Evolution of Proterozoic multistage rift basins – key to mineral systems

This project is funded under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Program.

The Challenge

As the global search space, particularly for copper deposits, moves from volcanogenic deposits to those in sedimentary basins, a thorough understanding is required of the geo-dynamic history of these basins to better understand the conditions under which copper and gold mineralisation occurs including basin evolution and how associated basin fill and subsequent tectono-thermal events control fluid flow and associated focused metallogenesis of copper and gold mineralisation.

The Solution

This project will deliver a new quantitative and integrated exploratory framework for the mineral industry in Australia’s frontier sedimentary basins by integrating the latest advances in laboratory experimental tectonics together with thermo-mechanical numerical, surface process and geophysical modelling.

The project will use northern Australian basins as a natural laboratory and will run in parallel with the MRIWA-funded project M0521 , which is focused on understanding the Proterozoic geology of the Paterson Orogen through basin analyses and geophysical and numerical modelling.

Proposed Benefit to WA

Significant advance in understanding areas of WA which are under cover to enable a significant new search space for exploration for new world-class copper and gold deposits.

Keywords: analogue modelling, copper, gold, numerical modelling, Proterozoic basins