This session investigates the poorly constrained controls on the fertility of metal and ligand reservoirs for a wide range of mineral systems, integrating newly developed knowledge sourced from experimental investigations and observation from natural laboratories at multiple scales. Contributions highlighting the importance of fertility in the genesis of mineral systems based on physio-chemical evidence as well as on the use of novel isotopic  tracers are welcome.

Large, modern multi-scale, multi-technique datasets provide knowledge that can be used for purposes other than those originally intended, effectively extending the “use by end date” and value of data that may have been interrogated in a limited way. For example, data that are commonly used to define the metallurgical properties of a mineral deposit, which are generally important in the downstream segments of the mining value chain, when a resource has already been defined and needs to be processed in the most efficient and sustainable way, can be used to constrain the genetic processes that led to the formation of that very mineral system.

This session seeks contributions that showcase collaboration among researchers with different backgrounds and expertise, and that offer new ways to maximise use of existing mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic datasets to improve exploration, mineral processing, metallurgical extraction and post-mine land rehabilitation, which are priorities for both industry and society. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: new frontiers in predictive targeting tools  (greenfield), new frontiers in detective targeting tools (brownfield), success stories, and innovation.

• 3A Basin-hosted mineral systems including Kupferschiefer
• 3B Orogenic gold mineral systems
• 3C Orthomagmatic mineral systems
  • Orthomagmatic ores are a direct record of how mantle-derived magmas concentrate metals. The path starts with what makes a mantle source fertile - composition and hydration - and continues through melting, magma ascent, fractional crystallisation and contamination. We then ask how dense sulfide liquid and oxide crystals segregate, move and accumulate in komatiite flows, magma conduits, crystal mushes and layered intrusions to form Ni-Cu-Co-PGE, Cr and Fe-Ti-V ores. The story does not end there: hydrothermal, metamorphic and weathering overprints redistribute metals, upgrade ores or obscure primary features. We welcome field, analytical, experimental and modelling studies, from mineral-scale observations to lithosphere-scale controls on fertility and critical-metal exploration. 
• 3D Pegmatite-hosted and Greisen mineral systems
• 3E  IOCG and IOA mineral systems
• 3F  BIF-hosted ore mineral systems
  • Iron ore is foundational to society and the highest tonnage resource mined on Earth, yet, questions on its genesis and links to other mineral systems persist. Advances in mineralogy, geochemistry, geochronology, structural geology, and numerical modeling continue to refine our understanding of the origin, evolution, and preservation of iron ore systems, providing new insights for enhanced exploration and resource development. Bringing together researchers from industry, academia and geologic surveys, this session aims to provide discussion on the fundamental processes controlling iron ore system development and the implications for mineral exploration and the sustainable development of future iron ore resources.
• 3G Bridging the Exploration-Mining Spectrum: Integrated Approaches to Porphyry and Epithermal Ore Systems
  • This session explores porphyry and epithermal mineral systems, integrating perspectives from geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geochronology, and economic geology across the full exploration-to-mining spectrum. These deposit types have long been studied through discipline-specific lenses — greenfield explorers, resource geologists, metallurgists, and mine geologists have often worked in relative isolation, despite investigating fundamentally linked ore-forming processes. This session brings these communities together to examine how fluid and metal sources, fluid evolution, alteration zonation, structural controls, and metal deportment connect discovery-stage vectoring to resource definition and extraction. By fostering dialogue across historically separate career tracks, the session aims to advance integrated genetic models with practical applications spanning early exploration through mine-scale ore characterization.
• 3H  Mineral systems associated with carbonatites

Ore deposits form through dynamic interactions between deformation, heat, mass transport, magmatism, fluid flow, and evolving Earth structure, giving rise to distinct metallogenic terranes and districts. These processes are inherently linked to geodynamic drivers and deformation systems that have been shaping Earth's architecture from lithospheric to local scales. We welcome studies that investigate how lithospheric- to crustal-scale structural architecture and evolution influence the generation, localization, modification, and preservation of ore deposits across multiple scales, from subprovince to camp to deposit to ore shoot to block model.

The renewable energy transition will require unprecedented production of copper, and cumulative demand to 2050 is expected to exceed $US 1 trillion. However, resource depletion, environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) expectations, and rising costs mean that global production is expected to fall short of demand within the next few years. New resource discoveries and increased production are essential.

This session will explore the transformation pathways for mine waste materials (e.g., tailings, waste rock, slag, mine water) from long-term liabilities into valuable resources.  Presentations that examine innovative approaches to characterising and reprocessing mine waste, recovering critical and residual minerals, improving environmental outcomes, repurposing mine infrastructure, and restoring land and water are invited. The session will highlight how advances in characterisation, processing technologies, data analytics, circular economy approaches and policy can unlock previously unrealised value while reducing closure risks and rehabilitation costs. Presentations that focus on waste reduction opportunities across the life-of-mine are welcomed.

This session focusses on recent experimental and computational breakthroughs pertaining to the physio-chemical conditions of metal mobility in mineralising fluids and melts across the lithosphere. The session is motivated by the recognition that experimental results have been extrapolated to physical conditions or chemical systems beyond those where the original results were valid, with consequences for genetic models based on those extrapolations. Contributions are sought that highlight and address such cases, that provide new or modified working hypotheses that open search spaces in areas previously deemed unprospective, and that apply the power of multi-scale modelling to enhance our capacity to predict the nature of mineralising fluids and melts at different conditions.

The session focusses on advances in data-to-knowledge translation that enhances data integration and interpretation throughout the exploration, characterisation, and processing stages of the mining value chain. Presentations will highlight how knowledge graph technology will enable data accessibility and facilitate scientific discoveries. This approach is essential for delivering data-driven and evidence-based research outcomes. It will generate valuable insights, train future geoscientists in big data science skills, and influence the future roadmap for companies in their data interoperability strategies.

This session welcomes contributions highlighting the role of computational, thermodynamic and numerical modelling into better constraining the nature of mineralising processes operating at multiple scales. Specific emphasis will be laid on the potential to develop new knowledge that may enhance predictive targeting through the identification of novel types of mineral systems, based on renewed understanding of the behaviour of metals and ligands at different P-T conditions.

This session welcomes contributions highlighting the role of geophysical insights into unprecedented imaging of the 4D evolution of the lithospheric architecture, identifying cryptic areas where metallogenic flux may be concentrated in space and time and opening search space for mineral systems associated with a broad inventory of commodities. The session welcomes contributions that are focussed on new geophysical approaches as well as case studies showcasing where novel applications have been successful to target mineral systems at multiple scales.

The concept of search space for mineral systems is transient and highly dependent on market demand for raw materials and advancement in technology. As a result, ore deposits of the future will look very different from the ones that have been mined from millennia; more importantly they will be discovered? in very different geological and/or anthropogenetic environments.
This session welcomes contributions looking at innovative ways to consider search space for ore deposits of the future. Examples include but are not limited to: 1) new frontiers in lower crustal terranes, previously commonly considered as barren and unprospective but now recognised as potentially highly prospective; and 2) waste repurposing and wealth extraction from secondary sources such as mine tailings.

Ore deposits and surface environments are linked through geological, geomorphological, geochemical, hydrological, and biological processes operating across a range of spatial and temporal scales. Understanding these interactions is important for the discovery, characterization, and responsible development of mineral resources worldwide. This session presents how ore-forming systems influence regolith and how regolith processes modify, preserve, or mask mineralisation signatures. Presentations related to geochemistry, regolith geology, remote sensing, geomicrobiology, hydrogeology, and exploration technologies are invited, noting advances that improve mineral system understanding and enhance exploration success in diverse geological and climatic settings.