Our Approach
OUR APPROACH
The purpose of exploration is to locate areas where mineral deposits may be present, to establish the quality and quantity of those deposits, and to investigate the viability of extracting those deposits from the ground.
In Australia, an Exploration Licence authorises the licence holder to explore for a mineral or groups of minerals specified in the licence.
IGO is dedicated to co-operating with, informing and empowering Traditional Owners, landowners and local communities in the areas in which we explore.
At different stages of our exploration process, we may be in touch to request access to your land to conduct our exploration activities.
STAGES OF EXPLORATION
There are different stages of exploration, with the decision on whether to progress to the next stage being dependent on the results of the previous stage.
If the results are not encouraging, exploration will likely not progress to the next stage.
Each stage of exploration can take several months to complete, so the process of progressing through the stages may take several years.
The majority of exploration does not progress beyond mid-stage exploration, with less than 1% of exploration projects progressing to a mine.1
The diagram below shows the four exploration stages:
Reconnaissance stage
In this stage, we identify areas with enhanced mineral potential worthy of further investigation.
Work conducted includes data compilation and desktop studies with limited on-ground exploration, including mapping and rock chip sampling.
Early-stage
Early-stage exploration involves project scale evaluation to identify a mineral deposit which will be the target of further exploration.
Liaison with the local community begins and will continue through all stages of exploration.
Work conducted includes mapping, rock chip sampling, airborne geophysical surveys, broad-spaced geochemical sampling and scout drilling. This work is primarily surface-level and is considered low impact / non-ground disturbing.
Mid-stage
This stage seeks to establish the geological features of an identified mineral deposit to provide a reasonable indication of its size, extent and grade.
Work conducted includes ground geophysical surveys, closer-spaced geochemical sampling and broad to closer-spaced drilling. This work is considered ground disturbing.
Advanced stage
This is the final stage of exploration, and projects rarely reach this last stage. Advanced stage exploration seeks to assess whether to conduct a feasibility study to progress the deposit to a mine.
Work conducted includes systematic drilling and detailed geological and geochemical studies take place. This work is also considered ground disturbing.
Exploration Technique Information Sheets
1 Source: https://www.rangefront.com/blog/mining-mineral-exploration
MAKING A 
