Research Updates
PROGRAMS 1 AND 2
LEME Explorers Guides in the pipeline
Central Gawler, Curnamona Province, Lachlan Fold Belt, Thomson Orogon, Tanami, Yilgarn.
Set for release in the next twelve months is a new series of LEME Explorers' Guide publications. These guides will be practical summaries of the Centre's work designed specifically for use by exploration geologists active in regolith-dominated terrains in Australia .
The first off the rank will be the Explorers Guide to the Cobar region of the Lachlan Fold Belt, which will be released at the Mines and Wines Conference to be held in Orange, NSW, Sept 07.
The diagram shows a regolith landform model of the Cobar Region.
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LEME Assistant Director Dr Ken McQueen (ANU) said the Guides will be created using the results of LEME research in specific regolith terrains, with input and discussion from industry geologists active in these areas.
“Feedback from the minex industry strongly suggests there is a need for practical science publications to assist mineral explorers in interpreting the prospectivity of regolith landscapes” Assoc Prof McQueen said.
“The Guides will provide a user friendly introduction to the regolith and include advice on the most suitable geochemical sampling media and preferred lab techniques for identifying anomalies.”
Each will provide an overview of the region's regolith setting and history and cover such factors as climatic controls, regolith evolution and mineralogy, weathering geochemistry and parent rock identification. Specific locations of interest will be documented with photographs, field descriptions, drill hole log data and profile interpretations.
“Better identification of regolith materials will allow mineral explorers to work out if the regolith is in situ or transported and help identify regolith-related element associations and set appropriate geochemical background levels,” Assoc Prof McQueen said.
“The information contained in these Guides can also be used in conjunction with other geological information to determine appropriate exploration strategies."
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