8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
1 day course
ORGANIZERS: Beak Consultants GmbH in cooperation with Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), French Geological Survey (BRGM), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Luleå University of Technology (LTU) and University of the Free State (UFS)
Many of the defined critical raw materials are not forming their own mineral deposits, but are often found as by-products, associated with other primarily mined commodity targets. This generates the need for a new way of doing things in exploration activities and economic geology surveys in general, as mineral systems nowadays have to be looked at from a different, more integrated point of view. This is done by approaching and assessing the exploitation potential of a mineral deposit more comprehensively when it comes to potentially minable commodities.
The aim of this short course is to provide an introduction to the theory and practical application of mineral systems approach (MSA) and mineral predictive mapping (MPM) for exploration and assessment of critical raw materials. The course will showcase a range of case studies from Northern America, Europe and Africa that demonstrate the practical application of the mineral systems approach for mineral prospectivity mapping and exploration targeting, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in different contexts. In addition to the theory on defining mineral systems for critical metals, the short course will cover a diverse set of additional topics, including advances in data acquisition and processing, machine learning algorithms, practical considerations for implementation and future directions for MSA and MPM.
Specific topics include:
- Defining mineral systems of selected critical raw metals for prospectivity modeling
- Practical considerations for implementing mineral system approach in mineral exploration targeting
- Case studies of mineral system approach from Northern America, Europe and Africa
- Overview of machine learning algorithms for mineral prospectivity mapping and target generation
- Demonstrations of selected open source tools for mineral predictive mapping, such as MPM Online Tool, GisSOM and MapMark4
- Future directions and opportunities for innovation to integrate mineral system approach into mineral exploration and prospectivity mapping
This short course will provide best practices, new ideas and insights in mineral exploration, especially with regards to application of the mineral systems approach for mineral predictive mapping. The course will consist of a series of presentations and demonstrations. The presentations will be informal and fluid to maximize engagement of the participants. Open question and discussion throughout the presentation sessions will be an integral part of the short course. Between these sessions, the audience will be engaged through a brainstorming session about different mineral systems and commodities. In addition, software demonstrations of and hands-on training for selected open-source software packages and tools will be provided.
The short course is a joint effort by the EU-funded project “EIS – Exploration Information System” (https://eis-he.eu/tool/), lead by the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), the DARPA-funded project “CriticalMAAS” (https://www.darpa.mil/program/critical-mineral-assessments-with-ai-support) and the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Attendees will need their own laptop and to install software prior to the course.
COURSE FEES: SOLD OUT
Includes course material, continental breakfast and lunch