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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The purpose of Science is to seek truth, not proclaim it. “Science is an ongoing race between our inventing ways to fool ourselves and our inventing ways to avoid being fooled.”- Saul Perlmutter, Astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate. Is there such a thing as a geological fact map? […]
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Measurement of planar structure such as a bedding plane a vein or a cleavage in oriented diamond drill core can be done in two ways. The simplest way is to set up the core in its original orientation by means of a core frame and then measure […]
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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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Exploration for a mineral deposit begins with generating prospects which can then be tested with a staged series of exploration programs that hopefully will lead to ore discovery and eventually a mine. Obviously not all prospects that are generated will make it through to a mine. In […]
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There are many, many times more prospectors and geologists exploring for mineral deposits than there are ore bodies to be found. It is entirely feasible for a competent explorationist to go through a career and never be able to claim sole credit for an economic mineral discovery. It […]
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