Total prospectivity, Multi-criteria assessment to balance geological, economic and environmental factors in mineral exploration  


Authors / CoAuthors

Walsh, S.D.C. | Haynes, M. | Weng, Z. | Wang, C.

Abstract

<div>Mineral exploration and development involves the selection of potential projects which must be evaluated across disparate characteristics. However, the distinct metrics involved are typically difficult to reconcile (e.g. geological potential, environmental impact, jobs created, value generated, etc.). Separate stakeholders—with different goals and attitudes—will reasonably differ in their preferences as to which categories to prioritize and how much weight to give to each. These conflicting preferences can obscure optimal outcomes and confound project selection.</div><div><br></div><div>In this presentation, we will discuss how early-stage exploration decisions can be treated as multi-criteria optimization problems. We show how this approach can be used to effectively evaluate and communicate competing criteria, and locate regions that perform best under a range of different metrics. We then outline a mapping framework that identifies regions that perform best in terms of geological potential, economic value and environmental impact and demonstrate this approach in a real-word example that highlights new exploration targets in the Australian context. Abstract presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2023 (AGU23) https://www.agu.org/fall-meeting

Product Type

document

eCat Id

148659

Contact for the resource

  Resource provider

 

  Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)  
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

  Point of contact

 

Keywords

( Project )
  • Economic Fairways
( Project )
  • Australia’s Resources Framework
( Project )
  • EFTF – Exploring for the Future
  • Mineral potential
  • Environmental
  • Social
  • Governance
  • ESG
  • Economics
  • Resource development
theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
  • GeologyUrban And Regional PlanningEngineeringHuman Society
  • Published_External

Publication Date

2024-08-05T02:32:17

Creation Date

2023-07-29T16:00:00

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security Classification System    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Use - license otherRestrictions

Status

completed

Purpose

Abstract submitted for an oral presentation at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023.

Maintenance Information

notPlanned

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2023 (AGU23) 11-15 December 2023 San Francisco, California

Lineage

<div>Novel algorithms for holistic mineral potential mapping developed under the Economic Fairways project.</div>

Parent Information

Extents

[-44.00, -9.00, 112.00, 154.00]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

Downloads and Links

Link to Conference Page  

Link to Abstract  

Source Information