Geochemical exploration for supergene copper oxide deposits, Mount Isa Inlier, NW Queensland, Australia

Salama, Walid; Gazley, Michael F.; Bonnett, Lindsay C.

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2016.05.008

Cited by 22 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…16d and 16e). Upward gaseous transfers and insect or plant root activity can bring mineralized material to the surface of the sedimentary cover (Anand et al, 2016;Salama et al, 2016). But the expression of an anomalous halo rooted in the bedrock through a duricrusted pediment sedimentary cover, although possible, is unlikely.…”

Section: 1 Exploration Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landform-regolith mapping in the West African context

Sawadogo

Bamba

Chardon

2020

Ore Geology Reviews

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Section: 1 Exploration Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landform-regolith mapping in the West African context

Sawadogo

Bamba

Chardon

2020

Ore Geology Reviews

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“…It is advantageous to integrate both regolith and landforms to enhance possible geochemical exploration success by identifying appropriate sampling media once a regolith-landform map has been produced [12,25,26]. For some initial geochemical soil sampling, this image mapping could provide an intuitive guide to the regolith-landform characteristics and highlight where sampling could take place.…”

Section: Application For Mineral Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The work in [4] provides an example of digital regolith mapping in a tropical environment, successfully mapping regolith and basement geology using an unsupervised classification of radiometric data and Landsat TM imagery followed by an interpretation of the weathering and geomorphic history. Integrating regolith and landforms spatially has been beneficial for mineral exploration success by identifying appropriate target regions or sampling media e.g., [12,25,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Objective Regolith-Landform Mapping in a Regolith Dominated Terrain to Inform Mineral Exploration

et al. 2018

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An objective method for generating statistically sound objective regolith-landform maps using widely accessible digital topographic and geophysical data without requiring specific regional knowledge is demonstrated and has application as a first pass tool for mineral exploration in regolith dominated terrains. This method differs from traditional regolith-landform mapping methods in that it is not subject to interpretation and bias of the mapper. This study was undertaken in a location where mineral exploration has occurred for over 20 years and traditional regolith mapping had recently been completed using a standardized subjective methodology. An unsupervised classification was performed using a Digital Elevation Model, Topographic Position Index, and airborne gamma-ray radiometrics as data inputs resulting in 30 classes that were clustered to eight groups representing regolith types. The association between objective and traditional mapping classes was tested using the 'Mapcurves' algorithm to determine the 'Goodness-of-Fit', resulting in a mean score of 26.4% between methods. This Goodness-of-Fit indicates that this objective map may be used for initial mineral exploration in regolith dominated terrains.

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“…However, these methods do not indicate whether a target is mineralized or not. Geochemical exploration methods, based on the analysis of soils, vegetation, termites, or calcrete, are well established in areas under a shallow (<20 m) cover [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. However, their present application in areas under a deep cover is limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interface Sampling and Indicator Minerals for Detecting the Footprint of the Lancefield North Gold Deposit under the Permian Glacial Cover in Western Australia

et al. 2021

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Areas under a thick Permian glacial cover in Western Australia formed as glaciers gouged fresh bedrock and deposited diamictites in disconnected valleys and basins. These areas now present the greatest challenge for mineral exploration in the northeast Yilgarn Craton. At the Lancefield North gold prospect, in the southern part of the Duketon Greenstone Belt, Permian diamictites on average 40 m thick cover unweathered basalt hosting gold mineralization. The basal Permian diamictites consist of fresh, very poorly sorted, angular to rounded, pebble- to boulder-sized, polymictic clasts supported by a matrix of coarse-grained sand and mud. The framework and matrix are cemented by calcite, dolomite, chlorite, and pyrite. These diamictites are stable under alkaline and reducing conditions below the water table. Detrital; fresh sulfides; gold; and opaque oxides, such as pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, gersdorffite, cobaltite, pentlandite, scheelite and galena, chromite, ilmenite, and magnetite, are identified in the framework and matrix of the fresh diamictites, and these are identical to those in the primary gold mineralization. Weathering of diamictites and oxidation of detrital and diagenetic sulfides above the water table produced several Fe- and Mn-rich redox fronts and secondary chalcocite and bornite. Interface sampling across the Archean–Permian unconformity shows Au, As, Zn, Ni, Co, and Cd anomalism over the mineralization compared to the background. However, these elements are low in concentration in the redox fronts, where Fe is correlated with As, Cu, Mo, and Sb and Mn is correlated with Co, Ni, and Ba. Gold shows elevated levels in the fresh basal diamictites and decreases in the weathered diamictites over the mineralization. A sampling at or near the Archean–Permian unconformity (interface sampling) only delineates gold mineralization, with no hydromorphic dispersion halo beyond the peripheries. At the Lancefield North prospect, the detrital indicator sulfides are mechanically dispersed up to 500 m to the east of the mineralization in the direction of ice flow. This dispersal distance is controlled by the rough topography of the Archean–Permian unconformity, and it may be greater, but the estimation of the actual distance of transport is limited by the distribution of drill hole locations.

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Geochemical exploration for supergene copper oxide deposits, Mount Isa Inlier, NW Queensland, Australia

Cited by 22 publications

References 47 publications

Landform-regolith mapping in the West African context

Landform-regolith mapping in the West African context

Objective Regolith-Landform Mapping in a Regolith Dominated Terrain to Inform Mineral Exploration

Interface Sampling and Indicator Minerals for Detecting the Footprint of the Lancefield North Gold Deposit under the Permian Glacial Cover in Western Australia

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