Abstract
The LouMu Project is an ongoing collaboration between the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), the Institute of Earth Sciences—University of Évora and the Lousal Ciência Viva Center which is evaluating the muography potential in the Lousal Mine, with the general aim to create the conditions to use muography as a novel method for geophysical surveys in Portugal. The National Laboratory of Energy and Geology is also supporting the project. The aim is to do a first geological survey of the area, map** already known structures and ore lenses and measuring their densities. In the end, newfound data will be added to the existing information to improve it, but the whole process is also serving to test the performance of the muon telescope and the muographic analysis tools. The muon telescope, developed by LIP, uses RPC detectors to observe the crossing muons in real time. Available geological and geophysical information and new measurements done with seismic refraction and ground penetrating radar are being used to create a 3D model, which provides a reference against which to compare the muography results. From the muography data, an equivalent 3D map of densities will be reconstructed, and the geological model will be used to cross-check and improve the muography results. This paper provides an overview of this ongoing project, focused on the muography work done so far. Its implementation is described, and the first image obtained with the telescope is presented, showing the local geology and in particular the Corona N–S direction strike-slip fault visible in the mine gallery. The planned work progression is shared as a final consideration.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agostinelli, S., et al. (2003). Geant4—A simulation toolkit. Nucl. Inst. and Methods A, 506(3), 250–303.
Bonechi, L., D’Alessandro, R., Giammanco, A. (2020). Atmospheric muons as an imaging tool. Reviews in Physics, 5, 100038. ISSN 2405-4283.
LouMu Webpage: https://pages.lip.pt/loumu/en/loumu/. Last accessed 2022/08/07.
Matos, J. X. (2021). Alteração hidrotermal ácido-sulfato associada aos jazigos de sulfuretos maciços de Lagoa Salgada, Caveira, Lousal, Aljustrel e São Domingos (Faixa Piritosa Ibérica). PhD Thesis, Geology (Metallogeny), University of Lisbon, Faculty of Science.
Matos, J. X., et al. (2022). Lousal mine southern sector geological map, 1/5.000 scale. LNEG, LouMu Project.
Relvas, J., Pinto, A., Matos, J. X. (2012). Lousal, Portugal: A successful example of rehabilitation of a closed mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. SGA News 31, June 2, 1–16.
Teixeira, P., et al. (2022). Muography for underground geological surveys: Ongoing application at the Lousal Mine (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Portugal). JAIS, vol. 2022.
Zhang, Z. X., et al. (2020). Muography and Its potential applications to mining and rock engineering. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 53, 4893–4907.
Acknowledgements
This R&D project is financed by National Funds through the FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, reference EXPL/FIS-OUT/1185/2021. The FCT also funds the Ph.D. scholarship, integrated in the LouMu, reference PD/BD/150490/2019, and within the scope of ICT, the project with reference UIDB/04683/2020. A grateful thanks to the Lousal Ciência Viva team for their support to the project, particularly Vanessa Pais and João Costa, who organize the outreach activities in the museum and help in the muon telescopes maintenance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Teixeira, P. et al. (2024). Muography Applied in Underground Geological Surveys: Ongoing Work at the Lousal Mine (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Portugal). In: Bezzeghoud, M., et al. Recent Research on Geotechnical Engineering, Remote Sensing, Geophysics and Earthquake Seismology. MedGU 2022. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48715-6_38
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48715-6_38
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-48714-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-48715-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)