SEG 45 Final_qx4 - Society of Economic Geologists
SEG 45 Final_qx4 - Society of Economic Geologists
SEG 45 Final_qx4 - Society of Economic Geologists
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OCTOBER 2005 • No 63 <strong>SEG</strong> NEWSLETTER 25<br />
<strong>SEG</strong> 2006 CONFERENCE<br />
Wealth Creation in the Minerals Industry:<br />
Integrating Science, Business, and Education<br />
May 14 –16, 2006, Keystone, Colorado<br />
Conference website: http://www.seg2006.org<br />
Overview: Talks, Trips, Workshops,<br />
Posters, and Student Participation<br />
The oral program is now finalized for the<br />
<strong>Society</strong>’s stand-alone Conference in<br />
Keystone next May. Thirty-seven invited<br />
and volunteered talks will be presented<br />
over 3 days during 12 sessions integrating<br />
the themes <strong>of</strong> science, business, and education<br />
as key elements for wealth creation in<br />
the minerals industry. In addition, more<br />
than 40 abstracts have been accepted for<br />
the Poster Presentation. Six field trips and<br />
seven pre- or post-conference workshops<br />
will round out the technical program for<br />
<strong>SEG</strong>2006. A variety <strong>of</strong> exhibits and scheduled<br />
periods for informal interaction will<br />
ensure a wide range <strong>of</strong> discussion and contacts<br />
outside the technical program.<br />
In addition, the <strong>Society</strong>’s first <strong>SEG</strong><br />
Student Conference will also be held on 13<br />
May in conjunction with <strong>SEG</strong>2006, with the<br />
best posters from this gathering adding to<br />
those <strong>of</strong> the main conference.<br />
Day 1: The Business <strong>of</strong> Exploration<br />
This Conference is coming at a time <strong>of</strong> considerable<br />
challenge for the mining and<br />
exploration industry. Many <strong>of</strong> the issues<br />
which confront the industry today will be<br />
featured at Keystone. A broad-based<br />
resources boom is now underway, driven by<br />
global growth; minerals producers are<br />
reporting record earnings, yet exploration is<br />
not replacing reserves depleted by mining.<br />
This situation leads to numerous questions<br />
which are relevant to members <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>SEG</strong>. How can minerals companies make<br />
better use <strong>of</strong> exploration research as greenfields<br />
discoveries become more difficult to<br />
make? What strategies will producers<br />
employ to keep their resource pipelines<br />
filled in times <strong>of</strong> robust asset prices? Are we<br />
at the top <strong>of</strong> the market or is this the beginning<br />
<strong>of</strong> a much longer rally for resources?<br />
How do we replace the people lost during<br />
the last downswing in the industry, and<br />
how do we keep them in the industry when<br />
the next downward cycle arrives? It is crucial<br />
to answer these questions now in order<br />
for a sustained improvement in the relationships<br />
between explorers and exploration<br />
researchers.<br />
Public funding <strong>of</strong> minerals industry education<br />
and research has been on a long<br />
decline in traditional mining economies<br />
but major miners have only now started to<br />
realize that they need a more strategic<br />
approach to human resource planning.<br />
Booming prices and a renewed rush to<br />
explore for commodities such as uranium,<br />
molybdenum, and iron ore (among many<br />
others) have made explorers impatient<br />
again with the pace <strong>of</strong> community negotiations.<br />
How do we build social competency<br />
and avoid repeating the mistakes <strong>of</strong> the<br />
past? All <strong>of</strong> these questions and more are<br />
featured on Day 1.<br />
Day 2: Generating, Delivering,<br />
and Cooperating<br />
Day 2 will present three topics on the<br />
theme “Generating and Delivering<br />
Wealth.” The first <strong>of</strong> these explores the<br />
relationships between major companies<br />
and junior explorers and the value created<br />
when strategy and good practice allow the<br />
best attributes <strong>of</strong> each partner to be developed.<br />
The second theme, “Geometallurgy,”<br />
is an example <strong>of</strong> what miners are doing to<br />
utilize good science to improve operating<br />
efficiency and restore pr<strong>of</strong>itability. Boom<br />
times inevitably add inflationary pressures<br />
on labor costs and consumables and miners<br />
have <strong>of</strong>ten turned to technology to cope<br />
with these challenges. Geometallurgy, combining<br />
the disciplines <strong>of</strong> orebody geology,<br />
mineral processing, and mining, has<br />
allowed much better interaction on mine<br />
sites between pr<strong>of</strong>essions and better economic<br />
outcomes. In addition to a state <strong>of</strong><br />
the art presentation on geometallurgy, this<br />
session will also include presentations from<br />
operations staff <strong>of</strong> Carlin, Hibbing<br />
Taconite, and Grasberg.<br />
The importance <strong>of</strong> interdisciplinary<br />
cooperation and the productive interaction<br />
among industry, government, and<br />
academia continues into the final session<br />
on Day 2. This includes the Yandal story <strong>of</strong><br />
Western Australia, an excellent example <strong>of</strong><br />
a successful partnership between explorers<br />
and researchers. Placer Dome will also provide<br />
a comparison <strong>of</strong> the economic outcomes<br />
<strong>of</strong> different exploration strategies in<br />
Nevada.<br />
Day 3: Case Histories<br />
Day 3 will feature a selection <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> the<br />
best wealth creation case histories from the<br />
industry’s most successful companies. What<br />
were the crucial factors <strong>of</strong> geology, human<br />
insight and business opportunity which<br />
drove these successes? These include the discoveries<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Ekati diamond and Oyu<br />
Tolgoi porphyry Cu-Au deposits, as well as<br />
a discussion <strong>of</strong> uranium exploration and<br />
discovery. There will also be a presentation<br />
<strong>of</strong> exploration<br />
strategies by<br />
Codelco, and a<br />
discussion <strong>of</strong> the<br />
use <strong>of</strong> royalties.<br />
JOHN A. S. DOW<br />
(<strong>SEG</strong> 1998 F)<br />
Chairman,<br />
2006 Organizing<br />
Committee<br />
A Venue for Communication<br />
As we contemplate the issues which we<br />
think will shape the near-term future <strong>of</strong> the<br />
discipline <strong>of</strong> economic geology, there is a<br />
growing need for industry and the economic<br />
geology research community to<br />
develop better working relationships. The<br />
recent Gordon Conference on Inorganic<br />
Geochemistry in New Hampshire featured a<br />
forum discussion on the ways in which<br />
exploration managers, government geologists,<br />
and exploration researchers could<br />
communicate better with each other and<br />
develop better working relationships. This<br />
forum was notable for the enthusiasm <strong>of</strong><br />
all parties to participate. Mining companies<br />
have a huge vested interest in ensuring<br />
the continued health <strong>of</strong> the academic<br />
and research community if they are to<br />
develop better orebody models and exploration<br />
techniques, as well as ensure the<br />
vitality <strong>of</strong> faculties that provide teaching<br />
and training in earth science. <strong>SEG</strong>2006 at<br />
Keystone next May promises to be a further<br />
opportunity to continue and develop that<br />
dialogue, formally in sessions, and informally<br />
during social periods.<br />
Industry Support for the Conference<br />
Sponsorship for <strong>SEG</strong>2006 is progressing<br />
well with a number <strong>of</strong> companies committing<br />
to support this Conference at the<br />
Premier Plus ($25,000) level. BHP Billiton<br />
and Newmont have also committed specific<br />
funds to support student participation<br />
from around the world at Keystone. This<br />
will ensure the attendance <strong>of</strong> a strong contingent<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>SEG</strong> student chapter members<br />
and student leaders.<br />
Registration in November<br />
This <strong>SEG</strong> Conference is shaping up to be an<br />
important event for the <strong>Society</strong>, its members,<br />
and, indeed, for all in the industry,<br />
both for the technical, business, and societal<br />
issues that it will address, and for the<br />
cross-disciplinary interaction that it will<br />
foster. On-line registration for <strong>SEG</strong>2006<br />
opens on November 1 and hard-copy registration<br />
forms will be mailed to <strong>SEG</strong> members<br />
in early January. Don’t miss out. Plan<br />
to register early and be there to discuss our<br />
future.