PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Queensland could likely play host to a number of rare minerals, as geologists have unearthed evidence suggesting the presence of platinum and gold, as well as rare-earth elements (REE).

“This may be a whole new frontier for Queensland,” Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said over the weekend.

“Beyond the potential economic boost for Queensland, the discovery brings a new understanding of mineral potential in a previously under-explored area.”

The discovery, loosely being referred to as the Diamantina minerals province, covers an area from the copper, gold and platinum-rich Fifield in central New South Wales, through Queensland’s north west country and up to the Merlin diamond mine in the Northern Territory, where one of Australia’s largest diamonds was discovered.

University of Queensland Emeritus Professor Ken Collerson and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines geologists uncovered the potential resource when they discovered extremely rare geological pipe structures in a remote area of western Queensland south west of Mount Isa and near the Northern Territory border.

The rare pipes originate from very deep within the earth, when pulses of mineral-rich material are forced to the earth’s crust. These pipes have previously only been found in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Finland, but the Queensland ones could be up to 6 km in diameter.

Minerals likely to be in the pipes include scandium, cobalt, nickel, copper, light and heavy rare earth elements, yttrium, niobium, hafnium, zirconium, tantalum, phosphorus, silver, gold and platinum group elements, as well as potential for diamonds.

“The type of minerals found in the geological pipes are in high demand around the world, particularly in the development of cutting edge technology,” Lynham said. 

“Advanced technologies such as fuel cells, mobile phones, super-conducting magnets and hybrid vehicle batteries all rely on access to the minerals we believe are here.

“An opportunity exists for the right type of company to maximise this detailed geological information and take it to the next step commercially.”