Using a helicopter from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, specialised drones and kilometres of power cables laid on the ground, a team from the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, together with project partners, is surveying the subsurface around Gottesberg in the western Ore Mountains. The aim of the measurements is to produce the most accurate possible 3D model of the underground tin deposits. The new joint project, DESMEX-MinD, was launched in March 2026; the first helicopter flights over the Erzgebirge are planned for September this year.
At an information event on 28 August from 5 pm at the Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz Space Centre, the team will provide information about the helicopter flights and the mining projects.
During the flights, the probe attached to the helicopter – equipped with highly sensitive magnetic field sensors – receives electrical signals from conductive ore bodies, which are induced by power cables laid on the ground. This environmentally friendly exploration method is therefore known as semi-airborne electromagnetics. It was developed by the partners in previous projects and has already been tested in various international exploration areas in Sweden, Spain, Namibia and the Harz Mountains. The team is now applying this further development in the Ore Mountains for the first time.
“The Ore Mountains have already been well explored in places through drilling and geochemical data, but there is a lack of three-dimensional models, particularly for great depths. These can be derived indirectly from the distribution of electrical conductivity, thereby providing mining companies with a better basis for calculations and drilling locations,” explains Professor Thomas Günther, an expert in applied geophysics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.
New methods for environmentally friendly mineral exploration
Semi-airborne electromagnetic surveys enable the efficient, high-resolution mapping of the electrical properties of subsurface sediments and rocks across large areas and to depths of up to 1,000 metres – without a single deep borehole. Analysis software developed by the team uses the measured data to create three-dimensional models of electrical conductivity, which provide indications of mineralisation from ore veins in the subsurface.
The analyses are supplemented by AI-supported forecasts and integrated approaches to interpreting geophysical, geological and geochemical measurement results. The aim is to transfer this complex exploration method from the research stage into continuous industrial practice, which is why regional industry partners such as the geoscientific services provider Beak Consultants and the mining company Saxore Bergbau are also involved. DESMEX-MinD is thus making an important contribution to securing the supply of raw materials in Germany and Europe.
DESMEX-MinD joint project
Project partners
Research project partners: University of Münster, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (Hanover), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (Hanover), Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies (Jena), State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (Hanover).
Industry partners: Beak Consultants GmbH (Freiberg), iMAR Navigation GmbH (Sankt Ingbert), supracon AG (Jena) and Saxore Bergbau GmbH (Freiberg). The Geological Survey of Finland (Espoo) is an associate partner of the consortium. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space until 2029.
