With ore bodies becoming increasingly difficult to find, and demand likely to increase, it is vital that we invest now for the future.
Although markets ebb and flow with economic cycles, the underlying long-term demand for mineral resources continues to gather pace.
Factors such as the world’s increasing population and the burgeoning economies of China, India and Brazil add momentum to this trend.
In many respects, the need for the world to reduce its carbon emissions enhances the demand for these precious resources. For instance, platinum is a key ingredient in the manufacture of autocatalysts, used to reduce harmful emissions from motorcars.
Uranium is essential for the construction of nuclear reactors. Copper is a vital component in many energy-saving technologies, and gold is used in water purification and a host of applications aimed at reducing pollution and energy consumption.
The key point is that, whatever the prevailing conditions, in the long term the world’s craving for a wide array of minerals is likely to continue, unabated.
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Australia, with its vast mineral wealth, is well placed to continue to benefit from this ongoing demand for minerals.
In 2008, mineral-based exports accounted for an impressive 55 per cent of the country’s exports (ABARE/ABS September 2008).
However, a key question often asked is: “How long will this rich bounty last?”
In general, existing deposits are far from being mined-out, but in many cases it is becoming more difficult to extract the metals. Many gold mines are now mining at increasingly deeper levels, which causes a variety of challenges in terms of safety, logistics, cooling, communications and cost.
For example, a gold mine in South Africa has started operating at a depth of 3.7 kilometres, with plans to go to 4.3 kilometres. Although Australian mines are not at these levels at present, some are already mining at more than two kilometres below ground.
The quest digs deeper
The challenges of ore depth also apply to research. While new ore bodies continue to be found, they are increasingly less likely to be found at shallow depths.
Most of these shallower ore bodies have now been discovered because it is far easier for geologists to interpret the signs. For instance, 100 years ago a prospector could study an iron-oxide-coated outcrop, or gossan, and know that there was a high likelihood of gold being found not too far underneath.
Even 30 years ago, a geologist could study the relationship between geology, surface geochemistry and magnetic data and recognise it as a prime site to search for a particular type of ore body.
However, an ore body buried kilometres underground is much more difficult to identify. It is also harder to ascertain its extent, consistency and potential for producing good ore grades with good recoveries and minimum environmental impact.
Research unlocks hidden treasures
Therefore, the more we know about the incredibly complex processes that formed, and are still forming, our Earth and its minerals, the more accurately we will be able to identify economically viable ore bodies.
The need for this fundamental research is one of the primary reasons that the Australian Research Council funded CODES as its Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits in 2005.
The centre has adopted a holistic approach to the science that encompasses all areas of the research cycle. This is achieved through our five major research programs – Location, Formation, Discovery, Recovery and Technology. In very simple terms, these programs can be explained as follows:
- Location seeks to improve our knowledge of the tectonic and geological controls on the location of ore deposits;
- Formation develops practical, process-based ore genesis models to help explorers understand the formation of deposits;
- Discovery focuses on the acquisition, processing and interpretation of scientific ore deposit data to assist in the discovery of minerals;
- Recovery is an integrated, cross-disciplinary field that seeks to enhance mineral processing techniques and optimise mineral recovery rates; and
- the Technology program uses a combination of traditional and cutting-edge technological developments to improve the understanding of, and subsequently advance, the exploration and exploitation of minerals.
These five programs have formed the foundation of our strategy to provide a seamless transition between fundamental and applied research. The centre’s main site, or hub, is at the University of Tasmania, with nodes at the University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, Australian National University, University of British Columbia, Colorado School of Mines and CSIRO Exploration and Mining.
Technology – the spine of the research program
The use of technology plays a critical role in all phases of the research cycle. Two examples are developments in laser ablation for microanalysis and the characterisation of alteration halos around ore deposits.
Laser ablation-ICPMS is a highly sophisticated technique that removes material from a solid via an irradiation process, using laser beams, and passes the gaseous products into a mass spectrometer for analysis. This allows the extremely accurate measurements of fluid and melt inclusions, which are small volumes of liquid or melt trapped in the minerals during their genesis and evolution. Measuring the composition of these inclusions in sample rocks provides invaluable knowledge of how the ore body was formed and, subsequently, the predicted extent of the minerals that it contains. There have been major advancements in this field in recent years, and CODES ensures that it stays at the forefront of the technology by supplementing our own first-class facilities with access to complementary equipment at collaborating institutions, such as the Australian Synchrotron.
Alteration halos are the border of minerals that surround the main ore body. By studying the characteristics of samples from these halos, geologists are able to gain an insight into the composition of the entire ore body at the location of new deposits. Although the analysis can be extremely complex, it is like providing a window into sold rock. Research using this process has reaped rich rewards. For example, on Tasmania’s west coast it led to the discovery of a $358 million ore body at a struggling mining operation.
Optimising recovery processes
In some respects, finding new ore deposits is the Holy Grail for many geologists. However, of equal importance is ensuring that we optimise the deposits that we already have under our control.
This is where geometallurgy plays such an important role. This relatively new discipline ensures that the extraction and complex processing operations associated with minerals recovery are conducted in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.
This specialised field operates across a number of disciplines within the mining industry, encouraging cooperation, communication and the sharing of ideas to make sure that maximum value is obtain from the ore. In this regard, CODES has been working with its node at the University of Queensland on its AMIRA GEM Project, which is arguably the largest project of its type in the world, involving 18 international mining companies.
Investing for the future
Although Australia is endowed with mineral riches, it cannot operate in isolation. The minerals industry has been fully globalised, and local research institutions, such as CODES, have embraced this opportunity by continuing to seek out collaborations and opportunities both within Australia and overseas.
For example, CODES currently has 38 research projects in 16 countries and is involved with more than 50 mining and exploration companies worldwide. Ultimately, we believe that Australia will benefit from this approach because it means that local organisations can gain from having access to a wider range of specialised technology, world-class ore bodies and expertise.
Finding new ore bodies is an extremely complex process, requiring the skills of dedicated and well-qualified personnel. Therefore, it is vital that we continue to encourage young people to enter the profession and then maximise their educational opportunities.
That is why CODES places great importance on its PhD, Master of Economic Geology and Honours programs, which had a combined total of 79 students in the past year, despite still being in the midst of the mining boom at enrolment times.
We should embrace the opportunities presented by the current downturn. During the boom times many professionals curtailed their educational development, lured by the plethora of well-paid jobs in industry. Now is the time to encourage these people to return to university and further their education, increasing their prospects while enhancing our ability to seek out new ore deposits.
Even though current markets are depressed, the long-term prospects for the minerals industry are extremely bright. With ore bodies becoming increasingly difficult to find, and demand likely to increase, it is vital that we invest now for the future.
If Australia is to continue to play a leading role in the international minerals industry, we believe that now is the time to take the long-term view by increasing investments in research, technology and training in order to take maximum advantage of the next boom period for the benefit of all Australians. |
