Freetown 23rd December 2019. The Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources is pleased to inform the Public that Xcalibur Airborne Geophysics the South African Company contracted to undertake a countrywide airborne geophysical survey of Sierra Leone, has completed the first phase of the airborne geophysical survey (data acquisition phase) of the entire country (71,740 km2).
Funded by the World Bank, and executed by the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources in collaboration with the National Minerals Agency (NMA), the survey collected more than 547,000-line kilometres of magnetic and radiometric data over the entire country.
The main objective of the countrywide geophysical survey is to obtain geophysical datasets, which will be integrated with geological and geochemical datasets, that will form the basis for a review of the country’s geological and mineral resource potential.
Xcalibur Airborne Geophysics, which has operational experience in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Canada, conducted the survey and collection of data, while UK-based Reid Geophysics Limited, which has provided geophysical consultancy services and airborne supervision to mineral and petroleum clients worldwide for more than twenty years, provided survey supervision, including data quality assurance and quality control.
As explained by Sierra Leone’s Director of Geological Survey, Prince Cuffey, the survey is one of the best countrywide magnetic and radiometric airborne surveys in the world, because of the following parameters used;
- Line spacing of 150 meters, tie line spacing 1,500 meters and a nominal terrain clearance of 50 meters
Following the successful completion of this remarkable milestone achievement, Xcalibur has demobilized three (3) aircrafts out of five (5) aircrafts while the other two will stay to undertake any re-flight lines that may be identified by the supervision consultant. The final product is envisaged for delivery by the contractor in April 2020 and the general public would be duly informed.
The survey was officially launched on 29 January 2019 by HE Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, who stated that the lack of geological data had constrained implementation of effective policies required to boost the minerals sector, and added that availability of high quality national geoscientific dataset will enhance decision making and promote investment into the minerals sector.
For further information, please contact
Directorate of Community Affairs and Communication
National Minerals agency
New England Ville, Freetown
Tel: +232 79 250 702
Email: info@nma.gov.sl Website: www.nma.gov.sl
