The Geochemistry Research Centre provides R&D services, which has resulted in similar analysis of agricultural soils to highlight nutrient distribution patterns and provide materials for altering the availability of nutrients to plants. Mobile Metal Ion (MMI) Geochemistry is an advanced surface exploration technique for locating mineral deposits. Mobile Metal Ions is a term used to describe ions which have moved in the weathering zone and that are only weakly or loosely attached to surface soil particles. It is a widely held belief that these Mobile Metal Ions are transported from deeply-buried ore bodies to the surface. Scientists from around the world have been studying this phenomenon for many years.

No-one is completely clear on exactly how the metal ions migrate to the surface. However, research and case studies over known ore-bodies have shown that mobile metal ions accumulate in surface soils above mineralization, indicating that the metals are derived from the mineralization source.

As the ions reach the surface, they attach themselves weakly to the soil particles. These are the ions that are measured by the MMI Technique to find mineralization at depths. The weakly attached ions are at very low concentrations. Because the ions have recently arrived to the surface they provide a precise ‘signal’ on where the ore-bodies are.

When the mobile metal ions have arrived at the surface they have a limited lifetime as ‘mobile’ ions. At the surface the ions are subject to weathering and are bound up by soil forming processes (ie: they become part of the soil). By only measuring the mobile metal ions in the surface soils, MMI Geochemistry will produce very sharp responses (anomalies) directly over the source of mobile ions. This source is ore-bodies at depth.

MMI Technology and Geochemistry Research Centre provide special extractant solutions to analytical laboratories, which can be applied to soil samples to release these elements absorbed to the soils. These absorbed elements are the keys to better location of mineral deposits and to the supply of nutrients to plants. A second important function is to provide the information necessary to correctly interpret the analytical signals and the soil maps which result from the plotting of the analytical data.

MMI Technology has been used in over 50 countries worldwide in mineral exploration. A majority of the mineral exploration work is currently carried out overseas, whilst most of the agricultural work (to date) has been carried out in Australia. Research & Development in the past has been funded through MERIWA, and by private, interested companies. The company`s major supporters are the analytical laboratories SGS and ALS, mining companies and E.T. Australia, which has supported our R&D in agriculture. The directors` future ambitions are to see MMI (Mobile Metal Ion) Technology being used as the soil geochemical analysis method of preference in mineral exploration, and to expand the useage of their Nutrient Ion Analysis method for agriculture.