Minerals - Discovery to Recovery

The future of geoscience is being shaped by our students. In this episode host J oy Carter showcases two top student entries. We're diving into emerging technologies and exploring how they may shape our industry in the years ahead. First we are featuring the first place team from the University of Toronto in Canada about a topic on everyone's mind these days, artificial intelligence. Thi...

What is the potential for copper mineralization in the northern Peruvian Andes?  Could uranium be important in the future of South America?   Today's episode features two of the top SEG 2025 Student Podcast Challenge entries.  First, we are featuring the third place team from the competition, the students at the National University of Engineering in Lima, Peru.  SEG 2026 Student Podcast Chall...

What does it mean to be a geologist and an explorer? With introductions by Joy Carter , this is the first of three special episodes.  We hear from two individuals with a rich history in geology and exploration, how the industry has changed throughout their careers and their advice to geologists.  These episodes were top entries from the Society of Economic Geologists’ 2025 Student Podcast Challeng...

Host Maxwell Porter is joined by two experts to explore the geological and tectonic evolution of the iconic Laramide Porphyry Copper Province, focusing on its complex geodynamic history and the key exploration criteria that define this world-class copper belt. Our guests share complementary academic and industry perspectives, offering insights drawn from decades of research and field experience. T...

Host Anne Thompson explores the diverse and innovative methods being employed in Australia to build and retain the technical workforce in the mining industry.  From attracting new talent, to supporting early career geoscientists, to training professionals from other industries - this episode might just change your perspective on what is possible. First up, Brendan Howard , General Manager for Tech...

The diamond industry has a rich and complex history, influenced by discoveries, geoscience and marketing.  Join host Halley Keevil as she explores the industry’s history from the onset of modern diamond mining in Kimberley, South Africa in the 1800s, to the advent of laboratory grown diamonds and new platforms for marketing.  Featured guest Eira Thomas is complemented by Natasha Oviatt and Reid Ma...

Dive deep into a mega-magmatic mineral system — the Bushveld Complex with host Maxwell Porter. Max is joined by Professor Wolfgang Maier and Dr. Erin Thompson who share their insights on the geological setting, economic significance, and evolving scientific understanding of this world-class mineral province. Wolfgang Maier discusses the Bushveld Complex’s geological framework, its importance in to...

Come explore geoscience innovation and collaboration in Australia with host Anne Thompson. We talk to researchers at three universities and one geologic survey - who are also all involved in the Society of Economic Geologists 2025 Conference in Brisbane, Queensland. Joins us to learn more about advancing science and discovery in Australia! SEG 2025 Rick Valenta , chair of SEG 2025 provides a broad...

Alternative business models in mineral exploration and mining can build value for communities, benefit resource companies and influence perceptions in our industry. This episode highlights two innovative companies who are changing the business of mining:  Nations Royalty and VRIFY.  Nations Royalty, a TSXV-listed royalty company, is focused on creating royalty diversification for indigenous people...

We are thrilled to bring you the top entries from the 2024 SEG Student Chapter Podcast Challenge as a special set of three episodes. This is the third and final bonus episode in this special series.  We'll hear two segments that consider ore deposit models and environment of formation for Au deposits, traveling from China to Japan. Chapter 1:   From mineral system to exploration: a case in gi...

We are thrilled to bring you the top entries from the 2024 SEG Student Chapter Podcast Challenge as a special set of three episodes.  This second episode in the mini-series pairs the 2024 Silver the intriguing stories and history shared by an esteemed geologist in Brazil, with a second segment that uncovered the history and mining potential of northern England.  Chapter 1:  Title: The Evolution of...

We are thrilled to bring you the top entries from the 2024 SEG Student Chapter Podcast Challenge as a special set of three episodes.  This episode pairs the 2024 Bronze winner with another that explored some of the political and environmental challenges in developing mineral deposits.   Chapter 1:  The deposit that brought down a government SEG STUDENT CHAPTER NAME: The Pennsylvania State Universi...

What is needed to build geoscience skills for mining and exploration in Africa?  This wide-ranging panel discussion highlights industry, academic and government perspectives on establishing enduring relationships with local communities, with a focus on building geoscience and technical capabilities.  The discussion explored the development of local technical staff for exploration and mining operat...

Namibia is a country of diverse geology and mineral deposits that is also embracing the green energy transition.  The diversity of critical minerals and metals and the expansion of green energy sources for mining are all exciting for the future of Namibia.  Namibia is 'elephant country' in more than one way!  The Society of Economic Geologists is thrilled to collaborate with our partners...

Understanding the earth processes that control lithium is key to exploration and developing the resources needed for society and the energy transition.   The lightest of the metals, lithium moves easily in fluids and is found in a variety of geologic environments from brines to pegmatites to clays.   Host Anne Thompson explores the geoscience of lithium, assessing what we know and what are the cha...

As our geo-toolkit expands, how can we equip ourselves to deal with these large volumes of highly diverse, dense data that are available and at higher speeds than ever before? This week’s episode is a companion to episode 47 (Core Sensing Technology) and host Britt Bluemel (Global Business Development Manager, ALS GoldSpot Discoveries) is joined by experts in the field of big data wrangling.   The...

Drill core scanning technology is rapidly developing for use in exploration and mining. The future holds great promise if we can leverage all the data sets available from multiple sensors, but critical for success is understanding how the sensors and scanning systems work.  What are the right questions to ask when picking our tools?   Host Britt Bluemel, Global Business Development Manager for ALS...

Reducing the environmental impact of mineral exploration can reap benefits beyond the immediate obvious reduction of harm on the local flora and fauna.  Perhaps unexpected for some are the savings in carbon and water, the positive impact on data collection, the response from local communities and the cost savings. Add to that an ability to recruit outstanding employees and you have a compelling ar...

How can we balance the demands of careers in exploration with family life? How has the industry at large dealt with this in the past versus how companies handle it today? Filling the expected gaps in the exploration and mining workforce requires us to look internally at how we support employees to start families, care for parents or manage other personal circumstances.  Communication with our mana...

The Kiruna Mining District, 200km north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, is well known for the giant Kiruna Iron-Oxide-Apatite (IOA) deposit.   The district has a long history of iron production extending back to the late 1800s. Less well known are the copper deposits that are spatially associated with Kiruna. New work by both researchers and explorationists is providing a better understanding of t...

Exploration and mining have a long history in northern Sweden, host to the Skellefteä, Bergslagen, and Kiruna Mining Districts.  What are the underlying characteristics that make this region rich in mineralization?  We explore the metallogeny, mineral systems and deposit models that guide exploration for base metals and gold.  What has changed over the last century and what do we know now that wil...

Türkiye forms an integral part of the Tethyan Belt, extending from the Balkans in the west to Iran in the east. The complexity of the geology in Turkish Tethyan Bet also offers diverse mineralization styles and is still considered underexplored compared to other countries. We talked to our guests with diverse backgrounds to understand the exploration potential and recent successes across the regio...

Artisanal mining is full of both opportunities and challenges.  How can we collaborate to  build capacity for artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), particularly in Africa?  We talk about the many aspects of ASM and the importance of geology in creating longer term, sustainable mining operations.  Each of our guests has personal experience and knowledge to bring to the conversations. We talked fi...

Three completely different types of ore deposits demand 'fit for purpose' mining methods.  We consider the move in the last 20 years to ‘super’ block caving, unlocking massive deep resources, then change scale and examine an innovative new technology that enables ‘surgical mining’.  Lastly, changing the mining method for Cobre's project in the Kalahari Copper Belt, Botswana,  to in-...

Effective geoscience outreach and scientific collaboration are enhanced by our choice of words and communication tools. Our guests Sam Illingworth and Chris Jackson offer fresh perspectives based on their own experience and work.  They focus on what we as individuals can do, from using poetry to solve scientific roadblocks, to ways in which we can better connect with audiences of all types – even...