Indicator Minerals for Nickel Exploration

The Challenge

Western Australia is highly prospective for valuable Nickel resources, but most undiscovered ore is believed to lie deep below the weathered surface of the state, hidden from conventional detection. High-grade nickel bodies represent only small targets within potentially mineralised regions, and traditional technology used in exploring for them is both expensive and may miss important clues to mineralisation.

The Solution

Chemical changes within chromite grains are effective as an indicator for the presence of nickel sulfide mineralisation from regional to local scales.

Other minerals such as pyroxene and olivine can also be used as indicators at the intrusion scale to indicate the prospective presence of mineralisation within sampled intrusions.

The technical report presenting the findings of this research outlines an efficient workflow for collection, analysis and interpretation to aid in the use of these indicator minerals for future exploration

Proposed Benefit to WA

The insights developed through this research will support greater efficiency in exploration for nickel sulfide mineralisation through use of an indicator mineral sampling workflow tailored to WA conditions.

Improving exploration efficiency may drive new nickel discoveries in the state, supporting continued WA’s global leadership in production and export of nickel metal.

Report DOI

10.71342/791643693819