Abstract
Following review articles and discussion at the IAEG 50 and Murrayfest2024 meetings there is confidence that undiscovered base metal deposits exist in Ireland and that it remains ‘Elephant Country’ for exploration. Historically (since the 1960s) deposits were mostly found by investigation of existing mineralization and geochemical anomalies. The ore-field is now mature, and the search space is deeper – setting several scientific and technical challenges. Additionally, challenges include regulatory, environmental and social license issues – as 2020s Ireland is an entirely different, more modern and affluent country than in the 60s!
Our scientific knowledge of the deposits has improved significantly and there is an excellent toolkit of technologies available for exploration – but for discovery under deep cover we need new ideas, better targeting, confidence and enterprise. Proposals for improving our scientific knowledge, leveraging the vast (mostly open file) databases and the expertise of industry/academic personnel have been made elsewhere and will be briefly listed. It is proposed that improved and extended collaboration between these various industry and academic personnel can significantly enhance targeting at relatively low cost – at the simplest: “two heads are better than one”.
The discovery of the c.a. 27Mt Tara Deep Zn-Pb deposit at Navan by Boliden provides an example of how to utilize various personnel through collaboration. This will be presented as a brief case history and raise discussion into whether improvements to current models of collaborative meetings (i.e. industry +/- consultants +/- academics) could aid increase confidence and improve area selection and targeting of new deposits.
Bio
John Ashton graduated from the Royal School of Mines, London, in 1975 with a BSc in Mining Geology and completed PhD research at the University of Aberystwyth in 1978, focusing on ore geology and wallrock geochemistry of Pb/Zn and Au veins in Wales. He began his career at Mogul of Ireland Ltd and later joined Tara Mines Ltd, where he worked in various Mine Geology positions until 1996. During this period, he focused on delineation, production, resource estimation, and lateral expansion of known mineralization.
Promoted to Chief Mine Geologist in 1996, he was responsible for annual reserve and resource estimation under the JORC system and led the introduction of computers in the department. At the turn of the century, Tara Mines developed the South West Extension (SWEX) and reacquired the Nevinstown orebody, leading to significant capital projects and a change in ownership to Boliden.
After working in several roles, including Chief Mine Geologist, he became Chief Exploration Geologist for Boliden Tara Mines in 2005. In this role, he focused on extending resources within and surrounding the Navan deposit and exploring the Irish Midlands carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb province. His experience and interests include 3D geological modelling, resource estimation, the genesis of carbonate-hosted Zn/Pb deposits, and exploration for base metal deposits. He retired in March 2019.
