Recent research has
highlighted the potential of a relatively new style of gold mineralisation
related to granite intrusion. New discoveries in Alaska, Central Europe and Asia and Eastern Australia with total resources of 1600 t Au offer
attractive targets for regional exploration in areas which may have been
overlooked in the past. A spatial information system was developed to target
granite-gold systems in eastern Australia and the West coast of
New
Zealand, using well constrained geological and
exploration models derived from current research. Target areas were recognised
in Queensland, New South
Wales, Victoria,
Tasmania and on the West Coast of
the South Island of New Zealand that have similar spatial data relationships to
known granite gold mineralisation elsewhere in the world. The second phase of
the modelling better constrained the regional scale target areas by including
more detailed geological, geochemical and geophysical data in the GIS to develop
prospect-scale targets and to allow the acquisition of tenements over these
areas. A geological review of each target area was carried out in the field to
put the GIS models into context. The fieldwork has highlighted the potential for
this style of mineralisation in New
Zealand and will increase investment in mineral exploration
and development in New
Zealand in the near future.