Central Victoria Branch - Geology of Gold Course
The Central Victoria Branch invites you to apply for the upcoming Geology of Gold course run by the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
This is a 5-day course of lectures, practical sessions and a 2-day field trip devoted to the geology of gold.
It is suitable for geologists in the global minerals industry or government with early exploration or mining experience who want a broad coverage of the gold geology as well as some of the latest research ideas and how they apply to mineral exploration.
The course covers all major types of gold deposits with emphasis on greenstone-hosted and sediment-hosted orogenic gold deposits. Other gold deposits covered include epithermal, Carlin and Witwatersrand gold deposits. The field trip takes participants to the heart of Victorian gold country with a visit to Fosterville gold mine and other gold-relocalities in Bendigo.
Geochemistry, structural geology, metamorphic geology, deposit geology, geochronology, regolith issues and the most appropriate exploration approaches for the different styles are covered at a level to enable participants to take their place in industry and government teams.
Several important ideas used in the industry today have been pioneered in earlier presentations of the gold course. Come and find out why gold deposits are unlikely to form at 8000C, why Witwatersrand production is plummeting, the links between magmatic processes and gold, the exploration methods used in Australia to discover 550 million ounces of gold since 1979, why Fosterville is described as the best gold and alluvial gold discoveries in the Pilbara mean.
The course will cover the deep weathering in the enigmatic Carlin Gold Province, which is over 1000 feet deep in places. We discuss the importance of understanding and then removing the effects of this weathering before sampling, analysis and attempting to determine how these important gold deposits formed. New insights here open new exploration opportunities globally.
COURSE COORDINATOR: Prof David Phillips
PRESENTERS INCLUDE: Prof Neil Phillips, Dr Chris Voisey, Dr Clive Willman and Prof David Phillips.
COST FOR INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS: AUD $1000, including the 2-day field trip. Numbers will be limited due to the field component, and registrations are likely to close early.
REGISTRATION: Joey Black , School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences +61 3 8344 1612, SGEAS-ASO@unimelb.edu.au