"That’s what we’re trying to achieve with this forum: bringing all the people together with different backgrounds and create this community, which I don’t think fully exists right now.”

Jiajia Sun and Nadine Veillette preview SEG’s first Critical Minerals Forum for the mining community in North America. Critical minerals are becoming more important to energy systems, supply chains, and public policy, but finding them still depends on difficult subsurface decisions. The conversation shows why geophysics matters when it is integrated with geology, geochemistry, drilling, and uncertainty. For students and working geophysicists, this is a growing area where technical skill, communication, and practical decision-making all matter.

Learn more about the Critical Minerals Forum at https://seg.org/calendar_events/critical-minerals-forum/.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

> Integration is now central to critical mineral exploration: Geophysics is most useful when it helps test geological ideas, reduce uncertainty, and guide better decisions about where to collect data or drill.

> Mining creates a different mindset for geophysicists: Compared with oil and gas, mineral exploration often works with sparser drilling, smaller budgets, and more variable geological systems.

> Critical minerals are opening new career paths: The field needs geophysicists who can combine imaging, inversion, AI, geology, communication, and decision-focused workflows.

ABOUT SEISMIC SOUNDOFF

Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly. See the full archive at https://seg.org/resources/podcast/.