Mitre Geophysics Pty Ltd was established in 1980. Based in Tasmania, initial clients were mining and exploration companies working in Western Tasmania where the remote and rugged terrain, combined with the varied mineralisation (including lead, zinc, copper, gold, nickel, tin, tungsten, iron, silica, manganese, oil shale) helped make for an exciting and interesting start.

Early clients included the Mt. Lyell copper-gold, Renison tin and Rosebery VHMS mines. Work spread to mainland Australia with long-term clients including the Broken Hill, Elura and Mt. Isa mines. Subsequently Mitre Geophysics has worked in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

The bulk of Mitre’s work continues to be involved with metalliferous minerals, and, increasingly, coal, but groundwater, engineering and energy, especially geothermal, help make up the mix.

Mitre has been involved in exploration programs for most metalliferous and energy commodities, plus some geotechnical assignments. A number of the projects listed below have been either published by Mitre as case histories or presented at conferences. Where stated, original company names have been used. Projects, by commodity, include:

  • Integration of several exploration techniques on the mining and exploration leases around the Broken Hill lead-zinc-silver mine, with the applied potential method providing an early contribution to the development of the Potosi Mine. The use of DHMMR to detect ribbon-shaped sphalerite-rich (i.e., poorly conducting) mineralisation was pioneered here by Mitre. (Broken Hill block clients include NBH, Pasminco, CBH and Perilya.) DHMMR surveys have also been successfully carried out at the Broken Hill type Cannington silver-lead-zinc mine in the Mt. Isa Block (for BHP Billiton).
  • DHEM surveys at the Mt. Isa, copper-lead-zinc mine identified along-strike extensions to the no. 12 lead-zinc ore body (for MIM) and at the old Mt. Morgan (Queensland, Australia) copper-gold mine, also identifying further mineral resources (for Perilya). Simultaneous self-potential (SSP) has been trialed in the Zambian copper belt (for BHP Billiton).
  • Electrical surveys at the Mt. Lyell copper-gold mine, leading to the definition of further resources, with Controlled Source Audio Magnetotellurics (CSAMT) providing an excellent discrimination between ore-grade copper and pyrite. Compilation of seventy years of geophysical surveys at Mt. Lyell and surrounding regions (for BHP Billiton).
  • Compilation and evaluation of regional geophysical surveys, including aeromagnetics and gravity, over the Western Australian Yilgarn Craton as part of a broad-scale exploration program for nickel (for Falconbridge Nickel). Near-mine electrical surveys at the Uitkomst nickel mine, Eastern Transvaal (for Anglovaal Minerals) and in the Yilgarn (for WMC) and as part of an exploration project in Guinea (for Rio Tinto).
  • Planning and interpretation of aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys over the 800+ Mt. Monywa copper deposit, plus other concessions for porphyry-style copper and epithermal gold in Burma, New Guinea, South America and Australia.
  • Mine-lease compilation and in-mine geophysical surveys at numerous base-metal mines, including the Elura, Rosebery, Woodlawn and Woodcutters mines, leading to further resources, with several exploration programs, especially in Eastern Australia and the Pyrite Belt, Spain. The recent DHEM discovery of the massive sulphide ‘Kate’ lens at TriAusMin’s Woodlawn mine is a testimony to Kate Hine's skill. (The first, and at the time of writing only, hole intersected 32m @1.9% Cu, 1.2% Pb, 4.6% Zn, 22g/t Ag, 0.6g/tAu; including 9m @ 2% Cu, 4% Pb, 16.1% Zn, 52g/t Ag, 0.8g/t Au.)
  • Interpretation of electrical and electromagnetic surveys for epithermal and shear-hosted gold at the Beaconsfield Mine (for ACM), plus several other mines and exploration prospects located in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Burma, Indonesia and the Philippines.
  • Interpretation of magnetic, gravity and CSAMT surveys for iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposits, South Africa and Queensland, Australia.
  • ‘Brownfield’ and ‘greenfield’ exploration for Archean and Proterozoic gold in Western Australia (eg, Newcrest’s Telfer), Northern Territory (eg, Tennant Ck), Australia and Tanzania (eg, Lake Victoria Greenstone belt).
  • Planning and interpretation of modern electrical surveys and integration with old data on the Renison tin mine leases, resulting in identification of new areas of mineralisation.
  • Aeromagnetic and electrical surveys over tin prospects in Australia (Tasmania and New South Wales).
  • Seismic and resistivity surveys to outline alluvial gold deposits in the Solomon Islands.
  • Radiometric exploration for uranium, South Africa.
  • Integrated exploration for VHMS style base-metal and gold resources in Australia (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland) and Spain.
  • Aeromagnetic and AEM surveys, surface and down-hole logging programs for coal and oil-shales in Australia (New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania) .
  • Geophysical Signatures study on the diverse mineral deposits of Western Tasmania for the Tasmanian Government.
  • Regional integrated interpretation of parts of the highly and diversely mineralised Western Tasmania for the Tasmanian Government.
  • ‘State-of the art’ report on electrical geophysical techniques for the Australian Government.
  • Short courses and workshops in geophysical techniques for base-metals, gold and diamond exploration have been given in Australia, South Africa, Europe and South America.
  • Geophysical surveys for hydro-geological and engineering projects in Australia (Tasmania and New South Wales) and off-shore Indonesia.