Skip to content

Intermediate programme

Mining & Minerals Exploration Technology & Geotectonic

Plate tectonics as an exploration tool: why deposit types cluster in particular settings.

Duration
5 days
Level
Intermediate
Next date
2 to 6 November 2026
Fee from
US$995live online

Read the programme brochure

ClassroomLive onlineIn house

Overview

Mineral deposits are not scattered randomly. They concentrate in tectonic settings that produce the heat, fluid and structure needed to form them, which makes tectonic reasoning the first filter in any regional targeting exercise. This module covers plate tectonic processes and the settings they produce, the metallogenic associations of each, and how terrane analysis and tectonic history are used to rank ground before a single sample is taken.

It runs 7 times over the published calendar, in 6 cities and live online. Every date is the same programme with the same content and the same certificate.

What you will be able to do

  • Explain plate tectonic processes and the settings they create.
  • Associate deposit styles with their tectonic settings.
  • Apply terrane analysis to a region.
  • Use tectonic history to rank ground.
  • Avoid stretching an analogue beyond what it supports.

Who should attend

Exploration geologists and managers working at regional scale, resource geologists, and analysts assessing exploration ground.

Is the level right for you?

This is an intermediate level programme. It assumes you are working in or moving into the area it covers, and it is built around your own material rather than a case study. If you are unsure, ask an advisor before registering rather than after.

Ask an advisor

How it is taught

Short input, then work. Across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each, the balance sits deliberately with the second: a programme where the trainer talks for six hours produces notes rather than capability.

  • Your own material

    Exercises run on situations delegates bring, not on a case study written for a different organisation in a different decade.

  • A capped cohort

    Small enough that everybody is asked something. Executive programmes are capped tighter still.

  • Practice under scrutiny

    The difficult conversation, the challenged assumption, the decision defended out loud. Judgement is not built by watching.

  • Something to take back

    Each day ends with a thing you can use on Monday rather than a slide deck you will not reopen.

The programme, day by day

Day 1Plate tectonics

Plate tectonics

  • Divergent, convergent and transform margins
  • Subduction, collision and rifting
  • Mantle plumes and intraplate magmatism
Day 2Settings and their rocks

Settings and their rocks

  • Arcs, back arcs and accretionary complexes
  • Rifts, passive margins and cratons
  • Orogens and their evolution
Day 3Metallogeny

Metallogeny

  • Porphyry and epithermal systems in arcs
  • Volcanogenic massive sulphides
  • Orogenic gold and collision settings
  • Layered intrusions and rift related deposits
Day 4Terrane analysis

Terrane analysis

  • Recognising and bounding terranes
  • Sutures, and what crosses them
  • Reconstructions and their uncertainty
Day 5Applying it

Applying it

  • Regional targeting from tectonic reasoning
  • Analogue regions, and where the analogy breaks
  • Ranking ground before spending on it

What you leave with

  • A tectonic setting analysis for a chosen region.
  • A metallogenic association table.
  • A ground ranking with the tectonic reasoning stated.

The certificate

A GATI certificate recording what you attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended.

Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record, which is what makes it worth holding. It records participation. This site will not imply one it does not have.

Questions

Who is Mining & Minerals Exploration Technology & Geotectonic for?
Exploration geologists and managers working at regional scale, resource geologists, and analysts assessing exploration ground. It runs at intermediate level within Mining Engineering, so it assumes you are working in or moving into that area rather than meeting it for the first time. If you are unsure whether the level fits, ask an advisor before registering rather than after.
How long is it, and what does a day look like?
5 days, running to roughly 6 teaching hours a day. Sessions are built around your own material rather than a case study, so a day alternates between short input and working on something you brought. The full outline is on this page, day by day.
What does it cost, and what is included?
The next published date is Live online at US$995 per delegate. The fee covers tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Fees vary by city, and every published date shows its own.
Can it be delivered for my organisation only?
Yes. Any published programme can run as a private cohort, on dates that suit you, in your city or online, built around your own material. That is a different conversation from registering an individual, and it starts with what capability you are trying to build rather than with a course title.
What certificate do I get?
A GATI certificate recording what you attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
Is the online version the same programme?
Yes. The same faculty, the same material, the same cohort cap and the same certificate. It is not a recording and it is not a reduced version. It exists because travel budgets and visa timelines rule people out of a room they should be in. The classroom version runs in Maseru, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Dubai.

Want to take this further?

Register on a published date, or tell an advisor what you need and they will come back with something specific rather than a brochure.

Related subjects

Related programmes

All of Mining Engineering