CGG Selected as Technical Partner to Support Critical Mineral Exploration in Mongolia
Paris, France | Jan 18, 2024
CGG has been selected by the French government as a technical partner to support the LiMongolia project, a joint initiative by the National Geological Survey of Mongolia (NGS) and the French geological survey, BRGM, to evaluate the regional prospectivity of Mongolia for critical minerals, particularly uranium and lithium. The resulting geological insight will serve as a foundation for future strategic decision-making by local and global stakeholders, such as mining companies, international funding agencies and geological surveys.
As part of an initial six-month pilot project starting in H1, 2024, CGG’s mineral exploration geologists will apply their proprietary integrated source-to-sink evaluation workflows. Based on their expert interpretation of state-of-the-art machine learning enhanced satellite imagery, they will produce a mineral systems-driven lithium prospectivity model of a salar-type basin in central Mongolia. The continued development of technology-driven solutions to increase exploration efficiency will be a key focus and CGG will leverage cutting-edge data science and AI tools to ensure that current and historic data is used to its full potential for enhanced exploration targeting.
CGG’s selection for this role follows on from the recent screening studies it conducted in South America relating to lithium salars and palaeosalars, as part of its suite of lithium-related Earth Data library products designed to support the energy transition.
Peter Whiting, EVP, Geoscience, CGG, said: “With its rich mining heritage and vast untapped mineral potential, Mongolia is a high-potential region for frontier exploration that will aid the search for critical minerals to support the energy transition. Our participation in this exciting lithium mapping project follows on from the success of our South American salar studies and confirms our standing as a world-class regional prospectivity evaluation partner whose capabilities are valued by the NGS and the BRGM.”
Nicolas Salaun, Geoscience Manager, Eastern Hemisphere, CGG, seated to the right of Christophe Poinssot, Deputy Director and Scientific Director, BRGM, center, and Mrs Ulambayar Nyamkhuu, Ambassador of Mongolia to France, seated left, takes part in the LiMongolia project signing ceremony in the presence of the president of Mongolia, his excellency Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, standing left, and President Emmanuel Macron of France, standing right (image courtesy of CGG).