An integrated multi-scale study of crustal structure and prospectivity of the Eastern Yilgarn Craton and adjacent Albany-Fraser Orogen

The Challenge

Although known to host world-class mineral deposits, the Eastern Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen are largely covered by sediments that post-date mineralisation and shield the highly-endowed regional geology from view.

Recognising mineralisation through this cover to target exploration investment effectively requires the development of new exploration methods.

Key Findings

Machine learning techniques developed here produce an enhanced interpretation of sub-surface geology by integrating multiple geophysical datasets together with rock properties identified through exploratory drilling.

The new computational techniques developed can be combined with relatively inexpensive magnetotelluric imaging to make sub-surface geological structures easier to see in seismic data.

This work defines several domains of elevated prospectivity that will help industry better target mineral exploration beneath barren cover rocks in the studied region. One of these prospective domains hosts the rich Gruyere gold deposit.

Benefit to WA

This study establishes the potential existence of mineralised geology that will encourage exploration investment in under-explored eastern regions of the Yilgarn Craton.

The techniques developed to improve understanding of existing geoscientific data can be applied to boost exploration productivity in other regions of WA.

Keywords: exploration geophysics, petrophysics, gold, machine learning, structure