What does an early career researcher working on a Proterozoic Pb-Zn deposit in Namibia have in common with a senior scientist at the forefront of geothermal research in New Zealand?   Listen in to hear how passionate they both are about the negative impact of ‘Parachute Science’  - effectively dropping in and conducting research without local collaboration.   To tackle this issue, we need to work with scientists who live and work in our field areas and communicate our results with local...

Join us for a Fireside Chat full of inspiring and quirky stories, first presented at #SEG100. We  are celebrating 100 years of SEG as 2021 comes to a close. These are stories worth hearing! Russell Meares, a long time SEG volunteer and well known exploration geologist shares what he has learned through his years of digging up the less well known stories of the founders of the Society. Anne Thompson has also worked to unearth the lesser known members and find out the stories behind our early...

What are you standing on? There are secrets to be discovered in those grungy red, black and brown rocks! Deconvolution of the weathering process is critical to understanding our Earth and for exploration in both arid and humid environments. We have two extremely knowledgeable guests, who have spent their careers working in this environment. They talk about the 'messy' rocks and discuss the information hidden in superficial alteration that is important for exploration, landscape evolution and...

Magmatic sulfide deposits have arguably the most quantified deposit model, but what are the game changers in our understanding? Despite a decades old foundational model for their formation, what is new and what should be considered in the search for new resources? This episode checks in with an expert in magmatic sulfides engaged in the global pursuit as well as those researching emerging ideas that shed new light on the model, including some which have implications for exploration. Peter...

What does better ore body knowledge do for mining? Consistency in our data collection, ore sorting at the mine face and detailed characterization of mine waste, can all lead to value creation coupled with more responsible mining. This episode looks at all aspects of the mining value chain, learning where new technology, data analysis and approaches are already having an impact. Datarock is a Melbourne, Australia company working to extract high quality data from images. They analyze images...

For the average exploration geologist, resource estimation may appear a bit of a nebulous process, disconnected from the early stages of drilling and discovery. On this week’s episode we try and bridge the gap between the first drill hole into a project and the associated estimation process. First, we talk to Jacqui Coombes (CEO of AMIRA and based in Perth, Australia). Jacqui introduces the fundamental concepts that underpin resource estimation; breaking down complex ideas into simple terms....

The seafloor remains one of the least explored areas on Earth. Join us for a deep dive, to understand the science needed to advance our understanding and help to find the mineral resources that may well be needed by society in the future. We get the overview on both the history and the future from Mark Hannington (University of Ottawa, Canada). From the collaboration involved in studying black smokers and their relationship to what we know about volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, to the...

Globally, the work of geological surveys supports mineral exploration, but also touches on many areas that are fundamental for human society. This week look at the different types of work at three surveys and see how they support exploration, but also wider society. First up is ‘The Capacity Builder’, with Andrew Bloodworth (British Geological Survey) highlighting the work they do globally to support low- and middle-income countries. Much of this support comes in the form of providing...

Green rocks are a common alteration feature of porphyry deposits,  but it can be hard to decipher meaningful information from them for exploration. This week we dive into the results of years of multi-organization research and studies to see what has been learned, review a case study at Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia and get a 'reality check' with from an industry perspective. First off David Cooke of the CODES program at the University of Tasmania, Hobart provides the framework for how these zones of...

The Cu-Au porphyries in British Columbia, Canada vary in setting, size, age and grade, and occur in a region with a complex tectonic history.   This episode is about these systems and the key factors in their origin which also guide modern exploration. Our guests are also all authors in the recent CIM volume on porphyry deposits of the northwestern Cordillera. Mitch Mihalynuk of the DEEP TIME Research Group, Oxford UK and British Columbia Geological Survey introduces the episode by discussing...

Placer Gold Puzzles starts with the Witwatersrand, South Africa and  the long debate over the model for gold formation.  After that, we head to Brazil to see how quality geochemical data analysis assisted by machine learning helped decipher a Proterozoic paleo placer.  Lastly we consider changing mindsets about legacy mining through a new model that aims to create net benefit from the mining of placer gold.   Professor Hartwig Frimmel , University of Wuerzburg takes us through the history and...

Welcome to the second season of Discovery to Recovery! How can we use 'the human factor' to create better outcomes in mining and exploration? Nicole Doucette is host, bringing us two powerful, personal stories about navigating jobs and careers, in mining engineering and economic geology. The first is a conversation with Kal-Kidan, a mining engineering student in Australia, whose parents immigrated there from Ethiopia. The second conversation is with Pedro Maciel Garcia (Professor of Economic...

Richard Sillitoe and John Thompson talk about the evolution of the porphyry model from plate tectonics to lithocaps, mineral zoning, and the link to epithermal gold systems.  How has the classic ‘tops and bottoms of porphyry deposits’ model changed and...

Capturing structural geology data is important. Why? As Federico Arboleda, founder and CEO of Imago says: “There's no mine unless you can make that [geotechnical] estimation or characterization. And this is the founding data that allows you to define...

Even before plate tectonic theory, economic geologists knew there was an association with ore deposits and geologic structures. Nowadays, most successful exploration companies understand the importance of understanding structural controls of an...

What should the relationship be between geoscience technology and the communities we’re a part of? The obvious answer is that geoscience technology should be used to enrich the lives of those in our communities.   But as Paul Bauman, Technical Director...

Exploration and mining are human endeavors, relying on teams who work in the field and offices globally.  The human factor in our work is also critical to establishing strong and meaningful relationships with local communities.  So should those teams of...

When it comes to gold, we’ve got a number of tools and methods available to help find ore deposits. But what techniques should we be using – and more importantly – how should we be using them?  Some of them are right on our desktops – from machine...

The world class gold deposits in Superior Province in the Canadian Precambrian Shield are being studied with in a broad and comprehensive research program called ‘Metal Earth’ at Laurentian University.   In this episode we delve into their...

There are many different aspects of ‘critical resourcing’ that mining and geology play a part in. For example, as we look to de-carbonize our economies, renewable energy will become even more important. Dr. Mark Coughlan, a PhD research at the Irish...

Join us for system-scale thinking in geoscience and a view of a more sustainable world from magmatic -sulfide sources of PGEs and Ni to innovative mineral processing work and technology metals.Steve Barnes (CSIRO) has spent a career working on magmatic...

There’s one concept everyone in the geosciences can’t stop talking about – data. Whether we’re collecting it, analyzing it, or cleaning it, the work never seems to end.   As we face challenges like deposits becoming deeper and harder to find, how do we...

The discovery of Olympic Dam in Australia captured the imaginations of exploration geologists around the world – over 40 years later we are just beginning to appreciate the nature and extent of what a ‘game changer’ Olympic Dam was for the mining...

This episode in the Seequent partnered series discusses how we’re leveraging different technologies for use in geology – and it seems the sky’s the limit. Join us as we talk about using VR, AR and mixed reality to make better use of our data, how we can...

The major metals in sedimentary mineral deposits include Pb, Zn, Ag, Cu, Co, and U. This episode in the Seequent partnered series dives deep into the geoscience needed to understand the formation of these important ore deposits hosted in sedimentary...