AMIRA P1202 is being conducted in collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, Monash University and the Universidad Austral de Chile. Building upon the results of the AMIRA P1153 project, this multi-year project is developing new methods for discovering porphyry and/or epithermal deposits through improved geochemical detection of far-field and near-mine ore deposit footprints. Analysis of the geochemical signals recorded in hydrothermal alteration halos will provide explorers with methods for assessing district fertility (how large?), vectoring information (how far, and in what direction?), as well as developing workflows for ore body characterisation in the near-mine environment. This will facilitate 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 relevance to exploration involving drilling under post-mineralisation cover, or in areas where outcrop is limited or difficult to access.

Modules 1–3 of the project focus on three key alteration domains within the porphyry-epithermal system. These include the green rock and lithocap environments, and aspects of magmatic fertility. The main research outcomes will be the development of geochemical tools for testing the fertility of mineral districts, tools for vectoring to mineralised centres and depth assessments in lithocap environments. This will involve the use and analysis 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 2019, the research team commenced or continued field campaigns at sites in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the USA. A number of these field sites involved postgraduate students (Honours, MSc and PhD). Kyle Eastman, Emily Smyk and Yi Sun have continued their PhD studies on the Tujuh Bukit district (Indonesia), Christmas deposit (USA), and Lepanto district (Philippines), respectively. Patrick Hamilton and Andrew Jedemann have also continued their MSc studies on the Pemberton Hills deposit (Canada), while Camila Arcos has completed her Honours study of Central Chile green rocks and Mitch Marcelissen has commenced his study of the Mines Gaspe deposit (Canada). In late 2019 Batbayar Enkhbold commenced an MSc project on alteration chemistry at Mt Isa, with Mertkan Bozoglu to commence an MSc project on pyrite mineral chemistry early in 2020.

AMIRA P1202 commenced in July 2018 and follows on directly from AMIRA P1153. It is designed to bring together the major research themes of the first three years of the TMVC into our final, major sub-project that will deliver industry transformational workflows to our research partners.

P1202 is a collaboration with researchers from Lakehead University, Monash University and the Universidad Austral de Chile. This three-year sub-project will develop new methods for discovering porphyry and/or epithermal deposits through improved geochemical detection of far-field and near-mine ore deposit footprints.

The P1202 project seeks to develop new tools and workflows that facilitate cost-effective exploration programs and resource assessments for porphyry, epithermal, skarn and other ore deposit types at the regional, district and near-mine scales. It will also seek to refine existing geochemical and geological tools for fertility assessments, to establish whether a tenement contains a significant mineral resource and to ensure that deposits are discovered more quickly and at less cost. The project has four research modules, involving green rocks (Module 1), lithocaps (Module 2), magmatic minerals (Module 3) and the transition zone (Module 4). Within the TMVC program structure, the first three modules of P1202 constitute its footprints sub-project, whereas Module 4 is the geometallurgy sub-project.

P1202 currently has 12 sponsors of Modules 1–3 (Anglo American, BHP, Boliden, Codelco, FMG, Freeport, Glencore, Merdeka, Newmont, Newcrest, Rio Tinto and Teck), four of which also sponsor Module 4 (BHP, FMG, Merdeka and Newcrest).

In 2018, the P1202 research team commenced research on several study sites, including localities in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sweden, Chile, Canada, and the USA. Several of these sites are being investigated by postgraduate students recruited to work on Modules 1–3: Emily Smyk and Yi Sun (CODES); Andrew Jedemman, Patrick Hamilton and Mitch Marcelissen (Lakehead); and Camilla Arcos (Austral). More students are likely to join the team in 2019.