Experimental constraints on the genesis of gold-rich ore deposits. The project will provide a new set of tools to explore for gold-rich ore deposits in Australia and globally. By integrating geochemical studies with cutting-edge experiments carried out at three Australian universities in strategic partnership with industry, the outcomes of this project will provide much needed knowledge to predict the locations of large gold-rich deposits that are concealed beneath vast expanses of the Australia ....Experimental constraints on the genesis of gold-rich ore deposits. The project will provide a new set of tools to explore for gold-rich ore deposits in Australia and globally. By integrating geochemical studies with cutting-edge experiments carried out at three Australian universities in strategic partnership with industry, the outcomes of this project will provide much needed knowledge to predict the locations of large gold-rich deposits that are concealed beneath vast expanses of the Australian continent. The new results will translate into smarter exploration practice, significantly enhancing success in targeting ore deposits that are rich in high-value metal and display the smallest have a small environmental footprint, to underpin the sustainability of our nation into the future.
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Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channel ....Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channels of chemical data for each grain in the 10,000s of analyses, there are 7 layers of lab imaging data that are not carried along in a convenient way. Geologists need smart computer systems to find useful relationships among the 33 channels and to discover relations within and between samples to find more mineable copper. Read moreRead less
In the Driver's seat: role of trace elements in enabling crustal fluid flow. This proposal aims to systematically investigate the role of trace elements in controlling the kinetics, product composition, and feed-back between fluid flow and the reaction interface, in fluid-driven mineral reactions. This project expects to provide a framework for the integration of activator trace elements in models of crustal fluid flow and their application in the recovery of base, precious, and critical metals, ....In the Driver's seat: role of trace elements in enabling crustal fluid flow. This proposal aims to systematically investigate the role of trace elements in controlling the kinetics, product composition, and feed-back between fluid flow and the reaction interface, in fluid-driven mineral reactions. This project expects to provide a framework for the integration of activator trace elements in models of crustal fluid flow and their application in the recovery of base, precious, and critical metals, using interdisciplinary approaches across geochemistry, mineral engineering and material sciences. Expected outcomes include improved prediction of the transport of metals and fluids in geo-systems. This should provide significant benefits towards integrating the mineral value chain from exploration to mining and metallurgy.Read moreRead less
Aqueous fluids in the deep earth. This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of fluids in controlling exchanges between the deep Earth, shallow rocks, and atmosphere. The project expects to investigate some of the key weaknesses in the thermodynamic models that are used to predict the behaviour of sulphur, carbon and metals in fluids at high pressure and temperature by using recent advances in computational and experimental (geo)chemistry. Integrated in large-scale geodynamic mod ....Aqueous fluids in the deep earth. This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of fluids in controlling exchanges between the deep Earth, shallow rocks, and atmosphere. The project expects to investigate some of the key weaknesses in the thermodynamic models that are used to predict the behaviour of sulphur, carbon and metals in fluids at high pressure and temperature by using recent advances in computational and experimental (geo)chemistry. Integrated in large-scale geodynamic models, the more reliable predictions will provide a more realistic assessment of the role of sulphur in controlling metal endowment and atmospheric chemistry through geological times. This should provide a useful guide for mineral exploration and planetary science.Read moreRead less
Deep and smelly: exploring the roles of pressure and sulphur in hydrothermal metal transport. Hot, salty fluids carry metals in the Earth's crust and are responsible for the formation of Australia's mineral wealth. This project combines exciting new experiments with molecular-level simulations to predict metal transport, providing a sound basis for improving mineral exploration models and sustaining discovery of new deposits.
Source to spectrum: Finding deposits beyond the Fe oxide-Cu-Au envelope. Source to spectrum: Finding deposits beyond the Fe oxide-Cu-Au envelope. This project aims to improve exploration models for the spectrum of deposits at Olympic Dam. The giant Olympic Dam iron–oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposit in the Gawler Craton, discovered 40 years ago, has contributed billions of dollars to the economy. A fluid flow event in the Olympic Dam created a vast, crustal-scale alteration system with a spectrum ....Source to spectrum: Finding deposits beyond the Fe oxide-Cu-Au envelope. Source to spectrum: Finding deposits beyond the Fe oxide-Cu-Au envelope. This project aims to improve exploration models for the spectrum of deposits at Olympic Dam. The giant Olympic Dam iron–oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposit in the Gawler Craton, discovered 40 years ago, has contributed billions of dollars to the economy. A fluid flow event in the Olympic Dam created a vast, crustal-scale alteration system with a spectrum of different mineral deposits, many of which are under-explored. This project aims to constrain the source of metal and fluids in the Gawler Craton deposits, determine crustal fertility for deposit formation and develop metal specific 'prospectivity maps' to improve exploration efficiency.Read moreRead less
Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. This project aims to develop and test models to evaluate past tectonic processes and configurations in South-east Australia, using both new and existing geological, geophysical and isotopic data. Over the past 550 million years, plate tectonic processes have formed metal-rich mineral deposits in South-east Australia. The project will identify areas of ....Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. This project aims to develop and test models to evaluate past tectonic processes and configurations in South-east Australia, using both new and existing geological, geophysical and isotopic data. Over the past 550 million years, plate tectonic processes have formed metal-rich mineral deposits in South-east Australia. The project will identify areas of high potential for economically valuable ore deposits, enabling more efficient prioritisation of mineral exploration efforts. This is expected to increase the probability of significant ore deposit discoveries leading to national economic benefit.Read moreRead less