Abstract
A new approach to global exploration targeting is essential for the discovery of new world-class ore deposits. Understanding the lithosphere-scale context of resource formation and location may provide the next step-change in enhancing exploration success. Knowledge of the nature of trans-lithospheric structure and discontinuities and the delineation of deep lithospheric domains with fundamentally different composition, architecture and evolution is providing a new framework for exploration. This enhances understanding and prediction of the location of ore-deposits derived from a variety of deep lithospheric processes including mantle-derived magmatic and fluid flow (and associated thermal transfer) and deep crustal reworking and partial melting. Relevant resource deposits include Ni-PGE, Cu, Au and diamonds, while these methods also reveal important parameters about basin formation that are potentially important for oil and gas occurrence.
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© 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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O’Reilly, S.Y., Hronsky, J., Griffin, W.L., Begg, G. (2005). The evolution of lithospheric domains: A new framework to enhance mineral exploration targeting. In: Mao, J., Bierlein, F.P. (eds) Mineral Deposit Research: Meeting the Global Challenge. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27946-6_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27946-6_11
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