A multi-scale approach to controls on mineralisation in the Fraser Zone, Western Australia

The Challenge

Although hosting some of the most significant recent mineral discoveries in Western Australia, deformation and high-grade metamorphism have largely obscured the primary controls on mineralisation of this of the Fraser Zone in the State’s south. This lack of understanding represents a significant challenge to exploration of the Fraser Zone, despite its high fundamental prospectivity. 

Key Findings 

Integrated tectonic, geochemical, and regolith insights improve understanding of mineralisation. The fundamental geological framework of the Fraser Zone formed in a back arc setting ~1390 Ma, with variable crustal thickness and metamorphism representing key influences on primary mineralisation. Ni–Cu–Co deposits are controlled by crustal assimilation and local sulfur mixing, with inefficient silicate–sulfide mixing locally limiting mineralisation. Weathering processes create distinctive Ni–Cu dispersion halos that can represent key exploration markers. 

Benefit to WA

The enhanced multi-scale understanding of the processes driving mineralisation in the Fraser Zone will support more effective exploration targeting and decision making in this frontier mineral province, helping to drive future economic discoveries. 

DOI

10.71342/299587366637