Turkey's underground resources to be mapped through airborne surveys
The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry is exploring indigenous resources in the hope of bringing them into the economy by taking land, stream and plant samples from every 5 square kilometers across Turkey, which will be categorized in accordance with the richness of their minerals. They will also be viewed from the sky and mapped with geophysical x-rays; thus, establishing a data pool for researching all the minerals and underground resources. A drilling infrastructure map will be created to unearth underground resources.
Energy Minister Berat Albayrak and ministry bureaucrats began the project to discover resources to help carry Turkey to its 2023 vision and help the country step into a new energy age. In these projects, Turkey's geophysical and geochemical structures will be mapped, revealing which regions possibly have minerals that can be mined and also establish infrastructural data in all the earth sciences, such as radioactive minerals, coal, oil and natural gas, industrial raw materials and metallic minerals, geothermal energy searches and environmental pollution studies, the determination of tectonic lines, environmental geophysics and the study of conductive zones.
Geochemistry mapping is the most common method used for prospecting activities. Around 70 percent of the world's ore deposits were found after geochemical studies. As part of the project kick started by Minister Albayrak, 200 stream sediment samples will be taken by the end of the year along with an additional 87 samples in 2017. By the end of 2017, 80 percent of geochemical maps will be completed and put into the sector's service, fulfilling one of the biggest prospecting needs.
Turkey is mostly surrounded by mountains and forests that make geophysical and geological searches difficult. The required data has not yet been provided. Previously, collection of geological data via land measurements was prohibitively expensive -- economically and time-wise. Thus, authorities have decided to collect the geophysical data via airborne surveys.
Drilling is expected to cover an area of 1 million meters in the coming period to unearth what is below Turkey and map the drilling infrastructure. While Turkey's drilling works currently maintain a level of 20 percent and an average depth of 300 meters, these numbers are expected to go up to about 60 percent and a minimum depth of 700 meters.
Energy Minister Berat Albayrak and ministry bureaucrats began the project to discover resources to help carry Turkey to its 2023 vision and help the country step into a new energy age. In these projects, Turkey's geophysical and geochemical structures will be mapped, revealing which regions possibly have minerals that can be mined and also establish infrastructural data in all the earth sciences, such as radioactive minerals, coal, oil and natural gas, industrial raw materials and metallic minerals, geothermal energy searches and environmental pollution studies, the determination of tectonic lines, environmental geophysics and the study of conductive zones.
Geochemistry mapping is the most common method used for prospecting activities. Around 70 percent of the world's ore deposits were found after geochemical studies. As part of the project kick started by Minister Albayrak, 200 stream sediment samples will be taken by the end of the year along with an additional 87 samples in 2017. By the end of 2017, 80 percent of geochemical maps will be completed and put into the sector's service, fulfilling one of the biggest prospecting needs.
Turkey is mostly surrounded by mountains and forests that make geophysical and geological searches difficult. The required data has not yet been provided. Previously, collection of geological data via land measurements was prohibitively expensive -- economically and time-wise. Thus, authorities have decided to collect the geophysical data via airborne surveys.
Drilling is expected to cover an area of 1 million meters in the coming period to unearth what is below Turkey and map the drilling infrastructure. While Turkey's drilling works currently maintain a level of 20 percent and an average depth of 300 meters, these numbers are expected to go up to about 60 percent and a minimum depth of 700 meters.