CODES SRCUniversity of TasmaniaGPO Box 252–79Hobart TasmaniaAustralia 7001Tel: 03 62262472 Fax: 03 6226 7662www.codes.utas.edu.au

IN THIS ISSUEBoston 2001: A Geo-Odyssey ________________2Special Issue of Economic Geology ______________3New PhD students ________________________4Chile __________________________________6Minerals Industry in Tasmania ________________8SEG Student Chapter ______________________9VAVE cruise ____________________________10Giant Ore Deposits Workshop ______________11

and more ……

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • MARCH 2002

climate. The workshop Convenor isDavid Cooke (Leader of CODESProgram 5 – Hydrology and Chemistryof Hydrothermal Systems).

Six classes of hydrothermal mineraldeposits will be discussed at theworkshop: porphyry Cu-Au-Mo; Fe-oxideCu-Au; sediment-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag;nickel-PGE; Carlin-type Au andWitwatersrand Au.

Ore deposit discoveries will need to besubstantial in terms of grades and tonn-ages to have an impact on the share priceof the recently-merged mining houses.

A major international Giant OreDeposits Workshop including a post-workshop visit to some world-classwestern Tasmanian deposits will be held17–19 June 2002 to help facilitateexploration during the current economic

Speakers will discuss each deposit type,the characteristics of giant deposits andhow they compare to the smaller depositsin their class. Case histories of discoveriesof giant deposits will also be covered.Each sessions will conclude with an openforum about the exploration for futuregiant deposits.

Industry and academic experts will givepresentations and lead explorationforums. They include:Tony Belperio (Minotaur Gold)Francisco Camus (CODELCO) Richard Moore (Falconbridge)Greg Hall (Placer Dome)Scott Jennings (Teckcominco)David Groves (Centre for Global

Metallogeny)Douglas Haynes (consultant)Tony Naldrett (consultant)Tommy Thompson (Mackay School of

Mines, Nevada, USA)Keith Bettles (Barrick Goldstrike)Lawrie Minter (University of Cape Town,

South Africa)John Thompson (Teckcominco)Nick Fox (Anglogold)Garry Davidson (CODES)Ross Large (CODES)

The workshop and field trip constitutethe first week of a CODES Masters shortcourse (17–28 June). The second week ofthe short course will include sessions onother major deposits including BrokenHill type, MVT, VHMS, epithermal andhybrid.

For further information see page 11 ofthis Newsletter.

Giant Ore Deposits Workshop to DiscussExploration Strategies in the Current

Economic Climate

HYC No.2 Orebody at the McArthur River Zn–Pb mine. Photo courtesy of McArthur River Mining.

Newsletter of the Centre for Ore Deposit Research, an ARC Special Research Centre at the University of Tasmania

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 2

CODES had a strong presence at theNovember Geo-Odyssey 2001 GeologicalSociety of America Conference, Boston,where the Special Research Centre waspromoted at an international forumattracting over 5,000 delegates.

Research Fellow Garry Davidsonpresented a paper in the Society ofEconomic Geologists special session“Deposit studies of iron-oxide copper-

gold systems to a global context”, andalso reported on a hydrothermal sulfuranomaly at Macquarie Island in atechnical session on “Ophiolites and theevolution of Geological Thinking”.

Bruce Gemmell, joined forces with HelenMango, of Castleton State University,Vermont, USA, to chair a special sessionin honour of the late Half Zantop, whowas their PhD supervisor. The session

honored the scientific accomplishmentsand teaching excellence of Half Zantop,who was an economic geologist andProfessor at Dartmouth College inHanover, New Hampshire. Brucepresented a paper on Half ’s contributionto the geology and mineral deposits ofthe Fresnillo district in Mexico.

Peter McGoldrick and Jianwen Yang,were involved in the technical session“Sediment-hosted lead-zinc deposits:roles of basin evolution, tectonics andgeochemistry in ore genesis”. Peter gavetalks about the HYC and Lady Lorettadeposits, of northern Australia, whilstJianwen presented new ideas about thecontrol of salinity ore fluid migrationmodels in SEDEX ore systems.

CODES was the only Australian researchcentre to attend the Geo-Odyssey as anexhibitor with Research Fellow, RobinaSharpe, and Skippy the inflatablekangaroo “personing” the stand. Thedisplay was a great success with numerousenquiries about CODES’ publicationsand post-graduate opportunities.Peter McGoldrick, Joel Brugger (University of Adelaide), David Giles (Monash University), Bruce

Gemmell, Mike Simms (Johns Hopkins University), Garry Davidson and friends at the CODESbooth — Geo-Odyssey 2001.

Boston 2001: A Geo-Odyssey

CODES Staff ChangesCODES has a new Research Fellow,Andrew Rae, who submitted his PhDthesis on the Palinpinon geothermal field,Philippines, in September 2001.Andrew’s position at CODES involvesinvestigating the trace element composi-tion of sulfide minerals from a variety ofhydrothermal ore deposits and evaluatingthe use as a tool for mineral exploration.

Yu Zongshu is going west to work forMurdoch University’s faculty ofengineering. Zongshu came to CODESfrom China in 1997 to study for hisPhD. After completing his PhD,

Zongshu worked as a technical officerand operated CODES ICPMS.

Tanzi Lewis has been appointed PublicRelations Officer with CODES. Tanzi’sbackground is in journalism and publicrelations.

The linguistic skills of CODES newadministrative assistant, Loreto Lazcano-Frikken, have been welcomed with manystaff and students enrolling in herSpanish classes. Loreto, a former Chileanjournalist, is married to CODES PhDstudent, Peter Frikken, who is doing

research in South America. CODES hasseveral research projects in SouthAmerica and Loreto’s Spanish classes areproving beneficial for CODES staffbound for Chile, Peru and Argentina.

Marc Norman has resigned from hisposition as Senior Research Fellow andManager of the CODES ICPMSLaboratory. Marc’s work at CODES wascritical in the development of zircondating and sulfide geochemistry LA-ICPMS applications. Marc is now aFellow in the Research School of EarthSciences at ANU in Canberra.

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 3

Researchers at the CODES haveproduced another Special Issue of thepremier international journal, EconomicGeology.

The Director of CODES, Ross Large,said the opportunity to compile and edita Special Issue of Economic Geology was amajor coup. “It is a significantachievement and demonstrates thestrength and depth of our researchprojects,” he said.

The new Special Issue of EconomicGeology (v. 96, no. 5), co-edited byCODES Program 3 Leader, BruceGemmell, and Research Fellow, WalterHerrmann, is devoted to “alterationassociated with volcanic-hosted massivesulfide deposits and its explorationsignificance”. Most of the content of thisSpecial Issue is based on a three-year(1995–98) collaborative research project(P439) between CODES and theAustralian Mineral Industry ResearchAssociation. Fifteen of the 18 papers arebased on CODES staff and studentresearch on volcanic-hosted massivesulfide (VHMS) deposits and districts inAustralia, with some contributions fromexternal parties who were invited tocontribute.

Research was undertaken at both regionaland deposit scales. Three productivesubmarine, VHMS-bearing, volcanic beltsin Australia were investigated: the MtRead Volcanics in western Tasmania, theMt Windsor Volcanics in northernQueensland, and the Archean Murchisonvolcanic province in Western Australia.Deposit case studies included research atMt Lyell, Hellyer, Rosebery and Henty inthe Mt Read Volcanics, Thalanga andHighway Reward in the Mt WindsorVolcanics, and Gossan Hill in theMurchison Volcanics.

The following companies andorganisations supported this research:AMIRA, Aberfoyle Resources Limited,Copper Mines of Tasmania, DenehurstLimited, Mineral Resources Tasmania,

Normandy Exploration, PasmincoExploration, Queensland MetalsCorporation Ltd, RGC Exploration, andRio Tinto Exploration.

CODES and the Geology Department/School of Earth Sciences at the Universityof Tasmania have produced three SpecialIssues of Economic Geology in the pastthree decades. “This is very significant asno other Australian or overseasdepartment or research group can matchthis accomplishment. Each Special Issueproduced has had different authors andspread of subject matter which shows thestrength of economic geology at theUniversity of Tasmania”, Bruce Gemmellsaid.

The first Special Issue of EconomicGeology (v. 76, no. 2) covered the geologyand mineral deposits in Tasmania andwas published in 1981. This issue wasedited by Mike Solomon, with helpfrom John Walshe and Chris Eastoe ofthe Geology Department.

In 1992, a second Special Issue ofEconomic Geology (v. 87, no. 3) wasdevoted to Australian VHMS deposits and

CODES Contributes a Special Issue of Economic Geology

their volcanic environment. This issuewas edited by Ross Large of the thenCODES Key Centre.

This third Special Issue represents yetanother milestone in the University ofTasmania’s economic geologyachievements.

Ross Large, Wally Herrmann, Bruce Gemmell and Mike Solomon displaying the newgeological map of the Mount Lyell area published in the Special Issue of Economic Geology.

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 4

New PhD students

CODES has welcomed three new PhD

students who bring strong international

industry experience.

Mineral exploration geologist, Kate

Bull, has moved from one end of the

Earth to the other to study for her PhD.

Memories of a 1988 trip to Tasmania and

the opportunity to study with Jocelyn

McPhie lured Kate to Tasmania. “I

wanted to study with Jocelyn and I liked

Tasmania. So CODES was an attractive

option,” Kate said.

Kate, who worked in mineral

exploration in Alaska, Canada, Greenland

and Argentina, will study the volcanic

facies architecture of the Palaeozoic Urals

in New South Wales. Kate studied for her

Master of Science at the University of

Alaska, Fairbanks.

Numerical modeller Lyudmyla Koziy,

from the Ukraine, has embarked on her

PhD studies with the aim of developing a

multi-dimensional numerical package for

simulating ore-forming hydrothermal

fluid migration in complex earth

Academy of Sciences from 1992–2001.

Her work dealt with the application of

mathematical modelling for ecological

problems such as radionucliide transport

in the marine environment, oil slicks and

sea ice cover. Jianwen Yang and Ross

Large will supervise her PhD.

Lee Evans, from Victoria, has come to

CODES to research environmental

geology for his PhD. Lee’s project title is

“Groundwaters in wet, temperate, sulfide

mining districts: delineation of modern

fluid flow, and predictive modelling to

improve management after mine closure

(Rosebery, Tasmania).

Lee graduated with a Bachelor of

Applied Science from RMIT University,

in Melbourne, and did Honours in

environmental geology at the University

of Ballarat. Lee has worked in exploration

and mining in Western Australia, Victoria

and Queensland.

Garry Davidson, Jianwen Yang and

David Cooke will supervise his PhD.

structures, particularly the sedimentary

basins in northern Australia.

Lyudmyla is a graduate of the Kiev

State University and worked for the

Mathematical Machines and Systems

Problems Institute at the Ukranian

Lee Evans

Kate Bull

Lyudmyla Koziy

Four CODES/Earth Sciences studentsgraduated in December 2001. Picturedare from left (back row) David Cooke,Bruce Gemmell, Ross Large and TonyCrawford; (front row) Kirstie Simpson(PhD), Rick Squire (PhD), JocelynMcPhie and Alison Raos (PhD). StevenHunns (PhD) graduated in absentia.

Graduation

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 5

Bruce Gemmell, has been promoted tothe position of Associate Professor,effective 1 March 2002.

The promotion recognises Bruce’sexcellence in teaching and leadership ofresearch into volcanic-hosted andepithermal ore deposits at CODES.

Bruce has a long association withCODES, starting as a Lecturer inEconomic Geology in 1990. In 1995, hewas promoted to Senior Lecturer inEconomic Geology and became tenuredin 1996.

Originally from Canada, Bruce studiedfor his Bachelor of Science, majoring ingeology, at the University of BritishColumbia, and completed his Mastersand PhD at Dartmouth College in theUSA. In addition, Bruce has six years ofmineral exploration experience inCanada.

PROMOTION

Bruce Gemmell, Leader ofCODES Program 3 – Ores inVolcanic Arcs

Time was of the essence when NewZealander Sarah Jones, decided to leaveher job as an exploration geologist inWestern Australia to embark on her PhDstudies at CODES. Now, three years andthree months later, Sarah has submittedher PhD thesis that involved eightmonths field work at the Myra Falls Cu-Zn-Pb deposit, Vancouver Island, BritishColumbia, Canada.

The thesis examined the geology andgeochemistry of the “cap rocks” aboveVHMS deposits at Myra Falls wherepolymetalic orebodies are hosted by theDevonian Sicker Group, a volcano-sedimentary package which includes twomineralised horizons. The “cap rocks”are cherts that immediately overlie theorebodies.

PhD Thesis Caps off Hard Work

Sarah Jones ready for action at the entrance to the Lynx MineAdit, Myra Falls.

Visit the CODESBookshop at

www.codes.utas.edu.au

Sarah’s study concentrated on the lowerore horizon, which includes the Battleand HW deposits, located on or near thecontact with the footwall andesite.

CODES Program 3 Leader, Dr BruceGemmell, said Sarah had produced anexcellent thesis that satisfied all its aims,in near record time.

Prior to studying at CODES, Sarahcompleted a Masters degree at OtagoUniversity (NZ) and then worked as an

exploration geologist with PlutonicResources and Homestake Gold ofAustralia Limited.

Sarah is leaving Tasmania to work forthe West Australian Geological Survey inKalgoorlie as a field geologist.

The Geology and Origin of Australia’s Mineral Depositsby M. Solomon and D.I. Groves

Additional material outling recent progress in understanding the processes involved in the genesis ofAustralia’s major mineral deposits has been added to the highly successful 1994 edition of this book.Particular attention has been paid to sediment-hosted, stratiform Pb–Zn and volcanic-hosted massivesulphide deposits, but the review also includes discussions of Archaean ocean composition, orogeniclode gold deposits, Proterozoic Broken Hill-type and Cu and Au ores, and banded iron formations and

their related iron ores. 1002 pages, hardbound. Price: AUD$165.00.

“This is an excellent book of high publishing quality. Geologists of many callings will find this book valuable for its discussion of deposits inthe context of geological history and crustal genesis, for its discussion of ideas concerning the origin of many well-known ore styles thatoccur in the Australian settings, for its wealth of ideas, and for its use as a reference.” From a review of the 1994 edition by Spencer R.

Titley, in Economic Geology, v. 91, p. 224, 1996.

ORDER NOW at www.codes.utas.edu.au/publications

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 6

ChileCultural and historical were among thefirst impressions CODES Masters studentsdeveloped about Santiago, Chile. However,those on the “South American OreDeposits” tour (part of the CODESMasters program) soon found that Chilehad great hidden wealth and depths.

Recovering from jetlag was the firstpriority for the group who came from farand wide — Australia, Sweden, Greenland,

Peru and Chile — to embark on awesomediscoveries. Some respite was offered at Santiago’s Provedenciarestaurant and bar bistrict by night. “Early birds” like GrahamGribben, a Masters of Economic Geology student from theUniversity of Western Australia, even emerged at 6 am to gosightseeing.

While Santiago provided our first sight of Chile, the first deepdiscovery was a trip to the world’s largest underground mine, ElTeniente, owned by Codelco, about 100 km southwest ofSantiago in the Western Cordillera.

A Greyhound bus is not the usual method of transport intoan underground mine, but that was how we were transportedinto the Esmerelda section of the orebody. From there, the groupcompleted a geological traverse from the post-mineral BradenBreccia pipe through a 1.5 km section of copper mineralisation,showing the zonation from bornite to chalcopyrite, fantasticbreccia textures, sensational vein relationships and giving someinsight into the scale of these giant porphyry Cu systems.

Lunch at the underground cafeteria was novel. The cafeteria,with self-service, trays and cashier, is capable of seating 100, a bitdifferent to any “crib room” I have ever visited. After lunch, thegroup visited an underground vug within the breccia pipe,complete with gypsum crystals up to 6 m long. Finally, a visit tothe core shed to view some recently drilled high-grade holesunderneath the zone currently being mined.

The visit was memorable thanks to the work of PatriciaZuniga, Ricardo Floody and the team including Jose, Arturo andFernando.

Wednesday commenced with a drive to the north and then avisit to the Codelco-owned Andina operation. This is anothergiant porphyry Cu deposit in the Cordillera very close toSantiago. This visit enabled students to complete a breccialogging exercise looking at three diamond holes drilled throughthe Sur Sur mineralisation. These holes showed a variety ofdifferent breccia textures and gave a good overview of themineralisation and some of the paragenetic relationshipsdeveloped at Andina.

Australian geologists are accustomed to working in the dry,hot and flat interior but a visit to the La Union open-pit on theThursday morning provided the Antipodeans with a bit of a

culture shock. La Union is at 4200 m and during the visit itstarted to snow. Only Mike Buchanan, a Canadian, and ourNordic visitors were happy in these conditions. Thanks to LouisSerrano, Ricardo Vargas and Celso Aguilar for making our timeat Andina so memorable.

After the Central Chile section of the trip we flew north toCalama via Antofagasta. Missing luggage is always a worry, butmissing persons can be worse when on a group expedition. Oneteam member was almost lost during the stopover when hedecided to disembark without his hand luggage at the wrongdestination. Fortunately, he was found wandering aimlessly onthe tarmac, apparently, he claims, looking for his leathermanthat had been confiscated by security.

The site for Friday’s visit was the world-famousChuquicamata in the heart of the Atacama desert.Chuquicamata is another Codelco operation and the world’slargest open pit. During a brief presentation on the operation,Geology Superintendent, Alejandro Faunes, challenged theMasters students on several fronts including strategic thinking,

exploration success and the use of copper oxide mineralogy as aguide to life.

The scale of the open pit at Chuquicamata had to be seen tobe believed. Due to a recent LTI the group was not allowed intothe pit and had to be content with an overview from the“Mirador” into the main pit and also the exotic Cu oxide depositknown as Mina Sur. This was followed by a visit to the corefarm. We would like to thank Jose Roca who hosted the visit,with a special vote of thanks to Alejandro who selflessly donatedhis hammer when Alan Wilson carelessly left his on the Codelcobus.

Saturday saw a change of focus to exploration and regionalgeology with a day trip in the Western Cordillera. This gave thegroup a chance to look at the Domeyeko Fault system to thenorth of Chuquicamata and the stratigraphy that hosts much ofthe Eocene copper mineralisation.

Beneath the rich cultural and historicalsurface … there’s ore

by Andrew Tunks

Volcan San Pedro (6154 m) towering above the Atacama Desert,an andesitic stratavolcano with a parasitic basaltic scoria cone onits western flank.

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 7

The traverse was held in an area of spectacular sceneryincluding recent volcanoes such as San Pablo. The group reacheda maximum altitude of about 4400 m above sea level.Fortunately, not much walking was involved thanks to excellentlogistical support from Rio Tinto’s Antofagasta operation thatloaned us four fully-equipped vehicles complete with fieldguides, the excellent Daniel, Emilio, Herberto and Patricio.

Saturday evening saw another trip highlight when Åso andChristinna (two PhD students from Luleå in Sweden) introducedthe team to the traditional Nordic methods of drinking vodka.This involved singing in Swedish, followed by “Skol”, which Ithought meant “cheers” but now believe translates into “you’regoing to be sorry tomorrow”.

There was to be no rest for the wicked. BHP-Billitongeologist, Louis Moreno, who is based at Antofagasta organised aspecial presentation of the recently-discovered Spence porphyryCu deposit. This provided an opportunity to look at the core,visit to the exploration decline and view the large ore stockpilescollected for metallurgical testwork.

It was an exciting time to be at Spence as BHP-Billitonannounced the decision to go to the next phase of the feasibilitystudy while we were on site. However, although great news, itmeant Louis suddenly had extra work and could not come onthe rest of the trip.

The Atacama desert is a dry, unrelenting environment. It wasa relief to end the week by the sea at Antofagasta.

The first week of the trip had seen us visit three of theworld’s largest copper deposits, one of Chile’s newest mineraldiscoveries and a host of spectacular geology, mountains andscenery. All in all, it was time to sit back with a Pisco Sour andlook forward to the second week of the trip which would

CODES Research Fellow, Sharon Allen,has been invited to join the editorialboard of the Journal of Volcanology andGeothermal Research.

David Cooke, CODES Program 5Leader, has been appointed to theEditorial Board of Economic Geologyfor a five-year term (2002–2007).

PrestigiousInternationalEditorships

Mick (Buchanan) and Mick (Priestley) dressed for theoccasion at La Union pit, Andina.

Ore Deposits of South America trip participants at 4000 m in theLa Union pit, Andina.

Tim Ireland (pictured right) receivedthe University Medal 2001, thehighest honour for an undergraduatestudent at the University of Tasmania,for his combined BSc and Honoursyear results. Tim received 14 HighDistinctions and one Credit for hisundergraduate degree followed byFirst Class Honours. His Honoursproject, which was supported byMcArthur River Mining, was a studyof "Lateral variability ofsedimentology, mineralogy andgeochemistry in the HYC Zn-Pb-Agdeposit, Northern Territory:implications for ore genesis". Tim is

University Medal Winner

encompass visits to several iron-oxide Cu–Au deposits and alsoan epithermal Au deposit. Week two of the trip will be detailedin the next Ore Solutions.

Sharon Allen David Cooke

currently writing up his work forpublication.

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 8

June Pongratz, Manager of CODES

Publications and Media Resource Centre,

and erstwhile seismic interpreter, recently

passed the milestone of 40 years service

with the University of Tasmania within the

School of Earth Sciences and CODES.

“It must be pointed out that I was very,

very young when I started work”, she said.

A telegram from the Queen was not

received.

VISIT CODES newwebsite

@www.codes.utas.edu.au

Ross Large (Director of CODES) presented thisspeech at the Annual Dinner of the TasmanianMinerals Council, at Bridport, Tasmania, on30 November 2001.

“The minerals industry is suffering right nowdue to record low metal prices. However,Tasmania still has some major strengths andopportunities for future growth. But, there is ahard road ahead.

When facing the future, it is important toidentify strengths, challenges and solutions.

Strengths of Tasmania’s mineral industryI would like to emphasise the significantstrengths of Tasmania’s mineral industry.

Geological diversity, world-class mines andprocessing, excellent potential for new discov-eries, an international ore deposit researchcentre and good collaborative networkscharacterise Tasmania’s mineral industry.Tasmania is one of the few places in the worldwith such geological diversity in a small area ofthe West Coast and Northeast Coast

World-class mines such Rosebery (Zn-Pb-Ag-Au), Renison (Sn), Mt Lyell (Cu-Au) — toname but a few — operate in Tasmania.Rosebery ranks at number 10 in the world inthe top 500 massive sulfide deposits in terms ofmetal content.

Tasmania also has world-class mineralprocessing. Pasminco had record production in2001 and Comalco, Temco and Goliathcontinue to be very productive.

Excellent potential exists for new discoveries.The recent Ni and platinum group discoveriesat Avery and Cuni indicate new possibilities.The potential for more Cu, Zn and Au dis-coveries in the Mt Read volcanic belt isexceptional on the global scene. The potentialfor more tin deposits (like Renison) related to

our Devonian granites is also very good.The new geoscience data sets released late in

2001 by the Regional Minerals Program arevery exciting, especially the radiometrics,which will certainly lead to renewed explora-tion interest in Tasmania. These new data sets,financed by the State and Federal Govern-ments, will form the foundation for revitalisedexploration programs.

Tasmania also has the advantage of having aninternational mining equipment manufacturerthat has grown up with our industry,Elphinstone, based at Burnie. Elphinstone isnow selling equipment worldwide and has justreleased a new 55-tonne underground truckthat’s breaking sales records.

The CODES Special Research Centre at theUniversity of Tasmania has grown to become atop international group with strong supportfrom the local industry and internationalmining companies. CODES now has 23research scientists on staff working in all themajor mining districts in Australia and aroundthe globe in places like Chile, Zambia, Sweden,Spain, Canada, Argentina and Peru.

Tasmania is a small State where it’s import-ant to work together. Good collaboration existsbetween the industry, research, exploration,mining, smelting and servicing.

The challengesGiven these strengths, why is the Tasmanianindustry experiencing problems? There is aperception that mining and processing is onthe way out in Tasmania and that it’s anindustry of the past, whereas tourism,aquaculture, fine food and wines are the future.

The reality is, our industry supplies over40% of export earnings to Tasmania and issignificant to employment in western andnorthern Tasmania. Without the minerals

industry, the Tasmanian economy would be insevere trouble. Tasmania needs, and can have,both the clean, green industries and a modern,clean mining industry.

The decline in mineral exploration is theother challenge facing TasmaniaGreenfields exploration has declined dramatic-ally since the early 1980s. When I was exploringin Tasmania for Geopeko in the late 1970s,exploration expenditure was about $15 millionper year, or $45 million in today’s terms. In2001, Greenfields expenditure was less than $4million – that’s less than 10% of the 1980sexpenditure. Without increased exploration wecannot find the deposits that will form themines of the future in Tasmania.

Long-term survivalThe trend away from exploration must bereversed if the industry is to discover newmineral deposits and survive long-term. More research on how, and where, to find

deposits and more exploration to do the surveysand drilling to locate and assess them areneeded.

Is there a solution?The industry as a whole needs to develop a 10-year strategic plan on how to grow and surviveinto the future. The plan should be developedby wide consultation amongst all stakeholdersand presented to both State and FederalGovernment.

This industry has the runs on the board. Wehave significant natural and developed strengthsand there is a strong future for minerals inTasmania, but it requires collaboration at alllevels, a significant increase in minerals researchand exploration, and, in particular, long-termplanning.”

T H E F U T U R E F O R T H E M I N E R A L S I N D U S T RY I N TA S M A N I A

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 9

The CODES SEG Student Chapter completed a busy andproductive year with a twilight cruise on the Derwent River inthe 1912 built ferry Cartella. The Annual General Meeting washeld prior to the cruise and a brief rundown of the successfulyear’s events was given by out-going president Andrew Wurst.

The SEG began the year by assisting with the very successfulCODES conference Volcanic Environments and Massive SulfideDeposits at the Wrest Point Casino.

The main event of the year was the internationally laudedoverseas field trip to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey organized byProfessor Kamen Bogdanov and Andrew Wurst. The “ThracianOdyssey” field trip visited a range of different ore deposits in 13days in the ancient region of Thrace. Ore deposits visited wererepresented by a diversity of mineralisation styles and metalcommodities from Au–Cu porphyries to metasomatic veinfluorite deposits, high sulfidation multi-element deposits, lowsulphidation Au–Ag vein and sediment-hosted deposits, Sedexstyle Ag-Fe deposits, and replacement and skarn Pb–Zn deposits.A constant feature of the trip was the historical longevity ofmining in the area, with mining activity of most mines visiteddating back to ancient Greek times around 2500 years ago.

The trip would not have been successful if it were not for helpfrom the hosting companies such as Normandy, TVX, ThracianGold, Navan and the Bulgarian Universities of Sofia Universityand the Institute of Mining and Geology. Financial support wasalso received from the Society of Economic Geologists, CODESand Analabs.

A feature of the trip was the collaboration between the BulgarianSEG student Chapter and the CODES SEG student chapter,and the many friendships made.

The trip was also greatly supported by the whole CODES SEGchapter and everyone who attended helped to get the idea off theground.

A number of social functions were held during the year includingtouch football and cricket matches.

SEG President (2001) Andrew Wurst thanked the executivecommittee and members: Andrew Stewart (Vice President),Sarah Jones (Secretary) and James Cannell (Treasurer) for theirsupport during 2001. Outgoing Treasurer James Cannellprovided a detailed report on the financial activities of the group.

The 2002 SEG committee is Mawson Croaker (President),Russell Fulton (Vice President), Nikki Pollington (Secretary) andGlen Masterman (Treasurer).

The new committee and members who attended the AGMexpressed enthusiasm for organising another overseas geologicalfield trip and also put forward ideas for activities in the comingyear.

SEG Student Chapter

The 2002 SEG committee members — Back row (L to R): JamesCannell, Russell Fulton (Vice President), Mawson Croaker(President). Middle row: Wallace Mackay, Michael Agnew, KateBull, Andrew Wurst. Front row: Glen Masterman (Treasurer) andNikki Pollington (Secretary).

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 10

CODES and a number of Australian universities have combinedforces to offer the most comprehensive Masters courses inmineral exploration and mining geology in the world.

CODES Masters coordinator, Andrew Tunks, said theNational Masters of Economic Geology had been designed forgeoscientists wanting a thorough update on advances across thespectrum of economic geology applied to mineral explorationand mining geology.

The National Masters provides access to 17 highly specialisedcourses in five different institutions across the country. It’s a veryflexible program that is specifically structured around the needsof busy industry geoscientists who wish to improve theirtechnical skills in time for the next industry boom cycle.

Participating universities are CODES (University ofTasmania), University of Western Australia, James CookUniversity, CRC LEME (University of Canberra) and VIEPS (acollaboration between Monash, Melbourne and LatrobeUniversities).

The course forms part of the National Geoscience TeachingNetwork, supported by the Minerals Council of Australia andthe Commonwealth Department of Training and Youth Affairs(DETYA).

Each participating university offers up to five courses inrotation over a two-year period. Each course is of two weeks’duration.

Courses offered at CODES are:Volcanology and mineralisation in volcanic terrainsOre deposit models and exploration strategiesOre deposit geochemistry, hydrology and geochronologyOre deposits of South America (Chile)Brownfields Exploration.

Courses offered by participating universities:University of Western Australia:

Ore deposit modelsComputer applied exploration techniquesApplied structural geology and field mappingOre deposit field trip to South Africa

James Cook UniversityAdvances in ore genesisResource definition: theory and practiceBusiness and financial managementAdvanced field trainingExploration techniques in ore search

University of Canberra and Australian National UniversityLandscape evolution and exploration geochemistry

VIEPSGeophysical exploration methods

The entry qualifications are a Bachelor of Science with Honoursor a Bachelor of Science with at least two years’ industryexperience.

The Federal Government has recently introduced an interest freeloans scheme to assist students undertaking postgraduatecoursework degrees. Information on this scheme can be foundat <www.hecs.gov.au/pels>

Further information can be obtained from Andrew Tunks(phone: 03 6226 2374 or email: Andrew.Tunks@utas.edu.au)

National Economic Geology Masters Explores the Spectrum

CODES Research Fellow Dr Robina Sharpe was a participant on

the recent VAVE (Vanuatu and Australian Vents Expedition)

Cruise in September 2001. The cruise, led by chief scientist Tim

McConaghy, of the CSIRO, was a highly successful expedition

that investigated seafloor hydrothermal ore-forming activity in

arc and backarc settings along the Vanuatu island chain.

The scientific team brought together researchers from the

CSIRO, Vanuatu’s Department of Geology, Mines and Water

Resources, the Australian National University in Canberra,

CODES SRC, University of Tasmania, and the University of

Lisbon, Portugal.

The success of the of the VAVE cruise was highlighted by the

discovery of a new and potentially large hydrothermal field

along Nifonea Ridge – a basalt ridge in the Vate Basin southeast

of Port Vila. Photographic evidence of possible chimney

structures in the Nifonea hydrothermal vent field were obtained

– the first discovered in Vanuatu waters. Evidence of

hydrothermal activity was also identified at a number of sites

including the active submarine volcano Oscostar, Ciaon volcano

near Epi Island, Kuwae caldera and Temakons Seamount

(formerly 94SO-1).

Vanuatu Australian Vents Expedition

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 11

Seafloor sampling operations also revealed a number of

unexpected results with the supposedly old and sediment-filled

Coriolis Troughs were floored by very young neovolcanic basaltic

lavas – resulting in major revisions of tectonic concepts for the

area. Testing for sediment-hosted mineralisation in the Futuna,

Erromango and Vate Basins revealed no evidence to support

hydrothermal activity. Operations enabled the collection of a

large number of water, sediment and rock samples as well as

video coverage for subsequent research and analysis.

Robina Sharpe and Brooks Rakau (Department of Geology, Mines andWater Resources, Vanuatu) retrieving samples collected using a SmithMacIntyre Grab, along the Vanuatu island chain.

Giant Ore Deposits Workshop17–19 June 2002

Centre for Ore Deposit ResearchHobart Australia

PROGRAMDAY 1 – MONDAY, 17 JUNEPorphyry DepositsCharacteristics of the Andean giant porphyry systems (Francisco Camus:Codelco)The geology and corporate discovery history of the Collahuasi Districtporphyry copper deposits (Richard Moore: Falconbridge)Fe-Oxide Cu-Au DepositsCharacteristics and formation of Fe-oxide copper(-gold) systems (GarryDavidson: CODES)Giant iron oxide copper(-gold) deposits - are they in distinctive geologicalsettings? (Douglas Haynes: Douglas Haynes Discovery Pty Ltd) Mt Woods - Exploration strategies leading to a new iron-oxide copper-golddiscovery at Prominent Hill (Tony Belperio: Minatour Resources)DAY 2 – TUESDAY, 18 JUNESedex and BHT DepositsProcesses that control the formation of giant stratiform sediment-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag deposits (Ross Large: CODES)Case History of discovery – Red Dog (Scott Jennings: Cominco)Carlin Au DepositsGiant Carlin Au systems (Tommy Thompson: Mackay School of Mines)Overview of geology and exploration at the Goldstrike Property, Carlin Trend,Nevada, USA (Keith Bettles - Barrick)Discovery of the Pipeline orebody – Greg Hall: Placer DomeDAY 3 – WEDNESDAY, 19 JUNENickel-PGE DepositsGiant nickel-PGE systems (Tony Naldrett: U. Toronto)Nickel laterite deposits - geological overview, resources and discovery casehistories. (Mick Elias: Mick Elias Associates)Discovery of the Cosmos Ni-sulfide deposit (Tony Rovira: Jubilee Mines)Witwatersrand Au DepositsAn overview of geological processes that controlled primary distribution of goldin the Witwatersrand deposits (Lawrie Minter: University of Capetown)Exploration within, and for analogues of, the Witwatersrand (Nick Fox: AngloGold)The long-time opposing views on the Witwatersrand: what are the implicationsfor exploration models? (David Groves: University of Western Australia)•Each session will be followed by a forum on exploration strategies forgiant ore deposits.

The post-workshop field trip (19–22 June) will visit several ofwestern Tasmania’s mineral deposits, specifically the giant RenisonSn and Rosebery Zn-Pb-Ag-Au deposits, and the important MtLyell Cu and Henty Au mines. Trip leaders: Bruce Gemmell andAndrew Tunks.

A poster session will be held on Monday, 17 June.

The workshop and field trip consititute the first five days ofCODES two-week Masters shortcourse on Ore Deposit Models andExploration Strategies. We invite you to stay on after the workshopand participate in the rest of the shortcourse, which will concludeon Friday, 28 June. It is followed by the Australian GeologicalConvention in Adelaide, which runs from 1–5 July.

COSTBefore 28/3/02 After 28/3/02

Full registration AUD $800.00 AUD $1000.00

Student registration AUD $400.00 AUD $500.00

Student registration (with poster) AUD $0 AUD $0

Day registration0 AUD $320.00 AUD $400.00

• plus field trip costs

CODES Gold Sponsor discount (50% of full rate) & Silver Sponsor discount (25%).

For more details and to register contact:Lynne.Vaudrey@utas.edu.au

or

www.codes.utas.edu.au

Sponsored by AngloAmerican, AngloGold, Barrick Australia,BHP Billiton, Minerals Council of Australia

and UTas SEG Student Chapter

Hydrothermal Fluids Flow

CODES Contacts

CODES NEWSLETTER 11 • 12

CODES Corporate SponsorsBHP-Billiton, Goldfields Exploration, Homestake Gold of Australia, MIM Exploration,

AngloAmerican, Newcrest Mining, Rio Tinto, Western Metals, WMC

There are many benefits of becoming a corporate sponsor of CODES• Association with, and first call on, a world-class research team in ore deposit science• Fee reductions on our regular industry short courses • Access to scholarships for staff undertaking a Masters in Economic Geology or Masters in Exploration

Geoscience • Membership of the CODES Science Planning Panel

Ore Deposit Models and Exploration Strategies17–28 June 2002 Leader: David CookeSee page 11 of this newsletter for details.

Volcanology Short Course17–30 November 2002Leader: Jocelyn McPhieA two-part field course on volcanology and mineralisation involcanic terrains for geologists interested in a review of currentapproaches to mapping, facies analysis and mineralisation inancient and modern volcanic successions. Includes field geologyin New Zealand and western Tasmania.

DirectorRoss LargeTel: (03) 6226 2819Ross.Large@utas.edu.au

Deputy Director Leader, Program 1 Education & PhD CoordinatorTony CrawfordTel: (03) 6226 2490Tony.Crawford@utas.edu.au

Leader, Program 2Jocelyn McPhieTel: (03) 6226 2892J.McPhie@utas.edu.au

Leader, Program 3Bruce GemmellTel: (03) 6226 2893Bruce.Gemmell@utas.edu.au

Leader, Program 4 Honours CoordinatorPeter McGoldrickTel: (03) 6226 7209P.McGoldrick@utas.edu.au

Leader, Program 5David CookeTel: (03) 6226 7605D.Cooke@utas.edu.au

Short Courses & Masters CoordinatorAndrew TunksTel: (03) 6226 2478Andrew.Tunks@utas.edu.au

Book SalesNilar HlaingTel: (03) 6226 2472publications@codes.utas.edu.au

Public RelationsTanzi LewisTel: (03) 6226 1863Tanzi.Lewis@utas.edu.au

Publications and Media Resource CentreJune PongratzTel: (03) 6226 2479june.pongratz@utas.edu.au

Administrative AssistantLoreto Lazcano-FrikkenTel: (03) 6226 2472secretary@codes.utas.edu.au

Executive AdministrationLynne VaudreyTel: (03) 6226 2819L.Vaudrey@utas.edu.au

Upcoming Short Courses

Who said geologists never have fun? CODESResearch Fellow, Robina Sharpe, and Sarah Gleesonof Alberta University, Canada, at the HydrothermalFluid Society meeting held during GSA, Boston.

Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Hydrology and GeochronologyApril–May 2003

Exploration in Brownfields AreasAugust 2003

Ore Deposits of South AmericaNovember 2003

Ore Solutions banner: a chloritised amygdaloidal basalticpeperite with red mudstone from Redbank Cu mine, Qld/NTborder, Australia.