A Highlight Of 2010

The 16th Extractive Industry Geology Conference, Portsmouth

The 16th Extractive Industry Geology (EIG) Conference, based at the University of Portsmouth from 8–11 September 2010, surpassed all expectations in terms of popularity and success at a time of almost unprecedented economic decline.

Since its inception more than 32 years ago in 1978, the biennial EIG Conference has become firmly established as the principal UK event for sharing knowledge, research, innovation and best practice in applied geology within the national non-petroleum extractive industries. Consequently, recent EIG conferences have attracted delegates from other minerals extraction disciplines, such as planners, operations managers, engineers and HSE advisors.

EIG is a fully independent organization run by a voluntary committee of geo-professionals, practising for operators, academia, consultancy and other stakeholders within the extractive industry sector. In 2008 it was transformed into Extractive Industry Geology Conferences, a company limited by guarantee with a board of unpaid directors drawn from the organizing committee. The company’s objectives are: to run conferences, meetings, site visits and other functions for the benefit of professionals and students involved in extractive industry geology; to publish proceedings of the conferences; and to support relevant research and sponsor students undertaking approved courses.

EIG 2010 in Portsmouth was the first conference back on English soil for six years, after visits to Scotland and Wales in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Given that the last two or three years have yielded the most severe and prolonged downturn in recent UK economic history, EIG 2010 truly reflected the prevailing spirit of what chairman Colin Comberbach termed the ‘EIG community’. Around 180 delegates attended, just a few short of the Cardiff EIG 2008 number, itself one of the highest on recent record and attained in much better economic times.

EIG 2010 sponsorship was headlined by Tarmac, SRK Consulting, Lafarge and the Mineral Products Association, and supported by 13 other organizations, while 17 exhibitors guaranteed a sell-out of trade stands. Outstanding support was provided by the hosts, the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, where numerous EIG delegates have graduated over the years. This partnership secured excellent conference facilities, serviced accommodation and a dedicated events team. EIG 2010 delegates also enjoyed CPD Endorsed Training status approved by The Geological Society.

Following tradition, EIG 2010 included pre- and post-conference field trips. On the first day, one group viewed clay extraction and manufacturing operations at Michelmersh Brick & Tile Company Ltd, while another group went underground to observe extraction of the Upper Purbeck (Jurassic) evaporites at Brightling Mine, courtesy of British Gypsum. In the evening delegates enjoyed the sights and lights from the spectacular viewing decks of Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower; an exciting landmark and exclusive venue for the EIG 2010 Ice Breaker Reception.

Commencing with a welcome from the chairman, the two main conference days were officially opened by Professor Paul Hayes, Dean of Science at the University of Portsmouth. More than 40 speakers of national and international experience were aptly preceded by a scene-setting animated visualization of the local geology and field visit locations by the British Geological Survey.

A high point at the start of recent EIG conferences has been an esteemed memorial lecture to honour Ansel Dunham, former EIG chair and professor of industrial mineralogy at Hull University and then at Leicester until his untimely death in 1998. He taught many of the EIG committee and delegates and had a long association with the extractive industries. The Ansel Dunham Lecture at EIG 2010 was given by Professor Geoffrey Walton (PGW&A LLP and University of Leeds) on ‘Consulting geologists and the British extractive industries’. His talk was a reflective but progressive one for the audience, as it reviewed UK trends in the direct industry employment of geologists and the associated rise in the use of consultants. Corporate memory of past geological issues that could hold future relevance was just one example given of concerns in need of address.

Oral and poster presentations followed in a series of seven themed sessions, led by three invited keynote speakers from the Carbon Trust, English Heritage and Royal Holloway (University of London). Hot topics relevant to today’s extractive industry geologist, such as energy and regulation, complemented traditional themes on resources and reserves, geohazards and geotechnics and quarry restoration. Combined with innovation, which included a paper by a current EIG bursary student, and military extractive industry geology themes to capture the imagination, EIG 2010 delivered something for all.

The broad diversity of geological and operational topics was exemplified by papers and case studies on: comparisons of exploration and reserves assessments with production yields; minerals planning and geospatial data acquisition; underground mining of aggregates; quarry design and assessment of faces and tips; renewable energy sources and carbon reduction at mineral extraction sites; rockfall risks associated with the use of wheel loaders versus backhoe excavators to load out blast piles; implementation of the Mining Waste Directive and other environmental regulation; quarry geologists in military service; synergy of blasting and extraction operations with heritage resources; groundwater recharge in magnesian limestone; underground storage at gypsum mines; south coast marine aggregates production from submerged river valley infill sands and gravels; sustainable brick production; fingerprinting and health risks of dust sources; innovative uses of earthworks and soil forming materials in quarry restoration; and new developments of UK metallic resources.

Presentations were pleasantly interrupted by a surprise committee-nominated award in the corporate style of EIG conferences, with a clear/blue glass panel and globe awarded to Geoffrey Walton for ‘Distinguished Professional Services to the Extractive Industries’ during a career spanning five decades.

The first plenary day ended with the company AGM and a memorable conference dinner aboard HMS Warrior. Raffle-ticket buying delegates and 18 prize-donating companies combined to raise £1,945 for EIG 2010’s nominated charity, the locally based Rona Sailing Project.

EIG 2010 was fittingly concluded with a sell-out day tour of classic and applied geology sites on the Isle of Wight, where cliffs at Blackgang (in unstable Gault Clay materials quarried elsewhere in the UK) are said to comprise the longest and most active coastal landslide in north-west Europe.

Delegate feedback forms indicated overwhelming satisfaction from the EIG 2010 experience, with 97% of their overall value ratings classified in the top two categories of excellent (71%) and good (26%).

Papers presented at Portsmouth will be published, subject to submission and peer review, in the Conference Proceedings and on the EIG website: http://www.eigconference.org

The EIG committee would like to express its thanks for the great support given by the EIG 2010 hosts, all the delegates, exhibitors and sponsors. Planning is already under way for EIG 2012.