Driven by a steadfast commitment to resource optimization and pioneering solutions, Xcalibur Smart Mapping has embarked on a mission to explore critical minerals. This endeavor not only addresses the escalating demand for these elements but also aligns with Xcalibur’s dedication to delivering cutting-edge products and services that propel industrial and technological progress. We take proactive measures to address ever-evolving global challenges and facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources.

A critical mineral is a metallic or non-metallic element that is essential for modern technologies, economies, or national security, and has a supply chain at risk of disruption.

Critical minerals are essential for a very large range of modern technologies and applications, including:

• In advanced technologies including mobile phones, computers, fibre-optic cables, semi-conductors, defense, aerospace, and medical applications.
• In low-emission technologies for the transition to renewable energy, such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and rechargeable batteries.
• In more common products such as stainless steel, corrosion protection, electronics.

Critical Mineral deposits occur in a wide range of geological settings and locations. As the search for critical minerals intensifies, most of the shallower and simpler to find resources have been discovered and exploited. Remaining resources are often buried more deeply or are otherwise more difficult to find. Exploration for these deposits, requires better quality information on sub-surface geology. Airborne geophysical technologies can add significant value to exploration programs, particularly where the targets are under cover, or otherwise challenging.

Gravity, gravity gradiometry, electromagnetic, magnetic and radiometric techniques can all add value to critical mineral projects, depending on the target and host lithologies and structures, depth and scale of target.

Although called Rare Earth Elements they are not particularly rare in the earth’s crust. (Cerium is the 25th most abundant element and lutetium, the scarcest REEs, is 60th most abundant.) However, it is not common for them to occur in concentrations sufficient to support commercial mining operations.

REEs deposits almost exclusively occur with only low concentrations of Rare Earth elements (REEs). For this reason, indirect exploration techniques often target mapping of host rocks, geological alteration, and geological structures such as intrusions, faults, which are associated with the REE resource.

Most commercial resources of REEs are associated with four geological environments: alkaline igneous rocks, carbonatites, placer deposits with monazite-xenotime mineralisation, and ion-adsorption clay deposits.

In each of these environments, airborne geophysical and geospatial technologies are employed to accelerate exploration and provide focussed high-priority areas for detailed late-stage investigations.

FALCON® and HeliFALCON® AGG measures minute variations in gravity caused by differences in density between different rocks.

For CM Solution: AGG data is used to map target and host lithology, intrusives, structures and fault systems that influence placement of Critical Minerals from surface to depths of many kilometres underground. Falcon AGG data is routinely used in exploration for Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, PGE and other minerals.

For REE Solution: AGG data is used to map rock types, intrusives, structures and fault systems that influence placement of REE resources from surface to depths of many kilometres underground. The example below shows Falcon AGG data mapping the Elk Creek REE carbonatite, an intrusive complex buried under 200 m of sedimentary rocks in SE Nebraska, USA.

TEMPEST® and HeliTEM® AEM measures subtle changes in electrical resistivity between different rocks for both solutions. This data is used directly map conductive critical mineral resources, such as copper and other base metal sulphides, map the basement and cover lithologies, alteration zones, faults and other structures, and basement topography, to great depth underground (up to 500-750m depending on geology).

XMAG and MIDAS® gradient magnetic and radiometric technologies measures subtle changes in magnetic and radiometric properties between different rocks. This data is used map geology, alteration, intrusions, faults and other structures, and is usually complementary to other datasets, increasing the interpretability and reducing risk.

Xcalibur’s advanced technologies provide exceptionally high quality and resolution, multi-parameter, airborne geophysical data for Critical Minerals and Rare Earths exploration and development, with significant advantages over traditional ground survey techniques, including:

• 100% data coverage with over national parks, rough or dangerous terrain, water bodies, etc
• Consistent high density data sampling for superior data quality and interpretability
• Minimal social and environmental impact (no ground access required)
• Significantly faster data acquisition for accelerated exploration and development
• Scalable technology to explore large regions effectively and efficiently and to identify areas with high geothermal resource potential for focussed follow-up.
• Higher efficiency and lower cost
• Multiple parameter acquisition for reduced interpretation ambiguity