minerals geoscience education and research: supporting …tasminerals.com.au/client-assets/2015...

J. Bruce Gemmell

Director

Minerals Geoscience

Education and Research:

supporting the development of capability and productivity

Evolution of CODES

ARC Centre’s Program

1989-1996 – Key Centre

1997-2004 – Special Research Centre

2005-2013 – Centre of Excellence

2014-… – Centre of ExcellenceCentre for Ore Deposit and Exploration Science

CODES SRC

CODES SRC

To be the global leader in minerals

geoscience research and training

Minerals Geoscience

Geology Geochemistry Geophysics

Geometallurgy Geoenvironmental

Industry Engagement

Majors, mid-tiers, juniors, METS sector

Strategic Industry Partners

Industry Collaborators

Research

Partners

Central Science Laboratory

Basic to Applied Research

Applied

Research

Basic

Research

Multidisciplinary Teams

Modules

Ore Deposits: Characterisation

and ContextGeometallurgy

Enabling Technologies Training

Ore Deposits: Characterisation

and Context

• Theme 1 – Ore fertility of the crust and mantle

• Theme 2 – Volcanism, and its effect on ore forming processes

• Theme 3 – Magmatic-hydrothertmal processes and ores

• Theme 4 – Basin processes, ocean chemistry, and ores

• Theme 5 – The ore-affected crust

• Theme 6 – Dates and plates

International Projects

Australian Projects

Tasmanian Research

Collaboration with MRT

Staff

PhD/Masters

Honours

Event Rock unit Style Character Age Comments3 Lower Tyndall Group

(Mt. Cripps Subgroup) ignimbrite

Felsic magmatic

pyroclastic ~496 Ma coeval with Murchison Granite (497 Ma)?

Southwell Subgroup/White Spur Formation

Sediments Volcanic and non-volcanic provenance

2b Southwell Subgroup / White Spur Formation

Felsic magmatic

Rhyolitic syn-sedimentary intrusions

~499-500 Ma

“felsic flare-up”

Rosebery/Que River Shale

Sediments Black mudstones

VHMS mineralization Exhalative and sub-seafloor

~500 Ma

2a QHV / K-lens Porphyry Mafic-felsic magmatic

Predominantly coherent intrusive and extrusive

~500 Ma Sock Creek Dacite and basalts? Hollway andesite?

Hercules Pumice Formation – host rock member (CVC) / Animal Creek Greywacke

Sediments Volcanic and non-volcanic provenance

1b Hercules Pumice Formation – footwall member (CVC)

Felsic Magmatic

volcaniclastic ~503 Ma not present throughout area –restricted to caldera?

1a Mt. Black Formation (CVC)

Felsic magmatic

coherent and volcaniclastic rocks

~505-507Ma

Abbreviations: CVC – Central Volcanic Complex, QHV – Que-Hellyer Volcanics, VHMS volcanic-hosted massive sulfide mineralization

MRV - New Geochronology

Mortensen et al. (2015), Economic Geology

• CRC ORE II

• Geometallurgy projects

• Geoenvironmental

Geometallurgy

• Laser ablation-ICPMS

• Industry laser laboratory

• Short wave infrared (SWIR)

• Mineral liberation analyser (MLA)

• Geochronology, isotopes

•“Big Data and Data-driven”

Enabling Technologies

1

10

100

1000

10000

100000

1000000

10000000

0.7

3

3.6

1

6.5

9.3

8

12.3

15.1 18

20.9

23.8

26.7

29.6

32.4

35.3

38.2

41.1 44

46.8

49.7

52.6

55.5

58.4

61.3

64.1 67

69.9

72.8

75.7

78.5

81.4

84.3

87.2

90.1 93

95.8

98.7

Ca43

V51

Mn55

Fe57

Cu65

Zn66

Ga69

Sr88

Y89

Zr90

Mo95

Sn118

Ba137

La139

Ce140

Pr141

Nd146

Sm147

Eu153

Gd157

Tb159

Dy163

Ho165

Er166

• PhD/MSc

• Professional Doctorate (prior publications)

• Master of Economic Geology

• Honours

• Workshops/short courses

Training

Links

CODES Graduates

Since 1989 CODES has trained over:

220 PhD and Masters students

350 Honours students

Most have gone on to work in the global

minerals industry, with many now in

senior positions

2014 Completions

9 PhD

7 Master Econ. Geol.

13 Honours

Master of

Economic Geology

Expert Short Courses

Community Outreach

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CODES – ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE

FUTURE GROWTH OF THE AUSTRALIAN MINING INDUSTRY Richard Schodde

Managing Director

January 2014

Value-created associated with:

1) mineral discoveries by CODES-trained geoscientists, and CODES research projects

CODES associated with at least nine significant mineral discoveries

2) improvement in mine output and revenues from CODES geometallurgical studies

Value created by CODES is around $1120m

Compared against the A$157 million (2014 $) funding over the last 24 years gives a

cost/benefit ratio of around 7.1

“every dollar of funding for CODES generated $7.10 worth of value to industry”

The Future…

Minerals Industry Challenges

Discovery

• declining rates

• higher expenditures

• undercover and deep

DeGrussa VHMS deposit, WA

Schodde (2014)

Schodde (2014)

Minerals Industry Challenges

• Supply of employees– University geoscience graduates

– Australian vs immigrants (457 visas)

• Training– Re-skilling and up-skilling

Geoscience Employment

www.aig.org.au

Geologists and geophysists - Employment Level http://joboutlook.gov.au/

Fff

Minerals Geoscience in Australia

State Geological Surveys and Mines Departments

Future for CODES

• Fundamental to applied research

•Ore deposit characterisation

•Exploration vectoring

•Geometallurgy

•Analytical development

•Research training

•Up-skilling and training for industry

ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub

Transforming the Mining Value Chain

Research Themes:

1: Detecting proximity to ore (footprints)

2: Quantifying geometallurgical characteristics

3: Predicting geoenvironmental behaviour

Partner Organisations - AMIRA International, BHP-Billiton(Olympic Dam), Newcrest, Corescan

Other Organisations - Laurin Technic, NICTA, University of Exeter

Hub granted $3.97m over 5 years from the ARC

Hub secured $4.71m cash and $4.04m in-kind support from Partner/Other

Bid successful June 2015

$112m over 6 years

37 companies pledged support

CODES will an Essential Partner

CODES involved in Define ProgramMineral characterisation, grade variability and

ore deposit models

UTAS will contribute $600,000 over 6

years

CRC ORE II will return $1.8m to

CODES

II

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

P1153 - Porphyry-epithermal(funded)

Project Pipeline

P1166 – Target generation

and geology from data

driven computation (proposal)

P1175 – Integrated waste

characterisation for best

practice AMD prediction (proposal)

Tasmanian Minerals Geoscience Initiative

Collaboration between:

Proposal to State Government

for targeted minerals

geoscience projects:

• 3D metallogeny/geology

• Mineral deposits

• Geochronology

• Exploration footprints

• Geoenvironmental

UNCOVER

Five initiatives focused on the genesis, distribution and discovery of Australia’s mineral wealth

• Cover

• Lithospheric architecture

• 4D geodynamic and metallogenic evolution

• Distal footprints of ore deposits

• Research Education and Training

Minerals Geoscience

•Research

•Training

•Analytical services

•New collaborations and opportunities

West Coast Tasmania