Microbes have a powerful influence on Earth processes, leave clues useful for mineral exploration and provide a more environmentally sustainable way of processing ores. Bridging the divide between geoscience and bioscience may well be critical to the future of mining and exploration. We understand much of the potential and the impact of microbial communities, but the incredible diversity of microbes is still being explored. New technologies and processes are yet to be discovered - will we be equ...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 27
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 communities. ...
Nov 21, 2022•44 min•Season 3Ep. 26
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 wome...
Dec 20, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 25
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 pal...
Dec 13, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 24
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 Lightf...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 23
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 and ar...
Nov 29, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 22
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. She...
Nov 22, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 21
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 new ...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 20
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 digitizati...
Nov 08, 2021•54 min•Season 2Ep. 19
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 alte...
Nov 01, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 18
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 (DEEP TIME Research Group, Oxford UK and British Columbia Geological Survey) introduces the episode by discussing the compl...
Oct 25, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 17
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 the sci...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 16
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 Ge...
Oct 11, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 15
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 what have we learned over 50 years to guide our exploration. A prime example of the epithermal - porphyry connection is well known at the Lihir Gold Deposit, Papua New Guinea, operated by Newcrest Mining. We talk to Stephanie Sykora who studied the...
Aug 03, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Capturing structural geology data is important. Why? As Federico Arboleda (Founder and CEO, 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 that." So how can we collect this data? With the amount of technologies available, it might be easier than you think. For example, if you already take photos of your core while logging - you’re halfway there. Often the unstructured data (images, vide...
Jul 27, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 13
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 ore-forming system and incorporate structural geologists in their exploration programs. This episode of focuses on the regional tectonic and deposit-scale structural controls on ore deposition, specifically on volcanic-hosted massive sulfide, epithermal, ...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 12
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, Worley) says: often the question not asked, is where should the technology come from? Should we be using bottom-up or top-down approaches to develop tech? Paul shares his thoughts on this matter, and stories from his time pioneering geophysics use ...
Jul 13, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 11
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 professionals include social scientists, and what is the role of the exploration geologist? The answers are complicated, but this episode is packed with information. We talk to Monica Ospina (O-Trade) and to Susan Joyce (On Common Ground) to learn ...
Jul 07, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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 learning and artificial intelligence, to codifying geological knowledge. But these tools are only as powerful as the context they’re used in. Shawn Hood (GoldSpot Discoveries) shares best practices for applying computer science technology to geoscience,...
Jun 29, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 9
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 multidisciplinary and system-scale approach to learn some of the insights coming from this innovative program. To set up the framework we talked to Richard Goldfarb , world-renowned orogenic gold expert, who introduces the orogenic gold model and the importance ...
Jun 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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 (Post Doctoral Researcher, Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences) talks about his time at sea – working on research cruises to map the subsea floor for offshore wind farms in Ireland, and the mineral resources needed to build them. But what about storing that offshore...
Jun 15, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 7
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 sulfide deposits, leading him to some big thinking over multiple length and time scales. He talks about how his ideas were formed by key individuals and circumstances and where the multi-scale system thinking might lead us in studying other geolo...
Jun 08, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6
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 make sure we’re leveraging data in the right ways, to support us now and in the future? The first part is using the right data management practices when we’re collecting data – whether historical or new. Joanne Wood shares how KoBold Metals is appro...
May 31, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 5
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 industry. In this episode we talk to one of the most knowledgeable geoscientists about the deposit, Kathy Ehrig (BHP) about its discovery, mineralogy, structural control and massive size. That is all captivating in itself, but the discovery also prompte...
May 25, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 4
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 implement artificial intelligence to hit the next big deposit, and if we should be afraid of robots taking our jobs. Featured on this episode are Dr. Cassady Harraden (Corescan), Samuel Cantor (Minerva Intelligence), and Charles Lavigne (LlamaZO...
May 18, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 3
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 basins. We hear about the African Copper Belt, the Athabasca Basin and the great lead-zinc basins in Australia and Canada. You will hear discovery stories and about cutting-edge research framed by the careers of the people involved. We kick off with ...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to the very first episode of the SEG–Seequent partnered podcast, Discovery to Recovery . We are excited to kick off with an in-depth overview of the SEG 2020 Vision Conference in September, celebrating a century of discovery. Details at www.seg2020.org. Listen in to hear why you should participate, what the comprehensive program covers and who the many people are that will be presenting. We talk to Jean Cline , President of SEG, the Early Career Professionals Committee, and several key t...
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 1
