Implications for mineral exploration in arc environments

Returns from copper and gold exploration have been disappointing over the last two decades, despite the surge in quality and quantity of exploration data. Successful exploration for the next generation of major copper-gold deposits is increasingly focused on targets at depth or under cover using new tools in remote sensing, 3D-geological modeling, and pattern recognition through machine learning. Hence, regional-scale target generation will become increasingly more important in mineral exploration in the next decade. Such predictive targeting capability requires a generic, regional-scale understanding of copper and gold metallogeny and its controls. The definition of prospective igneous belts with a fertile geochemistry is an essential first step in target generation. The extension of these prospective belts can be delineated under cover by the interpolation of limited outcrops in deep cross-cutting valleys or in exploration drill holes. This Chapter defines the geochemical selection criteria of prospective high-K igneous complexes that can be used by target generation teams of international mining companies exploring for gold-copper deposits in modern and ancient terranes worldwide.