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NewGenGold 2021 Confirmed programme to date:
Company Project Location
De Grey Mining Hemi WA
Newcrest Mining/Greatland Gold Havieron WA
something that will turn around a company from $1
Rio Tinto Winu WA
million to $1 billion, look at De Grey in the last 18
Apollo Consolidated Rebecca WA
months since the Hemi discovery. It is wonderful to
Stavely Minerals Cayley Lode Victoria achieve that after all the hard work.”
Montage Gold Koné Cote d’Ivoire
Australia’s gold discovery rate has turned a corner
Liberty Gold Black Pine US
in recent years after a fallow period in the 2010s.
OceanaGold WKP New Zealand Yates believes the combination of high gold prices
Newmont Saddle Canada and exploration innovation will mean the new era of
Fortuna Silver Mines/Roxgold Séguéla Cote d’Ivoire discovery has some time to run yet.
Moneta Porcupine Mines Tower Canada
“Exploration methods have changed a lot in my time in
Rio2 Fenix Chile the industry, geochemical and geophysical techniques
Predictive Discovery Bankan Guinea in particular have become more sophisticated thanks
to technological innovation, we can now analyse
makes for an able exploration geologist – of which there are down to the parts per billion,” he said.
many in Australia – and that is what we try to capture in the “We gather large amounts of data with this sophisticated
NewGenGold presentations and proceedings. equipment and high-powered computing allows us to
“The concept was to have a conference providing explorers evaluate it efficiently, certainly more efficiently than when we
with stories which are stimulating and try and repeat in their did so by hand.
own enterprises. That’s why you don’t see people hanging “Technology has given us more of an edge in exploration
about outside during the sessions, they want to soak up as which is increasingly important as we look for deposits
much as possible.” in deeper settings. If you look at the paper by Dan Wood
Yates believes there are few professional pursuits that [former executive general manager exploration at Newcrest]
can replicate exploration’s ability to completely change from 2017, he identified the need to deepen the search
the fortunes of a company overnight. He points to one of space if we are to continue making gold discoveries.
NewGenGold 2021’s headline acts (and GMJ’s cover story) “Being able to peer through that thick cover is an integral part
as a classic example. of the science now and industry is stepping up to the mark.
“Exploration is an exciting business, it is like playing a We will hear a lot about those techniques at NewGenGold
game where the prize is multimillion dollar discoveries,” he this year.”
said. “There are not many careers where you can work on That Yates retains his
enthusiasm for gold
exploration well into his ninth
decade says much about his
thirst for knowledge and the
allure of gold discovery.
“I, like others, look at Andy
Beckwith, Phil Tornaturna
and the team at De Grey
and think how exciting it is
for them,” he says. “Every
exploration geologist aspires
to that kind of success.”
NewGenGold has consistently
pulled a big crowd of eager
gold explorationists
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