Review of predictive and detective exploration tools for magmatic Ni-Cu-(PGE) deposits, with a focus on komatiite-related systems in Western Australia

This chapter describes, reviews, and compares the current exploration techniques for Ni-Cu-PGE magmatic deposits, with a focus on komatiite-hosted systems in Western Australia. These are highly challenging exploration targets because the highly dynamic conduits where mineralization is commonly found do not generally form large detectable footprints that can be easily followed up during exploration. The footprints, which are not necessarily geochemical in nature, are generally cryptic to most datasets, but can be revealed if the integration of various techniques is carried out at the appropriate scale. In this chapter, we will provide a general overview on the genetic processes for Ni-Cu-PGE magmatic deposits. We will then describe the geochemical and geophysical techniques that are currently utilized, addressing how these exploration tools relate to each other and could be integrated at various scales.