Mineral Resources at The Beggining of The 3rd Millenium Significance and Perspective

Life & achievements in the coming decades and beyond:

---- economic & environmental concerns call for alternative

technologies

---- developing civilization needs mineral resources

Challenge & duty for Economic Geologists: since there is no

survival without such commodities: Mineral Resources (MR)

----> how to assure a sustainable supply of MR, to provide a

Mineral Resources Industry (MRI) perspective?

The MRI in the 21st Century depends on FACTORS of 

major impact on ----> development

---->  economic viability

FACTORS ----> macro political/economic factors:

population growth

regulatory  factors

environmental responsibilities

globalisation

-----> directly related factors (stemming from

geological knowledge, technology, economics):

compliance

educational training/research

exploration/development practices

mining/recovery practices

The economic performance of the MRI:

---- poor relative to other industries

---- common under-performance or failure of mining projects

due especially to failure to make planned mining grade

 The greatest challenge for the MRI in the 21st century:

----- improve its profitability

----- regain the status as a creator of new wealth