Price
$990
Event date and time
Wednesday 6 - Thursday 7 Nov 2024
8.30am to 5.00pm AWST
Location
CSIRO (ARRC)
26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington WA
This short course introduces different aspects of regolith mineralogy, geochemistry, and geophysics to help explore regolith-dominated terrains. The course will cover the basic understanding of regolith terminology, mineralogy and geochemistry, and mineral stability during weathering. It will focus on the regolith mapping, formation and evolution of lateritic regolith and the role of paleoclimatic change and uplift in landscape evolution.
The course will also provide a solid understanding of the geochemical dispersion of metals, sampling media, and exploration models in relict, erosional and depositional regimes. It also discusses soil sampling, including ultrafine soil, machine learning and satellite imagery in landscape mapping, and the application of hydrogeochemistry and geophysics in exploring regolith-dominated terrains. Practical displays and training on logging regolith profiles will be part of this course.
Pricing
-
Registration
$990
Dates and Times
Event date: Nov 2024
06 November - 07 November 2024
CSIRO (ARRC)
8.30am to 5.00pm AWST
26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington WA
Contact
More information
Agenda
Day 1: 6 November 2024
8:30-8:45
Introduction, housekeeping
Presenter: Walid Salama
8:45-9:30
Importance of the regolith in mineral exploration
General introduction: global distribution of deeply weathered regolith. Exploration problems and opportunities.
Presenter: Charles Butt
9:30-10:00
Mineral stability and weathering
Mineral stability, mineral weathering reactions, element mobility
Presenter: Walid Salama
10:00-10:30
Break
10:30-11:15
Formation and evolution of the lateritic regolith
Weathering in savanna climates, profiles, horizons, materials.
Regolith terminology.
Profile development on different lithologies; lithological discrimination. Logging.
Presenter: Walid Salama
11:15-12:15
Practical display:
Hand specimens; drill cuttings; chip tray
Description/logging: inspection, hand lens, portable XRF; IR spectroscopy etc.
All presenters
12:15-1:00
Lunch
1:00-1:45
Effects of tectonic uplift and/or climate change on regolith and landscapes
Uplift, down-warping
Change to a more humid climate: Guyana Shield, equatorial Africa
Change to a more arid climate: Australia, West Africa.
Comparisons: West Africa and East Africa; southern W Australia
Presenter: Walid Salama
1:45-2:30
Geochemical dispersion and exploration models
Metal migration mechanism, regolith-landform based geochemical models – prelude to mapping
Presenter: Ravi Anand
2:30-3:00
Break
3:00-3:45
Regolith geochemistry
Multi-element dispersion patterns in the regolith
Effects of regolith formation and modification on metal distribution in the regolith: West Africa, Brazil, Australia
Presenter: Walid Salama
3:45-4:15
Exploration in areas with complete lateritic profiles - relict terrain
Use of lateritic residuum as a sample medium. Procedures and case histories
Presenter: Walid Salama
4:15-5:00
Brainstorming
All presenters
Day 2: 7 November 2024
9:00-9:45
Exploration in areas with truncated lateritic profiles - erosional terrain
Soil, lag, calcrete sampling. Procedures and Case Histories
Presenter: Walid Salama
9:45-10:30
Ultrafine Soil: why, where and how it works
Experimental work, advantages, disadvantages, and links to case studies
Presenter: Ryan Noble / Anicia Henne
10:30-11:00
Break
11:00-11:45
Exploration in areas with transported overburden – depositional terrain
Procedures and Case Histories
Presenter: Walid Salama
11:45-12:30
Satellite imagery and radiometrics for mineral exploration in regolith-dominated terrains – access to data and case study example
Presenter: Carsten Laukamp
12:30-1:15
Lunch
1:15-2:00
Practical display:
Hand specimens; drill cuttings; chip tray
Description/logging: inspection, hand lens, portable XRF; IR spectroscopy etc.
All presenters
2:00-2:30
Machine learning-derived landscape mapping
Why, how, ground-truthing and geochemistry in landscape context
Presenter: Ryan Noble / Anicia Henne
2:30-3:00
Break
3:00-3:45
Hydrogeochemistry – tools and tricks to get you started in mineral exploration
Presenter: Nathan Reid
3:45-4:30
Regolith Geophysics – A matter of scale and physical contrasts.
An emphasis on non-invasive technologies; what to use and when (i.e. airborne vs ground), considering the terrain and geological setting.
Technologies include electrical, electromagnetic, seismic (passive & active), NMR, & potential field.
Presenter: Tim Munday
4:30-5:00
Discussion and Future Research