The mineral exploration community has, in recent decades, suffered its fair share of cyclical times. However, the latest cycle is unprecedented in the large swing from the successive boom years of 2005-2008 to the sharp decline in late 2008 caused by the global financial crisis. The last three cycles have one distinct common factor, which is the ongoing increase in demand for mineral resources as a result of global population growth and the emergence of less-developed countries. Even in the current economical turmoil, most will agree that the mid- to longterm outlook favours continued increased demand for mineral commodities, and pressure on exploration drilling programmes. <...>

The major Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposits in Australia (Olympic Dam, Ernest Henry) are 'blind' deposits that were discovered under younger cover. Exploration for this style of mineralisation presents a new set of problems to the explorationist, and involves target definition applying criteria gleaned from work in known areas and extrapolating into new target areas.

Equinox applies a model for IOCG mineralisation principally derived from studies of known mineralisation in the Cloncurry region and the Stuart Shelf/Gawler Craton of South Australia. This model was initially applied in Australia, and was later extrapolated to Zambia in Central Africa and the Norrbotten region in Sweden.

Ggeochemistry of platinum-group elements

1. Magmatic Geochemistry of the PGE

2. The Aqueous Geochemistry of the Platinum Group Elements (PGE) in Surficial, Low-T Hydrothermal and High-T Magmatic-Hydrothermal Environments 

Descriptive platinum-group element ore deposit models – precious-metaldominant

3. Stratiform PGE Deposits in Layered Intrusions 

The exact age of the earth is not known, but it is thought to be at least 4.5 billion years old Rocks and fossils (the remains of plants and animals preserved in the rocks) can be dated by measuring the decay rate of radioactive material that they contain. The number of radioactive particles given off by a substance during a certain time period provides a surprisingly accurate estimate of the age of the substance. The geologic past is measured by means of a geologic time chart. Each interval of time has been given a name so that a particular time in the past can be referred to more easily. Periods in history are referred to in terms such as “the ice age” “the iron age” and “the atomic age”. These time periods are measured in centuries or millennia at most. Intervals of geologic time, by contrast are measured in millions of years. For example, the dinosaurs became extinct about 70 million years ago. Another way to express it is “dinosaurs died at the end of the Cretaceous period.” <...>