LocatOre: a tool for modeling proximitor equations using multi-element mineral chemistry data

Multi-element mineral chemistry data acquired by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) are a rich source of geochemical information. These data can contain subtle geochemical signatures related to a mineral’s proximity to the heat and fluid source. For example, analyses of hydrothermal chlorite from the alteration halos surrounding Batu Hijau (Indonesia) and El Teniente (Chile) porphyry Cu deposits show a clear trend of decreasing Ti/Sr ratios with increasing distance from mineralizing intrusions. Proximitor equations are functions that model the relationship between element concentrations in an alterationmineral and the distance to its related heat and fluid source. The coefficients for these equations can be estimated fromsamples where the location of the source is known. The resultant coefficients can then be applied at sites where thesource location is not known to define an exploration target. Manual calculations of distance to source and modelingof source locations using proximitor equations is a time-consuming process, requiring multiple individual calculations, and is consequently often limited to a 2D surface. LocatOre is an application, developed in the Unity game engine, that simplifies the calculation, modeling and visualisation of proximitor equations for estimating the distance to heat and fluid source in 3D. The application provides users with options to use pre-set proximitor equations for LA-ICP-MS mineral chemistry data from a range of ore deposits, minerals and elements. Users can define custom proximitor equations, subset samples and visualise the model space in 3D. In addition, tools for identifying exploration targets and exporting modeling results for use in other applications are available. LocatOre is an important new tool in the mineral explorer’s toolbox that allows for the construction of rapid and consistent interactive models for representing possible heat and fluid source locations in a prospective area