This one-year project began in late 2019, and is designed to provide a rapid assessment of whether the chemistry of resistate mineral phases (apatite, rutile and tourmaline) formed during the hydrothermal alteration associated with sediment-hosted copper mineralisation can be used to provide information on proximity to ore, and the fertility of the aquifer systems responsible for copper mineralisation. The project is supported by Anglo American; First Quantum Minerals; Independence Group; the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC); and Rio Tinto, and is utilising the world-leading expertise of the CODES Analytical Laboratories laser ablation ICP-MS instrumentation and TIMA “TIGER” automated SEM at iCRAG to provide a quantitative, detailed assessment of the paragenesis and mineral chemistry of samples which are being analysed from throughout the Central African Copper Belt.
