Articles

by Tim Craske, Director and Principal Geoscience Consultant at Geowisdom I have been modeling ore systems and investigating how ore bodies form and what makes them economic for nearly 30 years. I have applied my insights to find ore bodies and to help younger generations of geologists also do the same. It has not been […]

Introduction Successful drilling is measured by more than just meters drilled. It is also measured by how effectively information moves between the field, the office, and the client. Yet in many drilling operations, critical information still travels through paper reports, spreadsheets, emails, phone calls, and text messages. As projects become larger and more complex, keeping […]

by Mikayla Sambrooks, Senior Exploration Geophysicist at Fleet Space Technologies and Federal Secretary at ASEG What is a fractal? Fractals can be defined as self-similar patterns that repeat over several orders of magnitude in scale. The patterns themselves range from being simplistic and easily recognizable, to infinitely complex and difficult to perceive. If this is […]

by Vincent Combes, Chief Geologist at Founders Metals Inc. The Guiana Shield lies in the northeastern part of South America, spanning roughly 900 000 km² (347 492 mi²) across parts of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil. It forms the northern segment of the Amazonian Craton, separated from its southern counterpart, the Guaporé Shield, […]

In mineral exploration, drilling programs generate a constant stream of operational data. Meters drilled, shift reports, contractor performance, equipment utilization and cost tracking all contribute to daily decision-making. Despite that, at many operations, critical information is still managed through spreadsheets, emails, and manually compiled reports. While these methods may be familiar, they often create challenges […]

Founded in 1845, Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) is Ireland’s public earth science knowledge center. An early adopter of free data principles, it provides free, open, and accurate data and maps on Ireland’s subsurface to landowners, the public, industry, and all other domestic and international stakeholders. The Survey also acts as a project partner in interpreting […]

by Laurentia Laracy, Lawyer and governance adviser who recently worked in community development at the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea There is a wonderful moment in the mess at a mining camp when you sit down next to someone you have never met before and ask, ‘What brings you here?’ It is one […]

I am a geologist of the bush; not a country boy but a city boy who has crawled through the jungles of Laos, Borneo, Irian Jaya, and the Solomon Islands, to name a few. I like looking at outcrops, especially in younger terranes where 2.8 Ga hasn’t destroyed all the texture, followed by 20 Ma […]

David Bradley started his drilling career in 1988 working as a helper and then as a drill rig operator for the family business Bradley Brothers. At the age of 30, he became the company’s Co-owner and VP of Operations; by then, Bradley Brothers was a globally recognized drilling contractor with a broad international presence and […]

by Aleksi Autti, CEO, Nina Valjus, HR Manager and Laura Mämmelä, HR & Marketing Coordinator at Arctic Drilling Company Ltd The story of the Arctic Drilling Company (ADC) starts in 2004 when Juha Säärelä, the founder, was visiting the Suhanko exploration project near Rovaniemi in Finland. He had been building machinery for the asphalting business […]

In focus: Company results Perenti Drilling Services has achieved a 3 228 838 m (10 593 301 ft) via DD for FY26 (ended June 30, 2026). This result is a record for these statistics and represents continued significant growth over the result of 2 520 949 m (8 270 830 ft) from FY25 and that […]

by Syed Nohman Gilani, Lead Geologist & GM Exploration at Chinar Group and Himalayan Earth Exploration Pvt Ltd The success of mineral exploration in structurally complex terranes depends less on the volume of data collected and more on how effectively geological observations are integrated and interpreted. In many frontier regions, early-stage discoveries are driven by […]

Launched in March 2026, the Pilot & Co, Drillware Wireline Rod Cutter was designed to solve a common drilling challenge: cutting rods that are stuck in a borehole reliably and in less time.  Background Drillware Tools, based in Smithers, British Columbia, develops innovative drilling technologies and offers its products under the Pilot & Co banner. Working closely with […]

by Richard Fink, former Vice President – Technical (retired), Global Ferroalloys at Cliffs Natural Resources Issue 32 of Coring Magazine contained an insightful interview with Steve Beresford. In response to a question about a particular industry bugbear or fallacy, he responded: ‘An advanced project with a resource is not closer to a mine than greenfields […]

by Ramya R Dodamani, Geologist Mining has always been seen as a demanding and challenging profession, often shaped by the belief that it is primarily suited to men. Even today, when women have made remarkable progress in many fields, their presence in the global mining industry remains limited. In my opinion, this gap is not […]

What if a single infrastructure choice could eliminate manual core box lifting, accelerate drill core throughput, and reduce the data collection bottlenecks that plague mineral exploration programs? In modern exploration, companies invest millions in high-tier drilling rigs and advanced analytical software to optimize deposit modeling. Yet the physical environment where this critical geological data is […]

by Ian Klassen, Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Dimatec Inc In 1988, Mr. Ivor Perry moved his family from South Africa to Winnipeg, a location more commonly associated with agriculture than advanced manufacturing. He brought diamond impregnated core drill technology with him, and founded Dimatec Inc. The company’s mandate was simple and focused: […]

by Marcos Paulo Costa, Wavell Leite, Gabriel Leandro, Drilling Specialist Engineers, and Josival Junior, Drilling Specialist Geologist at Vale S.A. Introduction Vale S.A. is globally recognized as a leader in iron ore production. As such, it recognizes that remaining competitive in the industry demands optimizing drilling operations in order to build accurate geological models that guide […]

by Hannu Lahtinen, Director, Availability of Raw Materials, Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) and Ilkka Keskitalo, Senior Specialist, Finnish Safety and Chemical Agency (Tukes)  Introduction  While known for base metals and the largest gold production in the EU, Finland’s focus has been gradually shifting toward securing the critical minerals essential for the green transition. Despite […]

by Callen Banff, Manager Open Pit Geotechnical Engineering at AngloGold Ashanti Introduction Over USD 4 billion was spent globally on diamond core drilling services in 2023 (Spherical Insights, 2024) by industries such as mining, oil & gas, construction, infrastructure, and geothermal energy. Within these industries, many professionals rely on the recovered core to understand subsurface […]

Shaun Barker is Director of the Mineral Deposit Research Unit (MDRU) and an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Otago, and a PhD in Earth Sciences from The Australian National University. Following […]

Since launching in 2020, Datarock has delivered more than 250 data science projects for the mining industry. The company has built a reputation for creating bespoke solutions to tackle the increasingly complex geoscience challenges the sector faces and the enormous surge in data its geoscientists are expected to cope with. Here, Brenton Crawford, Chief Geoscientist […]

by Peter Leckie, Senior Manager – Product (Marketing), Axis, Orica Digital Solutions Almost four years since it was acquired by Orica Digital Solutions, Axis Mining Technology still has exploration as its focus. The reason for that is simple: even with new backing, new capability, and a bigger platform behind it, the driller is still at […]

For a long time, Coring Magazine had been hoping to visit a real drilling manufacturing facility and prepare a special feature focused not only on the products themselves, but on the people, technology, and production processes behind them—with photography playing a central role in telling the story. The first company to participate was the Chinese […]

SRK Consulting is an independent, international consultancy providing specialized advice and solutions to clients within the earth and water resource industries, with a particular focus on mining.  Company history SRK Consulting was established in 1974 by Oskar Steffen, Andy Robertson, and Hendrik Kirsten, three geotechnical engineers. Over the subsequent five decades, SRK has developed into a globally recognized leader in mining […]

by Dr Steve Rogers, Senior Principal Geoscientist at WSP Designing a vent raise is never just about excavation, it’s about understanding and managing the geotechnical risks that come with it. For many years, kinematic assessments have been the go-to method for evaluating potential wedge failures that might develop along the walls or face of a […]

by Ivan Dimitrov, Experienced Drilling Engineer and CEO of HolePlan™ &  Lyubomir Bandrov and Iliyan Venkov, Senior Software Engineers In exploration diamond drilling, the synergy between office-based engineering and field execution remains a persistent operational challenge. While survey tool technology has advanced rapidly, the software used to manage borehole trajectories and store critical data often remains locked within closed ecosystems or scattered across various sources, leaving project managers struggling with fragmented […]

by Dr Stefan A Vollgger, Structural Geologist, Co-Founder & CEO of Rock Mapper Pty Ltd Abstract Today, every stope design and resource model is refined within sophisticated 3D software environments. Yet geological mapping remains curiously stuck in the past. There is a profound technological disconnect at the underground working face, where geologists still rely on […]

From core orientation to borehole surveys: Making drilling data work harder Exploration drilling relies on accurate measurements collected under demanding operational conditions. Directional surveys define the trajectory of the borehole, core orientation provides structural context for geological observations, and drilling records allow teams to monitor the progress of a drilling campaign. These survey data have […]

Why core data still matters Drill core remains the primary dataset used to understand ore deposits. Geological interpretation, exploration targeting, and resource modeling all depend on the information extracted from core during the logging process. Despite its importance, the workflow used to capture this information has changed little over decades. In most operations, drill core […]

by Elena Alganaeva, Consultant Geologist Brownfield and greenfield exploration are often framed as distinct strategies shaped by company culture or market conditions. I propose that they are cycles within the same system that follow and feed one another, and this has serious implications for the industry. Greenfield exploration surged in 1960–1990, driven by the post-war […]

During PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Comacchio S.p.A. announced the official launch of Comacchio X, its new Mineral Exploration Division. The creation of this dedicated division marks a strategic milestone in the company’s continued evolution and reinforces its long-term commitment to the mineral exploration sector. A dedicated structure for a specialized industry The mineral exploration sector […]

by Andrew Bailey, CEO of MinEx CRC   A series of National Drilling Initiative (NDI) campaigns led by the Mineral Exploration Cooperative Research Centre (MinEx CRC) during 2024–2025 have delivered new pre-competitive geological data beneath deep cover in Western Australia and South Australia, advancing understanding of mineral systems, tectonic evolution, and basement geology across underexplored […]

Doug Kirwin is an Australian geologist with over 50 years of international exploration experience. He commenced his career in Papua New Guinea with Anglo American in 1970 and later worked for AMAX in Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the Pacific. From 1985 to 1995, Doug formed an independent consulting company, working mostly in Southeast Asia. He […]

by Alex Grant, VP Marketing OreBody Solutions at Epiroc Introduction Traditional core logging has long been a cornerstone of geotechnical and mineral exploration. Yet, for decades, it has relied on manual measurements, repetitive handling, and inconsistent photography, making it labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error. In large-scale drilling programs spanning thousands of meters of […]

PT. Promincon Indonesia (PMC) was founded in 2011 in Jakarta by Mike Andrews and George Bonney. The goal was to provide reliable core drilling services across the Indonesian archipelago with easily maintained and portable drill rigs.   Today, the company operates as a private Indonesian entity from its headquarters in South Jakarta and focuses on achieving client […]

Coring is celebrating its 10ᵗʰ anniversary in 2026. So, the editorial team decided to interview our founder, Grigor Topev, for the first issue of the year. Grigor Topev is the founder of Coring Magazine, a globally recognized publication in the mineral exploration drilling industry. He has a Master’s degree in drilling engineering, combined with over […]

IMDEX has long been recognized as a leader in mineral exploration technologies, providing advanced solutions for geological data acquisition, analysis, and decision support. In 2019, the company identified a strategic opportunity to apply its proven exploration gyro technology and survey workflow expertise to the challenges of production mining, leading to a focused expansion into the […]

by Darren Palmer, Senior Product Manager—Orebody Intelligence, Axis, Orica Digital Solutions Launched by Orica Digital Solutions in 2024, AXIS Connect™ is transforming how geologists and drillers manage surveys, saving time and delivering immediate insights. The open, cloud-based platform bridges the long-standing gap between drillers and geologists by delivering real-time downhole survey data and immediate trajectory […]

by Nicole L Cox, Principal Structural Geologist at Aeris Resources Ltd Search my handbag, and you’ll find a small, joined pair of Moqui marbles tucked into one of the front pockets. This set was collected and given to me by my engineer and fossicker dad. As he handed them over, he told me they were […]

  Dr Richard Blewett PSM is currently a Director of a junior private company Weethalle Gold and a consulting services company GeoSystems Consulting Pty Ltd. Prior to these roles, Richard was the General Manager of the Minerals Systems Branch at Geoscience Australia (up to 2021). He was responsible for leading GA’s minerals science, including carriage […]

by Bill Krasnozon, VP Client Support & Engagement at Hy-Tech Drilling, in collaboration with Dakota Gold Corp. Dakota Gold Corp.’s flagship exploration projects target regions of historical gold mining significance in the Homestake District of South Dakota, US. In collaboration with Dakota Gold, Hy-Tech Drilling is applying a suite of modern techniques inspired by the […]

About the company Foraco International is a leading global drilling services provider specializing in mineral exploration, production drilling and blasting, mine infrastructure drilling, and geotechnical solutions. With operations across five continents, Foraco is recognized for its technical expertise, commitment to safety, and ability to deliver integrated drilling programs across diverse environments, from surface to deep […]

by Antoine Caté, PhD, PGeo, Senior Consultant (Structural Geology), SRK Consulting (Canada) Throughout my evolving career journey as a geologist, I have logged my fair share of meters of core on many projects, in highly variable geological environments, and for a multitude of purposes. As times change, in the last eight years I have also […]

by Duncan McLeod, CEO and Dag Billger, Chairman at Inertial Sensing  In recent years, we have published several articles in Coring Magazine addressing various aspects of borehole survey instrument performance. In this article, we consolidate those discussions and propose that the mining industry would benefit greatly from an agreed-upon standard for borehole survey instruments. Such […]

For years, the industry sought a solution to a recurring problem: how to correct a borehole’s trajectory when unexpected deviation occurs. How can a drilling company justify keeping a deviation tool on-site when the equipment is expensive, often requires specialists, and may ultimately go unused? Today, BG Drilling Solutions provides the answer. Its proven, reliable, […]

René Sterk is a geologist and the Managing Director of RSC, a global group helping mining and exploration companies develop their mineral resources responsibly and effectively. For more than 20 years, he’s worked on exploration, resource development, and mining projects across every continent and over a wide range of commodities. René is also the Founder […]

Michael Dineen is a globally recognized expert in directional drilling with over 37 years of industry experience. He is the R&D and General Operations Manager at Priority Drilling, a family-run Irish company with a long-standing reputation built on reliability and technical capability. The basic measuring tools of his early career and the many technical challenges […]

Major Drilling Group International is entering 2026 with a larger fleet, expanded geographic presence, and new technology initiatives after a year of significant growth and operational milestones. The company became the world’s largest mineral drilling contractor by meters drilled following the integration of Explomin Perforaciones and is now registered in more than 20 countries around […]

Trust Drilling entered the Brazilian market in 2022, driven by a critical need: to solve a serious performance challenge in underground mining projects. What began as a pilot project evolved at an accelerated pace, positioning the company for strategic expansion in high-value mineral exploration services. In a remarkably short period of three years, Trust Drilling has achieved […]

by Ivan Dimitrov, Senior Field Engineer at IMDEX, Outi Ahvenjärvi and Tiia Kivisaari, Project Geologists at Anglo American, Sakatti Project Introduction Assessing rock mass conditions for underground construction, such as tunnels, requires significant investment and extensive investigation. These studies integrate geology, geotechnical engineering, and hydrogeology to understand rock behavior, which is crucial for safe and […]

Editorial note: After publication, Major Drilling requested that their data be changed from calendar to fiscal years, as this provides a more accurate comparison. In Focus: Company results For FY25 (ended April 30), Major Drilling reported 2 591 763 m (8 503 160 ft). This is an increase of over 55 000 m (180 446 […]

by Fabian Harley, North Island Operations Manager, and Sarah Keenan, Executive Assistant at Alton Drilling About Alton Drilling Alton Drilling Limited is a New Zealand-owned company with deep roots in Waihi, the country’s gold mining hub, and the base for Alton Drilling’s main office and workshop. Known for being resourceful, genuine and respectful, the company […]

by Dr Jaideep Kaur Tiwana, Geologist at Geological Survey of India The Aravalli–Delhi Mobile Belt (ADMB) is a structural archive of major Precambrian orogenic events that shaped the northwestern Indian subcontinent. The Aravalli Supergroup, located in the southern part of the ADMB, represents a Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary succession that unconformably overlies the Archean Banded Gneissic Complex. […]

by Brenton Crawford, Chief Geoscientist at Datarock Drill core photography has traditionally been obtained almost exclusively for record-keeping and, therefore, not seen as a valuable dataset. Due to this, relatively low importance has been placed on acquisition workflows, leading to variable quality and consistency. However, recent advances in modern analytics and technology have enabled the […]

by Richard Fink, former Vice President – Technical (retired), Global Ferroalloys at Cliffs Natural Resources Beer and geology are intimately intertwined. Everyone knows that geologists have a long history with beer and consume it in copious quantities. No good field trip, geologic symposium, or Friday afternoon bull session ends without a refreshing brew (or two). […]

Steve Beresford is an exploration geologist based in Perth, Western Australia. He is an ex-university Professor at UWA (and lecturer at Monash University), ex-Chief Geologist of three major mining companies, part of the WMC mafia, and founder and advisor to numerous junior metal explorers. Steve’s focus is polymetallic Ni-Cu-PGE deposits with companies in Canada, Central […]

In the high-stakes world of drilling, where every meter counts and every delay costs, one company is quietly transforming how the industry approaches data. Krux Analytics, founded in 2016 in Calgary, Alberta, is not just a software provider—it’s a catalyst for operational transformation. With a mission to empower drilling teams through better data, Krux is […]

After studying finance and economics and attempting a few side projects, Boyuan found a real career path in the family business of Jinshi Drilltech. Founded by his father in 1996, today Jinshi is the largest manufacturer of core drilling tools in China. With the experience he accumulated while living and studying in Canada, Boyuan has […]

How Tim Topham built Topdrill into a drilling powerhouse Founded by Tim Topham, Topdrill began in 2006 in a small yard in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia. Tim, who had relocated from New Zealand after completing a degree in agricultural science, initially aimed for farm ownership and began working as a Driller’s Offsider. But after witnessing the […]

by Alex Atkins, ASX Non-executive Director and Corporate Advisor Just before Christmas last year I headed into the Western Australia mine safety regulator (known as DEMIRS) and sat two exams to keep my First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate (FCMM) current and obtain a Site Senior Executive Certificate (SSE) under the new Workplace Health & Safety […]

by Diyana Chunga, Business Development Representative at Cipembele Exploration & Mining Services In Zambia’s dynamic mining sector, a wholly Zambian-owned drilling company is making significant strides. ATL Drilling Ltd is transitioning to Cipembele Exploration & Mining Services—a rebranding that better reflects its expanding footprint and ambitious vision. Founded in 2013 and led by CEO Leroy […]

by Peter Leckie, Head of Product – Axis, Orica Digital Solutions Since October 2022, Orica Digital Solutions’ Axis Mining Technology has seen a steady stream of product improvements and is now releasing a slew of new technology, setting a new industry standard for surveying workflows. Building on Axis Mining Technology’s history of bringing industry-leading hardware […]

by Steve Beresford, Co-Founder of Altai Resources Declining discovery rates Every second article on exploration seems to discuss declining discovery rates. This is a very complex subject that has proven hard to fix, either inside a single company or across the industry as a whole. Not every major or junior company is trying to discover […]

by Nick Lisowiec, Exploration Manager (Eastern Australia) at Gold Road Resources According to the CSIRO, approximately 80% of the Australian landmass is under post-mineralization cover and regolith, but most mineral discoveries to date have occurred where mineralization is located at or near the surface. Exploration through un-mineralized cover is substantially more difficult and costly, especially […]

After graduating with a B.Sc. from the University of Tasmania (1982) and a PhD from the Australian National University (1987), Scott worked as an exploration geologist with RGC, Goldfields, AurionGold, and Placer Dome, before establishing his own consultancy, Mineral Mapping, in 2005. For the last 20 years, he has worked as an independent consultant, specializing […]

by Andrew Bailey, CEO of MinEx CRC MinEx CRC, the world’s largest mineral exploration research collaboration, and its sponsor organizations are investing in novel sensing technologies to be deployed in the borehole during drilling operations, aiming to deliver near-real-time exploration data for more efficient drilling and timely decision-making. Combined with downhole steering and multilateral drilling […]

Despite coming from a mining town in Eastern Serbia, Sanja got her start in the industry in an unusual way. With the connections from the restaurant she worked at, she found a low-bed truck for some drillers and a new job in the process. In 2006, Sanja began working with IDS. Later, she joined MRS […]

Hernán Villafuerte, General Manager, shares the history and achievements of MDH The history of Peruvian mining is deeply intertwined with the history of exploration and MDH has marked a steady path in that terrain for almost six decades. Founded in 1966 by the visionary engineer Guido del Castillo Echegaray, MDH was born with a clear […]

by Somdutta Ghosh, Master in Geology at University of Calcutta Smart work leads to quicker success I have noticed that in every industry the main challenges are to reduce the cost and to ensure the value of time. The exploration and mining industry is no different and machine learning can be the best tool for […]

by Michael Thomsen, Chairman at North American Strategic Minerals Inc. Located in the Papua Province of Indonesia, the Ertsberg deposit lies within a mountainous region known for its rugged terrain and complex geological history. It is positioned near the large Grasberg mine, making it part of a prolific mining district that yields substantial copper and […]

by Dr Jim Yaxley, Owner of Grasstree Resources The beauty, rarity and unique properties of gold make it one of the most sought after metals. One of the significant processes contributing to the genesis of gold nugget formation is the interplay of redox (reduction-oxidation) reactions driven by the ebb and flow of groundwaters in ancient […]

by César Rubín, SPT Engineer Geologist Each year, over USD 12 billion is invested in mining exploration worldwide. To maximize the return on this investment, geological interpretation through structural data is crucial for optimizing resources and minimizing risks in projects. Accurate and reliable data during exploration can prevent multimillion dollar losses in mining operations. It […]

James is a Corporate Consultant (Structural Geology) with SRK Consulting based in Toronto, Canada. He has been lucky to build a career of over 20 years with SRK, working with some excellent geologists and engineers worldwide. Originally from the Midlands in England (Burton on-Trent – a beer town), James emigrated to Canada in 1996 following […]

by Mike Junkins, Senior Drill Operator Drilling for minerals in northern Maine during winter in the 80s was no easy task. Snow was chest-deep in places, and temperatures stayed well below zero. We had three rigs in operation—two Longyear 44s and one 38—running double 12-hour shifts. There was no leaving the Bean supply pumps unattended, […]

When the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, Epiroc’s team of engineers had the idea to create a truly heliportable surface drill rig that can tackle the toughest, coldest, and remotest parts of Canada, while offering unparalleled smart and safety features. Long and sometimes heated discussions between experienced engineers and drillers followed, until Christensen 160 Smart was […]

Stephen found his start in the industry in an unusual way – he was working at a newspaper when a friend of his got a job on an exploration drill rig. It sounded like an adventure and it took him from a hands-on driller to a general manager of multinational companies. Across his career, he […]

IMDEX is a leading global mining-tech company uniquely positioned to enable resource companies to sustainably find, define, and mine orebodies with precision, at speed and safely. Beginning in 1980 as Pilbara Gold NL before a name change to IMDEX in 1985, by the late 1990s, the company had established itself as a key player in […]

Market analysis On the back of the past two record-breaking years, results in 2023 are noticeably tamer. This is caused by reduced exploration activity in light of increased costs of financing, sticky inflation, slowing prices of commodities and the lack of capital raisings in the exploration sector. Worldwide capital raisings have been subdued since November […]

by Andy Sayers, Marketing Manager at Di-Corp Drilling nowadays involves challenges previous generations rarely faced, if ever. From deeper, harder-to-access deposits to operational challenges with automated rod handlers to tighter margins from a more competitive and volatile global mineral exploration market, today’s driller needs efficient solutions to difficult situations. It’s for these reasons that Di-Corp […]

Geotechnical logging of diamond drill core is used to characterize the rock mass and the structural setting. The collected data is applied in geotechnical studies to design mine excavations (open pit slope angles and underground mine excavation sizes and required ground support schemes). Any feature that will influence excavation stability needs to be captured by […]

François cumulates over 40 years of worldwide experience in the geology and exploration of multiple types of gold deposits. He currently consults part-time in the Minerals Industry, following 22 years with the exploration team at Barrick Gold Corporation and 12 years with the Geological Survey of Canada. He holds a geological engineering degree and earned […]

GEOPS was founded in 2004 by Vasil Andreev – a drilling engineer with over 35 years of experience in the field. In 2024, the company celebrates a 20-year anniversary. After 20 years of dynamic development, GEOPS has become one of the largest providers of mineral exploration drilling services in Eastern and Central Europe. The company […]

Tim Topham moved to Australia from New Zealand with a degree in agricultural science and the dream of owning a farm. Eventually, he found himself at a drill rig, and just a couple of years later, in 2006, he started Todrill. The 2008 financial crisis decimated the Australian market. Work dried up, and Tim had […]

by Kirsten Bell, Social anthropologist and author of the Silent but Deadly Substack I come from a family of geologists. My father, sister and brother are trained geologists, as is my husband, my brother-in-law and my brother’s partner. Moreover, I was constantly surrounded by geologists growing up. Because my father is a retired academic geologist, […]

by Shreya Mukhejee, PhD Student at Georgia Institute of Technology The Indian mining sector stands on the cusp of a technological renaissance, where the integration of cutting-edge innovations is reshaping traditional methodologies and driving the industry towards unprecedented efficiency and sustainability. In this comprehensive exploration, we delve into the scientific intricacies of this transformative journey, […]

by James Patterson, Co-Founder and Abbey Michelau, Business Development Coordinator at TactEx Industries  TactEx’s X-10 diamond drill and its multi-terrain platforms stand out in the market due to their superior craftsmanship. At TactEx Industries, the assembly team includes technicians, designers, Red Seal mechanics, fabricators, and drillers who collaborate to manufacture all components in-house. Every aspect […]

by Derek Loughlin, CTO & Executive Director at Tribe Technology The market for ‘Smart Mining’ equipment is anticipated to exceed USD 23 billion by 2028, fueling the demand and opportunities for automation in the industry. Inspired by this growth, Tribe Technology is dedicated to enhancing workplace safety and efficiency by providing solutions for RC drilling […]

by Julie Masse, Director of Communications & Marketing at Hy-Tech Drilling LTD. An all-around review of the value of lasting partnerships in mineral exploration Hy-Tech Drilling Ltd. is a name that’s been around since 1991. At the time, co-owners Harvey Tremblay and Joe Nouch modified an off-the-shelf JKS-300 rig to turn it into a functional […]

by Ryan Sunderland, Upper Management/Shareholder at Bryson Drilling Ltd. Bryson Drilling Ltd. is a diamond core drilling company with three generations of experience. Established in 2007, the company has grown significantly, now owning and operating eight Zinex A5 diamond drills, various specialized equipment, and fully operational camps. Bryson Drilling has provided surface and specialty drilling […]

Nicholas (Nick) Oliver (BSc Hons UQ, PhD Monash) is a lead consultant and director within the Australian consortium HCOV Global, Adjunct Professor at James Cook University (JCU), and Honorary Professor at the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland. After positions with CSIRO, Carnegie Institute Geophysical Laboratory (Washington, DC), Monash and Curtin universities, he […]

by Leah Lynham, James Cook University Palaeochannels: Most geologists working in the Eastern Goldfields will have explored them and most prospectors will have found gold in them. Many old timers would have followed deep leads leading to riches that turned out to be palaeochannels (such as Kanowna). But is gold all they’re good for? Absolutely […]

Alex M. Deeds began his journey in drilling as a teenager with Kettle Drilling, where his father was the CEO, more than 20 years ago. When Kettle Drilling was purchased by Timberline Drilling, Alex left the company to work in marine construction. While traveling home one day in 2009, he stopped by a mining convention […]

by Peter Kuusimaa, Owner of Comet Tech I have decided to write this article since electric control in drilling rigs and particularly in exploration rigs is often regarded as unreliable and too complicated. However, more manufacturers already have electrical control options as well as HMI (human-machine interface = display) in their fleets to give more […]

by Dragan Dragić, Exploration Manager at Konstantin Resources Recently, I’ve participated at the 13th International Conference titled ‘Mineral Resources in Serbia – Sustainable Growth Through Responsible Mining’ as a panelist in the discussion ‘Challenges and Issues in Mineral Exploration’. In preparation for this event, I have asked myself, ‘What is the rate of big discoveries […]

by Dag Billger, Owner & Business Manager and Duncan McLeod, Owner & Product Manager at Inertial Sensing Of late, there has been increasing interest in surveying production blast holes using gyro survey technology. With the growing realization that even holes of only 20 m (66 ft) depth can deviate by a large degree, this interest […]

by Steve Rose, Principal Mining Geologist at Rose Mining Geology Consultants From the beginning of underground mining, it has been the practice to develop ore drives along the mineralized structure with decisions on the direction of that development made by the miner (pre-19th Century; see Agricola, 1556), the engineer or the surveyor (19th Century). Once […]

The fascinating process of gemstone and mineral specimen exploration and exploitation in Pakistan by Noor Ullah, Business Owner at Gandhara Gemstones Pakistan, a land with a vast history and diverse landscapes, has long been a treasure trove of precious gemstones waiting to be discovered. The process of exploring these hidden riches is a meticulous and […]

Sally Goodman is Head, Global Discovery for Newmont, spearheading the drive to discovery across the company’s global portfolio of early-stage exploration projects. Newmont is the world’s leading gold company and a producer of copper, silver, zinc and lead. The company was founded in 1921 and has been publicly traded since 1925. With its head office […]

by Derek Anderson, Health & Safety Manager and Denis Desrosiers, General Manager at Rodren Drilling As the temperatures began to drop outside in December, the heat was on in the Rodren Drilling (Rodren) shop as the team was in its final stage of preparation and planning for an extensive eight-drill winter program in Snow Lake, […]

by Mary Jane Rowan, Marketing & Communications Specialist at Ausdrill Ausdrill was founded in 1987 by Goldfield’s legend and pioneer of the Australian drilling industry, Ron Sayers, who started the company with one second-hand rig at the Super Pit, where Ausdrill remains in action 37 years later. Partnering with Golden Shamrock in 1991, Ausdrill expanded […]

Viktor Tokle began his career at the research institute SINTEF after getting a mechanical engineering degree from Trondheim Technical College. His work took him to numerous construction sites and mines across Europe. It was during a rock mechanics assignment in 1986 that Viktor got the idea for a steerable drill. He took a leap of […]

by Rowena Duckworth, Founder & Petrographer at Mintex Petrological Solutions Exploration drilling plays a fundamental role in identifying and evaluating potential mineral deposits. It follows that analysis of drill core samples from exploration projects provides valuable insights into the geological composition and potential economic viability of mineral resources. This article delves into the various scanning […]

by William Ward, Operations Manager – East Africa at Capital Limited Capital Limited was initially awarded an exploration drilling contract with Tembo Nickel Corporation Limited (Tembo), a subsidiary of Lifezone Metals Ltd. (NYSE:LZM), at the Kabanga Nickel Project, Tanzania in late 2021. The Project hosts one of the world’s largest and highest-grade nickel sulphide deposits. […]

by John Anderson, Formerly: Regional Exploration Manager at Aberfoyle Resources; General Manager Exploration Australia and Africa – MIM Exploration; Inaugural Managing Director – Investigator Resources Often the drill is the ‘Truth Machine’ in mineral exploration I was 19 when I first engaged with drillers on a vacation job near Cobar, Australia. I was hired to […]

by Orlando Ramirez, CEO and Founder of Stockholm Precision Tools Beyond the explosion, have you ever stopped to think about the impact of blasting on the mining production process? Blast hole quality control is a common challenge for even the most experienced miners in the mining industry. It is not simply a matter of a […]

Frank Bierlein has about 35 years of experience as a geologist, including his three years as a field geologist for the Swedish Geological Survey prior and in parallel to completing his MSc degree at the University of Heidelberg (1989-1991). During that time, he almost drowned on a couple of occasions, broke through the surface of […]

BG Drilling launches its latest development to compete with Norwegian technology by Kiril Apostolov, MSc, General Manager at BG Drilling Solutions Fifteen years ago, leveraging their background from the industry leader Devico, Norway (now part of Imdex), the founders of BG Drilling, Associate Prof. Shteryo Lyomov, PhD and Grigor Topev, MSc set out to make […]

by Francisco Sampaio, Director at DrillGeo Founded in 2000 in Brazil, DrillGeo is a company specializing in the full range of drilling services applied to geological research and geotechnical works. Both founders of DrillGeo, Mr Gilberto Pedreira, current CEO, and Mr João Paulo Franco, current Vice President, had the dream of building a modern company, […]

by Dr Kris Butera, Managing Director of Plutonic Limited I sit perched in the northeastern corner of the Simpson Desert in the Australian Northern Territory, overlooking a landscape carved by extreme elements. The fiery hell of scorched desert winds has carved out a terrain that is as unforgiving as it is beautiful. Sand dunes, like […]

Pierre Alexandre began his career as a surface driller for various drilling companies, working from 1974 to 1983 across Canada. Then, along with his brother, he became the Founder, President and CEO of Orbit Drilling (1986), a company specializing in surface and underground diamond drilling. Over the following decade, the company expanded its fleet and […]

by Paula Montoya-Lopera, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economic Geology at CODES, University of Tasmania Ore deposits are developed on specific magmato-tectonic environments, on this subject exploration geologists should identify features that help to elucidate those specific zones. This short article describes the importance of understanding textural and mineralogical associations as a key exploration tool. Most […]

by Nils Ivar Iversen, Chief Executive Officer, and Daniel Popescu, Office Manager at Aziwell and David DuCote, Operations Manager at IDS de Mexico A uniquely challenging gold exploration project About 260 km (162 mi) southwest of Mexico City, on the southern bank of the Balsas River in Guerrero state, Torex Gold planned an intense infill […]

by Mark Lindsay, Former Chief Geologist at GBM Resources GBM Resources Limited recently acquired the Twin Hills project that comprises the 309 and Lone Sister ore deposits and within 12 months grew the resources by 58% from 633 000 oz Au to around 1 Moz Au (see GBM ASX Release: 05/12/2022, Twin Hills Gold Project […]

by Mathieu Audet, Mechanical Engineer at Marcotte Marcotte has been manufacturing drill components since 1992. Starting from a simple parts manufacturer, it reached the status of a complete drill manufacturer within a decade. From the notorious HTM-2500 to the versatile Mancore 900, Marcotte has since then developed a full array of robust and innovative drill […]

Colin Rice is the owner of Colin Rice Exploration Drilling Advisory, a company that provides consulting and training services to the exploration drilling sector. In the early years, Colin was one of the founding partners of SAMCHEM (Pty) Ltd; Professional Diamond Drilling Equipment (Pty) Ltd; and Borehole Survey (Pty) Ltd, which was the first company […]

Nick Tate graduated with a BSc in Geology from James Cook University. In the 40 years since, he has worked on dozens of contracts worldwide, becoming a specialist consultant mapper of geology, alteration, and mineralization systems. His expertise has led to multiple notable discoveries in Laos, Mongolia, and Argentina, as well as an excellent reputation […]

by Bruna de Freitas, Independent Exploration Expert Geologist and MSc in Mineral Resources The fast improvement of geophysical tools in recent decades has transformed mineral research at the same rate, allowing prospective ore deposits to be identified without the lengthy and expensive on-site exploration procedure. Many geophysical methods are available for surveys and quick estimating […]

In 2022, a wave of inflation washed across the world. The costs of labor, materials and fuel skyrocketed. Nonetheless, the interest in drilling services remained high. 2022 brought a slight contraction of over 5% in the meterage achieved by diamond drilling contractors in these statistics. We should stress that this contraction does not reflect an […]

The story of Explorac RC30 Smart began in 2018 when contractor Ausdrill was faced with a strong demand from the exploration industry for automated drill rigs. They decided to partner with Swedish Epiroc, as they had worked closely in the past on the development of other rigs. The goals were lofty from the start: keep […]

by David Bradley, Co-Owner at RJLL Drilling RJLL Drilling (RJLL) was founded in 2014 by Réal Lemoine and Jérôme Lefebvre. They both started working for Bradley Brothers at the age of 16, climbing the ladder from helpers to drill rig operators to supervisors. In the last years of Bradley Brothers, Réal was the Canadian Operations […]

by Garth Patterson, Director of U.S. Operations at Harris Exploration Drilling Our company, Harris Drilling, was awarded the contract for exploration drilling for Lithium Americas. Lithium Americas Thacker Pass is the largest known measured and indicated Lithium resource in the US and we are excited to be working with them. We started this project in […]

by Dag Billger, Owner & Business Manager and Duncan McLeod, Owner & Product Manager at Inertial Sensing One AB In Part I of this article series, we showed how important it is to have a sophisticated calibration scheme to achieve high-accuracy results when using compact MEMS gyro and inclinometer packages. Without high-end temperature calibration and […]

by Kirsten Günzel, Manager at Günzel Drilling When a very perplexed geologist could not wrap his mind around a theoretical conundrum involving two nondescript outcrops showing some slight hint of faded oxidized copper, he did not rest until his associates agreed to fund the drilling of a few diamond core holes. After spending two years […]

by Richard Lilly, Program Leader at the University of Adelaide Australia produces world-class geoscientists, but there is a growing skills gap between what students are taught at university and what the industry requires. How do we ensure student engagement and sustainable employment? The minerals industry is changing fast and is facing a prolonged period of […]

by R.N. Monteiro, P.Geo., M.Sc., FSEG, Ph.D., President and Chief Structural Geologist at Vektore Exploration Consulting Corporation Why are we still struggling to apply structural geology in target exploration and development? Aren’t the tools and required skills currently available in the industry sufficient for such an application? In 2023, we still see mineral exploration ventures […]

by Mariajose Romero-Segura, Freelance Project Hydrogeologist and Technical Translator Groundwater, the big unknown Groundwater is an invisible natural resource. It is available in different proportions, in different rock types, and at different depths, in the Earth’s surface layer. I cannot remember how many times I have heard people saying that there is water everywhere. This […]

by Herbert Vilcapoma Lopez, CEO & Director Ejecutivo en Rock Drill Group Rock Drill es una empresa peruana fundada en el año 2000 por Herbert Vilcapoma y Elizabeth Bravo. Con más de 23 años de experiencia, la compañía se ha especializado en brindar soluciones para el sector minero, principalmente en los mercados peruano y mexicano. […]

by Herbert Vilcapoma Lopez, CEO & Executive Director at Rock Drill Group This article is also available in Spanish: click here Rock Drill is a Peruvian company founded in 2000 by Herbert Vilcapoma and Elizabeth Bravo. With more than 23 years of experience, the company has specialized in providing solutions for the mining sector, mainly […]

My professional career has involved three employers, CSR Ltd (1968-88), Placer Dome (1988-2006) and Golden Phoenix International (2006-Present). I studied chemistry and geology at the University of New South Wales (1968-72), completing the first two years part-time while working as a junior chemist at Central Laboratory in Pyrmont. I graduated in 1973 with Bachelor of […]

by Nick Tate, Specialist Consultant Mapper of Geology, Alteration and Mineralization Systems Discussion on whether AI is a threat or a boon to humanity For a long time, ‘AI’ was just another set of algorithms and most people thought that it would take decades to reach a level that approached ‘HI’ (human intelligence). Then the […]

by Jon Peterson, Product Manager – Diamond Products at Boart Longyear     Selecting the right diamond coring bit for the ground you are drilling can be challenging – especially when navigating the product selection from different manufacturers. From crown height to material hardness, coring bits represent a refined and complex technology designed to produce […]

Dave Harper is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Geodrill. With over 35 years of experience in the drilling industry, 30 of those years in management and 28 of those in West Africa, he is passionate about the future of drilling on the continent. Dave’s goal to establish a leading international drilling company […]

The International Driller’s Day was celebrated for the first time on June 3rd in Peru, with the purpose of honoring the irreplaceable role of drillers, as well as the entire team of professionals in the drilling field, as protagonists of the main engine of Peruvian and global economic development that is mining. The importance of […]

by Cory Ibbotson, Director at Alton Drilling Alton Drilling (Alton) is a New Zealand-based drilling company, and we are making a name for ourselves by embracing innovation and versatility in our approach to drilling and rig manufacturing. We are committed to delivering customized solutions for clients with complex drilling needs, including heli-portable rigs for remote […]

by Ivy Chen, Director and Principal, GeoReg Mining & Compliance A company has spent thousands of dollars on mapping, sampling, and drilling and now has some exciting results it would like to share. How might the company go about achieving this, maintaining the momentum and excitement of the discovery, without falling foul of the regulators? […]

by Hugo Serra, Project Geologist In order to keep improving the geoscientific knowledge of Quebec, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN) of Canada deploys mapping teams throughout the territory during the summer period, since the weather and temperatures permit it from early June. The acquisition of this field data is primarily aimed at […]

by Ashleigh Ball In 2020, I was given the opportunity to swap exploration in Western Australia’s Goldfields for exploration in interior Alaska. I encountered immediate differences. The obvious ones were a mountainous landscape, the need for helicopters, hazardous wildlife and extreme weather. But there were also the less obvious ones that took time to understand […]

by Michael MacTavish, Owner at Forage Fusion Drilling and Jordy Warkentin, Owner at Warkentin Fabricating Our company Forage Fusion Drilling was first invited to bid in the fall of 2020 for a 1000 m (3281 ft) N-size lithium drill program for Patriot Battery Metals in their Corvette Property in James Bay, Québec, Canada. Lithium really […]

by Stuart Baird, General Manager at Ranger Exploration Drilling Pty Ltd Our company, Ranger Exploration Drilling (Ranger), partnered with two Western Australian businesses to innovate on drill rig design and manufacture through the inclusion of technologies being applied across the mining industry. Our company holds progressive attitudes and values to improvement on work practices, and equipment […]

by Dag Billger, Owner & Business Manager and Duncan McLeod, Owner & Product Manager at Inertial Sensing Downhole survey instruments rely on a range of sensors to produce data that gives position information about a borehole. One class of sensors that has undergone rapid change over recent years are MEMS gyros and inclinometers. In the […]

by Paul Ashley, Principal at Paul Ashley Petrographic and Geological Services Most minerals industry geologists, after their initial university training, leave behind skills that they learned about the use of the petrographic microscope, much of which at university is aligned towards academic pursuits and not necessarily economic geology. In part, this situation arises due to […]

MBI Global unveiled its VersaDrill autonomous drill rig to the world during PDAC 2023. The KmN autonomous drill is the product of years of research and development, testing, and perfecting. The technology of tomorrow, available today The mining industry is beset by challenges. Labor shortages, skyrocketing operating and material costs, and safety requirements demand constant […]

Ignus Storm dreamt of studying medicine, yet circumstances led him into the world of geology. Ignus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, followed by an Honors degree in Soil Chemistry & Mining Rehabilitation, both from the University of Pretoria. After finishing his Honors degree in 2014, he started working at RHC Mining. He was a […]

David Rhys is a Consulting Geologist based in Vancouver, Canada, who applies geological studies with a structural focus to exploration, development and mining. Dave has extensive experience in many deposit types, and especially gold deposits, having worked globally for a variety of clients including both major and junior companies. His focus is on advanced projects […]

by Robert Fleming, President and CEO at Team Drilling Beginnings Before we joined forces to create Team Drilling in June 2008, Al Lamy, George Presseault, Sylvain Brisson and Robert Fleming each had over 20 years of direct experience working for major companies in the diamond drilling industry. Each of us had a vision to lead […]

With the conclusion of 2022, the performance of exploration drilling companies has begun trickling through the results of publicly listed companies. The annual reports of Geodrill, Major Drilling, and Boart Longyear provide an insight into the state of the industry in preparation for the Coring Magazine annual statistics. Geodrill marks an impressive 2022 fourth quarter […]

PDAC recently published its social impact report entitled ‘Studying the social impacts of mineral development projects on indigenous communities.’ PDAC used literature review, a case study, and interviews to analyze the effects of mining on the social infrastructure of the host Indigenous communities. Using a gendered lens, the study established a set of practical strategies for […]

by the Comacchio team On the path towards a cleaner and smarter future for mining, Comacchio is taking a major step by introducing the first battery-powered drill rig for mining exploration operations. As the world faces a climate crisis, creating a sustainable future for mining is rapidly becoming a priority for the industry. As part […]

by Richard A. Hornsey, Consulting Geologist, Ni-PGE Specialist at Richard Hornsey Consulting (Pty) Ltd I was asked to write a contribution to Coring Magazine by Brett Davis, whom I met on a few occasions during the period at which I was employed by MMG Ltd as Global Ni Project Generation Team Leader. Brett was undertaking […]

by Dr Molly Turko, Structural Geology Expert & Dr Ali Jaffri, CEO at Applied Stratigraphix Sedimentary rocks host approximately 25% of the world’s Copper. Sediment-hosted stratiform Copper deposits were a key target for exploration in the United States that peaked during the 1940-1970s. During these times, explorers were primarily focused on understanding concepts of geochemistry […]

by Alan McPherson, Owner of HELM Diamond Drilling Breaking into the drilling sector HELM Diamond Drilling (HELM) is bringing highly skilled, new competition to one of Canada’s largest, and most competitive drilling sectors. This prospect would seem to be a difficult task for a new drilling company, but HELM is successfully doing exactly that. Being […]

by Michelle White, Business Development and Key Account Manager at Fordia Powered by Epiroc Early beginnings: safer, faster and better productivity with DiscovOre Improving drilling performance has always been a priority on mineral exploration sites, so manufacturers have been focusing on ways to do that while still maintaining the safety of drillers. In 2016, Epiroc […]

Harvey Tremblay started his career doing carpentry. He then climbed his way up from service work at drill sites, to exploration services, to working as both a driller and a foreman. He bought an off-the-shelf JKS-300 drill rig from his old boss and launched Hy-Tech Drilling from his home in 1991. After a couple of […]

by Kevin Norberg, President at Rodren Drilling Ltd. Rodren Drilling (Rodren) was founded by Rod Cyr on June 23, 1977, in Canada with one drill rig and one crew. The mission was to provide the best diamond drilling contractor service in North America. Over the 45 years since, Rodren Drilling has continuously strived to upgrade […]

Richard M. Tosdal received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara (USCB) in 1974, an MSc from Queen’s University (1978) and a PhD from the USCB (1988). He has been a Research Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey or USGS (1978-1999), and the Director of the internationally recognized Mineral Deposit Research […]

by Mark Scoles, General Manager LATAM at Recon Drilling SAC Recon Drilling (Recon) recently expanded into the Chilean market and landed at Atex Resources’ flagship Copper-Gold Valeriano project. The Project is located approximately 125 km (78 mi) to the southeast of the city of Vallenar, Atacama Region, Chile and 27 km (17 mi) northeast of […]

by Udit Poddar, CEO and Vahishta Mistry, Content Lead at WorkOnGrid There is much evidence to suggest that we are living through a fourth Industrial Revolution. If the first Industrial Revolution was heralded by the use of water and steam power in the 18th and 19th century, then widespread electrification of industrial processes, and the […]

In 2022, IPI Packers (IPI) is swinging back into growth mode following the impacts of COVID-19.  For most of the business, it was a period of more than two years of challenges including static sales, coping with changed and new business environments, lockdowns, travel restrictions and other uncertainties that continued well into 2022. Despite this, […]

by Mike Junkins, Core Drill Operator I woke up at 4:11 P.M. on this frigid afternoon in February. The location was West Forks, Maine, US. I was getting ready for a 12-hour night shift on Alder Pond. Yes, we had the rig set up on the ice to hit a specific target. This job was […]

by Alex Butler, International Sales Manager at Devico AS In December 2019, Devico released its first downhole gyro system. Less than three years later, an astonishing 1000 DeviGyro units have been produced, far exceeding Devico’s expectations, and clearly documenting how the industry was ready for a new and innovative gyro system. In this article, Alex Butler from […]

by Brian Doubt, Owner at Skookum Exploration Services Inc. In today’s exploration industry, heli-portable drills are becoming more common. Governments and stakeholders are looking for ways to cause less disturbance, as we explore for deposits. Drill pads have become an essential part of the exploration process, not only in mountainous terrain but also in remote […]

by Roland Gotthard, Director of Playa One Pty Ltd For geological units that amount to little more than muddy ponds, salt lakes are perhaps some of the most economically important geomorphological features on the planet. This is because of the presence in the Andean Cordillera, of brines containing lithium within some salt lake systems. Some […]

by Gülay Sezerer K. MScEng, CPG, EurGeol, UmrekCP, Economic Geologist & General Manager at GSK Geology Consulting If I am going to express the relationship between me and the earth sciences as an aphorism, I would call it a butterfly effect. When I was a child, a man brought a chalcopyrite-galena-pyrite-bornite to my father’s shop. […]

by Ahmet Zeki Topdemir, Co-Founder, Mehmet Ruhi Akçıl, Co-Founder, and Sarp Ayken, Drilling Manager at Ortadoğu Drilling History Ortadoğu Drilling was established in 1995 with only two drill rigs and the sole purpose of drilling the deep mineral zones of the Anatolian Peninsula in Turkey, exploring the metallic minerals and coal beds of the country, and […]

Kelly Johnson has 44 years of experience in the drilling industry, but that almost didn’t happen. His life looked set for a career in banking before a summer job with Midwest Drilling (Midwest) made him change course. Kelly remained with Midwest working in their warehouse for the next 20 years until Major Drilling purchased the company in 1998. Then everything changed. Only several years later, […]

After 23 years of living and working in Australia, I moved back to New Zealand in late 2019 to start my own consultancy business (SJGeology Ltd). I now reside in Cromwell, Central Otago and luckily can do the work from home without the need to travel constantly. I started my working career as an exploration geologist at the Darlot […]

 by James M. Wise, Shareholder at Pan American Silver Corp., First Majestic Silver Corp. & Newmont Corporation   Silver is money. It has been for thousands of years. The white metal was first widely, or most famously, distributed in the Roman coin called the Denarii. Subsequently, the Spanish empire had for centuries a currency based on […]

by Aleksi Autti, CEO at Arctic Drilling Company Oy Ltd Arctic Drilling Company Oy Ltd (ADC) has been the preferred drilling contractor of Boliden AB (Boliden), chosen to work on their projects both in Finland and Sweden since 2015. Over the past few years, we have brought along directional core drilling as an extra service […]

by Robert (Terry) Wojick, Creator of the WOJO Wrench  Necessity is the mother of all inventions. I was struggling to get the wrenches on the inner tube when I heard, ‘We need more core in the box right now! Time is money!’ I looked up, I could see a clear night sky, nearing a full […]

by Doskhan Zhumakhanov, Project Manager at Aurora Minerals Group LLP  In one month (February – March 2022), the drilling Division of Aurora Minerals Group (Aurora Quest Services, together with Nova Drilling) completed a core drilling project for geotechnical and hydrogeological studies without a single LTI and in accordance with the quality requirements. The work was […]

by James Patterson, Co-Founder at TactEx Industries Vancouver Island may not be the first place that comes to mind when you hear about exploration mining equipment. The four founders of TactEx Industries (short for tactical exploration) call this place home for its diversity of recreational activities and easy climate. It never hurts when you can […]

by Lucy Potter, Founder & CEO at Etana Mining Mentors The job of a Resource Geologist requires practitioners to call upon a multitude of skills in areas such as data analysis, descriptive and spatial statistics, geochemistry, structural and deposit model geology and mineralogy. This entire spectrum of knowledge must be held together by computing skills, […]

by Orlando Ramirez, Founder & CEO, Stockholm Precision Tools AB – Sweden (SPT) When it comes to the exploitation of ore bodies, the accurate measurement of trajectories (borehole surveys) – both in the exploration and production phases – is a factor that those responsible for geology, drilling and planning departments must consider. The main factors […]

by Dr Brett Davis, Section Editor at Coring Magazine & Principal Structural Geologist at Olinda Gold Structural Geology Consulting  I have worked as a geological consultant since I had dark hair. It’s fully grey now and I have seen a lot of deposits in my time working with exploration, mining and resource geologists. The reason […]

Dr Addepalli Kasiviswanadham (Kasi) is an Associate General Manager of the exploration department of Vedanta Exploration Global Company (VedEx) based in India. He has over 21 years of experience in mineral exploration, focused on mine- to regional-scale geology, including three years of research experience.  Prior to VedEx, he was working for Geomysore Services India Pvt. […]

  Disclaimer Coring Magazine is proud to present brand new ‘Top mineral exploration drilling contractors’ statistics for 2021 and 2020, classifying the leading diamond drilling contractors in the industry according to the number of meters drilled by them. Unlike the previous Coring statistics that contained total number of drilled meters, this time Coring Magazine filtered […]

Darren Thomson was born in Australia and after a stint at a butcher’s shop during his teenage years, he found himself in Boart Longyear in 1988. He began his career as an offsider and rose through the ranks becoming driller, supervisor and eventually manager. Necessity forced Darren to learn more about drilling fluid additives and […]

by Sy Van Dyk, CEO and Murray Pollock, Co-founder and Non Executive Director at DDH1 Limited  Based in Perth, Western Australia, DDH1 Limited (DDH1) commenced operations in July 2006 with one drill rig. Today, just sixteen years later, DDH1 is by any metric Australia’s largest drilling contractor by number of operating rigs, meters drilled, revenue, […]

By Orlando Ramirez, Founder & CEO of Stockholm Precision Tools AB Visit Stockholm Precision Tools AB on PDAC2022 at Booth 905 in the South Hall 44% of companies in the sector are looking to increase their investment in digitization in the coming years   In 2021 SPT launched SmartCloud™ which allows the mining industry to synchronize its mining […]

by Ahmed Atito, Exploration Geologist at Nubian Mining Company When someone asks, what is your job? You can say, ‘I’m a geologist’, but in my case, when you’re working in Egypt you can answer, ‘I’m not just a geologist. I’m a time traveller’. It is not easy to work in such an environment, to be […]

by Kym L Morton, CEO and Consulting Hydrogeologist at KLM Consulting Services Pty Ltd Valuable groundwater information becomes available as soon as drilling starts, particularly during early mineral exploration campaigns. Often groundwater information is not collected because its value does not become evident until the exploration sites become under scrutiny for mine development. Drilling and […]

by Luca Smeraglia, PhD, independent structural geology consultant and structural geologist at the National Research Council of Italy As a structural geologist born and raised in Italy, most consulting and research projects associated to structural geology are supplied by the oil and gas industry. With only a few economic geology courses taught in Italian universities […]

by Mike Junkins, Core Drill Operator Stepping outside the motel’s squeaky door I breathed in the twenty-degree Fahrenheit air (- 6.7ºC) and became fully awake. My Matterhorn boots made a crunching sound in the three inches (7.6 cm) of fresh snow. I made my way across the parking lot to the Dodge crew cab. The […]

by Nils Ivar Iversen, Managing Director of AZIWELL AS, Norway AZIWELL is pleased to introduce the AZIDRILL N-BTK Directional Core Barrel (DCB). This innovative new design allows for the collection of a core sample closer to the industry standards in conventional diamond drilling and brings directional core drilling to exciting new heights.   AZIWELL is a […]

Anthony ‘Tony’ Graham is an expert in drill bits with over 60 years of industry experience. He was born in South Africa in 1940. He graduated the University of Natal with a BSc Hons in Geology. Tony then began working as a field geologist with Chartered Exploration (a division of Anglo American) in Lusaka, Northern […]

by Geosol Team With benchmark drilling services in Latin America, Geosol seeks excellence in mineral exploration in Brazil and overseas.  Rich history  In 1953, foreign capital was once again allowed in Brazil, and a new constitutional order of the national mineral sector would also make it the year GEOSOL was founded by Civil and Mining […]

by Mathieu Dionne, President and CEO at Diafor Diafor Inc. (Diafor) is a diamond drilling company specializing in surface operations and based on the world-class Cadillac Break in the Abitibi region in Quebec, Canada. The company is new, but it is very well organized, has experienced employees and is building a great reputation.   In the […]

by Dr Ian Basson and Dr Corné Koegelenberg, Principal Members and Michael McCall, Senior Geoscientist Tect Geological Consulting (Tect) is an industry-leading specialist in Structural- Economic Geology with well-established experience across the world, and a particular focus on Africa and the Middle East. Over the last 22 years, Tect has addressed over 180 projects in […]

Beau is a geologist with over 28 years of experience. Beau started from a remote farm in the Wheatbelt of Western Australia and completed a Geology degree at Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) in Kalgoorlie in 1994.  He then spent over five years at the Telfer gold mine, before starting an expatriate career working […]

by Quentin Dulake, Global Sales Executive at Exploration Drill Masters Chile S.A. Exploration Drill Masters (EDM) MK-2 Rod Feeder is the latest release in rod handling technology for surface diamond drilling. The MK-2 follows on from the original MK-1 Rod Feeder, which has been immensely popular with well over 120 units sold since its release […]

by Peggy Silva Mayser, Commercial Manager at Explomin Perforaciones Throughout the 20 years of its existence, Explomin has proven that business know-how is not enough to achieve success. Although the most important ingredients are the commitment and shared vision of people, their energy made a winning formula in order for Explomin to have a remarkable […]

By Rishi Budshah, CMO at Hydracore Drills The story about HC5000max (Max) started when one of our existing customers requested a deep hole core drill that was truly heli-portable, meaning lifts under 2000 lb (907 kg). This request aligned with our market research showing that more holes were being drilled beyond 2000 m (6562 ft) […]

by Dag Billger, Owner & Business Manager and Duncan McLeod, Owner & Product Manager at Inertial Sensing In recent years, we have received an increasing number of questions concerning how dogleg severity (DLS) is defined, why it does not look smooth in plots, and if it can be used as a survey quality assurance parameter. […]

By Steffen Zimmermann, Head of Technical Sales/Application Engineering; Sebastian Schulze, Application Engineer; Corentin Lorc’h, Quality Manager and Pierre-Jean Marchais, Process Engineer at Mannesmann Precision Tubes Precision tubes made of steel are widely used for exploration or blasthole drilling. But to keep the drilling process running and the direction of drilling straight, tubes must behave elastically […]

by Jane Lockwood, Spotlight Mining  Aggressive spending on drilling during exploration is usually a good strategy for advancing a project quickly, and nowhere demonstrates that fact better than Rupert Resources’s (Rupert) (TSXv:RUP, OTCQX:RUPRF) almost 4 million oz (113.4 tonnes) Ikkari gold discovery in Finland. This project is remarkable not just for its size and quality, […]

By Rusmining Export Press Office The revenue from mining operations is usually a large part of any country’s budget. Therefore, the top priority task is reprocessing and building up the mineral resources base. Exploration of new deposits, as well as their commercial development, requires innovative drilling equipment. After the break-up of the Soviet Union and, therefore, the […]

by Dave Harper, CEO at Geodrill  Geodrill is a well-established drilling contractor and a preferred partner in West Africa. The company prides itself on investing in modern equipment and world-class operations to supply its clients with a ‘one-stop’ drilling solution. As a purpose-led company, their expertise, experience in the field, highest maintenance, Health, safety, environment […]

Dr Benedikt Steiner graduated from the University of Tübingen, Germany with a ‘Vordiplom’ (pre-diploma) in Geology in 2007, which was promptly followed by a Master of Science degree from Imperial College London, and subsequently a PhD focusing on the use of stream sediment geochemistry and automated mineralogy in the exploration of Lithium Cesium Tantalum (LCT) […]

Mario Rouillier studied in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, earning a degree in Business Administration. His drilling career began more than 39 years ago when as a teenager, he started working in his father’s company Rouillier Drilling. Mario moved up the ranks as driller’s helper, driller, foreman, general manager and finally as owner and president. In 1994, Mario began […]

by Ian Foreman, Principal at Foremost Corporate Services  Author’s note: this article is intended for information purposes only. The reader is encouraged to perform their own due diligence if they are interested in investing in the company.  An exciting new gold player from Vancouver, Canada – Alerio Gold Corp. (Alerio) (ALE:CSE) – has recently acquired highly […]

by Maksim Mayer, Editor at Coring Magazine Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a convenient solution to the ongoing qualified driller shortage in North America and elsewhere. Almost all of the leading experts Coring Magazine has talked to in the past years foresee automation becoming central to exploration drilling sooner rather than later. But in the current […]

by Rafael Echebarrena, Brazil Operations Support Technical Manager at Servitec Foraco Servitec Foraco were awarded a diamond drilling project located North of Brazil. The project involved an Atlas Copco CS14 drill rig. The task Search for operational excellence in a new diamond drilling project (H-size/N-size) with the objective of reaching all goals with safety, high […]

by Marc Scoles, General Manager at Recon Drilling SAC Recon Drilling (Recon) are proudly drilling for Trevali Mining at their Santander mine, some 200 km (125 mi) away from Lima, Peru. The zinc, lead and silver underground mine consists of a 2000-tonne-per-day processing mill, a conventional sulphide flotation mill, and associated infrastructure. Recon’s project has […]

by Rune Lindhjem, Senior Technical Advisor at Devico AS Recent years have seen a big shift towards digitalization and wireless communication in mining operations worldwide. Network access has become common even in the underground sector, improving planning, scheduling and overall daily operations. With live communication and data transfer between workers, progress can be shared, issues […]

by Ibrahim Jafari, President & CEO at Afghanite Company Afghanite Company (Afghanite) is the leading engineering service provider for the mining and infrastructure projects of Afghanistan. Its name comes from the mineral discovered for the first time in 1968 in the Badakhshan Lapis mines in Afghanistan. With many monumental track records, it has a very […]

Dr Brett Davis graduated from James Cook University, Australia with a Bachelor’s in Geology in 1986, which was followed by a 1992 Doctoral degree in Structural Geology from the same university. Between his Bachelor and Doctorate, Dr Davis worked briefly at the Mt Isa Mines as a production geologist. Since then, Brett has held prestigious […]

Another Day in Paradise by Gemma Lawson, Exploration Geologist at Origin Exploration Ltd. Any geologist that has worked in Africa, is familiar with the harsh conditions and an ever-changing barrage of unique challenges. In March 2020, Côte d’Ivoire, along with multiple other African nations, closed its international borders amid the rising COVID-19 pandemic. A plethora […]

by Matti Rautakoski, Business Manager at Oy Kati Ab Kalajoki Company history KATI Oy (KATI) was founded by two young men in 1980. In fact, it was the first private company to start offering core drilling in Finland. Until then, core drilling was carried out solely by a state-owned company. One of the KATI founders […]

As projects reopened and the prices of commodities skyrocketed, rumors of a labor shortage in Canada spread. Over the past six months, professional groups on social media became littered with job postings, as opposed to people looking for work. What is the state of the industry? Is there indeed a labor shortage in Canada and […]

Sarp Ayken was born in 1977 in Izmir, Turkey. He entered the Geological Engineering Department of Middle East Technical University in 1995. After graduation, he started working as a Site Engineer at Ortadoğu Sondaj (Ortadoğu) in March 2001. He has been with the company ever since. In these 20 years, Sarp has been involved in […]

by Andrew Dasys, CEO at Objectivity.ca If you could, would you take the opportunity to de-risk a mineral property faster: without changing the qualified person’s sampling requirements, without affecting existing drilling accuracy, without adding new constraints to the production department, without needing any new capital investment, and while decreasing in-field risks at the rigs. Not […]

by Christian Martin Spannagel, Sales & Marketing Manager at LITEF Has it always been your dream to hold a device in your hands that shows your exact orientation? Regardless of where you are and when? Unless you happen to be at either of the arctic poles, we can make your dream a reality. Outstanding tasks […]

by Robert Burnett, Business Development – Swick Mining Services Swick has reached the incredible milestone of ‘drilling through the Earth’ – a total of 12 742 000 m (41 804 462 ft) of core drilled as of March 2021. To put that into perspective: The total weight of that core would equate to around 100 […]

The World Economic Forum in 2017 predicted that automation and digitalization could save more than 1000 lives and avoid more than 44 000 injuries over the next decade. With workforce safety being a key issue within the mining industry for decades, the move to autonomous has long been seen as the next step to bring […]

by Daniel Misiano, President at MBI Global After seven years of a strategic alliance, we are proud to announce that MBI Global and VersaDrill Canada merged in early May, 2021. The new entity, under MBI Global, will benefit the market with a complete offering of capital equipment (VersaDrill) and consumables (MBI Global) for the mineral […]

Dr Alan Wilson graduated from Edinburgh University (UK) with a Bachelor’s degree in Geological and Earth Sciences, immediately followed by a Master’s in Exploration and Mining Geology from the University of Leicester (UK) in 1991. Ten years later, he built upon that with a Doctoral degree in Economic Geology at the University of Tasmania (Australia), […]

by Iwan Williams, Exploration Manager Ghana, Lennard Kolff, COO & Abdul-Razak Shaibu Ballah, Senior Geologist Ghana at IronRidge Resources Ltd. Coinciding with increased interest in lithium and its application in the stored energy space, IronRidge Resources Ltd. (AIM:IRR) commenced a top-down desktop review of the Birimian terrain of West Africa, following the discovery of the […]

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE by Rowan Thorne, Project Geologist at Origin Exploration Ltd. ‘Boss, which line am I on today?…’, ‘Do we have any spare batteries?’, ‘Are there any biscuits left to take to the bush?’ are some of the questions that hit you every morning whilst trying to get the field crews ready for […]

by Jane Lockwood, Spotlight Mining Abundant gold and silver in the Sierra Madre Occidental have driven colossal enterprise over the last two centuries, with Mexico standing in 2017 as the world’s largest silver producer (200 Moz/year) and eighth largest in gold (125 t/ year), chiefly sourced from this mountain range. This is in the face […]

by Jeremy Lauzon, President at Hydracore Drills Ltd. Typical exploration drill heads have not advanced in design over what Boyles, Longyear and others supplied in the 1970s. Why buy a new drill that has a drill head based on technology that is 50 years old? Drillers are used to the problems with these drill heads, […]

by Brian Rudd, Executive Director at Capital Drilling Ltd Exploration and mining companies need skilled drilling contractors who operate professionally and deliver quality sample results, as it is these samples that ultimately guide key decisions, often with significant financial implications. Since its inception in Tanzania in 2005, Capital Drilling (Capital) has built a reputation for […]

by Ryan Sunderland, Shareholder and Supervisor at Bryson Drilling Ltd. This winter season Bryson Drilling (Bryson) was awarded a multi-client project for Terralogic Exploration Inc. on behalf of SKRR Exploration/ Taiga Gold Corp. on the remote Irving/ Leland property in Saskatchewan, Canada, located about 60 km (37 mi) away from the nearest access point. The […]

Sylvain Brisson was born and raised in a small community in Quebec, Canada. After college, he spent five years as a welder fitter, before being offered a job working on the ‘drills’ in 1988. Initially, he wanted to return to university, but quickly he got hooked and never looked back. He started at the bottom […]

by Henry and Johnathan Taitt, Directors at Red Rock Drilling Pty Ltd Creating a lasting legacy takes courage and commitment but when it comes to negating climate change, the process is not as challenging to execute as you may think. The example of Red Rock Drilling is a case in point when it comes to […]

by Jeff Dagg, Head of Technical Support at Fordia Powered by Epiroc Drillers often work in extreme weather conditions, from severe heat during summer months, to brutal cold in the winter. When winter hits, diamond drilling can become problematic because the cold brings difficulties to the drill site, from health and safety considerations to equipment […]

by Merlin Marr-Johnson, Executive Vice President at Salazar Resources Ltd. Disclaimer: This article contains the personal beliefs and opinions of its author, and not the ones of Coring Magazine. Coring remains neutral, assuming no responsibility for the author’s overall and political points of view thus can not be held liable for any of the information presented […]

by Mathew Wilson, President & CEO at Sterling Metals Inc. Canadian high-grade silver districts bear a rich history. In the early 1900s, the discovery of the Cobalt Camp in Ontario initially provided over 10% of the world’s silver and has contributed over 450 Moz since its discovery. In Yukon, Canada, Keno Hill is still one […]

by Richard Belcher, Consulting Geologist at RWB Exploration Ltd and James Cleverley, Global Products Manager-Geosciences at REFLEX Instruments Europe Ltd/IMDEX Ltd Portable X-Ray Fluorescent (pXRF) instruments have been utilized in mineral exploration for almost 20 years and are a common sight in field camps and mine sites the world over. Approaches to their use generally […]

by Cody Campbell, Founder & President at CKC Ultralight The Ultralight Fabric Drill Shacks being developed by CKC Ultralight were first conceptualized in 2012 by the team at Ridgeline Diamond Drilling. Ridgeline was a small, family-owned and operated contractor that focused on completing remote, heli-portable diamond drill projects that required crews to be comfortable working […]

by Comacchio’s editorial team Established in 1986 in Italy, Comacchio is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hydraulic drilling rigs. Initially focused on the production of small and medium diameter drilling rigs for geotechnical site investigation and foundation construction, the family-owned company has expanded their range throughout the years to embrace the most diversified […]

by Wren Bruce, Senior Project Geologist at Mercator Geological Services The sound of a trilling mobile phone interrupted my sleep and I scrambled for it, reaching out of my warm covers. I answered it with eyes squinted trying to read the time displayed against a brightly lit backdrop: 2 a.m. Outside was pitch black and […]

by Matti Rautakoski, Business Manager at Oy Kati Ab Kalajoki You need both equipment and know-how, to survive and even flourish in a cold environment. If you miss either, you are going to jeopardize the success of the entire project. You must understand the perils of the combination of snow, ice and darkness, the risks […]

Mark Saxon is an Australian geologist, who graduated from the University of Melbourne, Australia in 1991 with a BSc (Hons) degree. After his graduation, Mark spent nine years (from 1992 until 2001) working at Pasminco Ltd, formerly the world’s largest producer of zinc. Afterward, he became the CEO of Tasman Metals Ltd, a Scandinavian Rare […]

  Together, Duncan McLeod and Dag Billger, specialists in inertial micro-sensor systems (MEMS), have more than 30 years of experience of developing commercial positioning and tracking systems. Duncan and Dag have a strong focus on wellbore survey instruments. They work with a wide range of applications, which are relevant for the following fields: Mining, Oil […]

by Kevin Slemko, Corporate Business Development Manager, Major Drilling Group International Incorporated Right now, the mining industry is facing a problem. Declining exploration activity, and supply deficits expected within five years, have driven record pricing for commodities—especially gold and copper. Unfortunately, new deposits are harder to reach and are in greater demand than ever before. […]

by S&P Global Market Intelligence Mining industry capitalization and Exploration Price Index (EPI) increased In Q2, mining industry market capitalization rose 32% to USD 1.393 trillion. The Exploration Price Index (EPI) was at 135.9, its highest level since March 2013, driven mainly by its significant weighting to gold and the positive gold price performance in […]

by Nicholas LePan, Natural Resources Editor at Visual Capitalist The price of silver has been on an upward trend since 2015 and some would say it will keep growing. On January 31, 2019, the price of silver was at USD 18.04 by August it reached a high of USD 29. This bodes well for silver […]

by Andre Sonnichsen, CTO at Lantern As our industry evolves, it continues to reveal many inefficiencies around how drilling is monitored and reported, as well as the costs endured by mining and mineral exploration companies in the pursuit of the next big thing. With this mind, we built Lantern as a streamlined digital solution to […]

by Raúl G. Lyon, Vice President at Geotec Boyles Bros. S.A. This article discusses the successful development and implementation of new technologies, developed by Geotec Boyles Bros. (Geotec) in collaboration with selected Chilean vendors and manufacturers of diamond drilling products and equipment. The collaboration helped Geotec optimize their work process and contributed to safer, more […]

by Nick Rossides, General Manager Operations – Global, Swick Mining Services The increased market requirement for deeper diamond drill holes in the underground environment has become much more prevalent with mining companies globally. The opportunity to reach exploration target depths from an underground platform is entertained by many miners and proving to be both cost- […]

Dr John-Mark Staude graduated from Pomona College, US with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology in 1987, which was quickly followed by a Master’s degree in Economic Geology at Harvard, US. John-Mark’s academic achievements continued as he went on to acquire a PhD in Economic Geology at the University of Arizona, US, focused on the mineral […]

by Esme Whitehouse, Junior Mining Researcher at Spotlight Mining Excellon Resources (TSX:EXN) are a mid-tier mining and exploration company with projects in Mexico, the US and Germany. Their portfolio includes both precious and base metals, and they own and operate 100% of Mexico’s highest-grade silver mine, Platosa. The Platosa Mine is located 5 km (3.1 […]

by Doug Ramshaw, President at Minera Alamos Inc. What is a real exploration discovery? A discovery hole, even when it can not be classed as such, is what folks too often rely and pin their high hopes on. That hole can cause excitement both in and outside a company, and perhaps even a resulting stock […]

Grenville Whyte was raised in an off-the-grid homestead near Kirkland Lake, Ontario. He was the third child of four and back then, the implementation of school buses saved him from being home-schooled. In 1960, he wanted to go to the Arctic and a suggestion from his teacher helped him land a mechanic’s job there. Just […]

by  John Horne, Founder and Co-Owner of Global Drilling & Exploration Group Pte Ltd Established in 1993 in Indonesia, the re-badged Global Drilling and Exploration Group (GDE) has now spread its footprint throughout South-East Asia and into Australasia and Africa. While not in the realm of the largest drilling companies yet, the privately-owned GDE Group […]

by Colin Rice, Managing Director at Colin Rice Exploration and Training (Pty) Ltd. All manufacturers of diamond core drilling machines provide specifications that relate to the depth to which a particular machine can drill. Often, these specifications are confusing because the depth capacities claimed are substantially greater than the ‘legal’ depth capacity of the drill. […]

By Eric Eckberg, Geologist Innovation and creativity are at the heart of almost everything we do as explorationists and miners. I’ve yet to hear about a program that does not involve creativity in some way, except for perhaps failed campaigns. The following series of anecdotes is a quasi-scientific recollection of my time as the Senior […]

Drew Craig graduated from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and in 1999, gained a Masters from the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College, London. As a mineral exploration and project management specialist, Drew has a wealth of experience, gained from multiple projects focused on various […]

by Mitchell Smith, President & CEO and Timothy Strong, Project Development Manager at Global Energy Metals Corporation Nevada is referred to as the ‘Silver State’ and is deemed both a national and international gold and silver province. Annually, Nevada yields up to 5 % global gold production and 80 % of the US’ production. Annual […]

by Liam Cooley, Manufacturing at Drillware Under typical conditions in the field, it can take up to 577 600 L of water to complete the average 1000-meter N-size hole. In remote or sensitive areas, the costs associated with delivering this water are substantial, the logistics are challenging, and the process is unnecessarily wasteful. With this […]

by Louis Fourie, Owner & Principal at Terra Modelling Services Inc. A few months ago, there were industry indications that many commodities were beginning to return to a growth phase. Companies were positive, drill rigs were busy, and analytical labs were being inundated with samples. How quickly things change. The question remains as to how long […]

by Dave Williams, Director at Mudex X FRAC (DD) was formulated to streamline lost circulation remediation, minimize lost production time, and reduce the amount of additional drilling fluid to displace lost circulation material (LCM) from the rod string. Inspired by oil field lost circulation technology, X FRAC (DD) contains a mix of dissimilar sized materials […]

by Samuel Bolton, Exploration Geologist at Cornwall Resources Limited Located in east Cornwall, UK, the Redmoor tin-tungsten-copper deposit has been the focus of recent and highly successful exploration by Cornwall Resources Limited (CRL) – a subsidiary of UK-listed Strategic Minerals PLC. Redmoor’s success demonstrates the potential for substantial discoveries in one of the world’s most […]

by Thomas Ulm, Sales Manager at Multi-Power Products Ltd. Remote mineral exploration drilling is difficult. Rig mobilization, supply chain logistics, crew transportation, equipment maintenance, and water supply each pose potential risk through unforeseen delays or unexpected trials. Such is life operating off the beaten path. The phrase, ‘if it was easy, everyone would do it’ often […]

AMC BOS™ reduced drilling fluids needed by 50 %, eliminated the need for a costly, time consuming cementing/grouting and improved the average bit life used. The new solution delivered significant productivity improvements to the operation at a large mine site in Arizona, US. Challenge After a successful trial on another hole at the same mine site, […]

by Cem Hizar, Sales Executive at Son-Mak After a challenging day, nothing brings more joy and pride than when you exceed client, and your own expectations. This motivates us to continue doing what we do best. Regardless of your location – in the dustbowl, the toughest winter conditions, or hundreds of meters underground; we are […]

by James Anderson, CEO at Vangold Mining There are very few jurisdictions in the world that are truly mining friendly, and Mexico is one of them. Mining is generally accepted, encouraged and supported by the local people and all levels of the government. Unlike many other countries, if you discover something valuable at the end […]

by Juan-Luis Valenzuela, Regional Manager at Matex Drillers and geologists have long agreed to disagree over what takes priority at site – hole completion versus optimal core recovery and sample. But something we all agree on is that hole stabilization is critical, irrespective of focus or priority. With the right products on hand, mineral exploration […]

by Walker Dillabough, Drilling Fluids Manager at Di-Corp When we consider all the variables that can add to or subtract from the successful completion of a drilling program, one universally stands out: ground condition. Millions of meters of exploration has surely given us a healthy respect for the fact that ground is different everywhere and […]

Top 15 drilling contractors by mineral exploration revenue, (million USD) Top 15 drilling contractors by number of mineral exploration drill rigs *Coring was not provided with Capital Drilling’s and Orbit Garant’s mineral exploration revenue and the number of rigs devoted only to this type of drilling. For that reason, we have included the overall FY2019 […]

Chris ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins grew up on New South Wales’ south coast, and later in Sydney’s western suburbs, yet a relocation to Perth, Western Australia at age 11 proved the ideal change of scenery. If in search of Chris, you’ll find him in one of three places – underground, in the great outdoors, enjoying time fishing, […]

by Andrew Elf, CEO at Mitchell Services Limited Peter and Deidre Mitchell had less than AUD 200 to their name after buying a Mayhew 1000 Drilling Rig for AUD 11 500 in 1969 and even less after it broke down at the front gate on the way to its first job. Fifty years later, Mitchell […]

by Duncan McLeod, Product Manager and Dag Billger, Business Manager at Inertial Sensing One AB Running continuous gyro surveys while conducting borehole surveying within mining applications is becoming increasingly popular. There are multiple reasons for this trend, but chief among them are the following four points. Considerably faster survey time when compared to traditional multishot […]

by Filip Slavtchev, Sales Representative at MICON-Drilling GmbH German-based global drilling company, MICON-Drilling GmbH (MICON) offers directional drilling and coring services, including development and manufacturing of complete drilling bottom hole assemblies (BHAs). Projects are unique and therefore tailored to meet client expectation – as was the case with a Botswana diamond exploration project in collaboration […]

by Gina Rinderle, Project Coordinator & Safety Officer at Northwest Machine Works, Inc. Northwest Machine Works, Inc.’s internal casing cutters are machined and assembled using simple, unique and effective design. Three cutters have proven to be market mainstays – the CCNWC (3 in or 7.62 cm), CCHWC (4 in or 10.16 cm), and CCPWC (5 […]

by Rune Lindhjem, Product Manager at Devico AS DeviGyro’s 125 cm overshot design Borehole surveying technology has developed and improved rapidly in recent years – driven by an increased focus on accuracy, efficiency and safety, combined with the always increasing need of knowing the borehole’s true trajectory. This applies to all drilling industries and boreholes […]

Ili Cava was born on the small island nation of Fiji, before moving to the world’s largest island of Australia in 1984. A graduate of Queensland’s Townsville Grammar School, Ili worked as a driller for close to a decade, traveling across Australia, and to Europe and South East Asia – relishing every opportunity to learn […]

by Martina Samarova, Executive Officer at Coring Magazine The 88th Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention took place March 1-4 in the heart of Toronto. As usual, professionals from far and wide gathered to capitalize on the annual event’s myriad opportunities. The Coring team captured what we believe are PDAC 2020’s interesting moments, […]

by Jelle Terpstra. P. Eng. (Retired), President, Cartwright Drilling Inc. On August 22, 2019 Cartwright Drilling Inc. was awarded a 1500- to 2000-meter diamond core contract by Greenland Anorthosite Mining ApS. The Majorqap Qava project is located 125 km south of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. The contract posed a challenge, despite Canadian-based Cartwright Drilling’s 16 years’ […]

by Lance Hubbard, General Manager at Hubbard Perforaciones Drilling in the Andes Mountains or South American jungle is challenging due to altitude, terrain, extreme weather and accessibility – or lack thereof, to remote drilling sites. Before starting a drilling program at a location deemed inaccessible, drilling contractors must consider many factors, and the most crucial […]

by Layne, A Granite Company Identification, definition and development of base and precious mineral deposits drives demand for drilling services. Layne, A Granite Company delivers quality samples that accurately reflect the location and orientation of mineral deposits. Founded 138 years ago, Layne is one of the world’s largest, most experienced water and mineral service companies. […]

by Johan Coetzee, Managing Director at Adamas Drilling and Exploration Adamas Drilling and Exploration (‘Adamas’) started its first drilling project in 2013. At that time, the company had only one core drill rig, an Atlas Copco Diamec-262, and an old Toyota Land Cruiser pick-up, a drilling team consisting of an operator, a core writer, two […]

by Liam Hardy, Operations Director at Spotlight Mining This May (2019) a new set of faces appeared on the Golden Triangle circuit. They were keen, enthusiastic, and financially backed to take a shot at the infamous region’s riches, but, planning a hand-son intensive drilling campaign takes more than enthusiasm. Crystal Lake Mining (TSXv: CLM) is […]

Michael Thomsen graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and in 1977 gained a master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As a mineral exploration geologist with world-class companies, including Newmont Mining Corp, Freeport-McMoRan Inc, and Gold Fields Mining Corp, Michael has visited and evaluated mineral resource opportunities in […]

by Graham Peterson, Geologist, Black Fox Mining LLC and GS Mining Company, LLC Gold Rush in Colorado and a New Mining Era In January of 1859, gold was discovered in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Several months later it was discovered in Central City, Colorado leading it to become known as the ‘Richest Square Mile on Earth.’ A […]

by John Sanchez, US Underground Coring Operations Manager at Boart Longyear Showing up on a mine site to perform contract underground diamond coring doesn’t always go exactly as planned. On one particular project, Boart Longyear mobilized underground coring rigs to a client’s mine in the US where the mine was faced with a big water […]

by Bill Ricciardi, CEO at Titeline Drilling Pty Titeline Drilling (‘Titeline’) has been operating from its base in Ballarat Victoria for over 17 years, and continues to grow, steadily meeting the demands of a diverse customer base. The company specializes in surface and underground diamond drilling, with the surface business focusing on deep directional drilling […]

It is rare for an individual to attest to a career of realizing true, impactful and sustainable industry change – preventing harm, saving time, money and most importantly – lives, while maintaining sensitivity to diverse cultural, geographical and political environments. Craig Lavrick is one such individual, and he’s far from hanging up his revered hard […]

by Jean Lafleur, P. Geo. (OGQ, APGO), Mineral Exploration and Management Consultant – Blainville (Quebec) Canada at PJLEXPL Inc. Life’s journey is challenging. Whether planned or unplanned, intentional or happy-golucky, or shortened or long, life offers a variety of trials and experiences in both personal and professional situations. My wish is that your lives are […]

Graham Brown was educated in Glasgow (Strathclyde University), graduating with a BSc in 1980. He gained his MSc at James Cook University, Australia in 1984. He has been a Fellow of the SEG since 1999 and participated in the Colombia as well as the Duke Business Leaders Programs in 2004 and 2007. In 2013 he […]

by Ilian Valkov Eng., Executive Manager at Geops-Bolkan Drilling Services Ltd One of the challenges of modern geological research is to identify the quality features of valuable resources at an early stage. The extraction of sufficient material for the initial technological research provides an opportunity to obtain critical data about the properties of the prospective […]

Sandra Lindberg is from Norsjö, in northern Sweden. She graduated in car mechanic studies in 2005 and after having her first child in 2007 embarked on a mining internship at Bergteamet (large Swedish mining services provider) that placed her in Malå and was completed in 2009. Sandra has numerous qualifications in drilling-related subjects, including an […]

by Noé Vilcas, Executive Director at Explomin Established in Peru in 2001 by an entrepreneur as a private enterprise with 100 % Peruvian investment, Explomin initially started operations with underground core drilling. Through the years it expanded its range of services to include surface core drilling and reverse circulation drilling (RC). Completing challenging projects in […]

by Duncan McLeod and Dag Billger, Inertial Sensing One AB Borehole surveying is a fundamental part of drilling operations to establish where a hole has actually been drilled. To accomplish this a variety of systems have been developed over more than a century to perform borehole surveys, based on a wide range of physical measurement […]

by Artur Makos, Product Manager, Exploration Products, Epiroc The design of the traditional wireline core drilling system has remained largely unchanged since its introduction to the exploration industry. Over the years, a number of safety issues associated with the traditional wireline coring system have been addressed by manufacturers. Most of the focus has been on […]

Background Russian service company OGK Group was established in 2012 following the merger of the leading domestic enterprises in exploration drilling. At that time, the company had 20 employees and two drilling rigs. At first, OGK organized and performed drilling operations in the solid minerals sector, and consistently developed this activity by investing in technical […]

Luc Paquet is an alumnus of Concordia University, Montreal, where he studied from 1976 to 1979 and gained a degree in Communications. Luc took his first steps in entrepreneurship by running his own business as a beekeeper. Afterward, he worked for a number of companies where he gained insights into management practices. In 1986 he […]

by David R. Walker, Managing Director at Terra Walker Drilling Background Terra Walker Drilling, led by David Walker, was awarded exploration drilling in 2016 by Vedanta – Hindustan Zinc Ltd in Zawar Mines, Rampura Agucha Mines and Kayad Mines, Central West in the state of Rajasthan (India). The company started surface exploration drilling at two […]

by Francine Long, P. GEO, Senior Geologist at Nordmin Engineering Ltd. The importance of using structural data in every discipline within geology cannot be overemphasized. Dedicated geologists spend enormous amounts of time collecting critical structural data. This same dedication should be used to validate and plot the data into products for use as tools to […]

by Andrew Cuthbert, Senior Manager for Global Marketing & Communications at Boart Longyear History In 1890, a young mining engineer named Edmund J. Longyear set a new standard for innovation in mining. Longyear, a member of the first graduating class at the Michigan Mining School, sank the first diamond drill hole on North America’s Mesabi Iron […]

by Colin Rice, Managing Director at Colin Rice Exploration and Training (Pty) Ltd Much exploration drilling is conducted in remote locations, far away from mining activity, which means these operations can escape scrutiny from the prying eyes of a safety department! In the past, this situation was particularly true in South Africa where drill sites […]

Brian Maeck is the Global Director for Environmental, Health, Safety & Training (EHS&T) at Boart Longyear. He was educated at Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario where he was a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism program. He achieved health and safety accreditations through the University of Fredericton and is currently working towards earning his Master […]

Statistics based on 2017 results by Martina Samarova, Marketing and Communications Manager at Coring Magazine After a long downturn, 2017, especially the last quarter, turned out to be profitable for most companies involved in diamond drilling. Coring Magazine reviews the 2017 annual results announced publicly by drilling contractors around the world and ranks the top […]

by Kent Swick, Managing Director and Jenna Aziz, PR Co-ordinator History Swick Mining Services has been operating for over 20 years and was founded by Kent Swick in 1995. Kent is a fourth-generation driller with a drilling heritage that goes as far back as his great-grandfather drilling water wells across the mid-western plains of the […]

Dr Mark Cruise is the CEO of Trevali Mining. He founded the company approximately ten years ago to take advantage of what he saw then as a tightening in the zinc market. Trevali has since grown to be a successful exploration company and now owns four operations: Santander in Peru, Caribou in Canada, Rosh Pinah […]

 by Nick Holroyde, Sales & Marketing Co-ordinator, Energold Group & Richard Thomas, MD Energold Group EMEA   Energold is a diversified, global, drilling solutions provider, that services the mining, geotechnical, water and energy sectors worldwide. Listed on the Toronto stock exchange under the ticker TSX-V: EGD, Energold has been providing a comprehensive range of drilling services for over 20 years in 24 countries. The Europe-Middle East-Africa Division is based in the UK. The company has operations in […]

 by Savannah Adkins Digital Marketing Co-Ordinator at Rig Source Inc. Drilling into the Surtsey Volcano Formed only 50 years ago from volcanic eruptions below the sea floor, Surtsey Island is a natural habitat protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for scientific research. Named after a fire jötunn known as Surtr in Norse Mythology, […]

Professor Nikolay D. Nenkov was born in the town of Elena, Bulgaria in 1928. His academic career began at the Technical University of Sofia, from where he graduated in 1951, majoring in General Mechanical Engineering. Then, in 1959 he joined the Sofia University of Mining and Geology as a lecturer. Four years after defending his dissertation thesis on drilling mechanics in 1974, he was awarded the professorship of Drilling Machines and Mechanisms and Drilling Mechanics.  The creative path of Prof. Nenkov is […]

One doesn’t normally think of France as a mining country, let alone the home of the world’s third-largest mineral driller, Foraco International. However, France is where the adventure started in 1962 when “Le Forage Rationnel”, as it was originally called, was founded by Andre Lamothe, in collaboration with Rogers, an American geophysical exploration company. Mining […]

Filipe Pinto was born in Porto, Portugal. He graduated in Geology from the University of Porto Faculty of Sciences in 2012 and went on to write a Master’s thesis entitled “Study of Tin Distribution in the Panasqueira Mine” there. He has been working as a mine and exploration geologist at the Beralt Tin & Wolfram […]

By Grigor Topev   It’s March and I’m back in Toronto for the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2017 trade show. Walking down the aisles in the Trade Show hall I get a strong sense of having seen it all before. Sure, you say, you have – last year. But that’s not quite […]

John MacPhail has been in the drilling industry for 38 years, working in seismic and oil field drilling then moving through to mineral exploration with air drilling and diamond drilling applications. After 10 years of being at the controls himself and then field operations manager, John, together with his brother Jim, started a supply company […]

  By Frederico Lana A. R. Figueiredo – Senior Exploration Geologist, Brownfields Exploration, AngloGold Ashanti AngloGold Ashanti’s deep drilling project in Brazil’s Cuiabá region was conducted between 2013 and 2015. The purpose of the project was the confirmation of important ore extensions of the Cuiabá mine gold deposit. The project’s success was possible through collaboration between AngloGold Ashanti as […]

by Kiril Apostolov – Directional Drilling Engineer, BG Drilling Solutions Very often during the process of drilling for mineral reserves, the campaign reaches the point where a drill hole or holes have diverted from the proposed trajectory. In these cases, the current azimuth and dip angles of a drill hole need to be brought back […]

by Shteryo Lyomov, Phd, Dept. of Drilling, Transport and Oil & Gas Production, Mining and Geology U., Sofia, Bulgaria Directional diamond drilling (DDD) is powerful technology in the service of the mineral exploration industry. Its application plays an important role and is constantly increasing. A close look at its application reveals the most important factors […]

A report by Grigor Topev The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada is the biggest exploration drilling show in the world, and though thoroughly international, it has a strong Canadian f lavour. I have visited few mining exhibitions before, but this was my first PDAC expo. My purpose in visiting this year was two-fold: to […]

by Erik C. Ronald, PG – Mining Geology HQ The title may sound like the start of a bad joke, but this article aims to delve deeper into the relationship between geologists and drillers in the exploration and mining industries. These two professions are central and are at times glorified, with the heroic notion of […]

The Atelier Val-d’Or VD8000 drill rig A proven solution for deep hole surface drilling With years of use behind them, Atelier Val-d’Or’s VD8000 and its smaller sibling the VD5000 have shown that they have what it takes to tackle the most demanding surface coring jobs in a safe and efficient manner. The VD8000 was designed […]

Craig Scott Field Operations Manager, Hy-Tech Drilling Over the course of his drilling career, Craig Scott has worked in over 60 different countries. Prior to joining Hy-Tech Drilling in 2007, Craig had a 28-year career with Boart Longyear, where he gained significant experience in the diamond drilling industry, working his way up from driller’s helper […]

As depressed conditions in the mining and exploration industry persist, drilling companies have no choice but to respond to the situation according to their individual circumstances. Even as a relatively small player in the international drilling industry, Günzel Drilling has had to embrace the challenges of a perpetually cyclical industry, and an investigation of its […]

“There is an increasing focus on safety in the mining industry and the Diamec Smart series sets a new standard for underground core drilling rigs. Customers who have tried automatic drilling and rod handling never want to go back to the old way of drilling.” Martin Sommers Vice President Marketing – Exploration Equipment at Atlas […]

For our regular ‘Field practice’ feature, we ask coring experts to write a brief summary of their particular area of expertise. Here, Laurie Cyr and Grigor Topev combine efforts to tell us all we need to know about locking couplings and how to choose the right type. Locking coupling function The locking coupling (LC) is […]

Kevin has been with REFLEX for ten years and is in charge of the Drilling Solutions, globally. He is a holder of the Australian Prospect Mining 2010 Outstanding Contribution to Mining and Miner of the Year awards for his contribution to the 2010 Chilean mine rescue. Coring Magazine: How did you get started in drilling? Kevin […]