Resumes of Lowell Exchange Lecture Talks

How Orebodies Are Found

The talk reviews mineral exploration techniques used over the past 50 years followed by my career history over the same period.  I will give my ideas about what really works in mineral exploration including estimates about discovery costs, education of explorationists, organization of exploration groups, and my opinions about relative value of exploration techniques.  I conclude that the efficiency of minerals exploration has not benefited much from breakthroughs in frontiers of knowledge technology as has been the case in many fields.  Both the universities and company exploration groups have erred in assuming that high tech is always better, and in the past 25 years this has significantly increased the costs of ore discovery.

The Atacama Project and the La Escondida Discovery

This talk traces the history of the Atacama Project with discussion about the geology and tectonics of Chile and the control of the Mid Tertiary porphyry copper metallogenic belt.  It discusses the strategy used in this grassroots exploration project from a cost/benefit viewpoint and describes the exploration techniques used and the results obtained.  I speculate about how changes in technology 20 years later might or might not change the planning.  I will also discuss the post-Escondida exploration results of other copper exploration groups in Chile, and speculate on prospects for future discoveries.

The Arequipa Resources Pierina Project

This talk will discuss the history of the exploration program in Peru which led to the discovery of the Pierina gold deposit.  I will talk about the financing, the Sendero Luminoso terrorist problem, and the problem of operating in a country in which the economy and infrastructure were initially in a shambles.  The talk will discuss the geology of Peru as it relates to the porphyry copper metallogenic belt in the south, and to the gold metallogenic belt in the north, delineated by us which was the focus of our grassroots gold program.  I will talk a little about our exploration techniques and criteria, and about the techniques and procedures for the definition program following the discovery.  Finally, I will describe the dramatic takeover negotiation with Barrick Gold and the sale of Arequipa Resources.

Resume of Dr J.D. Lowell

David Lowell is owner of Lowell Mineral Exploration, LLC, a company which currently has joint venture exploration programs with major mining companies in Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico.
Mr. Lowell earned B.S. mining engineering and E. Geol degrees from the University of Arizona, a MS Geology from Stanford University, and was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa degree from Univ. Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru. Early in his career he worked for Asarco as a mine engineer and mine foreman before becoming an exploration geologist. He has worked as a consultant for over 100 companies and governments in more than 25 countries and has participated in ten major mine feasibility studies. Seven major mine discoveries have resulted from contract exploration projects and joint ventures which he has managed and from one Lowell Mineral Exploration financed project.
He has been awarded the AIME Robert Earll McConnell Award, the SME Daniel Jackling and Robert Dreyer Awards, the University of Arizona Distinguished Alumni Award, the American Mining Hall of Fame Medal of Merit, The Society of Economic Geologists Silver Medal, Thayer Lindsley Distinguished Lectureship and the SEG International Enchange Lectureship. He was Distinguished Lecturer for the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and gave a short course at the Universidad de Chile. He was given the Northern Miner Canadian co-Mining Man of the Year Award. He participated in the development of the Lowell-Guilbert porphyry copper genetic model, which contributed to the discovery of major copper mines by other groups.