Applied Structural Geology For Mining And Exploration Workshop
A pragmatic applied structural geology course aimed at understanding hydrothermal mineral deposits at all scales
Discover how Brett Davis and Jun Cowan apply practical structural geology methods — from hands-on outcrop analysis to advanced 3D interpretation of grade data — to uncover the structural controls on mineralisation. Ideal for geologists seeking fast and effective tools for exploration and resource modelling that are focused on the fundamentals of modern structural analysis using methods unavailable elsewhere.
Synopsis
Too much time and money is consumed by data collection that is out of context and rarely revisited or used pragmatically. The attempted implementation of unusable information can compromise exploration programs and the construction of informed geology models.
Understanding the textural, geometric and overprinting relationships in a hydrothermal mineral deposit is critical to pathways for economic mineral extraction and further discovery.
Brett Davis reviews the most practical, high-impact methods available today, emphasizing analysis of textural, geometric, and overprinting relationships from examples of hydrothermal mineral deposits globally.
These fundamental techniques, grounded in outcrop and core sample analysis, can also be applied to grade data from drilling — based on the premise that structures control mineralisation, and grade patterns themselves can reveal structural frameworks.
Building on Brett’s foundations, Jun Cowan takes things further by applying these principles to large-scale outcrop structural analysis using 3D models, and teach his method of structurally interpreting grade and lithological distributions sampled from drilling. These are critical issues that can be applied in mineral resource estimations and exploration.
Instructors
Dr Brett Davis (Olinda Gold Pty Ltd)
Dr Jun Cowan (Prestologic Pty Ltd)
Location & Dates
Holiday Inn City Centre Perth: 778-788 Hay Street, Perth, WA (4 days) plus a local field day, Western Australia, Australia.
01 - 05 October 2025 (Wednesday to Sunday)
Immediately after the SEG Annual meeting in Brisbane (26 - 29 September 2025)
Who Would Be Interested In This Workshop?
- Exploration geologists
- Mine geologists
- Resource geologists
- Geotechnical geologists and engineers
- Business development managers
- Mineral deposit analysts
What Experience Level Is Necessary?
This workshop revisits the fundamentals of structural geology typically covered in undergraduate degrees, beginning with core principles and progressively introducing more advanced concepts.
It is designed for industry professionals who may need to refresh their knowledge or have had limited opportunities to apply structural geology in practice.
Drawing on nearly 80 years of combined experience in research, mining, exploration, and modelling, we present practical techniques that have proven effective in real-world settings.
Case studies illustrate both successful and unsuccessful outcomes, highlighting the critical methods and insights that influenced those results.
5-Day Course Includes
Topics covered by Brett Davis’s “inside-out” sessions
Two days of upskilling, presentations, discussions and exercises on the “inside-out” method of structural analysis (inferring the large-scale using clues from drill core and outcrop)
- Deformation processes and partitioning at all scales
- Brittle and ductile systems, their interaction, and their controls on formation of deposits
- Controls on permeability, fluid movement and hydrothermal mineral deposition
- Resolving overprinting relationships
- Working with oriented drill core
- Kinematics
- Vein system analysis
- Resolving the structural age of mineralisation from micro- to core- to deposit-scale
- The roles of intrusions from emplacement to deposit genesis
- Review of basic stereonet methods
One field day applying structural concepts in strongly deformed rocks learned from Brett Davis at Bells Rapids in the Swan Valley.
Topics covered by Jun Cowan’s “outside-in” sessions
Two days of analysing 3D virtual outcrops and structural interpretation of grade data from drilling using the “outside-in” method of structural analysis (inferring the small-scale using large-scale clues). The emphasis will be on learning by doing, so plenty of datasets are provided for interpretation, analysis and group discussions.
- Structural analysis of large outcrop exposures from Cornwall (UK) and Bermagui (SE Australia) and other locations using Orefind software
- Manual structural interpretation of grade distributions from drilling using multiple datasets
- Semi-automated method of grade distribution analysis using Orefind LVA tool, as featured in Cowan & Hobbs (2025)
- Advanced methods of stereonet analysis
- How to identify boundaries to hydrothermal mineral systems, including recognition of Perkins Discontinuities
- Between 10 and 20 deposits will be analysed giving plenty of opportunity for practice and instructions
Jun Cowan’s Orefind software is used for teaching and participants must provide their own laptop with NVIDIA graphics card to operate the software. Jun uses Orefind software to teach structural analysis, but the methods learned can be applied using any other commonly available software. Applications of this software are featured in Cowan (2020) and Cowan & Hobbs (2025).
Location Details
Workshop location in Perth – Australia’s mining and exploration hub
- The workshop and field area are easily accessed.
- Domestic and international airports to Holiday Inn workshop location is ~20km and 30 minutes drive or train ride
- Holiday Inn to Bells Rapids field area is ~45km and approximately 45 minutes drive
- 1 – Holiday Inn Perth City Centre workshop location. Holiday Inn City Centre Perth, 778-788 Hay Street, Perth, WA
- 2 – Bells Rapids field location at the northern end of Perth’s premier wine-growing area, the Swan Valley
- 3 – Domestic and international airports.
Centrally located in Perth City
- Workshop location at Holiday Inn in the City Centre
- Perth Underground train hub connecting all train lines throughout Perth and towns north and south of the city
- Elizabeth Quay is an ideal place to wind down at the end of the day, hosting bars and restaurants
- Cultural centres in one location if you want to extend time beyond the course
- West Perth is the hub for mining and exploration companies and a few minutes connects it to the City Centre via free public transport
Applied structural geology in the field — mid-workshop field day
Location
Bells Rapids, Brigadoon, at the northern end of the Swan Valley north of Perth.
We will be looking at a mixed assemblage of dominantly deformed granitic rocks within the Darling Range Batholith, which has intruded the rocks of the Chittering Metamorphic Belt (CMB) in its southern part.
Logistics
- Coach pick-up from Holiday Inn City Centre Perth at 7:30am
- Coach departure from Bells Rapids at 2:00pm
- Bring your own lunch
- Water and fruit will be provided
- Public toilets are available at the site
- Coach ride will be ~45 minutes
- Backpacks and water bottles provided at site
The Presenters
Brett Davis, PhD
Brett is widely regarded in the exploration and mining industry for his application of applied structural geology to numerous commodity types and mineral deposit styles. The approach Brett has brought to understanding mineralising environments globally is a product of the integration of modern structural geology and techniques married with several decades of applied research.
Brett worked as a production geologist underground at the world-class Mt Isa base metal deposits before undertaking further studies, receiving a structural geology PhD (1992) from James Cook University. This was followed by six years of applied structural geological postgraduate research into tectonic processes, formation of gold deposits, and mapping volcanic successions in sedimentary basins in Queensland, Australia.
Brett returned to the minerals industry in 1998, working as a structural geologist globally. During this time, he held various technical and senior managerial roles at consultancy groups and in mining and exploration companies prior to running his own international geology consultancy, Olinda Gold Pty Ltd.
Brett currently holds an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow position at James Cook University, is on the editorial boards of Australian Journal of Earth Sciences and the world’s largest virtual drilling publication, Coring Magazine. His structural geology training courses have been run in many countries as multi-client programs and for individual companies. Brett has an extensive list of publications in peer-reviewed international journals and his Olinda Gold publications can be found on mine and exploration sites globally. Brett is widely known via his LinkedIn contributions, having garnered over 34,000 followers.
Jun Cowan, PhD
In 2001 Jun Cowan conceived a new method of geological modelling using 3D interpolation and introduced implicit modelling into the mining industry in the form of Leapfrog Software. He has examined more than 1000 drilling datasets from around the world. Jun continues to research and develop new techniques that help his clients get the most out of their drilling data and he enjoys writing thought-provoking articles on geological issues, which can be found on his LinkedIn page. His latest development is Orefind software which he uses for his consulting work which feature unique analytical methods that are not available elsewhere. Jun uses Orefind software to teach structural analysis, but the methods learned can be applied using any other commonly available software.
Jun studied basin analysis at Macquarie University for his BSc (Hons) research (1985), then obtained an MSc in fluvial sedimentology (1991) and a PhD in structural geology (1996) from the University of Toronto. He holds an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow position at Monash University. He volunteers to educate young geologists through NExUS.
Register Interest
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Simply fill in the form below and we'll be in touch with further details. Receipt of payment is required prior to the workshop.