Forecasts for another copper epoch in Queensland

Queensland’s probably got a lot more of it and doesn’t know it. Copper that is. That comes from one of the state’s premier earth scientists whose last corporate role was Newcrest Mining Executive General Manager Exploration. Adjunct Professor Dan Wood is now passing on his experience at the University of Queensland. The next copper find may not be far away, but it’s likely to be deeper than most of the mining industry is presently exploring, said Professor Wood referring to the incidence of porphyry copper systems. Porphyry deposits represent the largest source of copper in the world and can be economic even at low grades due to the typical large volumes. Addressing a recent Queensland Exploration Council technical forum, Professor Wood said they were also important sources of gold, molybdenum and silver, as at the Cadia deposit in NSW. These copper systems were formed at a depth of between one and six kilometres in the earth’s crust and while many have been exposed due to uplift and erosion, a large proportion is believed to remain undiscovered. This was possibly the case in the Drummond Basin, which lies to the south of the historic gold mining area of Charters Towers, said Professor Wood, and where epithermal gold deposits occur that may be associated with much deeper porphyry copper deposits. “But (We) hadn't even touched the surface. We were encouraged in our search in those days by the presence of porphyry copper mineralization at Moonmera, at the base of the Mount Morgan Range. Since then the USGS (United States Geological Survey) has identified 25 porphyry prospects in Queensland. “I don't know who's gone through and looked at them all, but one of them may be either leading into, or be close to, something else, as has occurred in South America. “Pampa Escondida (a deeper porphyry copper system located between the two Escondida deposits presently being mined in Chile) is a classic story about how you can be standing on a deposit and not know you're there. And you can actually drill it to nearly 400m depth and still not even know you're there.” The Drummond Basin may be counted on for another gold name to rank with the likes of Wirralie, Yandan or Pajingo, even Kidston said Professor Wood, and it may also have deeper copper potential. “Undoubtedly there's more discovery potential for gold still in the Drummond Basin, because there's not a lot of outcrop. “If you come south of Clermont, there are large areas of sinter material usually found at the top of deposits such as Pajingo. The sinters there haven't got any gold in them, but this doesn't mean there isn't a gold deposit somewhere in the area. “I believe there's plenty of potential for discovering new deposits in Eastern Australia. They won’t be obvious, which is the reason they haven’t been found so far.… Take for example the Ridgeway deposit (at the Cadia Mine near Orange in NSW), the amount of gold and copper in this deposit is not that much smaller than the amount contained in the Mount Morgan deposit in Queensland. The top of the Ridgeway deposit is 500 m below the surface. “If somebody is able to find a copper porphyry system in Queensland, there'll be a new copper boom in Queensland.”. “Deposits are there somewhere to be discovered, we've just got to get out and look for them.”

Forecasts for another copper epoch in Queensland

Industry Queensland

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