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SQUIDs in mineral exploration: the past, present and future

Kolloquium der Abteilung 2

The aim of this article is to provide a review on the impact which Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) can create in mineral exploration.

Since the field is wide and various developments are still ongoing this review cannot be comprehensive. SQUIDs are extremely sensitive detectors for magnetic flux through a superconducting loop. They can be used in all application scenarios where a physical property can be transformed into a magnetic flux.

In this work the past, present, and some future of SQUIDs in mineral exploration will be highlighted.

So far, SQUIDs are mainly used for laboratory devices investigating magnetic properties, magnetic exploration, transient electromagnetics (TEM) and for superconducting gravimeters and gravity gradiometers.