A review of high-performance MEMS sensors for resource exploration and geophysical applications

MEMS sensors have the advantages of small volume, lightweight, and low cost, therefore, been widely used in fields consumer electronics, industry, health, defence, aerospace. With their ever-improving performance, also started to be resource exploration geophysical applications. However, requirements high-precision for applications not specified detail. Therefore, this paper systematically analyzes high-performance prospecting applications, including seismic surveillance, Earth tide, volcanic activity monitoring natural disasters; seismic, gravity, magnetic prospecting; drilling process local gravity measurement aided navigation. Focusing on above summarizes state-of-the-art research Several off-the-shelf earthquake monitoring, a range prototype successfully employed tides are promising exploration. magnetometers should lower noise floor meet demand gradiometers still under early development will deployable short-term. High-performance hold low-cost, high integration, capability working extreme environments; they likely gradually replace some conventional instruments application areas.