A scale-integrated exploration model for orogenic gold deposits based on a mineral system approach

Concept-based orogenic gold exploration requires a scale-integrated approach using a robust mineral system model.Most genetic hypotheses for orogenic gold deposits that involve near-surface or magmatic-hydrothermal fluids are now negated in terms of a global mineral system model.Plausible models involve metamorphic fluids,but the fluid source has been equivocal.Crustal metamorphic-fluid models are most widely-accepted but there are serious problems for Archean deposits,and numerous Chinese provinces,including Jiaodong,where the only feasible fluid source is sub-crustal.If all orogenic gold deposits define a coherent mineral system,there are only two realistic sources of fluid and gold,based on their syn-mineralization geodynamic settings.These are from devolatilization of a subducted oceanic slab with its overlying gold-bearing sulfide-rich sedimentary package,or release from mantle lithosphere that was metasomatized and fertilized during a subduction event,particularly adjacent to craton margins.In this model,CO_2 is generated during decarbonation and S and ore-related elements released from transformation of pyrite to pyrrhotite at about 500 ℃.This orogenic gold mineral system can be applied to conceptual exploration by first identifying the required settings at geodynamic to deposit scales.Within these settings,it is then possible to define the critical gold mineralization processes in the system:fertility,architecture,and preservation.The geological parameters that define these processes,and the geological,geophysical and geochemical proxies and responses for these critical parameters can then be identified.At the geodynamic to province scales,critical processes include a tectonic thermal engine and deep,effective,fluid plumbing system driven by seismic swarms up lithosphere-scale faults in an oblique-slip regime during uplift late in the orogenic cycle of a convergent margin.At the district to deposit scale,the important processes are fluid focussing into regions of complex structural geometry adjacent to crustal-scale plumbing systems,with gold deposition in trap sites involving complex conjugations of competent and/or reactive rock sequences and structural or lithological fluid caps.Critical indirect responses to defined parameters change from those generated by geophysics to those generated by geochemistry with reduction in scale of the mineral system-driven conceptual exploration.     

Biogeochemical sampling for mineral exploration in arid terrains: Tanami Gold Province,Australia

Vegetation sampling is an effective mineral exploration technique in areas of transported cover in the Tanami Gold Province where other techniques have been of limited success. This research tests the ability of plants to show signatures of mineralisation as well as the optimum scale of sampling for first-pass mineral exploration surveys. The semi-arid Tanami Gold Province in northern Australia encompasses nearly 160,000 km² and is a highly prospective yet under-explored region due to transported cover masking mineralisation. Various dominant plant species were sampled along transects across four sites of Au mineralisation in the Tanami (Larranganni, Hyperion, Coyote and Titania). Snappy gum (Eucalyptus brevifolia) gave a geobotanical (plant distribution) and lithological (S and Zn) signature of an underlying geological structure known to host Au mineralisation at the Coyote Prospect. Soft spinifex (Triodia pungens) provided an Au, As, ± Zn, ± S, and ± Ce expression of buried Au mineralisation at Coyote and Titania. At the Hyperion prospect, mineralisation is located at the contact between granite and dolerite, and biogeochemical signatures from snappy gum and dogwood (Acacia coriacea) show elevated ± Au, Ce, S and Zn that corresponded to the contact. Biogeochemistry is able to determine the location of mineralisation at each site, except at Hyperion where the sample density was too low. It is able to identify underlying substrate differences, however, background knowledge relating to regolith, geology, hydrology and geophysics are important in aiding the interpretation of the elemental data. It was found that having too few samples (at Hyperion) there was insufficient useful information for mineral exploration. Grid coverage of an area (at Titania) provided information on mineralisation and groundwater dispersion plumes; however, in this case a single transect over the same area would have been sufficient for a first-pass mineral exploration survey.     

Incorporating conceptual and interpretation uncertainty to mineral prospectivity modelling

Prospectivity analyses are used to reduce the exploration search space for locating areas prospective for mineral deposits.The scale of a study and the type of mineral system associated with the deposit control the evidence layers used as proxies that represent critical ore genesis processes.In particular,knowledge-driven approaches(fuzzy logic)use a conceptual mineral systems model from which data proxies represent the critical components.These typically vary based on the scale of study and the type of mineral system being predicted.Prospectivity analyses utilising interpreted data to represent proxies for a mineral system model inherit the subjectivity of the interpretations and the uncertainties of the evidence layers used in the model.In the case study presented,the prospectivity for remobilised nickel sulphide(NiS)in the west Kimberley,Western Australia,is assessed with two novel techniques that objectively grade interpretations and accommodate alternative mineralisation scenarios.Exploration targets are then identified and supplied with a robustness assessment that reflects the variability of prospectivity value for each location when all models are considered.The first technique grades the strength of structural interpretations on an individual line-segment basis.Gradings are obtained from an objective measure of feature evidence,which is the quantification of specific patterns in geophysical data that are considered to reveal underlying structure.Individual structures are weighted in the prospectivity model with grading values correlated to their feature evidence.This technique allows interpreted features to contribute prospectivity proportional to their strength in feature evidence and indicates the level of associated stochastic uncertainty.The second technique aims to embrace the systemic uncertainty of modelling complex mineral systems.In this approach,multiple prospectivity maps are each generated with different combinations of confidence values applied to evidence layers to represent the diversity of processes potentially leading to ore deposition.With a suite of prospectivity maps,the most robust exploration targets are the locations with the highest prospectivity values showing the smallest range amongst the model suite.This new technique offers an approach that reveals to the modeller a range of alternative mineralisation scenarios while employing a sensible mineral systems model,robust modelling of prospectivity and significantly reducing the exploration search space for Ni.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711500002X

Discovery rates for all metals,including gold,are declining,the cost per significant discovery is increasing sharply,and the economic situation of the industry is one of low base rate.The current hierarchical structure of the exploration and mining industry makes this situation difficult to redress.Economic geologists can do little to influence the required changes to the overall structure and philosophy of an industry driven by business rather than geological principles.However,it should be possible to follow the lead of the oil industry and improve the success rate of greenfield exploration,necessary for the next group of lower-exploration-spend significant mineral deposit discoveries.Here we promote the concept that mineral explorers need to carefully consider the scale at which their exploration targets are viewed.It is necessary to carefully assess the potential of drill targets in terms of terrane to province to district scale,rather than deposit scale,where most current economic geology research and conceptual thinking is concentrated.If otogenic,IRGD,Carlin-style and 10 CG gold-rich systems are viewed at the deposit scale,they appear quite different in terms of conventionally adopted research parameters.However,recent models for these deposit styles show increasingly similar source-region parameters when viewed at the lithosphere scale,suggesting common tectonic settings.It is only by assessing individual targets in their tectonic context that they can be more reliably ranked in terms of potential to provide a significant drill discovery.Targets adjacent to craton margins,other lithosphere boundaries,and suture zones are clearly favoured for all of these gold deposit styles,and such exploration could lead to incidental discovery of major deposits of other metals sited along the same tectonic boundaries.     

Orogenic gold and the mineral systems approach: Resolving fact,fiction and fantasy

The fact that mineral deposit attributes such as the size frequency of orogenic gold deposits in specific provinces exhibit power law distributions similar to forest fires, earthquakes, and fault size populations, is a compelling motivation to examine their genesis from a systems context. Based on well-studied Earth systems such as climate, the systems related to mineral deposits are likely to be complex and potentially include sensitive dependent components that vary simultaneously and in subtly interconnected ways.Although a “systems approach” was enunciated for mineral exploration by Fyfe and Kerrich as early as 1976, it is yet to be fully embraced by the geosciences community that commonly retain models dependent primarily on deposit-scale characteristics. Orogenic gold deposits are well studied and widely considered to represent a single class of deposit that has formed over much of Earth history in settings ranging from Archean granite-greenstone belts to Phanerozoic turbidite sequences. Accordingly, the deposit type is well suited for assessment within a systems context. If orogenic gold deposits do in fact represent a single class of deposits, then the simplest application of a systems approach highlights the fact that the nature of the host upper crustal succession cannot be a fundamental control, with specific granite suites and pyritic sediments not universal, or at least not essential, components of the system. Furthermore the scale of orogenic gold systems implicates processes capable of tapping sub-crustal source regions.Increasingly, advances in orogenic gold systems, and mineral systems in general, are linked to application of systems science that emphasize importance of system-driven criticality. Orogenic gold systems and other mineral systems are typically short in duration and linked in time and space to tectonic triggers. The latter promote a rapid release of energy (‘avalanches’) that overcome system thresholds and are strong indicators of complex systems that may show power-law behavior.Only a rigorous application of a systems approach can cut through the confusion that arises from conflicting models based on local deposit studies. Only a systems approach can evaluate the significance of rare or anomalous features in a small number of deposits. Truly predictive models for mineral exploration will ultimately be developed by workers who adhere to the systems approach.     

Application of stress mapping in cross‐section to understanding ore geometry,predicting ore zones and development of drilling strategies

Stress mapping is a numerical modelling technique used to determine the distribution and relative magnitude of stress during deformation in a mineralised terrane. It is based on the general principle that fluid flow in the Earth's crust is primarily related to pressure gradients. It is best applied to epigenetic hydrothermal mineral deposits, where fluid flow and fluid flux are enhanced in dilational sections of structures and in sites of enhanced rock permeability due to high fracture density. These are defined by sites of low minimum principal stress (σ₃). Most stress mapping is carried out in two dimensions in plan view using geological maps. This is suitable for terranes with steeply dipping lithostratigraphy and structures in which the distribution of mineral deposits is largely controlled by fault structures portrayed on the maps. However, for terranes with gently dipping sequences and structures, and for situations where deposits are sited in and near the hinges of complex fold structures, stress mapping in cross‐section is preferable. The effectiveness of stress mapping is maximised if mineralisation was late in the evolutionary history of the host terrane, and hence the structural geometry of the terrane and contained deposits were essentially that expressed today. The orientation of syn‐mineralisation far‐field stresses must also be inferred. Two examples of orogenic gold deposits, which meet the above criteria, are used to illustrate the potential of stress mapping in cross‐section. Sunrise Dam, located in the Archaean Yilgarn Craton, is a lode‐gold deposit sited in a thrust‐fold belt. Stress mapping illustrates the heterogeneity of stress distribution in the complex structural geometry of the deposit, and predicts the preferential siting of ore zones around the intersections of more steeply dipping, linking thrusts and banded iron‐formation units, and below the controlling more gently dipping basal thrust, the Sunrise Shear. The Howley Anticline in the Pine Creek block hosts several Palaeoproterozoic gold deposits, sited in complex anticlinal structures in greywacke sequences. Stress mapping indicates that gold ores should develop in the hinge zones of symmetrical anticlines, in the hinge zones and more steeply dipping to overturned limbs of asymmetric anticlines, and in and around thrusts in both anticlines and parasitic synclines. The strong correlation between the predictions of the stress mapping, based on the distribution of low σ₃, and the location of gold ores emphasises the potential of stress mapping in cross‐section, not only as an exploration tool for the discovery of additional resources or deposits, but also as a test of geological models. Knowledge of the potential siting of gold ores and their probable orientations also provides a guide to drilling strategies in both mine‐ and regional‐scale exploration.     

Exploration targeting for orogenic gold deposits in the Granites-Tanami Orogen: Mineral system analysis,targeting model and prospectivity analysis

A major challenge for mineral exploration geologists is the development of a transparent and reproducible approach to targeting exploration efforts, particularly at the regional to camp scales, in terranes under difficult cover where exploration and opportunity costs are high. In this study, a three-pronged approach is used for identifying the most prospective ground for orogenic gold deposits in the Paleoproterozoic Granite-Tanami Orogen (GTO) in Western Australia.A key input to the analyses is the recent development of a 4D model of the GTO architectural evolution that provides new insights on the spatio-temporal controls over orogenic gold occurrences in the area; in particular, on the role of pre-mineralization (pre-1795 Ma) D_GTOE–D_GTO1–D_GTO2 architecture in localization of gold deposits and the spatial distribution of rock types in 3D. This information is used to build up a model of orogenic gold minerals system in the area, which is then integrated into the three mutually independent but complementary mineral prospectivity maps namely, a concept-driven “manual” and “fuzzy” analysis; and a data-driven “automated” analysis.The manual analysis involved: (1) generation of a process-based gold mineral systems template to aid target selection; (2) manual delineation of targets; (3) manual estimation of the probability of occurrence of each critical mineralization process based on the available information; and (4) combining the above probabilities to derive the relative probability of occurrence of orogenic gold deposits in each of the targets. The knowledge-based Geological Information System (GIS) analysis attempts to replicate the expert knowledge used in the manual approach, but queried in a more systematic format to eliminate human heuristic bias. This involves representing the critical mineralization processes in the form of spatial predictor maps and systematically querying them through the use of a fuzzy logic model to integrate the predictor maps and to derive the western GTO orogenic gold prospectivity map. The data-driven ‘empirical’ GIS analysis uses no expert knowledge. Instead it employs statistical measures to evaluate the spatial associations between known deposits and predictor maps to establish weights for each predictor layer then combines these layers into a predictive map using a Weights of Evidence (WofE) approach.Application of a mineral systems approach in the manual analysis and the fuzzy analysis is critical: potential high value targets identified by these approaches in the western GTO lie largely under cover, whereas traditional manual targeting is biased to areas of outcrop or sub-crop amenable to direct detection technology such as exploration geochemistry, and therefore towards areas that are data rich.The results show the power of combining the three approaches to prioritize areas for exploration. While the manual analysis identifies and employs human intuition and can see through incomplete datasets, it is difficult to filter out human bias and to systematically apply to a large region. The fuzzy method is more systematic, and highlights areas that the manual analysis has undervalued, but lacks the intuitive power of the human mind that refines the target by seeing through incomplete datasets. The empirical WoE method highlights correlations with favorable host stratigraphy and highlights the control of an early set of structures potentially undervalued in the knowledge driven approaches, yet is biased due to the incomplete nature of exploration datasets and lack of abundant gold deposits due to the extensive cover.The results indicate that the most prospective areas for orogenic gold in western GTO are located in the central part of the study area, largely in areas blind to previous exploration efforts. According to our study, the procedure to follow should be to undertake the analyses in the following order: manual prospectivity analysis, followed by the conceptual fuzzy approach, followed by the empirical GIS-based method. Undertaking the manual analysis first is important to prevent explorationists from being biased by the automated GIS-based outputs. It is however emphasized that all of the prospectivity outputs from these three methods are possible, and they should not be treated as ‘treasure maps’, but instead, as decision-support aids. Therefore, a final manual prospectivity analysis redefined by the mutual consideration of output from all of the methods is required.The strategy employed in this study constitutes a new template for best-practice in terrane- to camp-scale exploration targeting that can be applied to different terranes and deposit types, particularly in terranes under cover, and provides a step forward in managing uncertainty in the exploration targeting process.     

Metallogeny of South Greenland: A review of geological evolution,mineral occurrences and geochemical exploration data

South Greenland has been the site of historic mining of cryolite, copper, graphite and gold, hosts mineral deposits with gold, uranium, zinc, niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium, REE, iron, titanium, vanadium, fluorite and graphite, and has additional potential for lithium, beryllium, phosphorus, gallium and thorium. Data from stream sediment geochemical surveys document that South Greenland is enriched in a range of these elements relative to the rest of Greenland and to estimates of the upper crust composition. Distribution patterns for individual elements within south Greenland exhibit enriched regions that are spatially related to lithological units, crustal structure and known mineralisation.The Northern Domain of South Greenland includes the southernmost part of the orthogneiss-dominated North Atlantic craton. Orogenic gold mineralisation is hosted by quartz veins and hydrothermally altered rocks associated with shear zones intersecting the Mesoarchaean Tartoq Group of mafic metavolcanic rocks. Geochemical exploration indicates that additional potential for gold mineralisation exists within Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rocks overlying the Archaean basement.Rocks formed during the Palaeoproterozoic Ketilidian orogeny occupy a major part of South Greenland and has been divided into two domains. The Central Domain is underlain by the Julianehåb igneous complex forming a 100 km wide ENE–WSW zone centrally across South Greenland. Intrusive and extrusive, mostly felsic magmatic rocks were emplaced in two main stages (1850–1830 and 1800–1780 Ma) in a continental arc setting. Positive anomalies in aeromagnetic data indicate that mafic plutons are common in the late igneous complex. Intra-arc mafic metavolcanic rocks contain syngenetic stratabound copper sulphide and epigenetic shear zone-hosted copper–silver–gold mineralisation at Kobberminebugt and Kangerluluk, whereas metasedimentary and metapyroclastic rocks contain stratabound uraninite mineralisation. Orthomagmatic iron–titanium–vanadium mineralisation is hosted by a gabbro. A potential for porphyry-type mineralisation related to the late intrusive stages of the Julianehåb igneous complex is suggested by showings with copper, molybdenum and gold together with stream sediment anomalies for these elements. Vein-type uranium mineralisation occurs in fault zones in the Julianehåb igneous complex related to Mesoproterozoic rifting.The Southern Domain contains an assemblage of Palaeoproterozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks that underwent moderate to strong deformation, peak HT–LP metamorphism and partial melting with subsequent retrograde exhumation at 1790–1765 Ma. The supracrustal rocks contain syngenetic Au, As, Sb, U, and Zn mineralisation in volcanic or graphite- and sulphide-rich sedimentary environments; graphite was mined historically at two sites. Many stream sediment gold anomalies are located in a NE-trending belt along the boundary between the early Julianehåb complex and the supracrustal rocks to the south. They reflect a number of auriferous quartz vein occurrences, including the Nalunaq gold deposit, hosted in a system of shear zones and probably generated as orogenic gold during Ketilidian accretion. The 1755–1730 Ma, A-type Ilua plutonic suite is the latest magmatic event in the Ketilidian orogen.The 1300–1140 Ma Gardar period involved continental rifting, sedimentation and alkaline magmatism. Numerous dykes and 10 ring-shaped intrusion complexes were formed across South Greenland. An orthomagmatic iron–titanium–vanadium deposit is hosted by troctolitic gabbro. Residual magmas and fluids resulting from extreme magmatic differentiation, possibly combined with assimilation of older crust, created mineral deposits including cryolite that was mined at Ivigtut, large low-grade deposits of uranium–rare earth elements–zinc at Kvanefjeld and tantalum–niobium–rare earth element–zirconium at Kringlerne, in the Ilímaussaq complex, as well as tantalum–niobium–rare earth elements at Motzfeldt Sø in the Igaliko complex.The South Greenland crustal evolution records effects of mantle processes, such as lithospheric extension, subduction and underplating, which resulted in recurrent magma emplacement in tectonically active environments. As such, the geology of South Greenland reflects events and circumstances that are favourable to the generation and preservation of hydrothermal ore-forming fluid systems during the Ketilidian orogeny as well as to the development of extreme rock compositions within the Gardar alkaline igneous province.     

Discovery and exploration of the Gosowong epithermal gold deposit, Halmahera, Indonesia

The Gosowong epithermal gold deposit, on the island of Halmahera in eastern Indonesia, is located in an area of primary tropical rain forest with no previous history of gold mining or record of gold mineralisation. The deposit occurs in a newly recognised mineral district which contains a number of epithermal vein systems and at least two centres of low-grade porphyry style Cu–Au mineralisation. Several zones of argillic and advanced argillic alteration have been noted which may be related to additional centres of mineralisation. Gosowong is classified as a low-sulphidation epithermal quartz vein. Bonanza-grade gold–silver mineralisation is developed in shoots over a 400-m strike section of the vein system. Three types of veining are recognized; quartz–adularia veins and breccias; quartz–chlorite–illite veins and breccias; and crystalline or chalcedonic quartz vein stockworks. The area was targetted using a simple geological concept and the deposit was discovered and tested using basic exploration techniques commonly applied in the rugged tropical terrains of Indonesia. Sequential exploration methods comprised reconnaissance drainage sampling of stream sediment, BLEG and float media, ridge and spur soil sampling, prospect scale grid soil sampling, hand trenching and diamond drilling. Lapse time from identification of the initial reconnaissance anomaly to an inferred resource estimate of almost 1 million ounces of gold was less than 3.5 years. This case history illustrates that very detailed exploration is necessary to locate high-grade vein-type gold deposits in a tropical environment, but demonstrates that such resources still remain to be discovered in the relatively under-explored Neogene magmatic arcs of Indonesia.     

The tectonics and mineral systems of Proterozoic Western Australia:Relationships with supercontinents and global secular change

The cratonisation of Western Australia during the Proterozoic overlapped with several key events in the evolution of Earth. These include global oxidation events and glaciations, as well as the assembly,accretionary growth, and breakup of the supercontinents Columbia and Rodinia, culminating in the assembly of Gondwana. Globally, Proterozoic mineral systems evolved in response to the coupled evolution of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. Consequently, mineral deposits form preferentially in certain times, but they also require a favourable tectonic setting. For Western Australia a distinct plate-margin mineralisation trend is associated with Columbia, whereas an intraplate mineralisation trend is associated with Rodinia and Gondwana, each with associated deposit types. We compare the current Proterozoic record of ore deposits in Western Australia to the estimated likelihood of oredeposit formation. Overall likelihood is estimated with a simple matrix-based approach that considers two components: The "global secular likelihood" and the "tectonic setting likelihood". This comparative study shows that at least for the studied ore-deposit types, deposits within Western Australia developed at times, and in tectonic settings compatible with global databases. Nevertheless, several deposit types are either absent or poorly-represented relative to the overall likelihood models. Insufficient exploration may partly explain this, but a genuine lack of deposits is also suggested for some deposit types. This may relate either to systemic inadequacies that inhibited ore-deposit formation, or to poor preservation. The systematic understanding on the record of Western Australia helps to understand mineralisation processes within Western Australia and its past connections in Columbia, Rodinia and Gondwana and aids to identify regions of high exploration potential.     

Radiogenic isotopes,ore deposits and metallogenic terranes: Novel approaches based on regional isotopic maps and the mineral systems concept

Radiogenic isotopes have long been used in mineralisation studies, not just for geochronological determinations of mineralising events but also as tracers, providing, for example, information on the source of metals. It was also evident early on that consideration of isotopic data on a regional scale could be used to assist with metallogenic interpretation, including identification of metallogenic terranes. The large amounts of isotopic (and other) data available today, in combination with readily available graphical software, have made possible construction of isotopic maps, using various isotopic variables, at regional to continental scales, allowing for metallogenic interpretation over similarly large regions. Such interpretation has been driven largely by empiricism, but increasingly with a mineral systems approach, recognising that mineral deposits, although geographically small in extent, are the result of geological processes that occur at a variety of scales.This review looks at what radiogenic isotopes can tell us about different mineral systems, from camp- to craton-scale. Examples include identifying lithospheric/crustal architecture and its importance in controlling the locations of mineralisation, the identification of metallogenic terranes and/or favourable geodynamic environments on the basis of their isotopic signatures, and using juvenile isotopic signatures of intrusives to identify metallogenically important rock types. The review concentrates on the Sm–Nd system using felsic igneous rocks and the U–Th–Pb system using galena, Pb-rich ores and other rocks. The Sm–Nd system can be used to effectively ‘see’ through many crustal processes to provide information on the nature of the source of the rocks. For voluminous rocks such as granites this provides a potentially powerful proxy in constraining the nature of the various crustal blocks the granites occur within. In contrast, Pb isotopic data from galena and Pb-rich associated ores provide a more direct link to mineralisation, and the two systems (Pb and Nd) can be used in conjunction to investigate links between mineralisation and crustal domains.In this contribution we document: the more general principles of radiogenic isotopes; the identification of time-independent isotopic parameters; the use of such variable to generate isotopic maps, and the use of the latter for metallogenic studies. Regional and continental scale isotopic maps (and data) can be used to empirically and/or predictively to identify and target (either directly or indirectly by proxy) larger scale parts of mineral systems that may be indicative of, or form part of metallogenic terranes. These include demonstrable empirical relationships between mineral systems and isotopic domains, which can be extracted, tested and applied as predictive tools. Isotopic maps allow the identification of old, especially Archean, cratonic blocks, which may be metallogenically-endowed, or have other favourable characteristics. These maps also assist with identification of potentially favourable paleo-tectonic settings for mineralisation. These include: old continental margins, especially accretionary orogenic settings; and juvenile zones, either marginal or internal, which may indicate extension and possible rifting, or primitive arc crust. Such isotopic maps also aid identification of crustal breaks, which may represent major faults zones and, hence, fluid pathways for fluids and magmas, or serve to delineate natural boundaries for metallogenic terranes. Finally, isotopic maps also act as baseline maps which help to identify regions/periods characterised by greater (or lesser) magmatic, especially mantle input. Of course, in any exploration model, any analysis is predicated on using a wide range of geological, geochemical and geophysical information across a range of scales. Sm–Nd and U–Th–Pb isotopic maps are just another layer to be integrated with other data. Future work should focus on better constraining the 4D (3D plus time) evolution of the lithosphere, by integrating isotopic data with other data, as well as through better integration of available radiogenic isotopic systems, including the voluminous amounts of in situ isotopic analysis (of minerals) now available. This should result in more effective commodity targeting and exploration.     

Metallogeny of accretionary orogens — The connection between lithospheric processes and metal endowment

Accretionary orogens throughout space and time represent extremely fertile settings for the formation and preservation of a wide variety of mineral deposit types. These range from those within active magmatic arcs, either in continental margin or intra-oceanic settings, to those that develop in a variety of arc-flanking environments, such as fore-arcs and back-arcs during deformation and exhumation of the continental margin. Deposit types also include those that form in more distal, far back-arc and foreland basin settings. The metallogenic signature and endowment of individual accretionary orogens are, at a fundamental level, controlled by the nature, composition and age of the sub-continental lithosphere, and a complex interplay between formational processes and preservational forces in an evolving Earth. Some deposit types, such as orogenic gold and volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, have temporal patterns that mimic the major accretionary and crustal growth events in Earth history, whereas others, such as porphyry Cu–Au–Mo and epithermal Au–Ag deposits, have largely preservational patterns. The presence at c. 3.4 Ga of (rare) orogenic gold deposits, whose formation necessitates some form of subduction–accretion, provides strong evidence that accretionary processes operated then at the margins of continental nuclei, while the widespread distribution of orogenic gold and VMS deposits at c. 2.7–2.6 Ga reflects the global distribution of accretionary orogens by this time.     

A prediction model for important mineral resources in China

Prediction models for mineral resources provide an analytical foundation and method to express the results of resource evaluations. The project “China National Mineral Resources Assessment Initiative” was conducted during 2006–2013, with the aim to determine the location, quantity, and quality of 25 important mineral resources occurring at depths of <1 km. There are currently 80 integrated prediction models on the scale of III–level metallogenic belts in use across China. The Huangshaping Pb–Zn polymetallic deposit, Hunan province, China, is used as a case study to establish methods and processes for developing a mineral resource prediction model that would be used for exploration targeting. The construction of prediction models requires the development of a classification scheme for the proposed prediction method appropriate for the prediction area. An initial metallogenic model is quantitatively transformed to a prospecting model, and then a prediction model. The incorporation of additional methodology, analysis of a comprehensive geological database, and correlation of asymmetric information between the well–explored typical deposit area and regional prediction area, yield an integrated prediction model. This paper also discusses the prediction modeling theory, and presents 12 models used for mineral assessments.     

Orogenic gold mineral systems of the Western Lachlan Orogen (Victoria) and the Hodgkinson Province (Queensland): Crustal metal sources and cryptic zones of regional fluid flow

Orogenic gold mineral systems in the Western Lachlan Orogen (Victoria) and the Hodgkinson Province (Queensland) produced gold provinces characterised by vastly different scales of gold endowment and strongly uneven distribution of gold mineralisation within each province. The volume of hydrous pyrite-bearing rocks undergoing metamorphic devolatilisation during thermo-tectonic events driving orogenic gold mineral systems represents a fundamental first-order constraint on the total gold endowment and its broad spatial distribution, both between and within the provinces. Most of the largest gold deposits in both regions occur in linear, richly-endowed metallogenic zones, oblique to the dominant regional structures and related to deep crustal domain boundaries. These boundaries, with only subtle surface expressions, were the major regional structural controls which promoted focused near-vertical flow of mineralising metamorphic fluids above the outer margins of cratonic blocks in the lower crust. Recognised major faults represented only more local scale and often indirect controls on the focused fluid flow, particularly effective above the deep cratonic block boundaries overlain by relatively thick crustal source rocks.     

Recognition of geochemical footprints of mineral systems in the regolith at regional to continental scales

Understanding the character of Australia's extensive regolith cover is crucial to the continuing success of mineral exploration. We hypothesise that the regolith contains geochemical fingerprints of processes related to the development and preservation of mineral systems at a range of scales. We test this hypothesis by analysing the composition of surface sediments within greenfield regional-scale (southern Thomson Orogen) and continental-scale (Australia) study areas. In the southern Thomson Orogen area, the first principal component (PC1) derived in our study [Ca, Sr, Cu, Mg, Au and Mo at one end; rare earth elements (REEs) and Th at the other] is very similar to the empirical vector used by a local company (enrichment in Sr, Ca and Au concomitant with depletion in REEs) to successfully site exploration drill holes for Cu–Au mineralisation. Mapping of the spatial distribution of PC1 in the region reveals several areas of elevated values and possible mineralisation potential. One of the strongest targets in the PC1 map is located between Brewarrina and Bourke in northern New South Wales. Here, exploration drilling has intersected porphyry Cu–Au mineralisation with up to 1 wt% Cu, 0.1 g/t Au, and 717 ppm Zn. The analysis of a comparable geochemical dataset at the continental scale yields a compositionally similar PC1 (Ca, Sr, Mg, Cu, Au and Mo at one end; REEs and Th at the other) to that of the regional study. Mapping PC1 at the continental scale shows patterns that (1) are spatially compatible with the regional study and (2) reveal several geological regions of elevated values, possibly suggesting an enhanced potential for porphyry Cu–Au mineralisation. These include well-endowed mineral provinces such as the Curnamona and Capricorn regions, but also some greenfield regions such as the Albany-Fraser/western Eucla, western Murray and Eromanga geological regions. We conclude that the geochemical composition of Australia's regolith may hold critical information pertaining to mineralisation within/beneath it.     

Developing the tools for geological shape analysis,with regional‐ to local‐scale examples from the Kalgoorlie Terrane of Western Australia

Geological map data are often underused in mineral‐exploration programs, which rely increasingly on regolith geochemistry and geophysical and other remotely sensed data to generate exploration targets. However, solid geology maps, which are progressively being upgraded due to improved interpretations of superior, remotely sensed images and airborne geophysical data, can be useful in targeting specific types of mineral deposits, which formed late in the evolutionary history of the host terrane. In such terranes, the present map geometry is essentially the same as that at the time of deposit formation. This is the case for orogenic lode‐gold deposits, which commonly show predictable structural controls and/or structural geometry. Thus, the shape of a rock body, or combinations of structures and rock bodies, may provide an important guide to the exploration potential for orogenic lode‐gold deposits. However, until recently, there has been a dearth of techniques to quantify the various properties of shape, and hence test the potential of the two‐dimensional shape of geological bodies in map view as an exploration tool. Integrating techniques from the field of pattern recognition with a modern Geographical Information System (GIS) can provide the shape‐analysis tools required to investigate the geometries of geological shapes. Two‐dimensional shape analysis is now possible through the calculation of several shape metrics including, but not restricted to, aspect ratio, blockiness, elongation, compactness, complexity, roundness, spreadness and squareness. Methods are developed for describing the geometries of rock units about mineral deposits, or any geological features, at any scale, which for the first time makes it possible to compare shapes. These shape‐analysis techniques are tested using orogenic lode‐gold deposits, particularly those in the Kalgoorlie Terrane of the highly auriferous Late Archaean Norseman‐Wiluna Belt of Western Australia. On a global scale, shape analysis indicates that those greenstone belts whose volcanic rock sequences have high elongation and relative low roundness, complexity and aspect ratio (e.g. Kalgoorlie Terrane) are likely to be the most richly endowed in gold. On a more local scale, characteristics of the shape of geological features around the Golden Mile deposit are calculated and used to test the likelihood of occurrence of gold deposits with similar geometry elsewhere in the Kalgoorlie Terrane. The area with the most closely matching shape, on the basis of a 2 km clipping‐circle radius, chosen on the basis of available proximity‐analysis data, corresponds to the recently discovered Ghost Crab deposit, illustrating the potential of the shape analysis methodology in mineral exploration. Shape analysis is, at least in part, scale dependent, due to the inherent problem of being able to define rock boundaries more precisely in units that have strong geophysical signatures than those with weak signatures in poorly exposed terranes. Overcoming this problem is a challenge to the application of this methodology.     

Reflectance spectroscopic characterisation of mineral alteration footprints associated with sediment-hosted gold mineralisation at Mt Olympus (Ashburton Basin,Western Australia)

Hydrothermal ore deposits are typically characterised by footprints of zoned mineral assemblages that extend far beyond the size of the orebody. Understanding the mineral assemblages and spatial extent of these hydrothermal footprints is crucial for successful exploration, but is commonly hindered by the impact of regolith processes on the Earth's surface. Hyperspectral drill core (HyLogger?-3) data were used to characterise alteration mineralogy at the Mt Olympus gold deposit located 35 km southeast of Paraburdoo along the Nanjilgardy Fault within the northern margin of the Ashburton Basin in Western Australia. Mineralogy interpreted from hyperspectral data over the visible to shortwave (400–2500 nm) and thermal (6000–14500 nm) infrared wavelength ranges was validated with X-ray diffraction and geochemical analyses. Spaceborne multispectral (ASTER) and airborne geophysical (airborne electromagnetic, AEM) data were evaluated for mapping mineral footprints at the surface and sub-surface. At the deposit scale, mineral alteration patterns were identified by comparing the most abundant mineral groups detected in the HyLogger data against lithology logging and gold assays. Potential hydrothermal alteration phases included Na/K-alunite, kaolin phases (kaolinite, dickite), pyrophyllite, white mica, chlorite and quartz, representing low-T alteration of earlier greenschist metamorphosed sediments. The respective zoned mineral footprints varied depending on the type of sedimentary host rock. Siltstones were mainly characterised by widespread white-mica alteration with proximal kaolinite alteration or quartz veining. Sandstones showed (1) distal white mica, intermediate dickite, and proximal alunite + kaolinite or (2) widespread white-mica alteration with associated intervals of kaolinite. In both, sandstones and siltstones, chlorite was distal to gold mineralisation. Conglomerates showed distal kaolinite/dickite and proximal white-mica/dickite alteration. Three-dimensional visualisation of the gold distribution and spatially associated alteration patterns around Mt Olympus revealed three distinct categories: (1) several irregular, poddy, SE-plunging zones of >0.5 ppm gold intersected by the Zoe Fault; (2) sulfate alteration proximal to mineralisation, particularly on the northern side of the Mt Olympus open pit; and (3) varying Al^IVAl^VISi^IV_–1(Mg,Fe)^VI_–1 composition of white micas with proximity to gold mineralisation. Chlorite that developed during regional metamorphic or later hydrothermal alteration occurs distal to gold mineralisation. ASTER mineral mapping products, such as the MgOH Group Content used to map chlorite (±white mica) assemblages, showed evidence of correlation to mapped, local structural features and unknown structural or lithological contacts as indicated by inversion modelling of AEM data.     

Exhumation of the Mesozoic Guojialing Granodiorite: Implication for the Preservation of Gold Deposits in the Jiaobei Terrane,China

Preservation conditions are very important for mineral systems and a suitable exhumation process is critical for endogenetic deposits, especially for those deposits formed in orogenic settings, where deposits are inclined to erode away due to strong uplift. The G uojialing batholith, intruding into the L inglong granites and the J iaodong G roup right before regional gold mineralization, is one of the most important gold ore‐hosting M esozoic intrusions in the J iaobei terrane. Gold deposits and the intrusion together underwent similar tectonothermal evolutionary processes. Exhumation and denudation process of the G uojialing granodiorite was constrained by biotite geobarometry and apatite fission track (FT ) analysis. Biotite geobarometric data yields an emplacement depth of 3.0 km, while denudation since 110 M a was calculated from the FT data at about 2.7 km. FT inverse modeling revealed a rapid uplift since ca 100 Ma. Compared with the gold ore‐forming depth which is confined between 2.5 and 9.5 km by fluid inclusion studies, great gold potential in the depths is inferred in the J iaobei terrane. Our result is consistent, to some extent, with the hypothesis of a M esozoic paleoplateau in E ast C hina.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry, and structural controls of a disseminated gold-bearing alteration halo around the schist-hosted Bullendale orogenic gold deposit,New Zealand

Orogenic gold-bearing quartz veins in the middle Tertiary Bullendale Fault Zone, New Zealand were mined historically for coarse gold in a narrow zone (ca. 5 m thick). However, recent drilling has revealed a broad hydrothermal alteration zone extending into the host schist, in which disseminated sulphide and gold mineralisation has occurred. The evidence of alteration is first seen over 150 m across strike from the fault zone, and the best-developed alteration halo is about 50 m wide. The extent and intensity of alteration is strongly controlled by local structures that developed during regional Tertiary kink folding of the pervasively foliated and fissile metasedimentary schist host. The earliest structures are foliation-parallel microshears (micron to millimeter scale) formed during flexural-slip folding. Later, but related, structures are predominantly normal faults and associated shear zones that have formed extensional sites during the regional folding event. All these structures facilitated hydrothermal fluid penetration and rock alteration, with localised vein formation and brecciation. Where fluid has followed structures, metamorphic chlorite, phengite, and titanite have been altered to hydrothermal ankerite, rutile, and muscovite or kaolinite. Ankerite with Fe/(Fe + Mg) < 0.4 formed in host rocks with Fe/(Fe + Mg) of 0.6, and iron released by ankerite alteration possibly formed pyrite and arsenopyrite that host disseminated gold. Fault zones were extensively silicified and veined with quartz, albite, sulphides, and gold. Host rocks have wide compositional variations because of centimeter-scale metamorphic segregation. However, the alteration halo is characterised by elevated CO₂ and S, as measured by loss-on-ignition (doubled to ca. 6 wt.%), elevated As (100–10,000 ppm), and weakly elevated Sb (up to 14 ppm). Strontium is elevated and Ba depleted in many altered rocks, so Sr/Ba ratio increases from < 1 (host rocks) to > 3 in the most altered and silicified rocks. Many altered and mineralised rocks have low Sr/Ba (< 0.5) as well. The subtle geochemical signature is not useful as a vector to ore because of the strong microstructural control on alteration. Likewise, there is no evidence for spatial mineralogical zonation across the alteration halo, although the most intense alteration is centred on the main fault zone, and intensity of alteration is controlled by microstructures at all scales. As documented in previous studies, hydrothermal alteration haloes enlarge the exploration target for some orogenic gold deposits, and may include disseminated gold, as in this Bullendale example.