Magnetic and gamma-ray spectrometric airborne geophysical data for investigating potential mineral resources and generating geoscientific knowledge in Colombia

Abstract

The Servicio Geológico Colombiano has made available several airborne magnetometry and gamma-ray spectrometry datasets. The information was acquired in 15 blocks that cover approximately 520,000 square kilometers of Colombian territory, representing more than 850,000 linear kilometers of information. The data were collected along flight lines separated by 500 meters or 1000 meters, depending on the area, with sampling rates of 10 Hz (8 meters) and 1 Hz (80 meters) for the magnetometry and gamma-ray spectrometry data, respectively. The information is stored in 30 databases separated for each block and for each of the geophysical methods used. The Servicio Geológico Colombiano has provided a web portal that provides detailed specifications for each database and allows interested parties to see the terms and conditions to access the datasets and to check possible restrictions on access to information. To date, there is no geophysical database in Colombia with the coverage and resolution of these data sets, which will be very useful for geological research and research on potential mineral resources and to support geohazard monitoring, land-use planning and providing a baseline dataset for environmental monitoring.

Keywords

• Airborne geophysical data
• magnetometry
• gamma-ray spectrometry
• geological and mineral resource research