Quantifying mineral systems analysis using networks
Theme: Earth Science and Resources
Description: The exploration and discovery of critical mineral resources is crucial for Net Zero, electrification and society's ability to mitigate the climate crisis. However, discovery rates remain stubbornly low. New innovations are essential to transform our success rate at critical mineral exploration.
In this new era, Australia has been at the forefront of developing frameworks to improve approaches to exploration. One framework, the Mineral Systems Analysis framework, identifies the primary factors influencing the formation of ore deposits and the connections between these factors; for example the sources of fluids and metals, their transport pathways in the earth and the physicochemical mechanisms that trap and concentrate metal-bearing minerals. A notable aspect of this approach is it is largely conceptual.
Network theory offers innovative and visual approaches to understand how different components of a system link to one another, and to quantify these linkages.
Aims
• Represent a mineral system, or several mineral systems, in network form, which are important for energy transition metals.
• Show that mineral systems can be quantified using networks.
• Use the networks to identify thresholds, critical points and commonalities between mineral systems.
• Develop new insights for critical mineral exploration.
Additional Information: The project will be coordinated by Assoc Prof Steven Micklethwaite and co-supervised by Dr Carlos Spier (ore deposit and resource expertise), Ben Seligmann and Yifei Lin (PhD), who bring network topology analysis expertise. We have code already developed to run the calculations, which Yifei can help you with. It is an opportunity to sharpen or learn some basic coding skills. If you want some component of field work or sample analysis we can also talk about how that could be included. For additional information contact Steve directly: s.micklethwaite@uq.edu.au, phone 3365 5819
Contact: Assoc Prof Carlos Spier