| 1. Domain | 1.1 Scope of the Domain | Boundaries | The range of phenomena the science includes and excludes. | Studies the formation, distribution, exploration, evaluation, and extraction of Earth materials with economic value (metals, industrial minerals, hydrocarbons, groundwater, construction materials). Includes ore-deposit science, mineral exploration, petroleum geology, geothermal systems, engineering geology, and resource assessment. Excludes purely academic geology unless it directly informs resource discovery or extraction. |
| | Scale | The spatial, temporal, or organizational level at which the science operates (e.g., quantum, cellular, social, cosmic). | Operates from atomic/mineral scale (trace element substitution) → rock/orebody scale (veins, stratiform deposits) → basin scale (petroleum systems) → regional/continental mineral belts → global resource distribution and market-scale assessments. Timescales range from seconds (drilling responses) to billions of years (crustal metallogenic evolution). |
| 1.2 Ontological Commitments | Entities | The kinds of things assumed to exist within the domain (particles, organisms, agents, fields, etc.). | Orebodies, mineral grains, hydrothermal fluids, magmatic systems, sedimentary basins, traps/seals, reservoirs, source rocks, structural traps, alteration halos, faults, fractures, aquifers, geothermal reservoirs, drilling infrastructure. |
| | Properties | The fundamental attributes these entities possess (mass, charge, genotype, preference, etc.). | Grade, tonnage, concentration, permeability, porosity, fracture density, reservoir quality, thermal gradient, alteration style, mineral associations, metal tenor, ore textures, fluid composition, pressure, temperature. |
| | Categories | The basic ontological types used to classify domain elements (substances, processes, relations, structures). | Ore-deposit types (porphyry, VMS, SEDEX, epithermal, skarn, orogenic gold, IOCG), petroleum system elements (source, reservoir, seal, trap), mineral resources (metallic, non-metallic, energy), exploration methods, mining/engineering settings. |
| 1.3 State-Variables | Variables | The measurable or definable properties that describe system conditions. | Metal concentrations, fluid temperature/pressure, reservoir pressure, porosity, permeability, saturation, geothermal gradient, structural stress, hydrothermal flow rate, isotopic compositions, alteration mineralogy, grade variability. |
| | Parameterization | How variables encode and represent the system’s state. | States encoded by resource grade–tonnage curves, P–T–X fluid parameters, reservoir property logs, seismic attributes, geochemical anomalies, alteration mapping indices, ore-body geometry, permeability/porosity relationships, thermal models. |
| 1.4 Admissible Idealizations | Simplifications | Conceptual reductions used to make the domain tractable (point masses, rational agents, perfect gases). | Homogeneous ore grades, uniform permeability, steady-state hydrothermal flow, simple trap geometry, ideal porphyry zoning models, perfect structural seals, single-phase fluids, equilibrium mineral assemblages, isotropic reservoir properties. |
| | Validity Conditions | The limits and contexts in which idealizations hold or break down. | Valid in early assessments or first-order models; breaks down in heterogeneous deposits, complex structural settings, multiphase flow, reactive transport, faulted reservoirs, supergene overprints, and irregular ore geometries. |
| 1.5 Domain Assumptions | Structural Assumptions | Background ontological stances such as determinism, continuity, randomness, discreteness. | Metallogenic patterns follow tectonic processes; ore formation is governed by fluid flow, magmatism, and physicochemical conditions; petroleum systems follow predictable maturation/migration/trapping pathways; economic extraction depends on measurable physical properties. |
| | Implicit Commitments | Unstated but necessary assumptions that shape the field’s conceptual structure. | Assumes ore grades/geometries can be mapped, geophysical signals correlate with resource properties, geochemical anomalies reflect mineralization, drilling data are representative, and future resource distributions resemble past geological trends. |
| 1.6 Internal Coherence Requirements | Consistency | The demand that domain concepts do not contradict one another. | Requires alignment among geological, geochemical, geophysical, engineering, and economic interpretations; consistent relationships between deposit models, exploration data, and extraction feasibility. |
| | Compatibility | The requirement that entities, variables, and assumptions fit together into a unified descriptive framework. | Integrates mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, tectonics, geophysics, hydrology, engineering geology, and economics into a unified applied-geoscience decision framework. |
| 2. Evidence Layer | 2.1 Observable Phenomena | Observables | The aspects of the domain that can produce detectable signals accessible to measurement. | Ore-grade distributions, alteration halos, mineral assemblages, geochemical anomalies, geophysical anomalies (gravity, magnetic, EM, seismic), reservoir pressure/temperature, porosity/permeability logs, fluid compositions, drill core lithology, shows of hydrocarbons or mineralization, fracture networks. |
| | Detection Limits | The boundaries of what can be resolved or sensed by current instruments or methods. | Limited by analytical sensitivity (ppm–ppb chemistry), geophysical resolution, drill spacing, noise in EM/magnetic data, core recovery quality, sampling density, well-log resolution, seismic bandwidth, and depth penetration of each survey method. |
| 2.2 Measurement Systems | Units | Standardized quantifications (meters, seconds, volts, decibels, dollars, etc.) necessary for consistent comparison. | Concentration (ppm, ppb, wt%), grade (% or g/t), porosity (%), permeability (mD–D), flow rate (m³/day), pressure (kPa–MPa), temperature (°C), seismic velocity (m/s), density (g/cc), magnetic susceptibility, resistivity (Ω·m). |
| | Instruments | Devices and tools (microscopes, spectrometers, sensors, surveys, detectors) used to produce measurements. | Drilling rigs, core logging tools, ICP-MS/ICP-OES, XRF, SEM/EDS, microprobe, geophysical survey tools (gravity meters, magnetometers, EM conductors, GPR, seismic sources & receivers), downhole logging tools (NMR, gamma, resistivity), fluid samplers, gas analyzers. |
| 2.3 Operational Definitions | Definitions | Terms defined by specific measurement procedures, ensuring empirical clarity. | Ore grade defined by economic cutoff; resource/reserve classifications defined by reporting codes (JORC, NI 43-101); reservoir defined by porosity/permeability thresholds; anomaly defined by deviation from background; alteration types defined by diagnostic minerals. |
| | Procedures | The explicit steps required to perform a measurement in a reproducible way. | Core logging, chip sampling, geochemical assays, geophysical surveys, downhole logging, fluid sampling, mineral liberation analysis, petrography, outcrop mapping, drillhole correlation, sample preparation, QA/QC workflows. |
| 2.4 Data Acquisition | Protocols | Formal processes for gathering data under controlled or standardized conditions. | Grid/line-based geophysical surveys, systematic drilling patterns, continuous core recovery, composited or interval sampling, geochemical soil/stream-sediment surveys, production testing, well tests, reservoir pressure monitoring, repeat logging. |
| | Sampling | Rules determining which subset of the domain is measured and how representative it is. | Representative drill spacing, stratified sampling across ore zones, duplicate samples for QA/QC, multi-depth well sampling, systematic fluid/gas sampling, geochemical transects, multi-scale geophysical coverage, fracture sampling along boreholes. |
| 2.5 Data Character & Format | Data Types | The form raw evidence takes (time series, spectra, images, counts, qualitative records). | Assay tables, geochemical maps, drill logs, core photos, alteration maps, seismic profiles, EM/magnetic grids, well logs, production curves, reservoir property tables, structural sections, 3D block models, resource estimates. |
| | Resolution | The granularity or precision with which data is captured. | Determined by drill spacing, assay precision, seismic/EM frequency, sampling interval, logging-tool resolution, spatial scale of anomalies, geostatistical model resolution, and detection limits of analytical instruments. |
| 2.6 Reliability & Calibration | Calibration | Adjustment procedures ensuring instruments produce accurate results. | Instrument calibration (ICP-MS, XRF, EM, seismic, logging tools), standard reference materials, drift correction, QA/QC procedures (blanks, duplicates, standards), geophysical leveling, well-log normalization, calibration of drilling sensors. |
| | Error Characterization | Identification and quantification of noise, uncertainty, bias, and measurement error. | Sampling bias, grade smearing in composited samples, signal noise in geophysics, core loss, drilling deviation, contamination, matrix effects in assays, inversion non-uniqueness, misidentification of alteration, and statistical uncertainty in resource estimates. |
| 3. Structural Layer | 3.1 Patterns & Regularities | Laws / Relations | Stable, repeatable patterns governing how observables behave across conditions. | Ore formation follows consistent geochemical/tectonic patterns; metal zoning follows temperature/chemical gradients; permeability and porosity control reservoir quality; hydrothermal alteration follows predictable spatial patterns; basin burial controls petroleum maturation; capillary and buoyancy forces govern hydrocarbon trapping; resource grade–tonnage relationships follow statistical regularities. |
| | Invariants | Quantities or properties that remain constant under transformations (symmetries, conservation laws). | Characteristic mineral assemblages in specific deposit types, stable metal ratios for certain ore systems, invariant structural controls (faults/fractures) in ore localization, consistent reservoir–seal relationships in petroleum systems, predictable redox and temperature controls in mineral deposition. |
| 3.2 Causal Architecture | Mechanisms | Underlying processes or structures that produce the observed regularities. | Magmatic differentiation, fluid exsolution, hydrothermal circulation, metasomatism, pressure–temperature–chemical gradients, structural channeling of fluids, sediment deposition and diagenesis, organic maturation, migration and trapping, supergene enrichment, weathering profiles, density-driven fluid flow. |
| | Pathways | Organized sequences of interactions forming a causal chain or network. | Magma evolution → fluid saturation → metal transport → deposition; basin fill → burial → maturation → migration → trapping; weathering → leaching → residual concentration; groundwater flow → dissolution → precipitation; structural deformation → fracture opening → fluid focusing → mineralization. |
| 3.3 Theoretical Vocabulary | Concepts | Core terms that encode the domain’s structure (force, gene, equilibrium, field). | Ore grade, tonnage, cutoff grade, metallogeny, source–pathway–trap–seal, reservoir quality, permeability anisotropy, alteration facies, fluid inclusion, paragenesis, maturation window, trap integrity, redox front, hydrothermal plume. |
| | Classifications | Taxonomies, categories, or typologies that organize entities and relations. | Ore deposit classes (porphyry, VMS, SEDEX, epithermal, IOCG, skarn, orogenic gold), petroleum system categories (conventional/unconventional), reservoir types (clastic, carbonate, fractured), mineralization styles (vein, disseminated, stratiform), alteration types (propylitic, phyllic, potassic, argillic). |
| 3.4 Formal Representations | Equations | Mathematical constructs expressing laws, relations, or mechanisms. | Darcy’s Law for fluid flow, heat-flow equations, solubility and speciation equations, reaction-path equations, partition coefficients, organic maturation kinetics (Arrhenius), capillary-pressure equations, basin-compaction equations, probability distributions for grade/tonnage models, mass-balance equations. |
| | Models | Structured representations—mathematical, computational, or conceptual—used to predict and explain phenomena. | Ore-deposit genetic models, basin-evolution models, petroleum-system models, reservoir simulation models, reactive-transport models, geostatistical resource models, fracture-network models, geothermal models, alteration zoning models. |
| 3.5 Idealized Structures | Simplified Models | Purposeful abstractions that capture essential dynamics while omitting irrelevant detail. | Homogeneous ore bodies, simple vein geometries, uniform reservoir properties, steady-state fluid flow, equilibrium mineral assemblages, perfect seals/traps, linear grade distribution, simple one-phase fluids, isotropic permeability. |
| | Limit Conditions | Regimes where specific models or approximations hold (classical vs. quantum, linear vs. nonlinear). | Break down in heterogeneous deposits, faulted reservoirs, multiphase flow, supergene overprinting, structural complexity, variable fluid chemistry, extreme temperature/pressure gradients, diagenetic overprints, chemical reactivity, karstification, and mixed lithologies. |
| 3.6 Integrative Frameworks | Unifying Theories | Higher-order structures that connect disparate laws or mechanisms under a coherent whole. | Integration of geochemistry, petrology, tectonics, hydrology, and geophysics into unified models of resource formation and distribution; links fluid flow → chemical evolution → mineralization → geometry → economic recoverability. |
| | Interdisciplinary Links | Points where the theory connects to adjacent sciences or larger explanatory systems. | Intersects with mining engineering, petroleum engineering, hydrogeology, geochemistry, structural geology, environmental science, and economics (resource valuation, extraction economics). |
| 4. Method Layer | 4.1 Inquiry Design | Experimental Design | Structured plans for manipulating variables to test causal claims. | Controlling drilling parameters, fluid chemistry, temperature/pressure in hydrothermal experiments, flow rate in reservoir tests, and geomechanical stress in lab experiments to test ore-forming processes, reservoir properties, and mineral–fluid reactions. |
| | Observational Design | Systematic approaches for gathering non-manipulated data (surveys, field studies, natural experiments). | Systematic geological mapping, passive geophysical surveys (seismic, gravity, magnetics, EM), natural hydrothermal observation, monitoring production wells, sampling at natural seeps, observing alteration halos, and tracking natural fluid migration pathways. |
| 4.2 Testing & Validation | Hypothesis Testing | Procedures for evaluating whether evidence supports or contradicts specific claims. | Comparing predicted ore geometries, geochemical anomalies, alteration zoning, reservoir behaviors, trap integrity, and plume migration models with drill-core assays, logging data, seismic attributes, well tests, and geochemical sampling. |
| | Replication | The requirement that results be independently reproducible under similar conditions. | Repeating assays, geophysical surveys, drillholes along grids, logging runs, fluid sampling, permeability/porosity measurements, tracer tests, resource-block model runs, and geostatistical simulations across multiple datasets or analysts. |
| 4.3 Inference & Evaluation | Statistical Inference | Rules for drawing conclusions from noisy or incomplete data. | Estimating uncertainties in grade, tonnage, reservoir quality, permeability, porosity, flow rates, metal ratios, anomaly significance, geochemical trends, and geostatistical variograms; evaluating sampling representativeness and confidence intervals. |
| | Model Comparison | Criteria (fit, simplicity, predictive accuracy, robustness) used to evaluate competing models. | Evaluating competing ore-deposit models, reservoir models, geomechanical models, hydrothermal-flow simulations, resource estimation methods, petroleum-system interpretations, and mine-planning scenarios based on predictive performance. |
| 4.4 Error Management | Error Analysis | Identification and quantification of random and systematic errors. | Identifying sampling errors, assay contamination, core loss, drilling deviation, geophysical noise, inversion non-uniqueness, logging-tool drift, anisotropy misinterpretation in reservoirs, alteration overprint misreads, and geological-mapping bias. |
| | Bias Control | Methods for minimizing subjective, instrumental, or procedural biases. | Randomized sampling, QA/QC (duplicates, blanks, standards), blind re-assay, independent geophysical reinterpretation, drill-site spacing optimization, cross-validation in resource modeling, and standardized logging protocols. |
| 4.5 Adjudication & Revision | Peer Scrutiny | Collective evaluation of claims through critique, review, and debate. | Independent review of resource estimates, geological models, geostatistics, geophysical inversions, reservoir simulations, ore-genesis interpretations, drilling strategies, and development plans across teams or external auditors. |
| | Theory Revision | Procedures for modifying, replacing, or discarding models based on new evidence. | Revising deposit models, updating reservoir parameters, recalibrating economic cutoffs, refining flow simulations, adjusting conceptual frameworks, incorporating contradictory drill or geophysical results, and updating grade–tonnage models. |
| 4.6 Integrity Conditions | Transparency | Requirements to disclose methods, data, assumptions, and limitations. | Full reporting of sampling protocols, drilling logs, analytical methods, assay QA/QC, modeling assumptions, boundary conditions, geophysical-processing steps, uncertainty quantification, economic cutoffs, and data limitations. |
| | Ethical Standards | Norms ensuring responsible conduct in experimentation, data handling, and publication. | Ethical exploration practices, land-access compliance, environmental protection, responsible waste/chemical handling, unbiased reporting, transparency in resource estimation, and adherence to regulatory and professional codes (e.g., JORC, NI 43-101). |