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• Understanding the Impact and Value of Publicly Available Precompetitive Geoscience Data for Mineral Exploration; Lessons to be Learned for the U. S.

  • When
    06 May 2025
  •  
    5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Hexagon Office at 40 East Congress Street, Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701
  • Registered
    31 registrants

  Register

  
  

  Arizona Geological Society
  

  2025 Speaker Series

  Tuesday,  6 May 2025 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM

  Location:  Hexagon Mining Division Office

  40 East Congress Street, Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701

  
  

  Parking: On the street or parking garage (Old Pueblo Parking)

  Social Hour with Sandwiches from Beyond Bread (5:30-6:30 PM), Presentation (6:35 PM)

  For those planning to attend the event, please register by 6:00 PM on Sunday,  March 4, 2025

  For those unable to attend here is the MSTeams URL

  
  

  The Arizona Geological Society thanks Hexagon

  for generously providing the venue and drinks

  
  

  Understanding the Impact and Value of Publicly Available Precompetitive Geoscience Data for Mineral Exploration; Lessons to be Learned for the U. S.

  Dr. Simon M. Jowitt

  Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology,

  Nevada State Geologist & Arthur Brant Chair of

  Exploration Geology at the University of Nevada Reno

  Abstract:  Publicly available (also known as precompetitive) geoscience data is vital not just to further our understanding of surface and subsurface geology and for other crucial areas of research such as natural hazards, environmental research, and agriculture but is especially crucial to support and derisk mineral exploration and to enable efficient and effective resource discovery and extraction. The geological, geophysical, geochemical and other data types generated by precompetitive data acquisition programs can be used by industry to identify areas that are highly prospective for different mineral systems, acting to stimulate mineral exploration and to reduce the expense and risk associated with this activity. This also acts to increase the attractiveness of areas with good quality precompetitive geoscience data to the minerals industry, resulting in increased exploration spend and investment. Research into the return on investment in precompetitive data in jurisdictions like Australia and Canada has demonstrated significant positive outcomes in terms of employment, improved security of supply of mineral and metal supply chains, and contributions to the domestic economy. Increasing the amount of support for programs like the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) will likely result in similar returns on investment, with the longevity of use of precompetitive geoscientific data meaning that the information generated by these programs will likely be used, and will likely have significant impact, for decades to come.

  
  

  Bio: Simon M. Jowitt is the Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the Nevada State Geologist, and the Arthur Brant Chair of Exploration Geology at the University of Nevada Reno  He has degrees from the University of Edinburgh, the Camborne School of Mines, and the University of Leicester, all in the UK and spent eight years at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia before moving to spend seven years as an Assistant and then tenured Associate Professor of Economic Geology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Simon joined the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2023 and his research focuses on the use of geochemistry to unravel geological processes in a variety of settings with direct application to understanding not only mineralizing systems but also igneous petrology, mineral exploration, global tectonics and the links between magmatism and metallogeny. He has also undertaken extensive research on mineral economics, global metal resources and the security of supply of the critical elements, and the “economic” side of economic geology. Simon has published more than 120 scientific papers and peer-reviewed book chapters since 2010 and was awarded the SEG’s Waldemar Lindgren Award in 2014.

  
  

  
  

  Hexagon Mining Division Office - 40 East Congress Street,

  Suite 150, Tucson, Arizona 85701

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• Spring Field Trip - Some Carbonate Rock Alteration Examples from Superior to San Manuel

  • When
    10 May 2025
  •  
    8:45 AM - 6:15 PM
  • Location
    South end of Apache Leap Road - 3 miles south of Superior on HWY 177

  Register

  
  

  

  Some Carbonate Rock Alteration Examples from Superior to

  San Manuel,

  Pinal County, Arizona

  May 10, 2025

  AGS Trip Organizer - Dave Maher

  Arizona Geological Society invites those interested to join the field trip as we visit the Superior Area in Pinal County, Arizona on Saturday May 10, 2025.

  
  

  Bridge on US 60 crossing Queen Creek east of Superior Arizona

  Brief Itinerary

  For those in the Tucson area, we’ll meet at the NW side of Trader Joes parking lot (Oracle and Magee) at 7:00 AM (MST) on Saturday, May 10th.  We will depart from that location at 7:15 AM.

  For those traveling from Phoenix or elsewhere, plan to meet the Tucson crew at the south end of Apache Leap Rd (~3 mi south of Superior; look for the sign for “Kalamazoo Materials”) at 8:45 AM (Tucson folks should arrive by 9 AM MST).

  If you're not coming from Tucson, check registration list for others who live in our area to arrange your own car pooling.

  Park at dirt road located approximately 0.8 miles east of the intersection of Apache Leap Road and HWY 177.

  
  

  
  

  Meeting Location for Field Trip

  We encourage and will help facilitate car-pooling from the Tucson and Phoenix areas.  All vehicles should have high clearance.

  9:00 AM - Carbonate Hill Hike - Review distal MnOx/replacement in carbonates. Superior district overview and quick review of regional/local geology.  Look at distal carbonate-hosted veins/replacements and discuss implications for additional porphyry centers.

  10:00 AM - Drive to Concentrator Fault Stop.

  10:10 AM - Quick intro to Superior area geology, Resolution deposit, and Magma Vein, Superior West Project, zoning drilling history, and implications for additional porphyry centers.  Look at altered carbonate rocks (Ym- Mescal Limestone) in outcrop.  Review selected rock samples and core from previous drilling in area, compare unaltered and variably altered carbonate samples and discuss implications for local geology/porphyry deposits/scales of systems and exploration implications.

  10:40 AM - Drive to Superior District Overview at corral stop.

  11:00 AM - Arm-wave Superior area geology.  Quick intro to regional geology, Resolution (carbonate alteration - Mike's Thesis poster figures), Tw (Whitetail Conglomerate) in Arboretum (point data for those interested in a future trip - not a stop today), Copper King area and "marble halos", etc.

  11:30 AM - Stop at Circle K (quick bathroom break)

  11:50 AM - Drive to Queen Creek roadside stop just east of Superior

  12:00 PM - Queen Creek MnOx stop. Talk about Magma Vein/Resolution deposit/expressions of distal porphyry-related alteration and look at tilted Paleozoic carbonate rocks and weak distal alteration and Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization related to Resolution.

  12:30 PM - Drive to Qmya Quarry gate.

  12:45 PM - Copper King project and Lunch Stop.  Quick project overview, look at road material from quarry and boulders at gate (variably altered/mineralized Me (Escabrosa Limestone) and hand samples of fresh to altered rocks from Omya Quarry and discuss implications.

  1:45 PM - Travel to Mammoth, Arizona 

  2:45 PM - Stop at Circle K at Mammoth (quick bathroom break)

  3:00 PM - Stop at Mammoth Miners Memorial

  3:45 PM - Back Reef overview stop. Look at rocks from historic mine in Me (Escabrosa Limestone) east of Table Mountain.

  4:15 PM - Drive to Little Black Hills area.

  4:45 PM - Look at Little Black Hills quarry dump piles, look at select rock samples from other outcrops in Little Black Hills.

  5:15 PM - Return to Tucson

  6:15 PM - Arrive at Trader Joes Parking Lot.

  
  

  Cost:  Free - No Guidebook

  
  

  Lunch:  Please bring your own lunch, snacks and drinks.  Dave will have several coolers with water and ice.

  
  

  Recommended Field Gear - Please have good boots/footwear and a hat. Most of the stops will be close to the vehicles/short walks.  The first stop is a bit of a hike with an option for a walk around for anyone that doesn’t want to climb a hill (< 100 m elevation, @ 500 meters walk).
  

  
  

  Liability Wavier - A Liability Wavier Form for all field trip participants can be downloaded at:

  Link -https://arizonageologicalsoc.org/resources/Documents/Field%20Trips/FieldTripReleaseForm%20-3-22-2022.pdf

  To expedite registration, participants are encouraged to bring a signed copy of this form with them on the morning of the field trip.  Additional copies will be available at the check-in for those who forget.

  Contact Info - For questions, please reach out to Dave Maher (dmaher@broncocreek.com)

  
  

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