First, the "system center" thinking method in mineral exploration
Bertrand Fei, a famous scientist, refined and extended the thinking method principle of "organism system theory" to other disciplines, thus forming a general system theory with interdisciplinary nature. The thinking method of system theory is that it studies the system abstractly, whether it is the basic particle, solar system, family or society, that is, it puts aside the specific material basis on which the system depends, focuses on the relationship between the whole and the part, structure and function, system and environment in the system, and uses mathematical means and tools to establish general thinking methods and principles suitable for the subject system, thus playing a certain methodological role.
The "object-centered theory" of traditional science refers to the way of thinking with individual objects as the research center. The individual research object is decomposed into various parts to investigate separately, and then the understanding of the whole research object is taken as the way to add up some parts. This way of thinking is possible in understanding simple organization and mechanical superposition; This way of thinking is to understand individual things on the basis of the object itself, and to understand the object from the perspective of single entity, single level, single thinking, single variable and single cause and effect.
System theory provides people with a new rational thinking form beyond the previous scientific thinking framework. The "system-centered theory" of modern science refers to the way of thinking that takes complex objects with holistic characteristics as the research object. This way of thinking is to understand things from the perspective of comprehensive connection and non-additivity of functions, and from the perspective of multi-quality, multi-level, multi-dimensional, multi-variable and complex causality. "System-centered theory" puts the organic system at the center of research, and a single physical object becomes an organic part of the system. When investigating problems, we mainly don't care about the physical properties and mechanical motion laws of physical objects, but about the relationships among their components, that is, integrity, relevance, structure, functionality, nonlinearity, coordination, order and so on. This way of thinking represents the mainstream and trend of contemporary scientific thinking methods, indicating that people's understanding of the real world has shifted from focusing on individual parts to focusing on the whole system, from focusing on entities to focusing on systems and relationships.
The thinking method of "system-centered theory" is suitable for studying organized and complex objects. These research objects generally have the following characteristics: first, they are not additive, that is, the whole has realized some properties that it does not have, that is, "the whole is greater than the sum of its components"; Second, there is a nonlinear relationship, that is, there is nonlinear feedback between the elements of the system, which is the source of new things in the whole; Thirdly, the number of parts studied is more than two; The fourth is hierarchy, that is, the object can be described from three levels: from the perspective of its external integrity, from the perspective of its internal structure, and from the perspective of understanding the object as a subsystem of a larger system. From the determination of mineral exploration target, the selection of prospecting target area to the implementation of specific exploration projects, it is feasible to introduce the "system-centered theory" thinking method into mineral exploration activities, and it is also an effective way to establish a correct thinking method for mineral exploration.
In modern petrology research, it is no longer a simple descriptive study, but genetic petrology and rock dynamics have become the research center of petrology. In order to determine the genesis of rocks, descriptive petrology, isotopic petrology, petrochemistry, genetic mineralogy and tectonics must be taken as the components of the research system, and any single element can not reflect the overall role of rocks in the genesis process. Its overall function can only be reflected by the nonlinear relationship between elements. That is to say, the process of understanding the genesis of rocks is not a simple combination of various elements, but an overall function through the interaction between various elements.
In the exploration of mineral deposits, the understanding of ore bodies is also a complex system. Using the exploratory thinking method of "system-centered theory" can effectively achieve the purpose of understanding mineral deposits. The understanding of ore bodies is a system composed of many factors, such as ore-controlling structure, alteration characteristics, ore body scale, shape, occurrence, spatial change of ore bodies, ore body composition, structural structure, ore-bearing hydrothermal properties, control degree of exploration engineering, observation and understanding ability of prospectors and so on. This ore body identification system belongs to a larger ore deposit exploration system. The exploration system of ore deposits also includes the understanding of ore bodies, regional geology, hydrogeology, mining and smelting properties of ore, natural economic geography, social and economic environment, personnel, finance, time, quality of explorers, organization and establishment, etc. As far as the system of ore body understanding is concerned, its elements can only reflect one side of the ore body, and the overall characteristics of all elements added mechanically cannot fully reflect the overall characteristics of the ore body. In order to understand the spatial change, formation law and formation mode of ore bodies, we must consider them according to the structural and unadditivity of each element of ore bodies and the principle of nonlinear feedback. Taking hydrothermal deposits as an example, ore-controlling structures control the size, shape and occurrence of ore bodies, control the formation law of ore bodies, and the properties of ore-bearing hydrothermal fluids restrict the composition, alteration and formation mode of ore bodies. The nature of ore-bearing hydrothermal solution reacts on the deployment and exposure of ore-controlling structures and exploration projects, affecting the understanding of the spatial distribution of ore bodies. The ability of observation and cognition of prospectors is directly related to the research results of various elements and the reliability of metallogenic models. Only by treating each factor as a dynamic interaction process can we achieve the goal of comprehensive understanding of ore bodies. Therefore, to study a thing, we must start from the whole, start from the analysis, and find the mechanism that "the whole is greater than the sum of its components" through the investigation of the nonlinear interaction among the elements of the organizational system. Only by using the thinking method of "system-centered theory", the isolated parts and processes are unified, and the functions caused by the dynamic interaction between parts are unified with the system objectives, can the thinking of mineral exploration be promoted.
The research object of "system-centered theory" thinking method in mineral exploration is organized and can be decomposed into complex systems with interactive elements. This system embodies the properties that some parts do not have, and conforms to the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of all parts. The thinking process of "system-centered theory": first, to investigate whether the research object has the above properties; The second is to decompose the interactive elements and study the individual characteristics of each element respectively. For a single element, we can analyze it with the thinking method of "object-centered theory". The third is to think about the interaction between elements with the concepts of dynamics and process, and to deduce the overall characteristics of the whole system with the system changes caused by the interaction of elements, that is, to unify the development process of each element and system, rather than simply synthesizing the characteristics of each element. From the relationship between several elements, it can be concluded that new attributes or new laws are available as a whole, but not in isolation.
Second, the thinking method of "probability and statistics" in mineral exploration
People generally think that the development of things is regular, but there are two different ways of thinking about what kind of law it develops into. One is the "rigorous and decisive" thinking of traditional science to explore the development relationship of things. Second, with the development of system theory, modern "probability and statistics" thinking has emerged to explore the development relationship of things.
The rigorous and decisive way of thinking holds that as long as any system knows its initial state, it can deduce a series of States it has experienced with time according to the universal law of dynamics. Rigorous and decisive thinking is a classic scientific way of thinking, which is the inevitable product of traditional science from the principle of reversibility of time and simplicity of the real world. Rigorous and decisive thinking is effective for simple systems. For example, according to Newton's law of motion and the law of universal gravitation, we can determine the earth's orbit and predict the solar eclipse. However, for some complicated things, this is impossible. For example, the weather forecast can not accurately predict the weather in a few months, nor can it infer whether there will be an earthquake in a few years from the earthquake that just happened. For another example, if an ore body is found in a stratum in a certain area, is there the same ore body in the same horizon in different areas? In short, once dealing with multi-degree-of-freedom multi-system problems, we can only make probabilistic and statistical predictions without strictly determining the thinking mode.
The thinking mode of "probability statistics" holds that the development and change of most things are not restricted by the causal relationship determined by a single numerical value, but there are several different possibilities, and which result is often accidental or random. "Probability and statistics" thinking represents a basic direction of modern scientific thinking and is an important achievement of system theory in scientific thinking.
The relationship between things in the objective world is complex, which cannot be attributed to a single causal relationship, let alone a purely mechanical deterministic causal relationship. It is precisely because of the relationship between contingency and randomness that there are no identical things in the world, new things emerge one after another, and the material world is rich and colorful. According to the thinking mode of "probability statistics", the development and change law of things serves the statistical law, that is, the development and change trend of random phenomena can be seen from a large number of probability statistics and average values. The thinking mode of "probability statistics" reminds people to pay attention to various factors that affect the development and change of complex things, and to explore the laws of the development and change of things by probability statistics.
The thinking method of "probability statistics" in mineral exploration first requires that the exploration target, whether it is the formulation of exploration scheme, the determination of prospecting target area or the implementation of specific exploration projects, should be understood as a complex development and change system restricted by many causal relationships. Secondly, we can't infer the goal according to certain laws according to the initial research state of a certain factor, but determine the goal according to the overall trend of a large number of probability statistics. For example, in the process of metallogenic prediction, we can't divide the metallogenic prediction area according to the contact zone between rock mass and carbonate rock according to whether there are skarn deposits in a certain area, but we should analyze the different genetic deposits of all related minerals in this area, find out the probability and statistical trend of metallogenic types, and make metallogenic prediction combined with metallogenic series. At the same time, the causal relationship between geophysics, geochemistry, genetic minerals, alteration and prospecting indicators should be considered in order to get a high success rate prediction result. In the exploration of mineral deposits, the thinking mode of probability and statistics is also used to understand the ore bodies with great changes, such as gold deposits. No matter the grade change or thickness change of the ore body, it is difficult to find out the change law only from a few local observation points, and the change of the ore body appears chaotic, so it is impossible to infer the change law of the ore body according to these chaotic points. However, after a lot of observation and statistical analysis of ore bodies, it will show the overall changing trend. This is the analysis method of ore body variation function. This includes the thinking method of "probability statistics". The change from strict decisive thinking to probabilistic thinking is essentially a change from simple thinking to complex thinking.
Thirdly, the thinking method of "evolutionary historical view" in mineral exploration.
The latest achievements of system science, such as dissipative structure theory, synergetics and hypercycle theory, highlight the directionality and significance of the evolution process of the objective world material system, that is, the vector of time points to the irreversibility of the future process. This thinking mode of "evolutionary history view" is a change of thinking mode compared with the traditional scientific thinking mode of "degenerate history view" such as time reversal invariance and evolutionary process degradation trend. The two ways of thinking also show contradictions in geology.
The thinking method of "degenerate evolution view" adopted in the process of traditional scientific investigation. It holds that time has no direction, and in the process of cognition, the past can be represented by the present, that is, the development process of things is reversible. For example, Newton's mechanical equation F=m(d2r/dt2), if we change the sign of time and change T to -t, the equation will remain unchanged, and we can determine the future and explain the past. So is the famous Schrodinger equation. The traditional geological principle of making the past serve the present includes this thinking method of "degenerate historical view". Modern geological processes and mineralization are used to illustrate geological processes hundreds of millions of years ago. This is also the result of the development of scientific thinking at that time.
Dissipative structure founded by I.llyaPrigogine is a self-organization theory of non-equilibrium system. It studies the common laws and characteristics of the transformation from disorder to order in different systems. So it is suitable for different disciplines. In dissipative structure theory, the concepts of history and evolution are introduced into natural science, so that the concept of time is no longer a simple motion parameter associated with reversible process, but a measure of internal evolution of an unbalanced world, which is associated with irreversible process. At the same time, it is considered that an open system far from equilibrium can produce its own organization and coherence, that is, self-organization phenomenon, through the induction of internal nonlinear interaction and random fluctuation under certain external conditions. Dissipative structure theory not only puts forward the irreversibility of time evolution, but also reflects the historical evolution process from disorder to order and from degradation to evolution. Thus, it reflects the change of his way of thinking.
In fact, in the theory of biological evolution and geological gradual change, historical evolution is also included in the field of natural science. The geological and mineral exploration it contains is a "historic" subject. Geological evolution is in an unbalanced system, from low to high and from simple to complex through the self-organization and coherence of various geological processes. Therefore, in such a historical discipline, we must pay full attention to the scientific thinking method of "evolutionary historical view".
The idea of time reversibility from now to now is to infer the past according to the present situation, and other working methods can be added, such as isotope method, experimental method, simulation or tracing back the past geological process. This is a common method in geology and mineral exploration. But as far as its fundamental thinking method is concerned, it is contradictory to the irreversibility of the earth's evolution.
Minerals are also the result of irreversible evolution. The mineralization in ancient times was relatively simple, and the more it evolved, the more complicated it became. This can be concluded from the comparison of mineralization types in different eras. Moreover, Archean mineralization will not be repeated in Paleozoic and Mesozoic. In terms of minerals, 2.5 billion years ago, Archean was mainly iron and some gold, zinc and chromium, but there was no lead ore. Hundreds of millions of years ago, a large number of rare earth and lead ores appeared. From Paleozoic to Mesozoic, a large number of metals can be mineralized. Especially the Mesozoic is the main metallogenic period in China, such as mercury, antimony, gold, tungsten, tin, antimony, molybdenum and other deposits. It was not until Cretaceous that natural gas and oil appeared in large quantities in Tertiary. It can be seen that Archean coexisted with copper, with a small number and simple type; In Mesozoic, zinc coexisted with copper, lead, gold, silver and other elements, with a large number and complex types. It can be seen that mineralization, mineral species, types and ore-forming elements have become more and more colorful with the passage of time, with an irreversible evolution process.
For the evolution process of the above minerals, it is not appropriate to completely use the principle of "discussing the ancient from the present". Inferring the past from the present situation is relatively simple, there is no past, or there is a past. This is a way of thinking that contradicts the evolution of matter. But the earth is a special research object with a history of more than 4 billion years, and there is no comparable planet. Only the thinking of "making the past serve the present" in the evolution of various components of the earth is a scientific way of thinking. If we only emphasize "discussing the past from the present", we will obviously get a wrong view. Therefore, it is emphasized that the thinking method of "evolutionary history view" should be adopted when understanding the evolution of geology and mineral resources and its results.
Guiding the prospecting work with the viewpoint of system science.
Mineral resources are not only a local factor in the whole economic and social system, but also a specific system. Therefore, we should follow the requirements of objective laws and use systematic and relevant viewpoints of materialist dialectics to understand and guide mineral exploration.
1. Deploy the prospecting work according to the principle of system integrity.
System is a whole composed of elements and certain structural forms. Integrity is the first basic feature of the system. Integrity exists in the interaction of various components in a certain structural form. Based on the holistic principle of system science, mineral exploration should be arranged as a whole and give full play to its overall function. In specific work, first, it is required to guide mineral exploration with a comprehensive holistic view; The second is to correctly handle the relationship between the whole and the part.
To guide mineral exploration with a comprehensive holistic view, we must first consider and deal with problems with a global perspective. Because some things are reasonable from a local perspective, but they are unreasonable and unsolvable from a global perspective. Only when the whole is feasible can we do specific things. This is what Aristotle said, the whole is not equal to the sum of its isolated parts. As a whole, we must first have an overall goal and task requirements, and all the elements of the whole work together to achieve the overall goal and task. At the same time, all the elements that make up the whole must be coordinated. From the perspective of space, it is required to consider the national exploration work as a whole; As far as a region is concerned, it is required to take the prospecting work in this region as a whole; As a specific exploration project, it is required to consider all aspects of the project.
When dealing with the relationship between the local and the overall situation in mineral exploration, first, the local should obey the overall situation; Second, we should pay attention to the local constraints on the overall situation. The relationship between the whole and the part is dialectical, and the whole system plays a leading and commanding role in its constituent elements, stipulating and dominating the status and performance of its various elements. The components of the system can also in turn restrict the nature and condition of the whole. For example, the evaluation of a mineral deposit should also handle the relationship between local and global. There are many factors in deposit evaluation, including geological factors, mining, mineral processing, smelting performance and technical factors, as well as market prices and economic factors, which all affect the overall situation of deposit evaluation. For example, Daomuhe Gold Mine in Yongji County, Jilin Province, because of its high arsenic content and imperfect mineral processing technology, can not be well developed and utilized.
2. Use the structural principle of the system to guide the prospecting.
The system is composed of various elements according to a certain structure. When elements form a system, they are not chaotic, but are composed according to a certain structure. The so-called structure is the regular and relatively stable way of mutual connection, mutual combination and interaction among the elements in the system. The overall function of the system depends on the structure of the system, which is a unified whole of elements and structure. The elements and structure of the system are the same, and its overall performance is the same. If the elements of the system are the same, but the structure is different, the overall performance will be different. Both diamond and graphite are composed of carbon (C), but because of their different structures, diamond becomes the hardest mineral (hardness 10) and graphite becomes one of the softest minerals (hardness 1), which shows the importance of structure. In the prospecting work, we should pay attention to constantly adjusting and optimizing the mineral structure, team structure, technical structure, pre-survey-general survey-detailed survey-exploration sequence structure of mineral exploration, so that the whole geological exploration can be carried out on the basis of reasonable structural optimization.
Structure plays an important role in the development of the system. The order of structure is a necessary condition for the stable development of the system, and a reasonable structure can promote the development of things (systems). For example, the structure of our mineral exploration industry and mineral exploration team is not reasonable at present, which is not conducive to the development of mineral exploration. There are also structural problems such as managers, field investigators, comprehensive researchers and production assistants of various exploration units. In the specific exploration work, there are still structural problems such as the selection of various exploration means, the rational allocation of funds and equipment, and the optimal combination of personnel. Therefore, it is very important to arrange the tectonic relationship reasonably with the systematic and scientific thinking method to obtain the ideal prospecting effect.
3. Use the hierarchy principle of the system to guide the prospecting.
The hierarchy of a system refers to the characteristics that define the state, level and relationship between a system and elements (subsystems). The system has a certain level, which is a complex combination of subsystems at different levels according to a certain structure. As far as the national geological work is concerned, it is a large system composed of geological exploration, geological scientific research, geological education, production of geological equipment and instruments, geological press and publication and other subsystems. In the geological exploration subsystem, there are several subsystems (elements) such as mineral exploration, basic geology and environmental geology. In mineral exploration, there are lower-level subsystems, such as non-metallic mineral geological exploration. In energy and mineral exploration, there are petroleum, natural gas, coal, geothermal and radioactive mineral exploration levels. From the hierarchical principle of the system, it is necessary to handle the hierarchical relations between the state, provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), prefectures (municipalities) and specific geological prospecting units, between specific prospecting projects, between overall design and subprojects, and between mining areas and blocks, and carry out the work in an orderly and hierarchical manner.
4. Use the open principle of the system to guide the prospecting.
The openness of a system refers to the relationship and interaction between the system and its surrounding environment, that is, with other systems. There is no isolated system in the world, any system must have some connection with the surrounding environment, and all materials, energy and information must be exchanged and transformed. Mineral exploration is related to the surrounding environment, such as traffic conditions, climate conditions, geographical conditions, construction conditions, capital conditions, forestry conditions, environmental protection conditions, land use conditions, etc., which have a great impact on exploration work. These favorable conditions will be conducive to the development of mineral exploration and promote its development. Bad conditions will limit the exploration work. Therefore, when researching and deploying mineral exploration, we should consider the surrounding environment and external conditions. On the other hand, when considering the external environment, we should also pay attention to the positive influence of mineral exploration on the external environment and think dialectically about the relationship between them. Poor external conditions will certainly restrict prospecting, but a major breakthrough in prospecting will also promote and improve external conditions. The exploration and development of mineral resources such as Panzhihua, Baiyun Obo and Jinchuan in China have made them modern cities.