Mineral resources and responsible supply
The partner interview
Michel Jébrak Professor Emeritus at the University of Quebec in Montreal, member of BRGM’s Science Committee
What is the “Mineral System” approach?
Michel Jébrak – It is a comprehensive and systematic methodology used in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration to gain an understanding of and assess the potential for deposits in a given area. Based on work that began in France as early as the 1970s, particularly at BRGM which was already characterising types of mineral deposits, the approach has been fully implemented since the 2000s for mineral exploration, mainly in Australia and subsequently in many Nordic countries and Canada. The rise in power of IT tools such as geographic information systems (GIS) and the emergence of big data and large databases have had two major consequences in this area. First, they facilitate interdisciplinary work, whereas we were previously organised in separate disciplines (geology, geophysics and geochemistry, for example). Second, the large-scale processing of quantitative data, made possible by the increase in computing power, makes such work easier. This means that we can develop exploration guides for each family of minerals. With the arrival of artificial intelligence and non-linear data structures, the pace of change is visibly increasing.
What is BRGM’s contribution to this work?
M. J. – The Mineral System approach improves our understanding of geological contexts and supports the streamlining of exploration efforts at the national level. With its subsurface database, BRGM has huge potential in this area. The Mineral System approach has been adopted as well for establishing prospectivity maps as part of the National Inventory of French Subsurface Mineral Resources, which the BRGM has been commissioned to update.
Does this apply to responsible mining?
M. J. – The Mineral System approach makes it possible to add layers related to sustainability and all aspects of social and environmental responsibility, which are essential today, from the early stages of mineral exploration. It has become essential to manage impacts and consider the acceptability of such projects. This type of approach in a densely populated country gives BRGM quite an advantage in that it can export a “French-style” Mineral System integrating social criteria.
