Porter GeoConsultancy conducted a two module geological tour to a representative selection of major gold deposits that presented an overview of the Australian gold industry.

  The deposits visited ranged from large lateritic accumulations, through classic structurally controlled Archaean deposits in greenstone belts in Western Australia, Proterozoic stratabound reefs and rich magnetite-hematite gold-copper concentrations in central Australia, to major diatreme/breccia hosted mineral deposits, high grade epithermal veins in sedimentary rocks, large porphyry gold-copper, and slate belt gold in the Eastern states.

  Travel during the tour was by chartered aircraft, utilising two 9 passenger, twin engine, turbo-prop powered and fully pressurised Cessna Conquest aircraft, travelling direct between mine airstrips or nearby airports. Ground transport and transfers were by mine vehicle, charter bus, hire car or taxi as the location dictated.

PHOTO ALBUM  -  See who went and what they saw         Review Article   in   Gold Gazette.

The two modules included the following:

Archaean Module - 4 days, from 26 November 1997
  Boddington lateritic;  and  Kalgoorlie Super Pit,   Kanowna Belle,   St Ives Cluster  and  Bronzewing Archaean greenstone belt deposits, all in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia.

Proterozoic and Phanerozoic Module - 5 days, from 30 November 1997
  Telfer sediment hosted Cu-Au in Western Australia;   The Granites-Callie sediment hosted Au in the Northern Territory (NT);  Tennant Creek ironstone associated (IOCG) Au, also in the NT. All three of these dposits are hosted by Proterozoic sequences.   The remaining deposits are all of Palaeozoic age and comprised, Mt. Leyshon hosted by a subvolcanic porphyry-breccia complex in north Queensland (Qld), image above;   Pajingo adularia-sericite, low sulphidation Au, also in Qld;   Cadia porphyry Au-Cu in New South Wales; and the Bendigo/Central Deborah  and  Fosterville sediment hosted structurally controlled reefs of central Victoria.

  Two mini-seminars were conducted. The first was in Perth at the start of the tour covering The Geological and Tectonic Framework of Western Australia, with Particular Emphasis on the Archaean Cratons (Dr John Myers, Chief Geoscientist of the Geological Survey of WA); The Distribution, Styles and Controls of the Archaean Gold Deposits of Western Australia (Professor David Groves of the Key Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits, University of WA) and The Distribution and Behaviour of Gold in the Weathering Profile (Dr Charles Butt, Program Leader, CRC-LEME, CSIRO Exploration & Mining, Perth).

  The second mini-seminar was held at the end of the second module in Bendigo, comprising An Overview of the Tectonics, Geology and Distribution of Gold in the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic of Central and Eastern Australia (Dr Neil Phillips, Chief Geologist, Great Central Mines), The History, Geology and Potential of the Victorian Gold Fields (Tom Dickson, General Manager, Victorian Geological Survey); and The Characteristics and Potential of the Bendigo Gold Field (Doug Beurger, Managing Director or Garry Johansen, Exploration Manager, Bendigo Gold NL).

  This study tour also served as a Post-conference field trip to the AMF New Generations Gold Mines Conference held in Perth, Western Australia on 24 to 25 November, 1997. This conference was focussed on the discovery case histories of the most recently found gold deposits, or 'soon-to-be mines', mainly in Australia and Indonesia. The program comprised fourteen 45 minute papers on as many deposits, presented over two days, each addressing how a discovery was made and followed up. The program was facilitated by geological consultant Keith Yates and Associates, and convened and managed by the Australian Mineral Foundation.

  The tour was planned, organised and managed by Porter GeoConsultancy as a professional development course on the curriculum of the Australian Mineral Foundation.