About the workshop

Muon tomography is a passive method for mapping the subsurface down to below 1 km depth using naturally occurring cosmic radiation. Muons are charged particles that arise from cosmic radiation interacting with the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Naturally occurring cosmic ray muons can penetrate deep into the Earth’s crust and their attenuation in matter is proportional to the density of material they pass through. By measuring muon flux through detectors positioned beneath the surface, the average density in the overburden within a wide field of view can be determined. Muon tomography is the foundational technology in the world’s first high-resolution, 4D subsurface intelligence solution purpose-built for block cave mining. Unlike traditional point-based monitoring, it can provide continuous, high-resolution imaging of the cave back, muck pile, and surrounding rock volume, even at depths of over 1,000 m, with spatial resolution down to 20 m operating freely in noisy, active mining environments. Applying this novel technique enables mining companies to remotely monitor cave propagation, reduce geological uncertainty, and optimise operational performance and safety – without additional drilling or invasive methods. The mining industry is generally lacking in understanding of how the technology works, and how to best use it. This workshop will help alleviate that challenge, starting at an introductory level and moving through to detailed analysis of methods and specific use cases in caving.

Attendees will develop a comprehensive understanding of muon tomography methods and their applications in caving; gain foundational knowledge of the physics behind muon tomography, comparing with other geophysics methods; learn the methods of processing, modelling, and inversion in muon data analysis and multi-physics inversions; understand the process involved in executing muon tomography programs in caving; and review select case studies.