MinSouth

Prestige Lecture: Lithium potential in Cornwall
2022-06-09 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
This year our Prestige Lecture will be given by Lucy Crane, an exploration geologist by training, and now ESG & Sustainability Manager for Cornish Lithium. Cornish Lithium is an innovative mineral exploration and development company, focussed on the environmentally responsible extraction of lithium from geothermal waters and hard rock in Cornwall. In this talk, Lucy will describe the Company’s approach to utilising new technologies to unlock the potential to extract critical metals such as lithium in a low carbon and responsible manner.
This is a Hybrid meeting, it will be held online and at The Counting House, Griffin Room, on the top floor.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Lecture in conjunction with Women In Mining UK
2022-05-19 18:00 - 21:00 UTC
The MinSouth Technical Meeting on Thursday 19th May will be presented by Dr Ana Santos. Ana graduated with a PhD from Bangor University in 2018 and is currently a Research Fellow in Geomicrobiology at the Natural History Museum.
Her talk will be on microbial-based technologies for extraction and recovery of metals from mine wastes. These waste materials contain concentrations of critical and other metals that make them attractive for reprocessing using bioleaching and bioremediation technologies, with the important secondary benefit that this can eliminate or greatly reduce the threat that these wastes pose to the surrounding environments. Strategies have been developed for extracting and recovering metals from both solid and aqueous mine wastes and example of these strategies will be presented as case studies.
This will be a hybrid meeting held both on-line and at IOM3 HQ, 297 Euston Road, NW1 3AD.
Registration for this event is through Eventbrite via this LINK

Past, Present and Future of the Milldam Mine
2022-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Virtual
The MinSouth Technical Meeting on Thursday April 14th will be presented by Peter Robinson, Chairman, British Fluorspar Ltd. He will be discussing the past, present and future of the Milldam operation which is operated by Fluorsid.
This will be a hybrid meeting held both on-line and at the Counting House (Dining Room) along the same lines as our October and November Meetings.
It will be possible to register next week via Eventbrite, the link will be available on the web page when that option is available. Keep in mind that if you plan to attend physically, spaces are limited so you will have to book early if you plan to come to the Counting House!
Click here to register

SNAP - Robert Pell from Minviro
2022-03-22 13:00 UTC | Virtual
Robert Pell PhD is the Founder & Director of Minviro, a spin-out company from the University of Exeter. Minviro supports mining companies in adopting life cycle assessment approaches to their projects, highlighting environmental impacts and opportunities for improvements during the development stages of projects.
Robert completed his PhD at Camborne School of Mines (University of Exeter) as part of the NERC funded SoSRare project on the topic ‘responsible sourcing of rare earth elements. During this project novel, life cycle assessment approaches were developed and applied to rare earth projects in the pre-feasibility stage of development.
A unique method to apply life cycle assessment to mine planning was also developed and these technologies have been further refined and applied in commercial settings. Prior to this Robert worked as Assistant Editor at International Mining, a globally distributed magazine covering technical innovations and project case studies for the mining industry.
Registration can be done through Eventbrite at this LINK.

Young Persons' Lecture Competition
2022-03-10 17:30 - 19:30 UTC | Virtual
This Year’s Presentations

Reducing the Risk of Legacy Tailings Facilities
Martha Needs – Industry (Knight Piesold)
How does Lithium mining contribute to domestic water shortages in Northern Chile
Manvir Dhillon – Imperial College
Increasing Demand for Minerals and Metals for the Green Energy Transition – a Wicked Problem?
John Morley – Imperial College
Backfill Design: Engineering Waste for Sustainable Mining
David Coulton – Industry (Paterson & Cooke)

This will be an online event. Registration is through Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/273732219437)

Sundowner
2022-02-24 17:30 - 23:30 UTC
There will be a Sundowner in The King’s Arms in Mayfair on Thursday, the 24th of February hosted by Energold, a long time supporter of the Mining Sundowner. Feel free to show up at any time after 5:30 pm and stay for as long as you like.

Afghanistan Untapped Mining Potential: Challenges and Opportunities
2022-02-10 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Virtual
Isamil Amin will be discussing socio and geopolitical challenges, investment climate, present day opportunities and the future of mining in Afghanistan.
Ismail Amin is a seasoned policymaker and engineer with a history of working with thought leaders, policy makers, government and international organisations. He had the privilege of dictating national mining policy decrees and associated regulatory affairs by working for the President of the I.R of Afghanistan leading the Mineral and Energy sector portfolio at the President Office. His experience lies across a range of policy works such as the development of National Mineral Portfolio for foreign & domestic investment and evaluation & negotiation of large-scale mining projects across Afghanistan. In terms of commodities, Ismail has a solid track record working with coal, gold, lead-zinc, iron, copper, precious and semi-precious stones along with industrial mineral resources and reserves, from the tendering of the exploration block to the issuance of the exploitation licence and final land reclamation upon cessation of mining activities. Having worked at key government institutions and decision-making bodies, he has inside knowledge of what inner mechanics drive government regulation and successful bids for mining. These experiences combined with his academic & managerial background in mining and strong aptitude for socio-political evaluation and liaison allow him to achieve success both commercially and administratively for whatever venture he may be part of. Ismail has obtained his Bachelor of Mining Engineering from the University of Engineering & Technology Lahore, Pakistan and actively writes for national and international media outlets regarding Afghanistan’s national resources, its challenges and wider investment climate.
Along with professional career, Ismail is well connected with the industry and is the Founding President of DeWER Co. & TSP (De Watan Energy and Resources Consultants and Technical Service Providers) and is currently based in London.
Registration can be done through Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/249242680567

Virtual Sundowner
2022-01-27 17:00 UTC | Virtual
The next actual Sundowner should have been on Thursday, the 27th of January from 5:00 pm until whenever you wanted. The Sundowner has been changed to a MinSouth virtual space on Wonder . There are different rooms which you can go into to chat with likeminded professionals.
This space is available at all times for the foreseeable future. Feel free to check it out with colleagues who you would like to chat with but cannot actually meet.
Hopefully see you on the 27th!

Critical minerals in a circular economy
2022-01-13 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Virtual
The concept of a “Circular Economy” is a key component for the transition to a green and more sustainable future. However, what will a circular economy look like? Can it be achieved and how? Are certain resources more crucial or suited for a circular economy? How will it affect the extractive industries?
Prof. Richard Herrington, Head of Earth Science Department at the Natural History Museum, and experienced economic geologist will share his views on the topic.
Click HERE to register

Sundowner
2021-12-30 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-11-25 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-10-28 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-09-30 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-08-26 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-07-29 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-06-24 17:30 - 22:00, 2021-05-27 17:30 - 22:00 UTC and 1 more date
Video conference is done through Wonder. As their web page states:
“Wonder is a space where you can connect to others in a more spontaneous and fluid way. You move around freely between groups. It’s fun, creative and energizing. We call this concept fluid togetherness, we think it’s the future of how people will connect online in future and we’re incredibly excited about it. The best thing is that Wonder is going to be a the core of it.”
There are separate rooms available at this space for Students, Geologists, Mining Engineers and Metallurgists. Anyone can go into whichever room.
Here is the link:
Sundowners

2021 MinSouth Christmas Quiz
2021-12-14 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Virtual
The Quizmaster will be doing a number of rounds of questions.
Teams of up to six people can work together on the questions, using a separate meeting platform for their group discussions (e.g. Skype, Whatsapp or Jitsi etc).
Please register your team, provide names of team members and identify a team spokesperson and communicate this information to the Eventbrite LINK by Friday, the 10th of December.
You can also join in as an individual and we will allocate you to a team. We will endeavour to develop teams of mixed disciplines, so please register on the Eventbrite LINK by Friday, the 10th of December.
When going to your separate platforms, please turn off your microphones at the GoToMeeting MinSouth Quiz site. It will help ensure that there is no interference while you chat on your separate meeting platforms. It will also ensure that people from other teams are not spying on your team 😉
There will be a dry run where one can familiarise oneself with using GoToMeeting with whichever meeting platforms different teams are using. This is scheduled to be at 12:30 on the day of the competition (Tuesday, the 14th of December). To gain access, use the link that will be given to you once you registered on Eventbrite.
On the day of the competition (Tuesday, the 14th of December), we ask that you check into the platform at 6:00 pm so we can arrange the teams. The questioning will begin at 6:15 pm.
The Quiz will be on a trust basis, so no Googling please. The Quizmaster will present the answers at a mid-point and at the end of the Quiz and the marking will be carried out – again, on a trust basis – by the team’s spokesperson who will provide the Quizmaster with their final score.
There will be no prizes awarded this year, however we would like to invite participants to make a donation to us for the IOM3 Benevolent Fund – via Paypal – go to www.paypal.co.uk then log in and click on send money and fill in treasurer@minsouth.org.uk in the recipients e mail box. This information is also available on the MinSouth webpage at this Link.
(We suggest £5 per team, or whatever teams or individuals would like to donate).

Critical Minerals & The UK’s Green Industrial Revolution - Geolsoc/ IOM3/ CMA Hybrid Event
2021-11-30 10:30 UTC | The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG, United Kingdom
Hybrid_Critical_Minerals_&_The_UK’s_Green_Industrial_Revolution
Dear all,
We are excited to invite you to the upcoming,‘Critical Minerals & The UK’s Green Industrial Revolution’, hybrid event on 30th November 2021, organised by the Critical Minerals Association, Geological Society of London Business Forum and Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3).
This hybrid event will entail:

10:30 – 17:30 | Live Streamed Conference at The Geological Society, Burlington House, London
19:00 – 21:30 | In-Person Drinks Reception, Venue TBA – London

More information, along with the event programme, can be found on the attached poster.
You can sign-up to watch the entire live streamed conference, parts of it that are most interesting to you, or join us in-person at the drinks reception happening in London (venue TBA).
Sign-up to the live streamed conference here.
Sign-up to the drinks reception here.
Make sure to select a ticket via link above as soon as possible to ensure you don’t miss out!
Please note that although this is a free event, tickets are non-transferrable. Non-ticket holders will not be permitted entry.
We look forward to welcoming you to the event!
Best wishes,
Kirsty
Kirsty Benham
Co-founder
Critical Minerals Association

E: kirsty@criticalmineral.org
W: www.criticalmineral.org
Follow us on: Twitter | LinkedIn

SNAP - Diversity in Mining: An Indigenous Female’s Perspective
2021-11-23 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
Kari Lentowicz, a First Nations women from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Northern Saskatchewan, will be presenting this SNAP. This has been arranged jointly with Women In Mining UK.
Mining is an essential industry, and the very success and acceptance of the mining industry is reliant on a diverse and inclusive workforce. So why are we then asking women and Indigenous peoples to change who they are to “fit in” to an industry that we acknowledge needs to change to grow and prosper? Working in the mining industry shouldn’t be at the cost of changing cultural nuances, loss of identity, and contradicting values. Corporate culture has had an expectation for women and Indigenous people to adapt their way of doing things in order to meet corporate terms of success. Women and Indigenous people in Canada are often in entry-level positions and, it seems challenging to some to change the existing culture of “doing it the way we’ve always done it” to a culture of awareness, diversity, inclusion, and equity in all realms. And sadly, the challenges and micro-aggressions present for minorities go unacknowledged. Awareness of all these shortcomings are necessary to transform the corporate culture to one that celebrates the differences of others.

Kair Lentowicz is a Jill-of-all-trades,with 20 years of experience in the mining industry and currently runs her own consulting company.
In 2018, Kari started Diamonds in the Rough (DITR) – a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness to diversity, equity, and inclusion of women in the mining industry using mine rescue as a vehicle to do so. That year, she took the first all-female team to participate in an international competition in Russia – a country where it is still illegal for women to work underground. Her plan for DITR includes the training of an all-female indigenous mine rescue team that will compete at a National level for they are significantly underrepresented in this industry and visibility is needed to encourage more Indigenous men and women to seek out these non-traditional Mining roles.
With a science background and a love for everything emergency response, her life goal is to build emergency response capacity in communities, industries, and on a personal level for minorities. She seeks to build respectful relationships of understanding between all people so we can succeed together.
Tickets to attend this event virtually are available by clicking this LINK

Lithium Potential in the UK
2021-11-11 18:00 - 19:00 UTC
The increase in the production of electric vehicles has caused the demand for lithium to soar. The Li supply, dominated by a handful of producing counties, is struggling to keep up. To mitigate supply risks for local manufacturers to and lower the global environmental impact of Li production numerous countries have started to investigate the potential for domestic supply. Exploration efforts in the UK are currently mainly focused on the Cornubian Batholith in Cornwall and Devon, but what about other areas?
Dr. Robin Armstrong, Mining Sector Leader at the Natural History Museum, will assess the Li Potential of the UK. Using his skills including mineralogy, geochemistry, field mapping and sampling, and geographical information systems, Robin primarily studies volcanic arc related styles of mineralization such as porphyry copper deposits and epithermal gold deposits. However, in recent years he has expanded his interests to include natural resources for the green economy and has worked on a range of Li deposits.
Dr. Armstrong will be presenting virtually. You can attend this session with others in MinSouth at The Counting House at 50 Cornhill by registering at this LINK. There is limited space in the room where the lecture will be held. You can also attend virtually. To find out the details to register virtually, register at this LINK.

MinSouth AGM and Gold Exploration in Wales presentation
2021-10-14 18:00 - 18:30 UTC
The MinSouth Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Thursday 14th October at 6pm as a hybrid meeting held physically at The Counting House, 50 Cornhill, London EC3V 3PD and virtually – registration details to follow. The MinSouth 2021 AGM agenda as well as the MinSouth 2020 AGM Minutes (Draft) are available at this Link.
Mike Armitage of SRK will be presenting “Gold Exploration in Wales – Past, Present and Future” at 18:30 on the 14th of October after the MinSouth Annual General Meeting. The presentation and questions will probably take about an hour. After the presentation, feel free to hang around to chat with others in attendance.
It will be held both physically at The Counting House and virtually. One must register to attend at Eventbrite. Space at The Counting House ‘Dining Room’ is limited . You can see if there is space to register by clicking this Physical Attendance Registration LINK
Alternatively, you can attend virtually, register by clicking on the Virtual Attendance Registration LINK

FINEX21
2021-10-13 00:00 UTC | The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BG, United Kingdom
FINEX21 is the seventh in the series of biennial conferences. It will be held on Wednesday, 13th October at The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG.
It will be a one day conference that will bring together individuals from across the full value chain of mining, and will focus on topics including:

Innovation in Mining
Mining as a Solution of the Zero-carbon economy

Talks will cover developments in capital and commodity markets, mineral deposit science
and innovation in exploration, from the standpoints of experts and professionals from banks,
finance houses, stockbrokers, exploration and mining companies and contractors. FINEX is
not an investment promotion forum but aims to provide a wider perspective on our industry.
A flyer for this event is available: FINEX21 Flyer
To register for this event, use this Link to Buy Tickets.

MinSouth SNAP: AI and machine vision for safety in operations
2021-07-13 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Virtually
Joe Carr, Mining Innovation Director at Axora will be presenting about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine vision for safety in operation at the MinSouth SNAP on the 13th of July.
Questions will be welcome after the presentation.
This can be registered for by clicking on the Link below.

Hope to see you there!
Best,
Colin Morrish, C.Eng. MIMMM
Communications Officer

MinSouth Snap - Metal Innovations, UK
2021-06-22 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Virtually
Gareth Thomas, Managing Director of Metal Innovations UK, will be introducing his company at a MinSouth Snap on Tuesday, the 22nd of June, 2021. Metal Innovations UK manufactures a modern tunnelling machine.
Click on the Metal Innovations – MinSouth logo below to register.

Indigenous Culture and Mining: Culture Change: A Bottom-up Approach
2021-06-21 23:00 (America/Toronto) | Virtually from Canada
On Canada’s National Indigenous People’s Day (the 21st of June), the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee will have a webinar from 23:00 until midnight. A summary:
Fitting a square peg into a round hole is never an easy task. So why are we as Indigenous people asked to give up a part of ourselves to fit into this corporate culture? Working in the mining industry shouldn’t be at the cost of changing cultural nuances or by losing language. Unfortunately, corporate culture has an expectation for Indigenous people to bend and change their way of doing things in order to meet their terms of success. With the majority of First Nations people in these companies in entry-level positions, it seems changing the majority for the comfort of a few may not be the best way to develop a culture of acceptance and prosperity. The challenges and microaggressions exist and awareness is necessary to transform the corporate culture to one that celebrates the cultures of others. An industry that embraces what Indigenous people can offer both professionally and culturally is critical in this time of reconciliation. Not only can employment within the mining industry help filter money back into our communities and help us prosper, it can help us share our experiences, our values, and our culture so it can be celebrated by all in partnership for a better relationships as the mining industry expands.
Kari Lentowicz

Prestige Lecture - Tin
2021-06-10 18:00 - 19:30 UTC
Owen Mihalop, MIMMM, C.Eng and Chief Operating Officer of Cornish Metals Inc. will deliver the Prestige Lecture on the subject of Tin, its uses, the market, operating mines and new mines coming on stream including South Crofty.
Note: after Owen completes his presentation, he will retire to the MinSouth Wonder Building to discuss tin further with whomever is interested. He will be in the Cornish Metals Room. The MinSouth Wonder Building can be reached by clicking the Image of this building below.

Owen Mihalop, MIMMM, C.Eng., has 20 years’ experience in the mining industry, ranging from grass-roots geological exploration through to production mining. He started his career as an exploration geologist and then gained experience in mining engineering and production in both open-pit and underground mines, following which he became a mining consultant specialising in feasibility studies, project management and project evaluation, gaining broad experience in the mining industry as a whole. In recent years he has concentrated on project development, advancing projects in Europe and Africa towards production. Owen is a Chartered Mining Engineer and a graduate of Camborne School of Mines and he is supported by a strong team of geologists and mining engineers from the local area who have a deep understanding of the United Downs Project and the South Crofty Project.
Registration for this event can be reached via this Eventbrite link – Registration

MinSouth Snap - Brumadinho tailings dam collapse: revealing ground deformation precursors using satellite InSAR
2021-05-18 13:00 UTC | Virtually
Doctor Stephen Grebby will be presenting this topic virtually at a MinSouth Snap on the 18th of May 2021 from 13:00-14:00 BST.
Dr Grebby is an Assistant Professor in Earth Observation in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham. He has a PhD in Geological Remote Sensing and his research interests are primarily in the development of airborne and satellite remote sensing techniques for application to geological mapping, natural resources exploration, and the mapping and monitoring of geohazards. Prior to joining the University of Nottingham, he worked for the British Geological Survey as a Remote Sensing Geoscientist for 5 years

If interested, it is free to attend. For registration, click this Link

Blockchain technology for the mining industry
2021-05-13 18:00 - 19:30 UTC
Blockchain technology for the mining industry: What is blockchain, where it works for us now and what is the bright and not-too-distant future for all mining industry stakeholders.
Tanya Matveeva will be presenting Blockchain technology for the mining industry: what is blockchain, where it works for us now and what is the bright and not-too-distant future for all mining industry stakeholders. This will be a joint presentation of MinSouth and Women In Mining – UK.

In this presentation, she will give a brief explanation of the inner workings of blockchain technology, history of its adoption in various spheres of our lives so far, both in finance and blockchain for enterprise – two very different applications, review where blockchain is already working for mining industry players and where we should be looking to learn what can and should be done soon.This promises to be an interesting lecture.
Registration can be done at this Link.

Tanya is an experienced exploration geologist focussed on connecting mining industry with developers of blockchain technology. Interested in all things disruptive to make mining better.
Started with BHP Minerals exploration group in Russia, Kazakhstan and Australia, then in Canada and later in several African countries.
Worked for major and junior mining companies, Alberta geological survey, mining consultancies, currently leading her own consultancy firm, KAMNI Chain Ltd., based in Canterbury, Kent, UK.
Work with large datasets in mineral exploration taught her respect for good data management practices.
Since learning about blockchain technology she realised the transformational potential of blockchain and now focus my work on developing applications of blockchain in mining space.
