UAV Sediment Sampling
Anywhere a body of water exists, there is a subaqueous surface that has someone wondering... The Berkeley Pit is certainly no exception to this phenomenon. There are numerous particles and precipitates falling through the water column, collecting on the bottom all the time. The best way to know what's dropping is to take something down there and find out.
Our shop has been working on methods and equipment for collecting sediment from the 800+ foot deep body of water that has filled in the once producing open pit mine. As with any mine operation, present or past, there are safety concerns that leave the only viable option to be remotely operated vehicles. Piggybacking on our in-house patented payload for a UAV, we started looking into equipment that can be attached to a line on the WaSP. That allows us a way to send it to great depths below the surface of the acid lake filling in the old mine.
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The pictures here are examples of the kinds of samples we have been able to collect with our modified sediment core sampler. These samples have come from hundreds of ft deep and a number of different locations around the pit lake. This has been a good starting point for getting a peek into what the floor of the pit has to offer, but more needs to be collected to get the full picture. We continue developing and improving equipment to learn more about what's down there. Check back for updates with our ongoing efforts to bring clients the data and samples they want most!