International Exchange Lecturer
The International Exchange Lecturer is selected on the basis of widely recognized research in ore deposits science and/or exploration methodology. Lecture sites are selected on the basis of the greatest possible involvement of academic, industry and government-based economic geologists.
Irene del Real
SEG Professional Member
Talk Titles
- Unraveling the Formation of Andean Iron Oxide Copper-Gold Deposits
- Formation and Evolution of the Candelaria-Punta del Cobre Iron Oxide Copper-Gold District
- Future Availability and Challenges of Mineral Deposits
- Regolith-Hosted REE Deposits in Southern Central Chile
Biography
Irene is an assistant professor at the University Católica of Chile. She has a geology degree from the University of Chile, Chile, an M.Sc. degree from the University of British Columbia, Canada, a Ph.D. from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chile. She has worked in Chile and in North America, and her research focuses on understanding the genesis of Andean iron oxide copper-gold deposits. She has also had experience working with and researching porphyry Cu and iron oxide-apatite deposits and, more recently, ion-absorption rare earth element deposits. Her research is characterized by understanding the processes involved in the formation of mineral deposits—integrating structural geology, field geology, and geochemistry—and using this knowledge to develop new approaches for exploration. Irene has also worked assessing the Chilean government on the definition and distribution of critical elements in the country and their exploration potential and is a director of the Center of Copper and Mining Studies (CESCO). In 2023, she published a book titled Everything That Shines, which highlights the importance of metals for the development of our society and our future.