FEM 2009 Post-conference Short Course: Structural Geology for Exploration Geologists

Course outline:

• Introduction to structural geology applied to mineral exploration
• Practical structural analysis and integration with fluid flow, alteration and mineralization
• Understanding structural and tectonic settings and application in exploration targeting

1. Extensional environments
2. Compressional environments
3. Strike-Slip environments

• Understanding deformed mineralization
• Seeing through later deformation to determine earlier structural architecture and control on mineral systems
• Process modeling of deformation and mineralization and their application in industry

Key themes covered include:

• Fluids, Structures and Metal - a simple conceptual framework for why mineral deposits are structurally controlled
• How to build better road maps for mineral exploration through integration of multiple geoscience datasets
• Regional Structural and Tectonic Frameworks - the templates for ground selection in project generation and
  acquisition strategies
• New ways of visualising architectural frameworks and controls on mineral systems at multiple scales

The course is very practical and highly interactive. The main focus is on geometrical analysis of mineral systems at the deposit to regional scale with the intent of improved resource delineation and targeting. Participants will leave with an increased confidence in applying structural geology to their work environment. The course comprises alternating sessions of brief lectures and practical exercises / case studies from world class mineralization systems around the world such as lode gold in the Birimian of West Africa, Copper skarn mineralization in the Andes, systems of Australia, deformed Archean systems, Porphyry Cu/epithermal Au systems in Papua New Guinea, amongst others. The course notes will serve as an ongoing reference manual for participants.