Assessment of mine waste secondary prospectivity: Cosmo, Northern Territory

Abstract

This project focuses on secondary prospecting of mine waste in the NT. This is defined as the examination of previously unconsidered mining opportunities in active and abandoned mines, following circular economy principles. This collaborative project between the Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS), and the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) examines mine waste at three sites in the Pine Creek region to determine critical metal endowment and will also investigate the mining technologies and techniques required to recover these metals as part of an economic rehabilitation approach. The project undertook 'Stream 1' (First pass investigation of mine waste at operational and abandoned sites) site investigations. A key outcome of this is provision of data to contribute towards building a secondary prospectivity map of the NT informing future brownfields exploration in the state.