<div>Maps showing the potential for iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) mineral systems in Australia. Each of the mineral potential maps is a synthesis of four component layers (source of metals, fluids and ligands; energy sources and fluid flow drivers; fluid flow pathways and architecture; and ore depositional gradients). The model uses a hybrid data-driven and knowledge driven methodology to produce the final mineral potential map for the mineral system. An uncertainty map is provided in conjunction with the mineral potential maps that represents the availability of data coverage over Australia for the selected combination of input maps. Uncertainty values range between 0 and 1, with higher uncertainty values being located in areas where more input maps are missing data or have unknown values. The input maps and mineral deposits and occurrences used to generate the mineral potential map are provided along with an assessment criteria table which contains information on the map creation.</div>

The production of critical and strategic minerals will be key for the transition to net zero and will require increased rates of discovery to support the provision of feedstock into the earliest stages of the supply chain. Given the importance of critical and strategic minerals to the Australian national economy, a series of national-scale mineral potential assessments have been undertaken as part of the Exploring for the Future program at Geoscience Australia to support exploration, search space reduction, and discovery. These assessments focus on delineating prospective belts or districts that indicate the presence of favourable mineral system processes, derived from both new and legacy geological, geophysical, and geochemical data sets acquired as part of precompetitive geoscience programs at the national scale. Assessments have been undertaken for sediment-hosted base metal, carbonatite-related rare earth element, and iron oxide-copper-gold mineral systems in Australia. Additional national-scale assessments are currently underway for high-purity silica and other rare earth element mineral systems as part of Geoscience Australia’s involvement in the Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub. Such assessments are underpinned by high-quality precompetitive geoscience data and mineral systems understanding, which often comes from compilation of global-scale data sets, such as the Critical Minerals in Ores database, and understanding of the formation of mineral systems in a global context, which are then integrated using appropriate methodologies, including a newly developed hybrid data- and knowledge-driven approach for mineral potential mapping, to generate robust mineral potential maps that delineate the most geologically prospective areas. This presentation will highlight Geoscience Australia’s work on delivering national-scale mineral potential assessments to support an improved understanding of Australia’s critical minerals inventory. Presented at the 2024 Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) Conference, Namibia

<div><strong>Output type:</strong> Exploring for the Future Extended Abstract</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Short abstract: </strong>Iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits are a significant source of copper and gold and can also contain critical minerals that are required for the transition to a low carbon economy and to increase Australia’s security of mineral supply. Given their strategic importance, a national-scale assessment of the mineral potential for IOCG mineral systems in Australia has been undertaken using a hybrid data- and knowledge-driven approach. The national-scale assessment includes the evaluation of the statistical importance of mappable criteria used in previously published regional-scale IOCG models, resulting in the removal of five criteria and the inclusion of four new or revised criteria derived from datasets developed through the Exploring for the Future program. The new mineral potential model successfully predicts the location of 91.7% of known IOCG deposits and occurrences in 8.3% of the area, reducing the exploration search space by 91.7% and highlighting new areas of elevated prospectivity in under-explored regions of Australia. When compared to existing regional-scale mineral potential assessments for IOCG mineral systems published by Geoscience Australia, the new national-scale model demonstrates higher prospectivity in areas with known IOCG deposits and occurrences, while also highlighting new prospective areas for IOCG mineral systems. Areas with assessed high prospectivity but lacking known IOCG mineralisation include parts of the Curnamona, Etheridge and Musgrave provinces, and the Delamerian, Halls Creek and Tanami orogens.</div> <div><strong>Citation</strong>: Cloutier J., et al., 2024. First national mineral system assessment of Australia's iron oxide copper-gold potential. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, https://doi.org/10.26186/149357</div>