Introduction to "The metallogenic potential of Australian proterozoic granites"

Record 2001/12

Anthony R. Budd, Lesley A.I. Wyborn, Irina V. Bastrakova

Project review

Reviews of geological and geochemical data in several Proterozoic provinces by Geoscience Australia have shown that Proterozoic granite suites which have hydrothermal ± base metal mineralisation within two to three km of the contact have many easily determined field, petrographic and geochemical characteristics in common; whilst unmineralised granite suites also have distinctive features. The mineralogical composition of the host rock is also considered an important factor controlling precipitation.

Data mining was defined by Westphal and Blaxton (1998), and has two end members: predictive and descriptive. Predictive methodologies rely on developing a computer derived ‘best-fit model’ from the data, or taking an existing model and finding areas that matched the prescribed model. In descriptive data mining, the goal is to gain understanding by discovering patterns and relationships within the data. Hitzman and Williams (2000) suggested that a new research paradigm in economic geology could emerge based on work in criminal forensic science. Hitzman and Williams (2000) suggested that if ore bodies were examined like bodies at the scene of the crime, we would collect data in a systematic and completely objective fashion. ‘Forensic data mining’ has been the underlying philosophy of the project: to systematically and objectively compile data on all granites and all sediments within 5 kms of all Proterozoic granites of all Australian Proterozoic provinces. As the project progressed, many patterns and relationships were uncovered (and are still being uncovered from this base data set).

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Project findings

Because of the diversity of findings, the results are presented in several ways. Firstly Section One of this record contains a synthesis on granites and copper-gold metallogenesis in the Australian Proterozoic. That is, the results are synthesised on the basis of the nine broad associations found Australia-wide. Sections 2 to 16 contain the results of the project from each Proterozoic granite province of Australia. These sections are summaries of the full data set on the individual granite suites/supersuites and their hosts in all Proterozoic provinces of Australia, as well as a GIS. The GIS contains maps of each province with most of the data attached as attributes to the individual granite and sediment polygons.

Section 17 provides the original Project proposal whilst Section 18 fully describes the compilation and interpretation methods used by the project. As an indicator of the additional patterns and relationships that have emerged from the results of this compilation, several abstracts and papers, which have been published so far on the findings of this work, are included in Section 19 to 24.

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References

Hitzman, H., and Williams, N., 2000. Scene of the Crime – the Future Forensic Science of Sediment-hosted Base Metal Deposits. Geological Society of America, Annual General Meeting, 32 (7), A3.

Westphal, C., and Blaxton, T., 1998. Data Mining Solutions: Methods and Tools for Solving Real-World Problems. John Wiley and Sons, New York.