Themes
The technical program will cover a balance between the latest developments in economic geology, through to the many current and future issues facing our industry. Although sessions will cover five major themes, we encourage abstract submissions from any discipline related to the broader field of economic geology.
SEG 2025 Themes
DEPOSITS: Orebody knowledge in the modern mining and exploration world
Chairs: Shaun Barker (University of British Columbia/Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU)) and Mike Whitbread (RioTinto)
Understanding ore deposits is key to exploration, new discoveries, and future mining. This theme will present recent major discoveries (including Kamoa Cu in the DRC, Vendeval porphyry in Argentina, Onto porphyry in Indonesia, Oak Dam IOCG in Australia) but also seeks to use the knowledge gleaned from studies of existing ore deposits as templates for better resource development. The theme will include exploration, descriptive, and ore genesis models of any deposit types.
TECHNOLOGY: Innovations and new technology impacting mineral discoveries and development
Chairs: Dave Lawie (IMDEX) and Liam Webb (DataRock)
Recent technological developments in the earth sciences applied to mineral systems have rapidly accelerated in sophistication and scope. True innovations are incorporating new mathematics, forward modeling in 3D, advanced computational interconnectivity (including machine learning and AI), and an expanding set of analytical tools, applied at multiple scales from continental/tectonic to submicroscopic. This theme will highlight some major breakthroughs, innovations, and new technologies applied to mineral discovery, development, extraction, and processing.
COLLABORATIONS: The role of major geoscience initiatives to support the net-zero transition and the resource future
Chairs: Arianne Ford (Geoscience Australia) and Caroline Tiddy (University of South Australia)
Australia has invested heavily in national and state surveys, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and major industry-government-academia programs. These geoscience initiatives are intended to provide "precompetitive advantage" for the minerals sector. Similar developments in several other broad jurisdictions (notably the EU) are seeking to drive the future of mineral research and exploration as society is increasingly faced with the need to develop alternative sources for future energy, transport, and industrial production. This theme will cover these various collaborations and initiatives and will be of major interest to many stakeholders.
INVESTMENT AND POLICY: Geoscience underpinning investment, policy, and governance
Chairs: Cam McCuaig and Kerry Turnock (BHP)
As the reputation and performance of the mineral sector continues to get closely scrutinized, economic geologists are faced with many challenges. With the increasing demand for metals comes even further need to ensure that we are meeting society’s expectations, but at the same time, very long lead times between discovery and mining present many logistical challenges, which vary widely around the world. This theme will engage with financial, societal, environmental, and general policy issues that face the mineral sector – never before have these issues been so pressing.
SECONDARY METALS AND REMEDIATION: Secondary metal sources, economic geology, and remediation across the mining value chain
Chair: Anita Parbhakar-Fox (University of Queensland/Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI))
The perception of the mineral sector as “dirty” needs an ongoing response. Major advances have been made in recent years in the way in which we can both clean up and benefit from the reprocessing of mine wastes. These include the forward modeling of extractive and environmental problems, the remediation of mine sites, the availability and utility of water, the biology and chemistry of mine environments, and the specific connections of discovery, development, and processing of metal ores to the long-term environmental and social impact. This crucial theme is the responsible way forward, so join in!