PODCAST · science
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro
by Snowden Optiro
News and information from the world of geology and mining, Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro provides a new perspective on the mining industry and seeks to educate on best practice.Snowden Optiro is a resources consulting and advisory group that provides independent advice, consulting and training to mining and exploration companies, their advisors and investors.We help mine developers to advance their projects, mining companies to improve their operations and their professionals, and investors to derisk their investments by the provision of quality advice, training and software in the field of Mineral Resources and Mineral/Ore [email protected] Optiro Mining Advisory Consulting, Software and Training.
Episodes
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EP 179 | Tungsten – Part 1: Understanding the Price Surge and Global Supply Chain
In this episode of Snowden Optiro's Fresh Thinking podcast, Julian Aldridge, Regional Director – EMEAA, is joined by Melanie Bulley, Senior Consultant, and Laurie Hassall, Principal Consultant, for the first discussion in a two-part series on tungsten. The discussion examines tungsten from a…
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EP 178 | Inferred Resources in Mine Planning: Practice vs Reporting
Inferred Mineral Resources are the lowest-confidence Mineral Resource category, but what role should they play in mine planning? In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Tarrant Elkington is joined by Allan Earl, Executive Consultant at Snowden Optiro, to discuss the practical and regulatory...
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EP 177 | Rethinking Grade Control: When Ordinary Kriging Isn't Enough
When does ordinary kriging stop being the best approach for grade control? In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Ian Glacken, Executive Consultant, and Dr Gregory Zhang, Senior Consultant at @SnowdenOptiro , explore direct SMU estimation and the circumstances where conventional ordinary kriging may...
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EP 176 | Evolving Air Quality Regulations: A Catalyst for Electric Machine Adoption
Changing workplace exposure limits could become an important driver of battery electric vehicle adoption in underground mining. In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro, Hamish Guthrie is joined by Sarah de Vries to discuss Sarah's recent presentation at The Electric Mine Conference...
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EP 174 | Platinum: Is It Worth Its Weight in Gold?
Platinum is one of the world's rarest and most geographically concentrated metals, with applications spanning the automotive, industrial, jewellery and emerging hydrogen sectors. But what does its evolving supply and demand outlook mean for the mining industry? In this episode of Fresh Thinking…
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EP 173 | The Theory of Sampling: Why Every Mining Decision Begins with a Representative Sample
Was the sample representative? Every geological model, resource estimate, grade control decision and reconciliation result ultimately depends on the quality of the samples behind it. In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Melanie Bulley is joined by Senzeni Mandava Matondi to…
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EP 172 | Tailings Are Not Just Relocated Ore: The Nuances of Tailings Mineral Resource Estimates
Tailings Mineral Resource Estimates can appear straightforward. The material has already been mined, crushed, processed and deposited in one location — but tailings facilities present their own unique set of technical challenges. In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro , Senzeni…
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EP 171 | Part 2 of 2: Managing Uncertainty - How Better Grade Control Leads to Better Decisions
In Part 2 of our Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro two-part series, host Melanie Bully is joined by Senzeni Matondi to continue the discussion on why the most expensive mistake in grade control isn't necessarily mining low-grade material — it's making the wrong decision about whether material is…
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EP 175 | Why Resource & Reserve Reconciliation Matters
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Rayleen Hargreaves, Principal Consultant at Datamine and Product Owner of Reconcilor, talks with Ian Glacken, Executive Consultant at Snowden Optiro, about the importance of reconciling mineral resources and reserves across the mine value…
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EP 170 | Part 1 of 2: Why the Most Expensive Mistake in Grade Control Isn't Low Grade
What if the most expensive mistake in grade control isn't mining low-grade material — but making the wrong decision about what is ore and what is waste? In this two-part episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Senzeni Matondi, Principal Consultant, joins Melanie Bully, Senior Consultant, to...
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EP 169 | Why Good Estimates Can Still Produce Poor Reconciliation
If your resource model is statistically robust, why doesn't it always reconcile with production? In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Melanie Bulley and Senzeni Mandava Matondi explore why good resource estimates can still lead to disappointing reconciliation results. They discuss...
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EP 168 | When Geology Isn't Enough - Using Categorical Indicator Kriging to Model Diffuse Mineralisation
How do you model mineralisation when geological boundaries aren't clearly defined? In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro , Senior Consultant, Melanie Bulley is joined by Principal Consultant, Senzeni Matondi to explore how Categorical Indicator Kriging (CIK) can be used to model...
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EP 166 | What Consultants See That Mine Sites Miss: Lessons in Mine-to-Mill Reconciliation
What do consultants see that mine sites often miss? In this episode of Fresh Thinking bySnowden Optiro, Rayleen Hargreaves is joined by Ian Glacken to discuss the most common mine-to-mill reconciliation challenges, from stockpile management and siloed teams to understanding variance and improving...
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EP 164 | Critical vs Strategic Minerals: Which Commodities Matter Most?
Which commodities matter most in the global race for critical and strategic minerals? In this episode of @SnowdenOptiro Fresh Thinking podcast, Senzeni Mandava Matondi is joined by Julian Aldridge and Laurie Hassall to explore the commodities that consistently appear on critical minerals lists...
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EP 163 | Critical vs Strategic Minerals: What's the Difference?
What makes a mineral critical? What makes it strategic? And why are governments around the world racing to secure supplies of certain commodities? In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro , Senzeni Mandava Matondi, Julian Aldridge, and Laurie Hassell explore the growing importance of...
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EP 162 | AI in Mining: Tool or Threat to Geologists?
Will AI replace geologists? In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro , we explore how artificial intelligence is being used across the mining industry, from exploration targeting and core logging to resource estimation and technical reporting. Our team discusses the opportunities AI...
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EP 161 | Private vs Public Mining Companies: CRIRSCO Compliance Explained
What are the key differences between private mining companies and publicly listed mining companies when it comes to project development, risk, and reporting? In this episode of @SnowdenOptiro 's Fresh Thinking podcast, Senior Consultant, Laurie Hassall speaks with Managing Consultant, Julian...
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EP 157 | Part 4 of 7: Localised Conditional Simulation
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Ian Glacken and Susan Havlin explore localised conditional simulation (LCS) and its role in modern resource estimation workflows. Building on earlier discussions around estimation methods, recoverable resources, and conditional simulation, this...
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EP 156 | Part 3 of 7: Conditional Simulation
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro, Susan Havlin and Ian Glacken explore the fundamentals of conditional simulation and its role in modelling grade variability and uncertainty in mineral resource estimation. They discuss how simulation differs from traditional methods like...
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EP 159 | Part 6 of 7: How Simulation Influences Mine Planning Decisions
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro, Susan Havlin speaks with Tarrant Elkington about the mine planning implications of simulation. The conversation explores: Why resource models are fundamental to mine planning and project evaluation The impact of grade variability and smoothing…
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EP 158 | Part 5 of 7: Understanding Uncertainty in Mineral Resource Estimation
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro, Susan Havlin and Ian Glacken discuss uncertainty in mineral resource estimation and how Localised Conditional Simulation (LCS) provides a more practical framework for analysing geological risk and variability. The conversation explores:...
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EP 167 | Behind the Paper: Enhancing Underground Mine Reconciliation
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Ian Glacken and Rayleen Hargreaves discuss their conference paper, "Enhancing Underground Mine Reconciliation: A Unified F and R Series Framework," co-authored with Tarrant Elkington and Arja Jewbali and presented at the AusIMM International...
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EP 160 | Part 7 of 7: Case Study - Applying Localised Conditional Simulation at Bullabulling
In the final episode of our 7-part series on recoverable resources and localised conditional simulation (LCS), Susan Havlin from @SnowdenOptiro is joined by Bruce Kendall, Technical Advisor at Minerals 260, to discuss the application of LCS at the Bullabulling Gold Project in Western Australia....
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EP 165 | Where Geology Meets Engineering: The Role of Geotechnical Core Logging
In this episode of Snowden Optiro's Fresh Thinking Podcast, Hamish Guthrie speaks with Principal Geotechnical Engineer Ezilma Dias about the role of geotechnical core logging in mine design, ground stability and risk management. Learn why quality core logging is fundamental to understanding rock...
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EP 155 | Part 2 of 7: Recoverable Resource Methods
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro , we explore recoverable resource methods and how they help bridge the gap between resource models and what is actually mined. We discuss key approaches used across the industry, including Uniform Conditioning (UC) and Multiple Indicator Kriging...
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EP 154 | Part 1 of 7: Foundations of Modern Resource Estimation
Episode 154 of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro kicks off a 7-part series on modern resource estimation. In this episode, we cover the fundamentals of ordinary kriging, its strengths and limitations, and introduce key concepts like grade smoothing, SMU, and recoverable resources. Featuring Ian...
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EP 153: The Genesis of Australia's Nickel Industry
Discover the fascinating origins of Australia's nickel industry in this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro. Principal Consultant, Jan Graham, sits down with Executive Consultant, Ian Glacken, to explore the pivotal moment that sparked it all—the discovery of nickel at Kambalda in 1966....
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Ep 152: If You Sign It, You Own It: The Reality of Reserve Sign-Off
What does it really mean to sign off on a mineral reserve? In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Tarrant Elkington (General Manager, Snowden Optiro) is joined by Allan Earl (Executive Consultant Mining) to discuss the real responsibility behind reserve sign-off and what it takes to stand behind it...
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Ep 151: When Bigger Isn't Better: Rethinking Resource Model Size
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Jamie Oppelaar (Senior Consultant) and Tarrant Elkington (General Manager) discuss a growing challenge in mining: resource models are getting bigger and bigger. More blocks, more attributes, more simulations. While this can improve geological...
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Ep150: Mineral Resource Estimation: What Really Is "Industry Standard"?
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, our General Manager Dr Tarrant Elkington speaks with Senior Consultant Dr Gregory (Greg) Zhang about a common question in the mining industry: what is the real industry standard in mineral resource estimation? Drawing on experience reviewing...
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Ep 149: Building Resource Estimation Logic in Excel
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Susan Havlin (Managing Consultant APAC) speaks with Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Consultant APAC) about using Excel as a transparent learning environment for geostatistics. Rather than relying on black-box software, they explore how building the logic step by step…
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EP 148: Simulation Is Not Estimation - rethinking uncertainty in mining
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Ian Glacken (Executive Consultant) and Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Consultant) discuss one of the most important topics in modern resource modelling: uncertainty. From the long-standing debate of simulation vs estimation, to the growing focus on geological...
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Ep 138: From Scoping to Feasibility: How to nail cost estimation at every stage
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Hamish Guthrie (Managing Consultant – Mining) joins Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Consultant – Geology) to explore the fundamentals of cost estimation across the mining study pipeline. Hamish shares practical insights from his more than 30 years in...
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Ep 134: The Interface Challenge - bridging the gap between geologists and mining engineers
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Tarrant Elkington (Snowden Optiro General Manager) joins Susan Havlin (Managing Consultant APAC) to explore the all-too-common disconnect between geologists and mining engineers. Tarrant talks about the results from the more than 100 professionals that…
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EP 136: Why Smart Geologists Script Their Way to Better Estimates
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Dr Gregory (Greg) Zhang and Jenny Dalrymple, both Senior Consultants at Snowden Optiro, share how automation and scripting can transform the mineral resource estimation process - saving time, improving accuracy, and creating an auditable, repeatable workflow.…
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EP 133: Cleaner, Quieter, Safer: Why Underground Mining Is Going Electric
In this Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro podcast episode, Hamish Guthrie (Managing Consultant APAC) chats with Sarah de Vries (Principal Consultant Mining) about the fast-evolving world of underground mine electrification. Sarah explains how battery-electric vehicles are transforming the way...
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Ep 132: Grade Control - the key to reliable reconciliation
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, our host Dr Gregory Zhang is joined by Ian Glacken, Executive Consultant - a leading expert in grade control and reconciliation. They explore why reconciliation is fundamental to every mine, how grade control fits into the mine value chain, and what makes…
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Ep 146: How Machine Learning Can Close the Gap Between Grade Control and Resources. Part 2
Ian Glacken (Executive Consultant geology) and Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Consultant Geology) explore how machine learning and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can be used to bridge the gap between grade control data and resource estimation, and why treating resource models as static can hold...
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Ep 147: Raising the Bar: AI-Driven Innovation in Mine Planning
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Susan Havlin (Managing Consultant) speaks with Dr Tarrant Elkington (Snowden Optiro General Manager) about extending generative AI into coding practical engineering solutions. They discuss how mining engineers and scientists can use AI tools to...
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Ep 145: Convolution is not what happens to your cables in the field truck! Part 2
Gregory Zhang (Senior Geology Consultant) to talk about what convolution actually means in a geostatistical and geological context, and how it shows up in tools ranging from moving averages to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Building on part one of the conversation, they focus on practical...
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Ep 144: When Resource Models Get It Wrong: Can CNNs Help? Part 1
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Ian Glacken and Dr Gregory Zhang explore why mineral resource models and grade control models often fail to reconcile and how convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can help bridge that gap. This is Part 1 of a 2 part series. The discussion focuses on early-stage...
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Ep 143 Convolution Without the Maths: a practical guide for Mine Geologists
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Senior Consultant Jamie Oppelaar is joined by Dr Gregory Zhang, Senior Consultant at Snowden Optiro, to explore what convolution really means in a geostatistical and mine planning context. Jamie and Greg walk through how it already shows up in everyday resource...
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Ep 142: Mining's Blind Spot - when Geology and Metallurgy don't talk
In this episode of the Fresh Thinking podcast, Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Geology Consultant) is joined by Dr Leon Lorenzen (Executive Consultant Metallurgy) to talk about the practical realities of geometallurgy and why linking geology, mineralogy and processing really matters. The conversation...
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Ep 140: Sandwich Conveyors Explained: high-angle haulage up to 90 degrees
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Tarrant Elkington (General Manager, Snowden Optiro) is joined by Joseph A. Dos Santos (Joe) (Dos Santos International, Marietta, Georgia) to explore high-angle conveying and the sandwich conveyor. They break down how sandwich conveyors "hug"…
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Ep 137: From Tea Bags to Ore Bodies: Ian Glacken's Mentoring Journey
In this episode of the Fresh Thinking Podcast, Principal Consultant Matt Walker (now Senior Resource Geologist with Genesis Minerals) sat down with Snowden Optiro's Executive Consultant Ian Glacken to explore the value of mentoring in geoscience. Ian reflects on the mentors who shaped his long...
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Ep 141: Mineable Shape Optimisation (MSO) - where geology, cost, and design intersect
Mineable Shape Optimisation (MSO) sits at the intersection of geology, mining engineering, and economics. Used well, it helps teams move beyond theoretical resources and towards designs that reflect what will actually be mined. In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Dr Gregory Zhang (Senior Resource...
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Ep 139: IPCC or Strategic Conveying – what are we really talking about?
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Tarrant Elkington (General Manager, Snowden Optiro) is joined by Markus Dammers (Director, IPCC & Conveyors, Metso) to talk about what IPCC really means in practice, and whether "strategic conveying" is a more useful way to frame the...
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EP 135: Fast-Tracking IPCC Feasibility: A Smarter Way to Evaluate In-Pit Crushing and Conveying
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Dr Tarrant Elkington (General Manager, Snowden Optiro) and Markus Dammers (Director IPCC & Conveyors, Metso) explore their rapid screening tool designed to speed up evaluation of In-Pit Crushing and Conveying (IPCC) options. They discuss how…
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Ep 131: Grade Control - at the heart of every successful mine
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Dr Gregory Zhang is joined by Ian Glacken, Executive Consultant at Snowden Optiro, to discuss the crucial role of grade control drilling and modelling. Grade control may seem like a technical detail, but it sits at the very heart of every successful mining...
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Ep 130: Comminution Circuits Explained: Maximise Throughput, Minimise Costs
Getting your comminution circuit right is critical for the success of any mining project. In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Tarrant Elkington (General Manager, Snowden Optiro) is joined by Dr. Leon Lorenzen (Executive Consultant), who brings over 40 years of experience in processing and plant...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
News and information from the world of geology and mining, Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro provides a new perspective on the mining industry and seeks to educate on best practice.Snowden Optiro is a resources consulting and advisory group that provides independent advice, consulting and training to mining and exploration companies, their advisors and investors.We help mine developers to advance their projects, mining companies to improve their operations and their professionals, and investors to derisk their investments by the provision of quality advice, training and software in the field of Mineral Resources and Mineral/Ore [email protected] Optiro Mining Advisory Consulting, Software and Training.
HOSTED BY
Snowden Optiro
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How many episodes does Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro have?
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro currently has 178 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro about?
News and information from the world of geology and mining, Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro provides a new perspective on the mining industry and seeks to educate on best practice.Snowden Optiro is a resources consulting and advisory group that provides independent advice, consulting and training...
How often does Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro release new episodes?
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro publishes regularly with 178 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro?
You can listen to Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro?
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro is created and hosted by Snowden Optiro.
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