Cornwall Resources Gravity Survey

Cornwall Resources Limited (CRL) are one of the delivery partners for this university-based research project and have undertaken the gravity survey on behalf of DDC. Other partners include Cornish Lithium and the Southwest Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications

Between July 2021 and December 2021, CRL conducted a ground-based gravity survey, over the majority of CRL’s licence areas. Resulting in the collection of 927 gravity readings.

With the primary aim of inferring the underlying geology of the region and linking that back to the various mineralised systems we see in Cornwall.
The survey data has been made openly available to all interested parties, via DDC’s 3D visualisation suite.

A team of field assistants worked together to collect the samples, using a high resolution GPS to locate predetermined points, at which a GPS point would be logged and the CG-6 Autograv Gravity Meter would be set up, ensuring it is correctly levelled and recording, stopping the data collection if the tripod it sits on goes out of tolerance or any nearby disturbance occurs such as large vehicles passing by. This data was then processed by Reid Geophysics to create a subsurface interpretation of the granite bodies. Which can be viewed in the DDC visualisation suite.

The Survey was used in conjunction with the soils and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey, to identify potential granite upwellings, hidden by overlying geology. These Granite upwellings are the primary source for the tin, tungsten, copper, and other critical minerals needed for the UK’s green energy transition. The potential for at least two granitic bodies beneath the surface has been identified by this work. Geophysical surveys like this are a low cost, non-invasive way of undertaking regional mineral exploration.

Cornwall Resources have accessed over 50 different landowners as part of the DDC gravity survey, across the 232km licence area. With disturbances to the local people and livestock kept to an absolute minimum, with the field team only needing access to fields, where they would set up the equipment, record the data and then move to the next point, leaving the area exactly as it was before.

Contact Us

Queries should be directed to Senior Geologist, Rowan Thorne (rthorne@cornwallresources.com) at Cornwall Resources Limited, quoting CRL DDC Gravity Survey in the subject.