Hi Adrian,



>the location of natural resources



>Champion of that theme



>Professor Tim Jickells.

>professor of the School of Environmental Sciences at the

>University of East Anglia. He is also director of the Laboratory for

>Global Marine & Atmospheric Chemistry



WHAT??????



The question to ask NERC is how are future natural resources to be located?  By further reducing the number of UK geoscience 

graduates who are capable of independant geological fieldwork? and support for education/research in mineral deposit 

formation/exploration??



It was clear at the Dublin SGA meeting that there is a real crunch, worldwide, in the availability of geoscience graduates to 

meet, not only the demand for postgraduate research, but also the needs of exploration/mining companies worldwide.



Right now, this is the fifth project I have been on (since 2005) where the financial backers/senior management has said

 "we cannot find any geologists to manage/carry out grassroots exploration".  When they contacted a large consultancy, 

the consultancy said they were also looking!  On this project:



The MD is a mining engineer (ex CSM) age 60 brought out of retirement

The chief geologist (ex Bula, CSA), is 67, also out of retirement

The next geologist is 55(!) and is doing the work of a 30-year old!!

The 4 local "geologists" trained in mineral processing, not geology



So, one geologist in the field, expected to work on 11 licences areas totalling 2000 km2!!  The project is stalling.



Working conditions are identical (i.e. adventurous but not unpleasant, local people unfailingly courteous) to my first job

 in Africa where the Project head was a geologist, 45, the chief geologist was 40, there were 8 field geologists all 

under 30, plus photogeologist, petrographer and geophysicist all in their late 30s.



There are lots of reasons for this current situation:



Closing departments in the 80's

Reducing mineral deposit funding in the 90s

Previous slumps - many exploration geologists aged 30-60 have left/retired

Lack of young role models/mentors to encourage young geos back

RAE - stifles field mapping projects/mineral deposit studies

RAE - unhealthy "teaching vs research" division in departments

Modular courses - don't want to do systematic mineralogy/hard stuff

Course fees - want to pass, not study hard subjects

Health and Safety - no more truly independant field work

Modern youth - lack of exposure/opportunity/don’t want to be alone outside/overseas



So, the long term outlook is projects are going to stall, commodity prices are going to remain high, and developing countries 

are not going to see properly executed efficient exploration programmes.



The stuff you sent from NERC?  What a lot of waffle!  If the RC are not going to fund the training of geoscientists for

 tomorrows exploration needs, then the only way out is for the big companies to a) fund schools directly, and b) lean on 

government/RC to reverse the decline.



Just got back from a 17 km traverse in 37 degrees, so you can understand that the pronouncements from NERC read

 like something from another planet!



All the best - Rob




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