To stumble upon in the field and recognise it for what it is – outcropping mineralisation with the grade and size potential to become an orebody. A long-anticipated moment of fierce joy and satisfaction for the lone prospector or exploration geologist. In a near 60-year career this […]
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Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of uncertainty – some most unsure, some nearly sure, none absolutely certain.” – Richard Feynman, Theoretical Physicist and Nobel Laureate. “The unknown is the dark matter of all things, the greater part of the universe.” Geoffrey Weiss, 2021 […]
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The camera and the interrogator Speak to exploration geologists and you will find two opposing views about what a geologist should do when observing outcrop or drill core in the field. Some seek merely to be unbiased objective recorders of what they see. Others observe the rock […]
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Look after your drill core: it’s a resource that keeps on giving Diamond drilling is always undertaken for the needs of the moment. But fresh-cut rock, in most cases, will last hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Drill core is a resource which can keep on giving […]
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Six rules for alpha beta measurements in drill core It is always better to know the orientation of planar structures at the time of logging rather than at some later date when the structure that was measured is long forgotten and the core returned to its stack in […]
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Ore bodies are created, not found There is a widespread belief amongst people outside our profession that all ore bodies that have yet to be found already exist. They are imagined as out there, ready-made by nature, waiting for some lucky prospector or mining company to stumble […]
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Is there a sense in which a geological map can be described as a representation of fact? Can a map define “ground truth?” A map is a virtual reality representation of the world in two dimensions. A geological map is a human artefact constructed according to […]
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The metals mining industry offers geologists two distinct career paths – the exploration geologist and the mining geologist. Between these roles there is an overlap of required knowledge and skills, but the job requirements are different and the personality which makes a good exploration geologist seldom makes […]
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The concept of the anomaly is one of the most basic ideas in exploration geology. It is understood in these terms - it is a truism to say that significant metal ore bodies are unusual: another word for unusual is anomalous.: therefore, if mineral explorers (explorationists) identify anomalous […]
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The camera and the interrogator How odd it is that anyone should not see that all observations must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service. Charles Darwin, 1870 Speak to exploration geologists and you will find two views about what a […]
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