Organization and business (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2012 Century Concession in Laos [Member] Century Thrust Joint Venture Agreement [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Century Concession in Laos [Member] Century Thrust Joint Venture Agreement [Member]	Jul. 31, 2012 Golden Target Pty Ltd, Principal Stockholder [Member]	Jul. 31, 2009 Golden Target Pty Ltd, Principal Stockholder [Member]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of entity owned			96.21%
Percentage of the entity acquired from certain stockholders				96.00%
Aggregate percentage owned by unrelated entity		70.00%
Potential percentage of investee earnings attributable to Aurum	72.86%
Potential ownership percentage if funding is provided by Aurum	51.00%
Exploration expense funding commitment, maximum amount	$ 6,500,000
Specified period to meet funding requirements	5 years
Mining project option agreement date	Feb. 10, 2011
Potential ownership interest if Aurum exercises an option to acquire shares held by an unrelated investor	20.00%
Potential aggregate ownership interest if Aurum both provides specified funding amounts and exercises an option to acquire shares held by an unrelated investor	71.00%
Monthly required payment to preserve option rights	$ 55,000