Rio Tinto to Hold Test Programme for VK1 Exploration Technology in 2012
Rio Tinto plans to conduct a complex testing program in 2012 for its VK1 exploration technology.
The VK1 airborne gravity gradiometre was developed by Rio Tinto to find ore bodies that are very difficult to detect. The device operates from an aeroplane by measuring changes or gradients on the Earth's gravity field which allows invisible and buried ore bodies to be detected.
It took Rio Tinto 30 years to develop the technology which has undergone initial flight trials. It is a joint project between Rio Tinto and the University of Western Australia conceptualised by Rio Tinto Technical Director Frank van Kann.
On Thursday, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, inspected the VK1 at the UWA prior to attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth. The prince is a known advocate of science and technology.
"As ore bodies become harder to fine, we hope that pioneering new technologies like VK1 will help us uncover the next generation of mineral resources. I would like to congratulate Frank and his team for bringing this technology to the point where we will soon be able to test its commercial application," Rio Tinto chief Executive Tom Albanese said.
