UltraFine+® Next Gen
Greenfields mineral exploration in varied cover is often hindered by a failure to detect, understand, and evaluate near surface geochemical anomalies. The UltraFine+® Next Gen Analytics research project combines the UltraFine+® soil analysis method with high quality spatial data, creating machine learning-derived, first-pass data products to make a step change for the exploration industry.
Developed by CSIRO, LabWest and 30 industry sponsors as part of the MRIWA M462a Project 2020-2023.
The UltraFine+® Next Gen Analytics research project (CSIRO/MRIWA Project M462a) was conducted from 2020 to 2023 by CSIRO in collaboration with over 30 industry sponsors and state geological surveys. The project goal was to facilitate a paradigm shift for precious, base and critical metals exploration in Australia by combining UltraFine+® soil analyses methods with intelligent data integration tools, adding value to routine soil sampling in frontline exploration and shaping mineral exploration approaches for decades.
The UltraFine+® Next Gen Analytics project’s site locations (as of August 2022; Click image to view the live version).
It has been common practice to use soil geochemistry in mineral exploration with little regard for soil parameters or landform settings and how these relate to buried mineralisation. The UltraFine+® Next Gen Analytics research addressed this challenge by delivering an analytical refinement of the UltraFine+® soil analysis method and by adding relevant mineral proxies via spectral mineralogy and soil properties pH, EC and particle size distribution to the soil analytical workflow and interpretation.
The second component of the research – Next Gen Analytics – identified machine learning approaches to integrate soil geochemistry with spatial data. The resulting regolith landscape models can be used to identify statistical outliers by landscape type in geochemical soil surveys. This improves our ability to identify targets and false positives as well as understand the spatial variance and influence of regolith types.
The CSIRO/MRIWA Project M462a refined and improved the UltraFine+® soil analytical method and is commercially available through LabWest.
Since the project completion in November 2023, the CSIRO has conducted further research and ground testing into machine-learned landscape modelling in Australia and the Next Gen Analytics tools will be commercially available through CSIRO’s Exploration Toolkit as LandScape+ from April 2025.