Predictive Modelling Highlights

• Development of prospectivity modelling of mafic nickel-copper and platinum group mineralisation and porphyry copper- gold mineralisation over the Southland region using the fuzzy logic modelling technique. These models have successfully identified known areas for both styles of mineralisation along with new prospective areas, allowing clients such as Lodestar Resources Limited, Paramount Platinum Limited and Continental Resources Limited to target their exploration more effectively.
• Development of a prospectivity modelling of VMS copper-gold mineralisation in the Northern Semail Ophiolite Belt in Oman that has identified thirteen high priority targets in the tenement held by Kenex client Al Fairuz Mining. Of those targets, only five were prospects that have been identified in previous explorations.
• Development of prospectivity model of granite-related nickel scarn mineralisation throughout Eastern Australia and New Zealand based on the Avebury nickel deposit in Tasmania. The model has successfully located regions with potential to host nickel mineralisation similar to the Avebury deposit both in Eastern Australia and New Zealad. Accord Mining (Pty) Ltd acquired six tenements over prospective areas within the Rockhampton region for follow up exploration and now these tenements are part of an attractive portfolio of projects.
• Development of an international scale granite mineralisation model for Eastern Australia and NZ that has led to the discovery of several new areas of Au-Bi-Mo and W-Sn mineralisation for Auzex Resources. Auzex used the models developed by Kenex to develop a portfolio of 89 Au-W-Mo-Sn-Bi targets, which they raised $5M to list the company in 2005.

 

Predictive Modelling Success Stories

Modelling of mafic Ni-Cu-PGE and porphyry Cu-Au prospectivity in Southland, New Zealand

The Longwood Range and Greenhills regions of Southland, New Zealand have long been recognised as having the potential to host economic mineralisation related to mafic Ni – Cu – PGE and porphyry Cu-Au mineral systems.

Kenex embarked on prospectivity modelling of mafic nickel-copper and platinum group mineralisation and porphyry copper - gold mineralisation over the Southland region using the fuzzy logic modelling technique. Mineral systems concepts and subsequent predictive models were generated for both the mafic Ni-Cu-PGE and the porphyry Cu-Au deposit types as geological data compiled for the region confirmed the mineral potential with respect to the two styles of mineralisation.

The modelling successfully identified the known areas for both styles of mineralisation in the Longwood Range, Otama, and the Greenhills regions supporting the validity of this model as a predictor for mineralisation in Southland. The results reduced the search area in Southland down to 3% of the study area for porphyry mineralisation and to 6% for mafic mineralisation.

The modelling conducted has allowed Kenex clients such as Lodestar Resources Limited, Paramount Platinum Limited and Continental Resources Limited to target their exploration more effectively, ensure they are using the right exploration tools, and to try and make more objective management decisions while quickly moving closer toward finding an ore deposit.  [top]

 

Al Fairuz Mining - Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Cu-Au Mineralisation in Oman

The Sohar Region in northern Oman has a history of copper mining in volcanic rocks belonging to the Semail Ophiolite dating back to the Bronze Age. More than 150 massive sulphide prospects have been discovered along the 500km strike length of the Semail Ophiolite.

Local company Al Fairuz Mining was awarded a large tenement in the central part of the ophiolite belt and sought an assessment of the prospectivity of the tenement area and the potential for the discovery of economic copper and gold mineralisation. A GIS was compiled of the relevant geological, geochemical and geophysical data over the Semail Ophiolite Belt and in the process covered the tenement awarded to Al Fairuz Mining.

The mineral system approach was used to constrain the predictive maps used in the modelling. Weights of evidence spatial modelling was carried out on these maps to determine the most important variables for predicting VMS copper-gold mineralisation. These variables include lithology, structure, geochemistry, geophysics, mineralisation and alteration.

Typically, most exploration targeting had been undertaken by using single predictive maps such as magnetic or TEM data. Effective targeting is however best done if all relevant data are compiled and integrated in a way that matches the mineral system model being used, and combined into a single predictive map.

The spatial modelling by Kenex successfully modelled the probability of VMS copper-gold mineralisation in the Northern Semail Ophiolite Belt for each 20m grid cell in the study area. The modelling identified the excellent potential for new deposits of VMS copper gold mineralisation similar to those already known in the area.

The prospectivity model completed by Kenex identified thirteen high priority targets within the tenement held by Al Fairuz Mining.  Of these only five were prospects that had been identified by previous exploration. The modelling has prioritised the targets and identified the exploration approach required to advance the understanding of each target. [top]

 

Granite-Related Nickel Deposits throughout Eastern Australia – Accord Mining Ltd

Accord Mining (Pty) Ltd acquired six tenements over prospective areas within the Rockhampton region for follow up exploration based on the results of spatial modelling for granite-related nickel deposits in eastern Australia and New Zealand completed by Kenex.

Granite-related nickel skarn mineralisation has recently been recognised as a new style of deposit associated with the remobilisation of nickel from ultramafic host rocks during granite intrusion. The Avebury nickel deposit in Tasmania is an example of this new style of nickel mineralisation.

Kenex has used spatial modelling techniques, in particular weights of evidence modelling, to determine potential locations of granite-related nickel skarn mineralisation throughout eastern Australia. The weights of evidence technique utilised expert knowledge about the mineral deposit system, uses databases of geological information that include geological mapping, geochemistry and geophysics and importantly includes known economic deposits as training data to weight and model themes. The main geological features from the Avebury mineral system model were used to develop predictive themes from the wealth of digital data available.

The weights of evidence modelling technique combines weighted themes to create a prospectivity map showing areas with a high probability of hosting granite-related nickel deposits. Fourteen mineral deposit locations for hard rock nickel mineralisation with an association with younger felsic intrusive rocks were extracted from the mineral occurrence database as a training dataset. These occurrences come mainly from the Avebury area in Tasmania. The Mt Cobalt nickel prospect in the Gympie area of Queensland, where drilling was pending for Avebury style nickel sulphide, was excluded from this training data so the area could be used as an independent test of the modelling results.

The model produced highlighted the importance of geology and geochemical datasets as predictors of mineralisation. Regions identified by the model as having potential to host nickel mineralisation similar to the Avebury Deposit have been located throughout eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Tasman District of New Zealand. Importantly, the Mt Cobalt site near Gympie in Queensland (which was excluded from the training data set) and the Avebury deposit in Tasmania have been found as highly prospective supporting the validity of the model as a predictor for nickel sulphide mineralisation.

Accord is in the process of preparing an initial public offering, in which the tenements acquired as a result of the modelling completed by Kenex will form part of an attractive portfolio of projects. [top]

 

Auzex Resources Ltd - Granite Related Gold Mineralisation

Auzex Resources has successfully acquired tenements throughout New Zealand and Australia for granite related gold, molybdenum, tungsten and other related metals using an international scale prospectivity model developed by Kenex.

This highly aggressive acquisition of land in 2005 has lead to immediate success for the new exploration company, including a significant molybdenum project in Kingsgate (NSW, Australia) that is now going forward with trial mining, successful drilling at Lyndbrook (Nth Queensland, Australia) where economic gold, tungsten and molybdenum have been found, and the identification of a significant tungsten resource near Reefton (New Zealand) that will be drilled this summer.

After recent greenfield discoveries of Gold at Seven Hills and West Tinaroo (Nth Queensland, Australia), Auzex Resources paid tribute to the prospectivity modelling work by Kenex and recently wrote the following in an ASX release:

"The Seven Hills discovery is further evidence that the new prospectivity modelling techniques used by Auzex in combination with our extensive database throughout eastern Australia and New Zealand are providing the Company with a significant competitive advantage in our exploration for granite related mineral systems."  [top]

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