All Episodes
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro — 178 episodes · page 1 of 2
EP 179 | Tungsten – Part 1: Understanding the Price Surge and Global Supply Chain
EP 178 | Inferred Resources in Mine Planning: Practice vs Reporting
EP 177 | Rethinking Grade Control: When Ordinary Kriging Isn't Enough
EP 176 | Evolving Air Quality Regulations: A Catalyst for Electric Machine Adoption
EP 174 | Platinum: Is It Worth Its Weight in Gold?
EP 173 | The Theory of Sampling: Why Every Mining Decision Begins with a Representative Sample
EP 172 | Tailings Are Not Just Relocated Ore: The Nuances of Tailings Mineral Resource Estimates
EP 171 | Part 2 of 2: Managing Uncertainty - How Better Grade Control Leads to Better Decisions
EP 175 | Why Resource & Reserve Reconciliation Matters
EP 170 | Part 1 of 2: Why the Most Expensive Mistake in Grade Control Isn't Low Grade
EP 169 | Why Good Estimates Can Still Produce Poor Reconciliation
EP 168 | When Geology Isn't Enough - Using Categorical Indicator Kriging to Model Diffuse Mineralisation
EP 166 | What Consultants See That Mine Sites Miss: Lessons in Mine-to-Mill Reconciliation
EP 164 | Critical vs Strategic Minerals: Which Commodities Matter Most?
EP 163 | Critical vs Strategic Minerals: What's the Difference?
EP 162 | AI in Mining: Tool or Threat to Geologists?
EP 161 | Private vs Public Mining Companies: CRIRSCO Compliance Explained
EP 157 | Part 4 of 7: Localised Conditional Simulation
EP 156 | Part 3 of 7: Conditional Simulation
EP 159 | Part 6 of 7: How Simulation Influences Mine Planning Decisions
EP 158 | Part 5 of 7: Understanding Uncertainty in Mineral Resource Estimation
EP 167 | Behind the Paper: Enhancing Underground Mine Reconciliation
EP 160 | Part 7 of 7: Case Study - Applying Localised Conditional Simulation at Bullabulling
EP 165 | Where Geology Meets Engineering: The Role of Geotechnical Core Logging
EP 155 | Part 2 of 7: Recoverable Resource Methods
EP 154 | Part 1 of 7: Foundations of Modern Resource Estimation
EP 153: The Genesis of Australia's Nickel Industry
Ep 152: If You Sign It, You Own It: The Reality of Reserve Sign-Off
Ep 151: When Bigger Isn't Better: Rethinking Resource Model Size
Ep150: Mineral Resource Estimation: What Really Is "Industry Standard"?
Ep 149: Building Resource Estimation Logic in Excel
EP 148: Simulation Is Not Estimation - rethinking uncertainty in mining
Ep 138: From Scoping to Feasibility: How to nail cost estimation at every stage
Ep 134: The Interface Challenge - bridging the gap between geologists and mining engineers
EP 136: Why Smart Geologists Script Their Way to Better Estimates
EP 133: Cleaner, Quieter, Safer: Why Underground Mining Is Going Electric
Ep 132: Grade Control - the key to reliable reconciliation
Ep 146: How Machine Learning Can Close the Gap Between Grade Control and Resources. Part 2
Ep 147: Raising the Bar: AI-Driven Innovation in Mine Planning
Ep 145: Convolution is not what happens to your cables in the field truck! Part 2
Ep 144: When Resource Models Get It Wrong: Can CNNs Help? Part 1
Ep 143 Convolution Without the Maths: a practical guide for Mine Geologists
Ep 142: Mining's Blind Spot - when Geology and Metallurgy don't talk
Ep 140: Sandwich Conveyors Explained: high-angle haulage up to 90 degrees
Ep 137: From Tea Bags to Ore Bodies: Ian Glacken's Mentoring Journey
Ep 141: Mineable Shape Optimisation (MSO) - where geology, cost, and design intersect
Ep 139: IPCC or Strategic Conveying – what are we really talking about?
EP 135: Fast-Tracking IPCC Feasibility: A Smarter Way to Evaluate In-Pit Crushing and Conveying
Ep 131: Grade Control - at the heart of every successful mine
Ep 130: Comminution Circuits Explained: Maximise Throughput, Minimise Costs
Ep 129: Streamlining Mineral Resource Workflows: Smarter, Faster, Better
Ep 128: Sampling mistakes that could cost millions
Ep 127: AI in Mining: Hype, Reality, and What's Next
Ep 126: The Hidden World of Silica Sands
Ep 125: Inside the Black Box: essential guide to plant sampling
Ep 124: Stochastic Mine Planning - Evolving approaches to manage uncertainty
Ep:123. Why Sampling Can Make or Break a Mine - Part 1 of 3
Ep 122: Mining the Margins - What makes nickel laterites so complex
Ep 121: Power Shift: Why the Mining Industry Is Going Electric
Ep 120: How Final is Your Final Pit?
Ep 119: The Dangerous Comfort of One Mine Plan
Ep 118: Resurrecting Gold Projects - The Data Dilemma
Ep 117: The Hidden Number That Changes Your Mine Plan. Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro
Ep 116: From Models to Money: Getting Resource Estimates Right
Ep 115: What Resource Geologists Need to Know About Mine Planning. Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro
Ep 114: The Cutoff Grade Strategy That Can Boost Your NPV by 20%
Ep 113: Measured? Not so fast! Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro
Episode 112: Financing Mines: The Investment Bank Role. Part 2
Ep 111: Reading Between the Lines. Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro
Ep 110: Financing Mines - what banks really look for
Ep 109: Part 2 - Resource Classification in Practice
108: Processing the Risk: Metallurgy in Mining Due Diligence
107: Unlocking Gold - tackling refractory ores
106: Practical Realities of Resource Classification
105: The Hidden Lever in Mine Planning
104: Cut-Off Grades - Small Number Big Impact
103: Tin, Copper and Cornish Ingenuity
102: Cleaner - Quieter - Safer
101: Machine Learning - Case Study
100: A thorny and divisive topic!
99: Modelling & Managing Resource Depletion
98 - Pre-Feasibility Studies
97 - Recoverable Resources versus Recoverable Reserves PART 2
96 - Geometallurgical Sampling
95 - Recoverable Resources versus Recoverable Reserves PART 1
94 - Inside Large Open Pit Mine Planning
93 - Panel Discussion on Mine Electrification – its impact on strategic mine planning
92 - Detrending
91 - Declustering Techniques
90 - Trolley Assist
89 - Managing mining studies
88 - Underground Mine Electrification
87 - Cut-off Grades - PART 2
86 - The Importance of Pit Phasing in Open Pit Mine Planning
85 - Cut-off Grades
84 - Geometallurgical Modelling. Fresh Thinking Podcast
83 - Key Insights into the Mineral Resource Review Processes - Part 2
82 - Review of Mineral Resources - Overview
81 - The History and origins of Geometallurgy
80 - What Mining Engineers Need to Know About Resource Estimation