We are thrilled to bring you the top entries from the 2024 SEG Student Chapter Podcast Challenge as a special set of three episodes. This episode pairs the 2024 Bronze winner with another that explored some of the political and environmental challenges in developing mineral deposits.

Chapter 1: The deposit that brought down a government

SEG STUDENT CHAPTER NAME: The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)

Co-hosts: Rory Changleng, Alex Cerminaro

Producer: Rory Changleng

Chapter Notes

What mineral deposit became such a politicised commodity that it brought down a government? In this episode, two Penn State students, Rory and Alex, discuss what got them into geology and inspired them as budding economic geologists to begin a new SEG Student Chapter at Penn State. Alex reminisces about how trying to discover gold in his grandmother's garden in Pennsylvania led to his working with an Alaska exploration company to date gold mineralisation using a novel geochemical technique. Rory tells the story of the Ilimaussaq intrusion in Southern Greenland, home of the Kvanefjeld deposit. It was visiting this deposit during undergraduate fieldwork that opened his mind to the turbulent and consequential world of economic geology. Exploiting Kvanefjeld proved so divisive that it drove the collapse of the Greenlandic government. But as the second largest rare earth element deposit on Earth, surely it’s just a matter of time until mining begins?

Chapter 2: Should we Mine the Seafloor?

SEG STUDENT CHAPTER NAME: SEG of Athens

Host: Pavlos Zambras

Guests: Evi Dimou and Revekka Avoukatou

Chapter Notes

Exploring the depths of the ocean for valuable resources presents an alluring frontier in human endeavor: Deep Sea mining. This venture entails a journey into the unknown, facing both mysteries and challenges while uncovering the potential of extracting precious materials from the ocean floor.

The vast expanse of the deep sea, encompassing more than 65% of Earth's surface, harbors immense reservoirs of base metals, precious metals, and critical elements like nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese. These elements are indispensable for powering the transition towards clean green energy. Whether it's polymetallic nodules or seafloor massive sulfide found at hydrothermal vent fields, these resources offer the promise of driving technological progress and fostering economic development in the years ahead.

However, the pursuit of these underwater treasures is not devoid of controversy. Deep sea mining raises profound concerns regarding its environmental impact, sustainability, and the ethical utilization of Earth's resources. It's crucial to acknowledge that these deep-sea environments host unique life forms not found elsewhere on the planet, including highly complex prokaryotic communities and microbes with exceptional tolerance to acidity and antibiotics.

International regulations governing deep sea mining are still under development, adding to the uncertainty surrounding this practice. Many fear the potential ecological disruption it could bring to an area of our planet that remains largely unexplored. The question arises: Can we afford the environmental and ecological risks associated with deep sea mining? Or, put more simply, should we proceed with mining the seafloor?

What is needed to build geoscience skills for mining and exploration in Africa? This wide-ranging panel discussion highlights industry, academic and government perspectives on establishing enduring relationships with local communities, with a focus on building geoscience and technical capabilities. The discussion explored the development of local technical staff for exploration and mining operations, the role of geological surveys in skill development and the impact of research carried out without local collaboration (‘parachute science’).

Hosted by Anne Thompson, the panel included Kurt House, CEO KoBold Metals, Kombada Mhopjeni, National Program Officer for Natural Sciences (UNESCO Windhoek), Benjamin Mapani, Professor Namibia University of Science and Technology and Franck Twite, Chief Geologist, Kamoa Copper S.A.

The discussion was recorded live in front of the conference audience in the Windhoek, Namibia on the 27 September 2024. We covered

The panel started with introducing themselves and the challenges they face or approaches they take to capacity building (skills training) in their work. The discussion including the following questions:

· How do exploration and mining companies create real change with long lasting community benefit? What makes a difference to community and government relationships?

· What can research and geological survey scientists do to help build global geoscience capacity and support public education?

· What do you think is the most important area to focus on as we look to the future?

· What makes you optimistic for the future of collaboration and our ability to build geoscience capacity?

We covered a lot, insights on the use of data science, how to get high school students interested in geoscience and even how cultural differences can impact our communication with each other.

Theme music is Confluence by Eastwinds
eastwindsmusic.com

Namibia is a country of diverse geology and mineral deposits that is also embracing the green energy transition. The diversity of critical minerals and metals and the expansion of green energy sources for mining are all exciting for the future of Namibia.
Namibia is 'elephant country' in more than one way!

The Society of Economic Geologists is thrilled to collaborate with our partners the Geoscience Council of Namibia and the Geological Society of Namibia to host the SEG 2024 conference in Windhoek, September 27-30.

This episode explores the geology and mineral deposits, from the Proterozoic to the present and the mineral potential that exists throughout the country. We hope you will listen in and then join us in Windhoek in a few months!

Anna Nguno, Deputy Director at the Geological Survey of Namibia (GSN), Ministry of Mines and Energy and co-chair of SEG 2024 introduces the episode with a conference teaser: what to expect at the conference, the main themes, technical sessions, field trips, and more.

Geological Mineral and Information System - Namibia (Geological Survey of Namibia)

Next Roy Miller, previous Director of the Geological Survey of Namibia, provides an overview of the regional geology and tectonic history of Namibia, including the mineral deposits and economic potential of the various belts.

• Paleoproterozoic basement rocks contain the 1.2 Haib porphyry deposit.
• Mesoproterozoic rocks in the country are divided into 3 complexes, none of which contain extensive mineralization.
• The Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Damara Supergroup is the most extensive succession in Namibia, contains a wealth of different types of ore deposits, and is found in three belts: 1) the Damara belt in central Namibia; 2) the Kaoko belt in the northwest; and 3) the Gariep in the southwest
• The Carboniferous to Jurassic Karoo Supergroup contains thin lenses of coal and sandstone aquifers.
• Cretaceous continental breakup resulted in Etendeka flood basalts.
• At the end of the Cretaceous the region became semi-arid and the Kalahari Desert began to form. In wetter periods, the Orange River flooded and deposited diamonds from inland to the coast, 90% of which are gem quality and mined today by De Beers.
• From 21 million years ago, sand began to accumulate in major dune fields.

Finally, Mary Barton, Principal Geoscientist at Odikwa Geoservices, talks about her introduction to the field of geology and what a day in the life of a Namibian greenfields exploration geologist looks like. She discusses above ground risks in the country (including lions and cheetahs!), the placer diamond mining industry, and what opportunities the green transition might bring to the country.

Theme music is Confluence by Eastwinds

eastwindsmusic.com