Exploration geologists are often faced with a situation where they are asked to find the Holy Grail with a small budget. In the past, potential deposits are often missed due to a lack of funding or poor targeting techniques. CSIRO has been providing solutions to the mineral exploration industry for many decades.

The whole concept of understanding the weathering profile or regolith is the key to many discoveries. In this episode of Coffee with Samso, I speak to Ryan Noble who is the Principal Research Scientist for CSIRO. He works for the mineral resource business unit.

Ryan shares with us the concept of using bore water to vector into potential mineralisation geology. This technique is being used with Moho Resources Limited (ASX: MOH). Ryan is working with Moho Resources on the Emperor Springs Gold Project in Queensland, Australia.

 

About Ryan Noble:

Current activities: Ultrafine fraction soils for mineral exploration, active/smart sampling for exploration, gas geochemistry for exploration through cover, commercialisation of UltraFine+, continental-scale hydrogeochemistry, rapid and field-portable sampling and analysis for greenfields mineral exploration, role of fungi in the transformation of gold.

Past President of the Association of Applied Geochemists (Chair Awards and Medals Committee), Executive Board member of Earth Science Western Australia, Member of Geoconferences WA subcommittee.

Sept 2011 -June 2014

Stream Leader (Education and Analytical Services) Responsibilities: Manage projects and project leaders, reporting, project delivery and the stream budget. Run seminars, Interns, promotion activities and develop Advanced Characterisation services.

Aug 2011 - Oct 2014

Research Team Leader Responsibilities:

Manage Aqueous Geochemistry research team members (5-8) for capability development and deployment, annual performance, HSE and routine approvals.

 

Research Scientist and Laboratory Manager Projects: Uranium hydrogeochemistry, biogeochemistry and mechanisms of metal migration in soils, evolution of SO4 and NO3 related to sulfide weathering, monitoring techniques for carbon capture and storage in soil and groundwater, micro- and nano-crystal formation to simulate natural metal enrichment zones in soils and saprolite, regional hydrogeochemical mapping, hydrogeochemistry near trace metal-rich soils and rocks, predictive modelling of lithology using plant and soil chemistry, hydropedology of the WA wheat belt including studies on acid water and acid sulfate sediments, development and assessment of novel approaches to soil characterisation by soil partial extractions, reactive transport modelling of trace metal mobility related to saprolite weathering reactions.

Skills: Laboratory management, General soils, regolith and water laboratory techniques, Ion Chromatography, Infrared Mineral Analyzer (ASD), C and S combustion analyzer, Scanning Electron Microscopy.