Professor Liu Zhiyi's team from the Ministry of Education's Frontier Science Center for Rare Isotopes at Lanzhou University and the Gansu Nuclear Industry Research Institute successfully conducted Asia's first natural muon ray prospecting experiment at the Zaozigou Gold Mine in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The experiment enabled relatively accurate detection and internal structural imaging of the mine's veins, worked-out areas, and geological structures. The research findings were recently published in the International Journal of Geophysics.

This marks another technological breakthrough by the team following their use of natural radiation muon imaging to conduct “health checkups” on cultural relics like the Xi'an City Wall. Natural radiation muon imaging holds promise as a “new key” in mineral exploration, offering more efficient solutions for resource development and utilization.

Precise mapping of underground ore bodies and abandoned mine areas has long posed significant challenges for the mining industry. Traditional mineral exploration methods suffer from high economic costs, low detection accuracy, imprecise delineation, and potential environmental damage. Abandoned mine areas formed during mining operations pose particular threats to production safety, making the precise delineation of these underground voids a critical challenge.

Liu Zhiyi explained that muons, one of nature's fundamental particles, possess exceptional penetrating power, enabling non-contact, deep-penetration, non-destructive imaging of large-scale targets. As a novel, green, and non-destructive detection technology, natural muon imaging utilizes naturally occurring muons as probe particles to image large-scale targets. This approach enables more precise understanding of mineral deposits' internal structures without requiring extensive surface excavation or blasting, thereby minimizing environmental damage and pollution while significantly reducing exploration costs.

Liu Juntao, Associate Professor at Lanzhou University's School of Nuclear Science and Technology and a core team member, explained that the team independently developed six sets of domestically produced muon imaging systems. To adapt to the complex conditions of active mining areas, they designed optimal field testing protocols using forward modeling techniques and implemented targeted modifications to the systems. During this field test, the systems were deployed in mine tunnels to conduct extensive muon “CT” scans, yielding remarkable results.

Wang Yuxi, Chief Engineer of the Third Geological and Mineral Exploration Institute under the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Geological Mineral Exploration and Development and a partner in the project, stated that the imaging results clearly revealed gold veins above the scan area, multiple abandoned mine areas, and a low-density geological structure. This field test has resolved long-standing challenges in the mining industry, such as three-dimensional ore body delineation and abandoned mine detection. (Reporter Su Jiaying)