Alluvium/alluvial:

A loose mass of soil and/or rock fragments transported and deposited by water

Alteration:

Mineralogical reconstitution of a rock by hydrothermal fluids, as distinct from atmospheric weathering (eg; carbonate, chlorite, clay, hematite, sericite)

Andesite/andesitic:

A mafic volcanic rock composed essentially of andesine (calcic plagioclase) and one or more of the mafic minerals pyroxene, olivine and hornblende

Anomaly/anomalous:

An area where exploration has revealed results higher (or lower) than the normal or expected level encountered in such an area

Anticline/anticlinal:

A fold where the rock strata dip outwards away from the axis AssayQuantitative laboratory determination of the content of valuable metals contained within a rock

AMT survey:

Audio Magneto - Telluric geophysical technique to measure electrical conductivity

Auriferous:

Gold bearing

Banded iron formation (B.I.F.):

Chemical sedimentary rock consisting of finely alternating layers of silica and iron oxide

Basalt:

A fine grained mafic volcanic rock

Basement:

Older rocks which underlie more recent deposits

Basin:

A low-lying region where eroded water-borne sediments accumulate

Bedding:

Layering of strata in sedimentary rocks

Bedrock:

Solid rock underlying superficial weathered rock or soil

Biotite:

A common rock forming mineral, member of the mica group

Breccia/Brecciated/Brecciation:

Fractured, said of a rock composed of angular fragments embedded in a matrix

Calcrete:

A near-surface layer formed through ground water precipitation of calcium carbonate, sampled as a means of detecting transported gold.

Carbonaceous:

Containing fossil organic material in the form of coal or graphite

Carbonate:

A rock or a component of rock composed primarily of calcium, magnesium or iron and CO3

Chert/cherty:

A rock with a fine-grained glassy, highly siliceous composition and appearance

Chlorite/chloritic:

A common rock forming mineral, member of the mica group

Concordant:

Geological features which are parallel to the bedding of the country rock

Conglomerate:

A coarse-grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded to sub-angular pebbles, cobbles or boulders set in a finer grained matrix

Contact:

Surface which marks the change between rocks of different types

Country rock:

The rock mass surrounding a mineral deposit or intrusion

Craton:

A large, stable portion of the earth's crust

Cross-section:

A vertical plane perpendicular to geologic strikeCrustal Suture Zone/ BreakRegional deep crustal fracture

CSAMT survey:

Controlled Source AMT survey

Dacite:

A fine-grained to glassy acid volcanic rock

Deformation:

A general term for the processes of folding, faulting, shearing, compression and extension of rocks as a result of various earth forces

Deposit:

A body of mineralisation that may or may not be economic to mine

Diamond drilling:

Rotary drilling with diamond impregnated bits to produce a solid, continuous core sample of the rock

Diapir:

Structural zone created by the injection of rocks from depth.

Dip:

The angle at which a rock layer or any other planar feature is inclined from the horizontal

Discordant:

A feature that is not parallel to the bedding or foliation of the country rock

Disseminated:

A scattered distribution of generally fine-grained mineral through a rock

Drill core:

Cylindrical sample of rock produced by diamond drilling

Drill cuttings/drill chips:

Sample of rock produced by percussion drilling methods such as reverse circulation (RC) drilling

Dyke:

A tabular body of intrusive igneous rock, crosscutting the host strata

Electromagnetic (EM) survey:

A geophysical survey technique which may detect buried sulphide mineralisation

Epithermal:

Mineralisation deposited at shallow depth by ascending hot fluids, commonly in fault zones or fissures (also; epithermal event, system, alteration)

Exploration Licence, EL:

An exploration licence issued under the Mining Acts of South Australia or Victoria

Extension/extensional/dilatant:

Geological environment where crustal forces have extended or stretched the Earth's crust allowing movement of mineralised fluids.

FalconTM:

Proprietory airborne geophysical technique for measuring the gradient of the gravity field

Fault:

A fracture or zone of fractures in rocks along which rocks on one side have moved relative to the other side (also; fault system, zone, deformation)

Feldspar:

A group of common rock-forming minerals

Felsic:

Used to describe light-coloured rocks containing an abundance of feldspars and quartz

Ferruginous:

Iron-rich

Fold/Folding:

A bend in strata; that is, a change in the amount of dip of a bed, and also often a change in the direction of a dip

Foliation/foliated:

The banding or lamination in metamorphic rocks, as distinguished from stratification in sedimentary rocks

Footwall:

The mass of rock below a fault, vein or zone of mineralisation

g/t:

An abbreviation for grams per tonne, a unit of measurement of the concentration of gold in rock, equivalent to parts per million

Gangue:

A mineral in direct association with ore

Geochemistry/geochemical:

The study of the variation of chemical elements in rocks and soils; a method of exploration based on this

Geophysics/geophysical:

The study of the physical properties of rocks, such as magnetism, conductivity and density; a method of exploration based on this by inferring geologic features from measurements of physical properties

Geosyncline/geosynclinals:

A large depressed area of the crust, in which sediments and volcanic rocks are deposited

Gneiss:

A general term for rocks that have undergone a high level of heating and/or pressure.

Gossan:

A ferruginous deposit remaining after the oxidisation of the original sulphide minerals in a vein or ore zone

Grade:

Quantity of metal per unit weight of host rock

Granite/granitic:

A coarse-grained igneous rock composed dominantly of quartz and K feldspar, with minor accessory ferromagnesian minerals

Granitoid:

A general term used to describe intrusive rocks of granite-like composition

Gravity/Gravity Survey:

A geophysical technique measuring the variation in the earth's gravity field strength related to rock types.

Greywacke:

A sandstone with high levels of rock fragments and silt

Hematite (also Haematite):

A form of iron oxide (Fe2O3)

High-grade:

Referring to mineralisation or ore containing metal grades well above the average grade of the deposit

Host rocks:

Referring to a specific rock type or layer of rock that is preferentially mineralised

Hydrothermal:

Pertaining to heated water, in particular the process by which hot water-rich solutions transfer materials or alter rocks (also; hydrothermal event, system, alteration)

Igneous:

Rock formed by solidification from a molten state

Inlier:

An area or group of rock surrounded by rocks of younger age

Intercept/intersection:

Refers to the length of continuous mineralisation encountered in a drill hole, trench or channel sample

Intrusion/intrusive:

A body of igneous rock that has been injected while molten into pre-existing rocks

Induced Polarisation (IP) Survey:

A geophysical survey technique which may detect buried sulphide mineralisation

Iron-Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG):

A style of deposit, commonly associated with gravity and magnetic anomalies

Ironstone:

A ferruginous sedimentary rock, usually indurated

JORC code:

The Joint Ore Reserves Committee and ASX standard for the publication of resources, reserves and related information

JV:

Joint venture

Lineament:

Large scale linear feature recognised in geological or geophysical data, interpreted as a possible controlling structure for mineralisation

Lithology/lithostratigraphy:

Rock unit defined by mineral composition

Lode:

Generally tabular body of mineralisation or ore where hydrothermal fluids have altered and reconstituted the original rock

Low-grade:

Referring to mineralisation or ore containing gold grades well below the average

Mafic:

Dark coloured rocks composed dominantly of magnesium, and iron-rich rock-forming silicate minerals

Magma:

A molten liquid, formed within the crust or upper mantle of the Earth, which may consolidate to form an igneous rock.

Magnetic survey/magnetics:

A survey made for the purpose of recording the magnetic characteristics of rocks; may be a ground survey or from an aircraft

Magnetite:

A form of iron oxide (Fe3O4)

Massive:

A term used to describe rocks which are homogeneous in texture or fabric, lacking bedding, foliation etc

Massive Sulphides:

Rock comprising more than approximately 40% sulphide mineralisation

Meta-greywacke:

Metamorphosed greywacke

Metamorphic:

Rock which has been altered in composition or texture by the effects of heat and/or pressure

Meta-sediments:

Metamorphosed sedimentary rocks

Mineralisation:

The process by which minerals are introduced into a rock. More generally a term applied to accumulations of economic or related minerals in quantities ranging from anomalous to economically recoverable

Mineralised zone:

A volume of rock which contains mineralisation

Monzonite:

An intrusive rock with approximately equal amounts of alkali and plagioclase feldspar with little or no quartz

Open pit/open cut:

Excavation produced by surface mining in which ore is extracted from a pit

Ore:

Mineral bearing rock which is expected to be mineable at a profit

Orogeny/orogen:

Geological period of crustal scale deformation

Oxidise/oxidisation:

The process of weathering of rock by exposure to air and circulating ground waters

Plunge/plunging:

The angle at which linear geologic features, such as ore shoots or fold axes, are inclined from the horizontal

Pluton/plutonic:

An intrusive mass of igneous rock

Porphyry:

An igneous rock containing phenocrysts, in which larger crystals are surrounded by a groundmass of finer grains

ppm/ppb:

Abbreviation for parts per million/billion, a unit of measurement of the concentration of metal in rock or soil

Prospect:

An area of a tenement which has demonstrated potential to host an orebody

Prospective/prospectivity:

General terms for the perceived potential for the discovery of an orebody based on the knowledge of factors such as favourable geologic setting, structures, alteration, geochemical and/or geophysical responses, and the occurrence of mineralisation, etc.

Pyrite/pyretic:

An iron sulphide mineral found as an accessory mineral in igneous rocks

Quartz:

A common rock forming mineral composed of silicon dioxide

RAB drilling:

Rotary Air Blast, a rotary drilling technique that uses compressed air to clear the drill bit of cuttings and return them to the surface

Radiometric survey:

A geophysical survey technique in which measurements are made of variations of natural radiation levels

RC drilling:

Reverse Circulation, a rotary percussion drilling technique in which the samples are returned to the surface inside the drill rods minimising sample loss and contamination

REE:

Rare Earth Elements

Recent:

The era of geologic time covering the period from approximately 8 thousand years ago to the present

Regolith:

The unconsolidated material that overlies bedrock

Resource:

An identified in-situ mineral occurrence from which valuable or useful minerals may be recovered. Mineral resources are divided into Inferred, Indicated and Measured categories according to the JORC Code

Rift/rifting:

Crustal break or fracture zone on a continental scale

Rhyodacite:

A fine-grained to glassy acid volcanic rock

Schist:

A mica-bearing crystalline metamorphic rock

Sediments/sedimentary rocks:

Rocks formed of particles deposited from water, wind or ice

Sequence:

A chronological succession of sedimentary or volcanic rocks

Shaft:

A vertical or inclined tunnel from the surface excavated to provide access in an underground mine

Shear/shear zone:

Zone in which rocks have been deformed by lateral movement along parallel planes

Shoot/ore shoot:

An elongated or lens-like orebody, commonly with a preferred plunge direction

Shoshonite/shoshonitic:

A particular andesitic rock

Silcrete:

Rock high in silica, usually caused by secondary mobilisation of silica in the weathering profile

Silicification/Silicified/silicious:

Replacement of the original rock constituents by silica, and rocks so replaced, or otherwise silica-rich

Skarn:

Altered rocks of mainly lime-bearing silicates formed by a large influx of silica, aluminium, iron and magnesium

Stratabound:

Refers to mineralisation confined to particular sedimentary beds

Stream Sediment Sampling:

Geochemical sampling of stream sediments

Strike:

The orientation of a layer of rock or geologic structure in the horizontal plane

Strike length:

The horizontal length of a bed, layer of rock or geologic structure

Structure, structural:

Refers to the deformation of rocks by folding, fracturing, faulting and shearing, and the features created by those processes

Subduction:

The process of convergence of two tectonic plates, one of which usually overrides the other

Sulphide:

A mineral consisting of metallic elements and sulphur

Tectogenesis/tectogenetic analysis:

The analysis of tectonic processes regarding ore fluid movement and ore deposition.

Tectonic:

Referring to processes of large-scale deformation of the earth's surface

Tenement:

An EL or any other form of mineral licence or title, held or under application.

TMI:

Total Magnetic Intensity

Trenching:

Exploration by excavation of trenches to access bedrocks below surface cover of soil etc.

Ultramafic:

Refers to the composition of particular igneous rocks with high magnesium and iron contents, and low silica contents

Underground:

Mining methods where excavations are beneath the surface

Unoxidised:

Rocks which have not been subjected to significant weathering, in which the sulphide minerals have not been broken down to oxide minerals

Vein:

A tabular mineral infill of a fissure or crack in a rock, commonly containing quartz

Veinlet:

Very thin, usually discontinuous veins

Vent/Venting:

The opening/process through which a volcano ejects igneous material

Volcanic/volcaniclastic:

Sedimentary or volcanic rocks containing an abundance of fragments derived from volcanic eruption

Zeolite:

A group of clay minerals commonly occurring as secondary minerals in cavities in igneous rocks

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