Twenty years of pre-competitive geoscience data in the Capricorn Orogen: the link between mineral systems and crustal evolution

Abstract

Summary State- and federal-generated pre-competitive geoscience data is critical for exploration success. These relatively low-cost but high-quality regional-scale datasets ultimately reduce the financial risk to explorers by reducing the search space and allowing a more targeted use of exploration expenditure. In Western Australia, over 20 years of geological mapping and associated research in the Capricorn Orogen has led to a robust understanding of the orogen architecture and its temporal and thermal evolution. Recent in situ geochronology work in the northern part of the orogen, has bridged the gap between prospect-scale ‘exploration’ geoscience data with regional- and province-scale data, ultimately leading to a better understanding of the regional-scale drivers and pathways for gold mineralization in this part of the orogen. This information is critical for exploration models as it opens up older parts of the northern Capricorn basins that were traditionally considered unprospective, and refines and focusses exploration strategies to target the major crustal structures and their ancillary structures.