Industry interaction  


INDUSTRY INTERACTION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES

CCFS has a strategic goal to interact closely with the mineral exploration industry at both the research and the teaching/training levels. The research results of the Centre’s work are transferred to industry and to the scientific community in several ways:

  • collaborative industry-supported Honours, MSc and PhD projects
  • short courses relevant to industry and government-sector users, designed to communicate and transfer new technologies, techniques and knowledge in the discipline areas relevant to CCFS
  • one-on-one research collaborations and shorter-term collaborative research on industry problems involving national and international partners
  • provision of high-quality geochemical analyses with value-added interpretations on a collaborative research basis with industry and government organisations, extending our industry interface
  • use of consultancies and collaborative industry projects (through the commercial arms of the national universities) which employ and disseminate the technological and conceptual developments carried out by the Centre
  • GLITTER, an on-line data-reduction program for Laser Ablation ICPMS analysis, developed by GEMOC and CSIRO/GEMOC participants, has been successfully commercialised and continues to be available from GEMOC through Access MQ (http://www.gemoc.mq.edu.au/); the software is continually upgraded.

The Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) at UWA (http://www.cet.edu.au/industry-linkage) provides CCFS with a unique interface with a broad spectrum of mineral exploration companies and many CET activities (e.g. research projects, workshops and postgraduate short courses). 

 

CCFS suports the national UNCOVER initiative

 

SUPPORT SOURCES

CCFS industry support includes:

  • direct funding of research programs 
  • industry subscriptions (CET)
  • “in kind” funding including field support (Australia and overseas), access to proprietary databases, sample collections, digital datasets and support for GIS platforms 
  • logistical support for fieldwork for postgraduate projects
  • collaborative research programs through ARC Linkage Projects and the University External Collaborative Grants (e.g. Macquarie’s Enterprise Grant Scheme) and PhD program support
  • assistance in the implementation of GIS technology in postgraduate programs 
  • participation of industry colleagues as guest lecturers in undergraduate units 
  • extended visits by industry personnel for interaction and research
  • ongoing informal provision of advice and formal input as members of the Advisory Board
     

ACTIVITIES IN 2016

TerraneChron® studies have enjoyed continued uptake by a significantsegment of the global mineral exploration industry. This methodology, currently unique to CCFS/GEMOC, requires the integration of data from threeinstruments (electron microprobe, LAM-ICPMS and LAM-MC-ICPMS) and delivers fast, cost-effective information on the tectonic history of regional terranes(http://www.gemoc.mq.edu.au/TerraneChron.html). The unique extensive database (over 31,600 zircon U-Pb and Hf-isotope analyses) in the Macquarie laboratoryallows unparalleled contextual information in the interpretations and reports provided to industry.

• The Distal Footprints of Giant Ore Systems: UNCOVER Australia, (supported by CSIRO ex Science & Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF), MERIWA and industrycollaborators) continued. The project aims to develop a toolkit with a workflow to identify the distal footprints of the Giant Ore Systems in order toovercome the fundamental limitation in current exploration methodologies; Australia’s thick cover of weathered rock and sediment.

 

At the Dead Sea: Bill Griffin, Sue O’Reilly, John Ward and Vered Toledo (COO, Shefa Yamim).

 


• The CCFS collaboration with Shefa Yamim Ltd. (Akko, Israel) continued and expanded in 2016. Bill Griffin and Sue O’Reilly visited Israel in January to give talks at the annual congress of the Israel Geological Society in Eilat. Bill gave the Plenary address entitled “Deep-Earth methane, mantle dynamics and mineral exploration: insights from N. Israel, S. Tibet and Kamchatka” and a session talk “Heaven on Earth: tistarite (Ti2O3) and other ‘nebular’ phases in corundum aggregates from Mt Carmel volcanic rocks”. Sue gave a session talk on “The role of the deep lithosphere in metallogeny”. There was also a very active and vibrant poster session. Following the meeting they returned to the Mt Carmel area to examine and sample several localities of the Cretaceous volcanic rocks, and to visit the alluvial exploration sites under the guidance of Dr John Ward, an expert on alluvial mining. Laboratory work on the remarkable super-reduced mineral associations continued, including collaboration with Prof Martin Saunders in the TEM lab at CMCA in Perth.

• The ARC Linkage Project titled “Global Lithosphere Architecture Mapping” (GLAM) was extended as the “LAMP” (Lithosphere Architecture Mapping in Phanerozoic orogens) project through a Macquarie University Enterprise Grant with Minerals Targeting International as the external industry partner. A sub-licensing agreement with Minerals Targeting International accommodates Dr Graham Begg’s role and access to GLAM IP (in relationship to Macquarie, BHP Billiton and the GLAM project) as Director of this company. Dr Begg spent significant research time at GEMOC through 2016 as part of the close collaborative working pattern for this project.

• A new Linkage Project “Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia” commenced between CCFS Associate Investigator Elena Belousova, the University of Tasmania, ANU, the Geological Survey of NSW, Geoscience Australia, Rio Tinto Limited, Alkane Resources Ltd, Sandfire Resources Nl, IMEX Consulting, Evolution Mining Limited, Heron Resources Limited and the Department of State Growth. The project aims to look at ore deposits and the tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen in SE Australia. The outcomes of this project will be used to identify areas of high potential for economically valuable ore deposits, enabling more efficient prioritisation of mineral exploration efforts in South-Eastern Australia.

• A collaborative project funded by Rio Tinto Limited commenced in 2014. Marco Fiorentini and Yongjun Lu (UWA) are investigating “The mineral chemistry of zircon as a pathfinder for magmatic-hydrothermal copper and gold systems”. The project aligns with the goals of Flagship Program 2, Genesis, transfer and focus of fluids and metals.

• The GEMOC technique for dating the intrusion of kimberlites and lamproites using LAM-ICPMS U-Pb analysis of groundmass perovskite continued. This rapid, low-cost application has proven very attractive to the diamond exploration industry, and has led to several collaborative projects. It played a significant role in Montgarri Castillo- Oliver’s PhD study of Angolan kimberlites, carried out in collaboration with the mineral exploration industry in Angola.

• A collaborative research project continued in 2016 with the GSWA as a formal CCFS Flagship Program, in which GEMOC is carrying out in situ Hf-isotope analyses of previously SHRIMP- dated zircon grains from across the state. This is a part of the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme.

• Following Professor Bill Griffin’s Noumea workshop on new approaches to exploration and minor-element exploitation in ophiolitic complexes, a collaborative project was established with Jervois Mining, involving a co-tutelle PhD student (Mathieu Chasse) jointly supervised by Professor George Callas, Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris, France. This project continued in 2016. It has led to significant advances in understanding the speciation and mineral residence of the element Scandium (Sc) in lateritic weathering profiles developed on mafic and ultramafic rocks. It also has helped to characterise and define a world-class Sc resource in western New South Wales, and to provide indicators for further exploration.

• CET held their annual “Corporate Members Day” on the 7th of December 2016, to showcase its research to its Corporate Members. The day provided an audience of over 70 representatives from CET Member companies with the opportunity to discuss the innovative work of the CET, including its involvement in CCFS, and gave CCFS ECR and postgraduate students a chance to interact with industry. Posters and poster presentations by CET staff and students showcased the width and breadth of research activities.

• Industry visitors spent varying periods at Macquarie, Curtin and UWA (CET) in 2016 to discuss our research and technology development (see visitor list, Appendix 7). This face-to-face interaction has proved highly effective both for CCFS researchers and industry colleagues.

• CCFS publications, preprints and non-proprietary reports are available on request for industry libraries.

• CCFS participants were prominent in delivering keynote and invited talks and workshop modules, and convening sessions relevant to mineral exploration at national and international industry peak conferences in 2016 (see Abstracts, Appendix 6).

A full list of previous GEMOC publications is available at here


 

Current industry-funded collaborative research projects

These are brief descriptions of current CCFS projects that have direct cash support from industry, most with combinations from ARC, internal University or State Government support. Projects are both national and global. In addition to these formal projects, many shorter projects are directly funded byindustry, and the results of these feed into our basic research databases (with varied confidentiality considerations). Such projects are administered bythe commercial arms of the relevant universities (e.g. AccessMQ Limited, at Macquarie).

CCFS industry collaborative projects are designed to develop the strategic and applied aspects of the basic research programs, and many are based on understanding the architecture of the lithosphere and the nature of Earth’s geodynamic processes that have controlled the evolution of the lithosphere and its important discontinuities. Basic research strands translated to strategic applications include the use of geochemical data integrated with tectonic analyses and large-scale datasets (including geophysical) to understand the relationship between lithosphere domains and large-scale mineralisation. The use of sulfides to date mantle events, and the characterisation of crustal terrane development using U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic compositions of zircons (TerraneChron® ) are being developed as a regional isotopic mapping tools for integration with geophysical modelling.

 

CCFS PROJECTS FUNDED BY INDUSTRY (INCLUDING ARC LINKAGE)

 

Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia

Linkage Project (LP160100483)
Industry Collaborators: Rio Tinto Limited; Alkane Resources Ltd; Sandfire Resources Nl; IMEX Consulting; Evolution Mining Limited; Geoscience Australia; Geological Survey of NSW; Heron Resources Limited; Department of State Growth
CIs: Meffre, Whittaker, Norman, Cracknell, Belousova, Collins, Arundall, Cooke, Maas, Huston, Musgrave, Greenfiel
Summary:
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.

Reducing 3D geological uncertainty via improved data interpretation methods

Linkage Project (LP140100267)
Industry Collaborators: Western Mining Services Australia Pty Ltd, Geological Survey of Western Australia
CIs: Jessell, Holden, Baddeley, Kovesi, Ailleres, Wedge, Lindsay, Gessner, Hronsky
Summary:
The integrity of 3D geological models heavily relies on robust and consistent data interpretation. This project proposes an innovative workflow for 3D modelling to minimise geological uncertainty. Advanced visualisation and intelligent decision support methods will be combined to assist geological interpretation. Feedback on interpretation will be provided based on data evidence and consistency with expert knowledge and previous interpretations. The process can be considered as a spelling and grammar checker for geological interpretation. The outcome of this study aims to achieve an improved workflow that reduces model uncertainty, resulting in a broad and significant impact on the management of Australian mineral, energy and water resources.

Craton modification and growth: the east Albany- Fraser Orogen in three- dimensions

Linkage Project (LP130100413)
Industry Collaborator: Geological Survey of Western Australia
CIs: Tkalcic, Kennett, Spaggiari, Gessner
Summary:
The objective of this work is to achieve new, synergistic techniques for delineating the three-dimensional structure of the east Albany-Fraser Orogen in Western Australia, and the lithospheric structure below it. These methods will guide understanding of the potential for mineral resources in this region with little surface geological exposure.

Chronostratigraphic and tectonothermal history of the northern Capricorn Orogen: constructing a geological framework for understanding mineral systems

Linkage Project (LP130100922)
Industry Collaborator: Geological Survey of Western Australia
CIs: Rasmussen, Dunkley, Muhling, Johnson, Thorne, Korhonen, Kirkland, Wingate
Summary:
The application of innovative age dating techniques with field mapping and a new deep seismic survey across the Capricorn Orogen by this project will help construct a vastly improved geological framework for understanding large mineral systems. Outcomes of this project will reduce uncertainty and risk in exploration, thereby improving the discovery rate of natural resources.

The role of whole- lithosphere architecture on the genesis of giant gold systems in the El-Indio region, Chile- Argentina

Industry Collaborator: Barrick Gold
CIs: McCuaig, Fiorentini
Summary:
The overall aim of the project is to establish and link the near-surface, basement and sub-continental lithospheric structures in an integrated structural architecture and geodynamic model for the El Indio-Pascua belt to identify the fundamental controls of the location and formation of giant HS gold deposits. The research will focus on two main objectives: 1. Define the structural framework that acts as the magma/hydrothermal fluids pathway from the deep fertile source region to the shallow-crustal location of the major HS deposits. Specifically, the concept is to build a multi-scale interpretation of the fundamental structural framework and how the conduit structures are linked from surface through the lithosphere. 2. Link the Miocene metallogenic events to the geodynamic evolution of this segment of the Andean subduction system. The aim here is to document the proposed transient nature of the geodynamic evolution and its linkages to metallogenic / mineralisation pulses.

The distal footprints of giant ore systems: UNCOVER Australia

Supported by CSIRO ex Science & Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF)
Industry Collaborator: CSIRO, UWA, CU, Geological Survey of Western Australia
CIs: Hough, Reddy, McCuaig, Tyler, Dentith, Shragge, Miller, Fiorentini, Aitken
Summary:
Australia is an old continent with much of its remaining mineral wealth masked by a thick cover of weathered rock and sediments that pose a formidable challenge for future mineral exploration. This project aims to develop a toolkit with a workflow to identify the distal footprints of the Giant Ore Systems to address a fundamental limitation in current exploration methodologies.

Lithospheric architecture mapping in Phanerozoic orogens

Industry Collaborator: Minerals Targeting International (PI G. Begg)
CIs: Griffin, O’Reilly, Pearson, Belousova, Natapov
Summary:
The GEMOC Key Centre has developed the conceptual and technological tools required to map the architecture and evolution of the upper lithosphere (0-250 km depth) of cratons (the ancient nuclei of continents). Through two industry-funded programs we have mapped most of the world’s cratons, making up ca 70% of Earth’s surface. The remaining 30% consists of younger mobile belts, which hold many major ore deposits, but are much more complex and difficult to map. This pilot project is developing the additional tools required to map the mobile belts.

Multiscale dynamics of hydrothermal mineral systems

Supported by MRIWA
Industry Collaborators: Integra Mining, First Quantum Minerals, AngloGold Ashanti, SIPA Resources, GSWA, Newmont, Goldfields, Barrick Gold, OZ Minerals
CIs: Ord, Gorczyk, Gessner, Hobbs, Micklethwaite
Summary:
The project aims to produce an integrated framework for the origin of giant hydrothermal deposits. The study crosses all the length scales from lithospheric down to thin section. The goal is to define measurable parameters that control the size of such systems and that can be used as mineral exploration criteria. In particular the emphasis is on: (i) criteria that distinguish a ‘successful’ from a ‘failed’ mineral system and (ii) vectors to mineralisation within a successful system.

Mineral footprint and 4D architecture of the Callie Gold Deposit

Industry Collaborator: Newmont
CIs: Thébaud, Occhipinti, LaFlamme, Petrella
Summary:
The aim of this project is to do an effective assessment of the controls and significance of the variations in the gold systems in the Dead Bullock Soak Mining Lease, in order to aid with Callie deposit mine development and near-mine exploration as well as regional targeting and delineation of further resources. The proposed research partnership involves a project that will do a 4D reconstruction of the gold deposits by integrating the structural, metamorphic and alteration histories of the various deposits in the Dead Bullock Soak Mining Lease. This will be integrated with new geochronology on key phases of the alteration history, structurally constrained intrusive rocks and host rock types. The aim will be to use this knowledge in a mineral systems context to aid exploration targeting, however the deposit scale studies will also potentially impact on resource and geotechnical domaining strategies.

Magmatic sulfide mineral potential in the East Kimberley

Supported by MRIWA M459
Industry Collaborators: CSIRO, MRIWA, Panoramic Resources Ltd and Kind River Copper Ltd.
CIs: Barnes, Fiorentini
Summary:
Magmatic sulfide mineral potential in the East Kimberley igneous intrusions of broadly basaltic composition are the hosts for some of the world’s most valuable ore deposits of Ni, Cu and PGE, and indeed some of the most valuable ore deposits of any type on the planet. Exploration for this style of deposit in Proterozoic mobile belts has recently received a major boost in Australia following the discovery of the Nova deposit in greenfields-terrane in Western Australia, and also with exciting new discoveries and deposit extensions in the Musgrave province also in WA. However, detailed camp-scale targeting and exploration for these deposits remains extremely challenging and new approaches are required. The project will investigate the prospectivity of mafic igneous intrusive rocks in the East Kimberley based on age, internal differentiation and geochemistry of parent magmas, and isotope fingerprinting of ore minerals. The centerpiece of this extension of the project will be an investigation of the relationship between multiple small intrusions in the Savannah district, including the ore-hosting Savannah intrusion itself. We will also investigate similar attributes of the neighbouring Hart Dolerite suite and its potential for PGE-enriched magmatic sulfides. Results will be applied to an assessment of potential exploration targets within the East Kimberley region and other greenfield areas in Proterozoic mobile belts elsewhere in Western Australia.

Mineral systems on the margin of cratons: Albany-Fraser Orogen/ Eucla Basement case study

Supported by MRIWA M470
Industry Collaborators: GSWA and Ponton Minerals
CIs: Kirkland, Clark, Kiddie, Tyler, Spaggiari, Smithies, Wingate
Summary:
Modern exploration requires a new integrated approach, utilising a broad range of techniques, which can collectively enhance the geological knowledge of a region’s mineral endowment. Craton margins host significant lithospheric discontinuities that focus fluids and heat and which, under favourable circumstances, may become mineralised corridors. Additionally, high-grade terrains are frequently viewed as less prospective for some mineralisation (e.g. gold) than lower-grade regions. However, recent discoveries in the Albany-Fraser Orogen highlight that many common models for mineral endowment are lacking and their resolution through cover limited. This program of research will focus on the partially covered terrain of the Albany-Fraser Orogen and the covered Eucla Basement of Western Australia. The project will utilise a lithosphere-scale mineral systems approach to establish the fundamentals (timing, scale, material) of mass transfer processes within the crust. The project will utilise a broad range of geochronology techniques to enhance GSWA’s regional U-Pb zircon coverage and will apply crustal evolution studies via novel analytical equipment to rapidly delimit domains of enhanced mantle input.

Western Africa Exploration Initiative (WAXI)

Industry Collaborator: AMIRA International Ltd.
CIs: Jessell, McCuaig, Miller, Thébaud
Summary:
The West African Exploration Initiative (WAXI) has been a truly remarkable collaboration between a host of research institutions, government agencies from West Africa and industry. The initiative has focused essentially on two overarching themes, namely research to better understand the tectonic history and mineralisation of the West African Craton (WAC); and to assist in building capacity in the region through the assistance of the Geological Surveys and Universities and through training. The initiative is now moving to a Stage 3 which will involve extending the work to the Archean and continuing to assist with capacity building.