New airborne geophysical data from the Waterberg Coalfield

Abstract

The Waterberg Coalfield in the Limpopo Province contains vast resources of coal and is the next area that will supply South Africa with energy well into the future. The coalfield is in the Karoo-age Ellisras Basin. Coal was discovered in the basin in 1920, but little exploration has been done since. Coaltech Research Association commissioned an Airborne Geophysical Survey of the area to enhance the structural understanding of the basin. The airborne geophysical survey was a major contribution towards the knowledge of the Ellisras Basin. The data and the first interpretation have shown that the basin has undergone much more structural disturbance than what was previously suspected. The survey also showed a large amount of previously unknown structure in the basin.