TECHNOLOGY
explains . “ They ’ re very familiar with how copper deposits form and the specific environments they form in . They have to be aware of where that environment is , anywhere on the planet . Sometimes that ’ s not obvious if geological mapping hasn ’ t been done somewhere . If a huge copper deposit hasn ’ t been found , it ’ s very likely it ’ s because it hasn ’ t been mapped .”
Data challenge This tool generates a tremendous amount of data and creates an issue in terms of accessing quality information , according to Morrison . “ There ’ s tonnes of information out there but how do you get that out ? And how do you get that in a form that is machinereadable ? It ’ s a huge undertaking . The mineral evolution database , which is what we use for most of our studies , has been assembled over a period of eight years by an army of undergraduates putting this together at the University of Arizona . So , one of the biggest challenges is certainly acquiring that data .”
The network analysis technique enables scientists to represent data from multiple variables on thousands of minerals , sampled from a multitude of locations within a single graph . These visualisations can reveal new and unique patterns of occurrence and distribution and patterns of mineral coexistence . Scientists can then see which geological , physical , chemical and
18 October 2017