RESEARCH THEME

Discovery and exploration

Research programs and groups

Complex Orebodies: research program addressing the complex challenges of modern sustainable mining

Total Deposit Knowledge: research group in the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre

Northwest Mineral Province New Discovery Program: research group in the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre

Highlight projects

NW Mineral Province Deposit Atlas

NE Queensland Mineral Deposit Atlas

Complex Orebodies Database

See news and impact

Explorers benefit from atlases of Queensland’s major mineral deposits

Published on: 10 January 2022

Discovering new mineral deposits in Queensland will be easier than ever thanks to a new series of technical atlases published by the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s (SMI) W.H. Bryan Mining & Geology Research Centre (BRC) and their partners at the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ).
Addressing the challenges of mine waste

Published on: 11 May 2021

A new research group at The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute has developed a set of geometallurgical toolkits to improve the management of waste in the mining industry.
Researchers call for cautious progress in deep sea mining

Published on: 4 January 2021

University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have urged for regulatory caution in a new paper which emphasises just how little is known about the potential impacts of deep sea mining (DSM).
SMI researchers help unlock Queensland’s rare earth elements

Published on: 10 February 2020

What do wind turbines, electric cars, mobile phones, night vision goggles, and the fantastic sound of your tiny portable speaker all have in common? They all rely on rare earth elements (REE) in their manufacture.
Matrix could ensure vital copper supplies

Published on: 6 March 2019

Researchers from the Sustainable Minerals Institute have identified a matrix of risks that the mining industry must overcome to unlock vitally important copper reserves.
Giant outback rock library helping change the face of mining exploration

Published on: 27 April 2018

A giant library filled with different types of rocks from north-west Queensland has been set up in Mount Isa, in an attempt to revolutionise mining exploration.