Advancing exploration methods for gold and copper

Our research provided world-leading gold and copper mining companies with improved models of ore formation, which facilitated the redirection of £17.5M in annual exploration budgets.

Global demand for mineral resources is greater than ever. Discovery rates for gold and copper are declining, and both may reach peak production within the next 20 years. This resource crisis demands more predictive exploration techniques and superior expertise and training for exploration geologists.

Researchers from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences collaborated with world-leading gold mining companies to develop more efficient exploration strategies and methods for locating mineral resources. Their work into ore formation and drill core analysis has advanced exploration methods and changed professional practice in mining companies across the world, including at leading organisations like Barrick Gold Corporation, AngloGold Ashanti, and Kinross Gold Corporation.

Our researchers developed and applied models of ore formation to redirect annual exploration budgets worth over £15.9M in West Africa and also led to the commitment of over £1.6M for exploration in Australia. Cardiff-led training also defined industry best practice in exploration across four continents, enabling field professionals to maximise opportunities for locating ore deposits using Cor, a digital tool designed by our researchers.

Modelling the formation of ore deposits

Research led by Professor Tom Blenkinsop and Dr James Lambert-Smith in the Economic Geology research group improved exploration strategies for mining companies by modelling the formation of ore deposits and developing new methods of analysing drill core.

Their work concentrated on two critical and complementary factors that regulate the mineralising process:

the geometry of the structures that control the fluid flow
the nature of the fluids and the chemical reactions that cause metal precipitation.

The research showed that networks of structures controlling fluid flow have fractal properties, and this characteristic was used to locate the most favourable sites for fluid flow and mineral deposits along faults.

Research on the hydrothermal system around the Loulo Mining District, Mali, West Africa completely changed the exploration strategy by correctly identifying the origin of the metalliferous fluids and highlighting the importance of areas where magmatic rocks are present.

Detailed studies were also made on more local scales by researchers at some of the largest hydrothermal gold and copper deposits in the world, such as:

When combined with inferences about the stress field and fluids in the crust during mineralisation, this research assisted in mining the gold or copper resources.

The Cor tool

Developed in collaboration with industry geologists at AngloGold Ashanti, the Cor tool for structural analysis of drill core samples has produced widespread changes in exploration practice, and has been adopted by multiple high-profile commercial and government mining companies.

Professor Blenkinsop developed new and simplified algorithms and an associated workflow that systematically documents the structures and re-orients the core sample. The workflow unifies previously diverse ways to handle full and half cores and ensures that structures in cores are comprehensively analysed. The algorithms were integrated into the Cor tool, allowing mining geologists to implement the straightforward workflow based on simple measurements. Cor is continually being improved and can now measure important linear structures such as fold hinges, vorticity vectors, and slip directions.

Online short course

The principles behind the Cor Tool have been delivered globally through Structural Geology for Exploration and Mining a four-week online course for professional exploration and mining geologists, developed by Professor Blenkinsop.