The outcome of future metallogenic research will be important to everyone because it will._x000D_
have a profound impact on our ability to find new deposits of non-reservable mineral resources._x000D_
Failure to replenish our mineral stocks will threaten man's economic and social well-being, and it is vital that future directions of metallogenic research are considered carefully to ensure that research funds are applied wisely to underwrite our future._x000D_
Today we are witnessing the declining phase of the era of easy exploration. The rate of discovery of shallow orebodies is slowing. This is very evident for base-metal deposits but is becoming increasingly apparent for gold deposits._x000D_
The easy exploration era was marked by a heavy reliance on exploration techniques capable of directly detecting mineralization. These include simple prospecting methods as well as a host of geochemical and geophysical procedures and tools that enable explorers to pin-point regions' of mineralization within the upper couple of hundred metres of the Earth's crust. The role of