AMIRA P1153 was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, the Natural History Museum, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, and Hefei University of Technology. Analysis of the geochemical signals recorded in hydrothermal alteration halos provided explorers with new methods for assessing district fertility (how large?) and vectoring information (how far, and in what direction?), allowing the presence, location and significance of porphyry and/or epithermal copper, gold and molybdenum deposits in an exploration tenement to be determined during the early stages of exploration. This approach has particular relevance to exploration involving drilling under post-mineralisation cover, or in areas where outcrop is limited or difficult to access.

P1153 successfully concluded in June 2018 with a final sponsors’ review meeting at CODES. Sponsors were provided with numerous final reports, an extensive geochemical database, new software to aid exploration targeting, new workflows for geochemical exploration, and new interpretations of the exploration significance of mineral geochemistry data.

In addition to the project’s final sponsors’ meeting, in 2018 the research team delivered several workshops in Canada, Chile, Sweden and the UK to facilitate the transfer of project outcomes to key industry stakeholders. The team also delivered a one-day technology transfer workshop in Reno, USA, that was followed by a four-day field trip to the Yerington district in Nevada. Journal articles arising from this sub-project in 2018 included Ahmed et al. (Journal of Geochemical Exploration) and Testa et al. (Remote Sensing) and Testa et al. (Minerals).

P1153 postgraduate research projects continued at several study sites (Ayesha Ahmed – Yerington, USA; Amos Garay – Las Bambas, Peru; Josh Phillips – Resolution, USA; Jennifer Thompson – Grasberg and Batu Hijau, Indonesia; Emily Gorner and Joseph Vrzovski – Hemlo, Canada; Nic Derome – Red Lake, Canada). Josh Phillips and Joseph Vrzovski submitted their theses in December 2018. The other postgraduate students will submit their theses in 2019.

AMIRA P1153 is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, the Natural History Museum, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, and Hefei University of Technology. It is developing new methods for discovering porphyry and/or epithermal deposits through improved geochemical detection of ore deposit footprints. Analysis of the geochemical signals recorded in hydrothermal alteration halos will provide explorers with methods for assessing district fertility (how large?) and vectoring information (how far, and in what direction?), allowing the presence, location and significance of porphyry and/or epithermal copper, gold and molybdenum deposits in an exploration tenement to be determined during the early stages of exploration. This approach has particular relevance to exploration involving drilling under post-mineralisation cover, or in areas where outcrop is limited or difficult to access.

The main outcomes will be tools for testing the fertility of mineral districts, and for vectoring to mineralised centres. These will involve the use of key alteration minerals from green rock, white rock and lithocap environments. Cost-effective field-based methods will also be developed that can be applied by explorers who do not have access to suitable laboratory facilities for LA-ICP-MS analyses.

In 2017, the research team continued field campaigns at sites in Canada, Chile, Peru, and the USA, following on from initial fieldwork conducted in 2016. A number of these field sites involved postgraduate students (Honours, MSc and PhD). Ayesha Ahmed, Amos Garay, Josh Phillips and Jennifer Thompson have continued their PhD studies of the Yerington district (USA), Las Bambas (Peru), Resolution (USA), and carbonate mineral chemistry, respectively. Emily Gorner, Joseph Vrzovski and Nic Derome have also continued their MSc studies of the Hemlo and Red Lake gold deposits (Canada), while Liam Fay completed his honours study of Heron Bay (Canada). New screening methods for distinguishing porphyry-related alteration minerals from background metamorphic and calc-sodic alteration were developed through detailed studies of selected sites, and reanalysis of sample suites from previous analyses. New techniques for detecting proximity to mineralisation in lithocaps were refined through an extensive analytical campaign. Technology transfer was facilitated through on-site meetings with industry representatives at head offices and field sites.

José Piquer and Luke Neal published manuscripts, reporting on the outcomes of their postgraduate studies on the structural architecture of the Abanico Basin, central Chile, (Lithos) and spectral characteristics of propylitic alteration minerals (Journal of Geochemical Exploration), respectively. David Cooke also published an invited paper on porphyry indicator minerals, vectoring and fertility tools as part of the Exploration 17 Conference. David Cooke gave a keynote presentation at the SEG conference in Beijing, China, in September, and Mike Baker gave an invited presentation at the SGA conference in Quebec City, Canada, in August.

AMIRA P1153 is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, the Natural History Museum, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, and Hefei University of Technology. It is developing new methods for discovering porphyry and/or epithermal deposits through improved geochemical detection of ore deposit footprints. Analysis of the geochemical signals recorded in hydrothermal alteration halos will provide explorers with methods for assessing district fertility (how large?) and vectoring information (how far, and in what direction?), allowing the presence, location and significance of porphyry and/or epithermal copper, gold and molybdenum deposits in an exploration tenement to be determined during the early stages of exploration. This approach has particular relevance to exploration involving drilling under post-mineralisation cover, or in areas where outcrop is limited or difficult to access.

The main outcomes will be tools for testing the fertility of mineral districts, and for vectoring to mineralised centres. These will involve the use of key alteration minerals from green rock, white rock and lithocap environments. Cost-effective field-based methods will also be developed that can be applied by explorers who do not have access to suitable laboratory facilities for LA-ICP-MS analyses.

The research team initiated field campaigns at sites in Canada, Chile, Peru, USA and Serbia in 2016, several of which involve postgraduate students (Honours, MSc and PhD). Early in the year Ayesha Ahmed initiated her PhD study of the Yerington district, Nevada, while Emily Gorner and Joseph Vrzovski initiated their studies of the Hemlo gold deposit, Liam Fay commenced an honours study of Heron Bay, and Nic Derome began an MSc study of the Red Lake deposit, Ontario, mid-year. New screening methods for distinguishing porphyry-related alteration minerals from background metamorphic and calc-sodic alteration were developed through detailed studies of selected sites, and reanalysis of sample suites from previous analyses. New techniques for detecting proximity to mineralisation in lithocaps were refined through an extensive analytical campaign. Technology transfer was facilitated through on-site meetings with industry representatives at head offices and field sites.

José Piquer and Francisco Testa published manuscripts, reporting outcomes from their PhD work, in Journal of Structural Geology, Lithos and Minerals. Ayat Baig submitted and successfully defended his MSc thesis, and Adam Pacey submitted his PhD thesis and prepared a manuscript for Economic Geology. David Cooke gave a keynote presentation, and Lejun Zhang gave an invited presentation, at the MGEI conference in Bandung, Indonesia, in October.

The AMIRA P1153 project, which is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, the Natural History Museum, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, and Hefei University of Technology, will develop new methods for discovering porphyry and/or epithermal deposits through improved geochemical detection of ore deposit footprints. Analysis of the geochemical signals recorded in hydrothermal alteration halos will provide explorers with both fertility (how large?) and vectoring information (how far, and in what direction?), allowing the presence, location and significance of porphyry and/or epithermal copper, gold and molybdenum deposits in an exploration tenement to be determined during the early stages of exploration. This approach has particular relevance to exploration involving drilling under post-mineralisation cover, or in areas where outcrop is limited or difficult to access.

The main outcomes will be tools for testing the fertility of mineral districts, and for vectoring to mineralised centres. These will involve the use of key alteration minerals from green rock, white rock and lithocap environments. Cost-effective field-based methods will also be developed that can be applied by explorers who do not have access to suitable laboratory facilities for LA-ICP-MS analyses.

Following the commencement of the project in mid-2015, the research team has initiated field campaigns at new study sites in Sweden, U.S.A. and Canada. Three new graduate research projects based at CODES will form key components of the overall research project, i.e. Josh Phillips (Resolution porphyry Cu-Mo deposit), Jennifer Thompson (Carbonate mineral chemistry) and Amos Garay (Las Bambas porphyry Cu-Mo-Au and Cu-skarn district).

Students who did not complete their research within AMIRA P1060, the forerunner to this new initiative, will report their final results within AMIRA P1153. José Piquer published a manuscript from his PhD study in Economic Geology in December, 2015.