EIG Conference 2022: Exeter

Wednesday 6th - Saturday 9th July

Conference Proceedings

Papers can now be accessed via the Proceedings page on the EIG website and the published version has been issued to delegates and presenters.

EIG 2022 - Conference Summary

The EIG Exeter 2022 conference took place between the 6th and 9th July 2022. The EIG conference was last held in Exeter in 1998! The conference was based at the Peter Chalk Centre at the University of Exeter.

A total of 32 full papers were presented covering the usual wide range of relevant topics, and three additional workshop presentations, see the programme download below.

The prestigious Ansel Dunham Lecture was given by Dr. Karen Hanghøj, Director of the British Geological Survey, who gave a talk on Critical Mineral Resources for the Energy Transition.

To complement that theme, and as a new direction this year we had a major plenary session on ‘Climate Change and Minerals’ at the start of Day 2, looking at what the industry needs to do (and is already doing) to help minimise and adapt to climate change.

Another new feature was the ‘Back to Basics’ workshop session, intended primarily for early career geologists, but also of interest to others looking to broaden or refresh their expertise on things such as mineral exploration, groundwater issues and quarry design.

Other topics covered this year ranged from the perennial subjects of geotechnics, resources and hydrogeology to the resource implications of Biodiversity Net Gain requirements, regulatory and legal issues and the practical applications of geochemistry in mineral development.

The EIG Exeter 2022 conference final programme can be downloaded here: EIG Exeter 2022 conference final programme

The details of the field trips undertaken are available on the conference fieldtrip page.

Keynote Lecture

The prestigious Ansel Dunham lecture was delivered at Durham by Dr. Karen Hanghøj.

Karen explored some of the challenges surrounding the exploration, responsible mining and supply of critical minerals offering a insight into how we might overcome these in the near future.

Conference Chair

The chair for the conference was Simon McCurdy (founder and consultant geologist for Evolution Geological).

Simon has worked in extractive industry geology for nearly 30 years, previously with operators such as Tarmac and Hanson, and more recently as a consultant after forming his own business.

He is a former chair of EIG, having previously led the delivery of the successful conference at the University of Birmingham in 2016.

Venue

The excellent conference facilities at
Exeter included the State-of-the-art lecture facilities at the Peter Chalk Centre including the main lecture Theatre A, with a tiered seating capacity of 350. The conference dinner was held at the Holland Conference Dining Hall with a dramatic Devonshire vista! (see left). Accommodation was provided on campus in the Holland Halls of residence.

Fieldtrips

The Conference field trip itinerary included 4 pre-conference options and a post-conference visit to Hemerdon Mine (image left).

Sponsorship

Many new sponsorship opportunities were taken at the EIG Exeter 2022 Conference. Many saw it as the ideal event to get their business noticed! See our sponsorship page to learn more.

The Major Sponsors were;

- Mineral Products Association

- Hanson &

- Geobrugg

Additional sponsors included;

Breedon, Bam Ritchies, British Gypsum, Cornish Lithium, Cuesta Consulting, GWP, Historic England, Imerys, Johnson Poole & Bloomer, Kemet, MaCarthy Taylor (LSS), Quarry Arts, Sibelco, SLR Consulting, Rock options Limited, and X-Ray Mineral Services .

Trade Exhibitors

Exhibitors included

Bam Ritchies, Dustscan AQ, Envireau Water, Geobrugg, The Geological Society, Geosonic, Geotechnics, GWP Consultants, Hafren Water, The Institute of Quarrying, Key GS - Richter, Land & Minerals Consulting, Maptek, McCarthy Taylor (LSS), Quarry Design, RS Hydro, Stantec, X-Ray Mineral Services.