Integrated Petrophysics

Mobile Petrophysical Laboratory

A containerised mobile petrophysical logging system for use across Australia.

Cobar District: Mineral System Petrophysics Across Scales

A key exploration challenge in the Cobar region is the dominance of remnant magnetisation; characterisation of this and its relationship to the mineral system will provide new insights into the exploration methodologies required at the camp scale for this NDI area. Cobar-type systems are highly conductive to magnetic exploration (Wilkes, 1979), but are distinct from most other magnetite-bearing deposits, because they contain large volumes of pyrrhotite which is anomalously conductive/ chargeable, and also displays remanent magnetisation (in the monoclinic form). This study, which is in collaboration with the MinEx CRC and NSW Geological Survey, will utilise petrophysical techniques to constrain 3D conductivity magnetic and gravity modelling. It will integrate magnetic fabrics at the core scale with regional geophysical interpretation, providing insights into the formation of this enigmatic class of deposit. It will investigate the benefits and pitfalls of different methodologies for the collection of petrophysical data.

Cloncurry Multi Element Toolkit and Laboratory

Cloncurry METAL was a catalyst for the development of the Integrated Petrophysics methodology, a unique, world-leading approach to geoscience, which sets out to cross-correlate geoscience datasets via scale normalised relational data analysis. It produced geoscience data which is integrated-by-design and allows us to leverage a huge pool of geoscience knowledge by relating it to physical parameters, and then using those physical parameters to constrain geophysical targeting. By translating geochemistry to geophysics, we are addressing a major problem in mineral system science, that our mainly geochemical approach to mineral exploration is not scalar unless converted into physical parameters. This core science addresses major oversights in the current ‘Big Data’ trend in geosciences, allowing us to transform qualitative knowledge into quantitative data, and exposes flaws in commonly held assumptions through rigorous science.