered by up to 400 ft hard, barren, sedimentary rock.

UN Grant The total cost of the project is imated at about $1,450,000, of lich the United Nations Special nd will contribute about $BBO,OOO. e BSIP will contribute the services, uipment and facilities of its Geo »ical Survey Department, plus a all proportion of the costs of the perts employed under the project.

In his radio talk, Mr. Grover said: “If we find, say, 100 geophysical omalies, then we know that we n direct our ground parties straight them without wasting time beat ; about the bush.”

Ninety-odd anomalies out of 100 ght be due to structures containing neralisation that was not economic, said.

But several anomalies would be e to mineral occurrences, which >uld receive concentrated attention the ground by the geological sur y, by the end of which work it auld be possible to recommend ints for drilling.

Mr. Grover said there would be ficulties in the aerial survey, be □se fixed wing aircraft had never

carried out such work in such rough country.

“We do not know exactly what will be possible as we are still in the planning stage,” he said, “and much will depend on the decisions reached by the specialist geophysicists and the aerial survey companies, after the local difficulties have been studied and appreciated.”

However, in the end it would be the ground follow-up team, cutting its way through virgin jungle, which would provide the answer as to

whether an anomaly was worth further detailed attention.

For three years his department had been educating and training Solomon Islander staff to the necessary standards, so that the follow-up field survey work, grid layout, mag netometer, electromagnetic, geological and geochemical surveys could be done expeditiously.

The work of the last decade had show beyond doubt that the BSIP had mineralisation, and that an aerial geophysical survey was required.