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Similar a CMIC's Exploration Innovation Consortium, presented by François Robert and Alan Galley at 2013 CMIC Signature Event
Similar a CMIC's Exploration Innovation Consortium, presented by François Robert and Alan Galley at 2013 CMIC Signature Event (20)
CMIC's Exploration Innovation Consortium, presented by François Robert and Alan Galley at 2013 CMIC Signature Event
- 1. Exploration Innovation Consortium: Keeping Canada's Mineral Exploration Globally Competitive François Robert VP / Chief Geologist, Barrick Gold Corp. Alan Galley Exploration Research Director, CMIC CMIC Signature Event Toronto, February 11 2013
- 2. Agenda / Outline • Setting the Scene • EIC vision and program • Footprints Project • Next generation of projects • Conclusions.
- 3. The challenges • Mining Industry challenges – Sustain contribution to Canadian economy – Maintain position as global Industry leaders • Exploration challenges: – Improve our discovery rate – Find large, profitable deposits • Context – Maturing exploration landscape – Challenging next frontiers for exploration – Maturing exploration models & technology – Decreasing supply of geoscientists No discoveries = No new mines
- 4. The solution • Better coordination of R&D efforts – Adequate teams & funds for big problems – Diverse expertise for new solutions – Strong industry input for relevance • Focus on innovation – Step changes required • Strong and real partnership – Exploration Industry – Service Providers – Research Institutions – Government agencies
- 6. Exploration Innovation Consortium • Vision: – Increase Exploration-focused investments – Drive step-changing innovative R&D – Establish a long-lasting strategic network • Strategic plan – Execute on a 10-year R&D program – Establish Footprints Project – Develop next generation of projects
- 7. 10-year R&D framework Discovery Discovery Data to Themes Criteria Technology Knowledge Knowledge and Focus Detection Interpretation models Key • Where to look? • What does the • How to detect? Questions • What to look for? data mean? • Terrane selection • Visualization and • Mapping and integration Challenges • Area selection detection tools • Using physical • Vectoring to ore • Cheaper drilling property models Education & Technology Transfer 7
- 8. 10 year R&D programs Deep Mature Camps Remote & Covered Areas 1. Multi-parameter footprints 1. Characteristics of fertile and 3D vectoring terranes and districts • Detecting edges and • How do we select fertile vectoring to ore ground? 2. Techniques to map deep 3D 2. Techniques to map sub- geology surface geology • Deep penetrating detection • Drilling, data integration and mapping techniques • Data density for detection 3. Real-time down-hole data 3. Secondary dispersion collection • Understanding • Real-time decision mechanisms • Developing techniques
- 9. 10 year R&D programs Deep Mature Camps Remote & Covered Areas 1. Multi-parameter footprints 1. Characteristics of fertile and 3D vectoring terranes and districts • Detecting edges and • How do we select fertile vectoring to ore ground? 2. Techniques to unravel deep 2. Techniques to map sub- 3D geology surface geology • Deep penetrating detection • Drilling, data integration and mapping techniques • Data density for detection 3. Real-time down-hole data 3. Secondary dispersion collection • Understand mechanisms • Real-time decision • Develop techniques
- 10. 5-year Footprints project • Objectives – Develop multi-parameter footprint models and data integration tools – Enhance signal-to-noise ratio (detectability) and vector from distal margins to high-grade cores – Train and mentor geoscientists Deposit Ore system footprint
- 11. Status • Leadership from 2 prominent researchers – Strong proposal with strong research team – 42 researchers from 24 Institutions – 44 graduate students • EIC coordinated strong Industry support – 27 Industry sponsors – Exploration companies & service providers • Large CRD application to NSERC – Decision expected end of March – If funded: ~$8M cash, ~$13M total over 5y Largest ever on mineral deposits
- 12. Approach • 3 study sites for robust methodology • Same data & overlapping teams at each site • Embedded researchers
- 13. Next generation of projects • Objectives – Maximize innovation opportunities – Develop projects impacting other stages of mining • Main approach – Integrate “geology” in Life-of-Mine sequence – Understanding your deposit is critical • Benefits of LOM approach: – Improved planning and efficiency, – Can reduce risk and costs – Satisfies CMIC’s overarching goals – Leverage outside expertise and funding
- 14. Exploration and LOM sequence Deposit Exploration “Modeling” EXPLORATION TO PROVIDE RELEVANT DATA & KNOWLEDGE TO SUPPORT OTHER GROUPS Tailings Remediation Management
- 15. Linking the different groups • One person’s “geology” is another person’s “waste rock” Geometallurgy/Ore streaming Rock mass characterization Deposit model Extraction Processing Geology Mineral/assay mapping
- 16. Exploration contributions to LOM Deposit Extraction Processing Tailings Remediation Model Real-time mineral or geochemical analysis Mineral mapping Structural geology
- 17. Example: LIBS • Laser-Induced Breakdown • Real-time analyses Spectroscopy (LIBS) – Outcrop /core sampling – Developed by National – Stope / pit face assaying Research Council = 2 kg CoreLIBS system for core samples Standoff LIBS17 probe Analyzing 18 elements; Au <1ppm range. Measuring from +10m
- 18. LIBS applications Applies to all stages of LOM • Exploration – Real-time assays on outcrop, drill core, down-hole • Mining – Remote assays of unsafe areas (UG stopes or OP benches) – Real-time assays of blast-hole data in OP • Metallurgy – Real-time monitoring of metals in floatation circuits • Taillings/environment – Real-time monitoring of metals/toxic elements in slurry or surrounding drainages
- 19. Current initiatives All can contribute to LOM sequence • LIBS: Real time down-hole, surface and underground assaying • Rock Mass Characterization • Iron Ore R&D Consortium • Muon down-hole imaging • Permafrost challenges
- 20. Summary Deep Mature Camps Remote & Covered Areas 1. Multi-parameter footprints 1. Characteristics of fertile and 3D vectoring terranes and districts • Detecting edges and • How do we select fertile vectoring to ore ground? 2. Techniques to unravel deep 2. Techniques to map sub- 3D geology surface geology • Deep penetrating • Drilling, data integration detection and mapping • Data density for detection techniques 3. Real-time down-hole data 3. Secondary dispersion collection • Understand mechanisms • Real-time decision • Develop techniques
- 21. Conclusions • Progressing on 10-year plan – Expect 1 project in place this year – 2 more projects by 2014 • Bridging gaps between stages of mining – Very fertile avenue for innovation and impact – Key for future of Mining Industry • EIC and Footprints Project – Achieved unprecedented level of collaboration – Breaking new ground and changing the culture in Canada Remember…no discoveries = No new mines!
Notas del editor
- 30 min talks with questions: shoot for 25 min / 25 slidesGood afternoon everyoneOn behalf of all the partners of the Exploration Innovation Consortium, Al Galley and I would like to thank CMIC for this opportunity to present an update on its exploration initiative
- So let’s quickly look at the challenges we faceFor the Mining Industry as a whole, the challenge is to:Sustain its contributions to Canadian Economy ($40B/year)Maintain our position as a Global Industry LeaderFor Mineral Exploration, the main challenges are that we:Need to improve our discovery rate: which we all know has been decreasing in Canada and globally.Need to discover truly world-class deposits, i.e. those really creating wealth. But these are rare: 80% of metal in 20% largest depositsWe need to do this in a context of: Mature exploration landscape. Where large obvious deposits have been discovered. Challenging next frontiers for exploration: where we have to look at depth and at remote regions, covered by lakes and glacial material, which is both are technically challenging and costlyMaturing exploration models and technologyDecreasing supply of geoscientistsThis is serious because: No discoveries means No new mines.
- There are no magic bullets but there are critical steps towards meeting our Exploration challengesWe need better coordination of R&D effortsThis is the best way to assemble the teams and funds required to tackle our big challengesAssembling diverse expertise facilitates innovation and new solutionsStrong Industry input is critical to ensure focus on relevant problemsWe need real focus on innovationStep changes are required and we need to facilitate innovationNot just on technology, but paradigm shifts in conceptsAnd we need strong and real partnershipsI want to stress here the importance of integrating service providers, as they provide a critical link to innovation.So what is the Exploration Industry doing about this?Well, we are taking a proactive role, and we have created the Exploration Innovation Consortium as the Exploration arm of CMICSo let me tell you a few words about the EIC as we call it
- Our vision is to:Increase efforts & investments in Exploration-related R&D in CanadaDo this byfacilitating step-changing innovative and collaborative R&D Establish a long-lasting strategic network, perhaps as part of a broader CMIC effort, that will support Exploration-focused efforts for decadesIn terms of scope and level of funding, we are here thinking about something of the magnitude of Lithoprobe for those who know about this highly successful Geoscience programOur strategic plan, as it stands is toExecute on a 10-year R&D framework established by the EIC partners, which I will explain briefly in a minuteImplement our flagship Footprint project, which I will also introduce to youDevelop the next generation of EIC R&D projects
- So Industry partners have used this research framework to develop a 2-prong R&D programFocused on exploration targeting and in two contexts very relevant to Canada:Deep mature mining camps (where new satellite orebodies can still be discovered at depth)Remote and covered regions of Canada, especially the north (where there is major potential but where exploration is expensive and difficult)For each program component, we have defined a number of key topics to be addressed through a number of specific R&D projects. This provides the framework for what we want to achieve over 10 years
- We have started with a major initiative, our “Footprints” project, whichFocuses on one key element of our program , as shown here in in blueAnd also addresses a second componentWe have a pipeline of projects in development that will address a number of these other components, (just show which ones).But before I talk more about these, let’s have a look at our footprint project
- Here is where we stand with this projectWe are very fortunate that two leading researchers in Canada – Mark Hannington and Mike Lesher Have embraced this concept and developed a massive proposalAssembled a team of 42 researchers from 24 Institutions44 graduate students to be trained and mentored in a multi-disciplinary environmentEIC coordinated strong industry support27 Industry sponsors Exploration companies & Service ProvidersA major CRD application was submitted to NSERC last OctoberReview is progressing; Expect a decision towards end of MarchI have to emphasize here that this is the largest collaborative proposal focused on mineral deposits ever put together in Canada But still small for what is really needed. For comparison: Industry, including Barrick, was involved 2 years ago in establishing a “Deep Exploration Technology” cooperative research center in Oz Total budget currently stands at $120M over 8 years.
- Here is the approach taken by the project team:The Footprints project will be focusing its initial efforts on 3 study sites,Each on a word-class deposit: Canadian Malartic Au, Millenium-McArthur U, and Highland Valley Cu-Mo depositsSpectrum of settings and commodities to ensure development of robust methodologiesAt each site:Will collect the same spectrum of information on the same sets of samples again to develop robust integration methodsThe same team of experts will be involved at each siteAll this work will be facilitated by an embedded researcher at each site.
- With the footprint project now submitted, we can now turn our attention to the next set of projects that will help us achieve our 10 year vision and strategic planOur objectives for the new projects will be to Maximize innovation opportunitiesDevelop at least a few projects that can integrate with other stages of mining, like extraction, processing, tailings management, etc.Our Preferred Approach for the next projects is to Identify projects that link with the Life-of-Mine chainThis centers around the notion that : Understanding your deposit at an early stage has positive repercussions with the subsequent stages of mining, as I will illustrate in a minuteThe Benefits for a mining company include:Improved planning ability and increased efficiency , which translate in reduced risk and reduced cost .This approach would also satisfy one of CMIC’s overarching goalsAnd for EIC, allows us to leverage other sources of expertise (think innovation) and sources of funding.
- Let me illustrate briefly the Life-of-Mine sequence. Once you discover a deposit through exploration, you need to determine: how to mine it or extract the ore and how to process the ore, how to design and manage the tailings, And how you will remediate the site at the end. A critical step is understanding the characteristics, size and grade of your deposit, lumped here under “Deposit Modeling”.A lot of information that you can gather at this stage feeds in later stagesThere is significant room for improvement in Industry in terms of Acquisition of relevant data at the Exploration/Modeling stages Sharing the data and its significance with other groupsImproved communication between the different groups involvedFor example, it is really important to know that a certain part of your deposit is very hard so you can prepare for when you start mining it.This is increasingly recognized as a critical area, and number of large companies are starting to implement this approach. For example AGA, Rio Tinto, which we will hear about later today
- Here is an example of the type of impact and interaction among the different LOM stages. One key aspect is communication or language: as indicated here, What is a “specific rock type” for one group might just be “waste” for another group So we need to resolve these translation challengesFor example,People involve in mining talk about Rock Mass Characterization, whereas people in Exploration talk about a geologic modelPeople in Metallurgy or processing talk about Ore Streaming or Geometallurgy, while people in Exploration talk about mineral mappingThere is a lot of value in improved communication or translation and this works both ways:Exploration can offer a lot to other groups, say to metallurgistsBut conversely, metallurgists can help the exploration geologists: if a new processing method being developed allows to mine previously non-economic material, this impacts the types of targets or grades the exploration geologist can look for and open new opportunities.
- This is just a further illustration of the potential contributions that a proper deposit model and tools can provide: In terms of knowledge:Understanding the distribution of specific minerals, or toxic elements feeds directly into all subsequent stages: knowing what metals are associated with your ore and where they are in the deposit will influence mining (soft rocks vs hard rocks), your processing techniques, (what toxics are present and how to treat them), and tailings management, for example in anticipating and mitigating Acid Rock Drainage issuesUnderstanding structural geology: (where the faults are) will impact mining (in terms of rock stability) processing (ore can be different around faults), and tailings management /remediation (think groundwater flow and faults) In terms of technology: Real-time analysis can benefit all stages of the LOM – I will illustrate this in the next slide
- Here is one illustration of this concept from a technology point of viewLIBS, technology developed by Natural Research CouncilOffers real-time analysis of metals of interest, Almost to concentrations of interestCurrent status: Can analyze drill core to provide info over a range of metals and at detection levels of interestCan analyze material up to distances of 10-20m for “remote mapping”Offers a range of possible applicationsIn exploration: outcrop assaying, drill core scanning, down-hole scanning?In mining: real time analysis of underground stopes or bench faces in open pits (reduce need for sampling with safety benefits) In metallurgy: real-time monitoring of metal concentrations in floatationIn tailings: real-time monitoring of metals/toxic elements in slurry or creeks.So if we could improve or adapt this technology, there would be a wide range of applications throughout the entire LOM chain.
- Here is one illustration of this concept from a technology point of viewLIBS, technology developed by Natural Research CouncilOffers real-time analysis of metals of interest, Almost to concentrations of interestCurrent status: Can analyze drill core to provide info over a range of metals and at detection levels of interestCan analyze material up to distances of 10-20m for “remote mapping”Offers a range of possible applicationsIn exploration: outcrop assaying, drill core scanning, down-hole scanning?In mining: real time analysis of underground stopes or bench faces in open pits (reduce need for sampling with safety benefits) In metallurgy: real-time monitoring of metal concentrations in floatationIn tailings: real-time monitoring of metals/toxic elements in slurry or creeks.So if we could improve or adapt this technology, there would be a wide range of applications throughout the entire LOM chain.
- So here are some of the topics and initiatives we are currently exploring in terms of projects that link with the LOM chainAdapting LIBS technology to exploration and mining, as I have talked aboutRock mass characterization at an underground facility to help reduce the uncertainties when passing from a geologic model to geotechnical characterization to actual miningAnd R&D consortia with the Iron Ore and Diamond companies to address the specific challenges of these Industries.We have another project on the table, for which we are looking for additional sources of funding: the down-hole muon geo-tomographyAs explained last year, this project is looking at using cosmic particles that enter the Earth to detect the presence of dense orebodies in and around existing mines.Concept has been proven in an underground mine and we are now looking at adapting this technology to put down in exploration drill holes to help find new orebodies.An other area we are considering is drilling and mining in permafrost areas, which applies to exploration in much of the northern art of Canada
- If we go back to our 10 R&D plan as a summary, We have The footprint project that tackles the two topics shown in blackProjects linked with the LOM chain, shown in