Career exploration geologist, Mark Dugmore, loves the thrill of the hunt…and winning it.  

His role as Managing Director for Red Ox Copper, a private mineral exploration group in Australia, has put him at the forefront of discovering new opportunities for base and precious metals. 

Dugmore is leading a team with a successful track record of discovering Tier-1 ore deposits and with expertise in generating grassroots, greenfield conceptual plays. The Team have identified a major new opportunity, with potential for world-class ore deposits concealed beneath younger cover in Australia. 

The BHP Xplor program has enabled them to improve their regional-scale targeting and process-oriented model for these ore deposits which has identified multiple plays. It’s a novel concept and a discovery could realise a new metal province in Australia that’s comparable in area to some of the world’s largest base metal-producing regions.  

As Red Ox is the first to explore the region with this new geologic concept, it's an exciting development for the mining industry. If the initial drilling program is successful, it could lead to new jobs, economic growth, and technological advancements.  

Dugmore says the six-month BHP Xplor program has helped them take their idea from a novel concept to a more defined project. “That’s allowed us to focus completely on it, instead of on marketing and raising capital.”

As part of the Xplor program, Red Ox wants to learn from industry leaders and develop long-term partnerships that bring their geologic concept to fruition. By the end of the program, they hope to pitch for investment to fund their initial drilling program.  

For Dugmore, it’s about capturing great big ideas and monetising new opportunities. But it's also an opportunity to become a successful modern-day explorer like Charles Rasp, the man who founded BHP. 

Discover more about BHP’s 2023 Xplor cohort.