Geoff Lane – Chief Mineralogist

Geoff Lane graduated as a Minerals Engineering Technologist from Sir Sandford Fleming College – School of Natural Resources in 1987, and received a B.Sc. Honours degree in geology from Birkbeck College, University of London in 2005. He spent 19 years working at Lakefield Research, now SGS Minerals, initially as a Mineralogical Technician in 1987 and leaving as a Senior Mineralogist in 2006. His experience over that time ranged from carrying out laboratory testwork to managing and undertaking mineralogical projects from a wide range of clients worldwide, especially focusing on process mineralogical applications for liberation. In 2006 Geoff was employed as a Senior Mineralogist at the Technology and Innovation facility of Rio Tinto located in Melbourne Australia. His duties here included managing the process mineralogy projects at T&I which included QemScan operations as well as optical microscopy for the Rio Tinto business units of Hamersley Iron, Energy Resources Australia (uranium), La Granja Copper project, and Northparkes Copper. He returned to Canada in 2009 and now operates Process Mineralogical Consulting carrying out mineralogical investigations for the application of mineral processing.

Chris Blake – Senior Mineralogist

Chris Blake gained a BSc Honours degree in geology at Gloucester University in 1991 and a PhD in mineralogy from Cardiff University in 2008.  He spent 17 years working as senior mineralogist for Rio Tinto where he was responsibility for providing mineralogical support to Rio Tinto exploration and commodity business units worldwide.  Chris managed the Rio Tinto diamond indicator mineral facility in Bristol, UK and has extensive experience in the characterisation and analysis of a wide range of commodities and metallurgical products using a combination of optical microscopy, electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction techniques.  He now works as an independent mineralogy consultant, providing mineralogy support and characterisation services to mining and exploration companies worldwide.

Ivan Reynolds – Principal Mineralogist

Ivan Reynolds has more than 38 years practical mineralogical experience, both in industry and academia.  He is a graduate of Rhodes University in South Africa obtaining a BSc in Geology and Chemistry in 1970, a BSc (Hons) in Geology (1971) and a PhD in Mineralogy (1978).   He retired as a Principal Consultant – Manager from Rio Tinto in 2009 after a successful 21-year career as a mineralogist, laboratory manager and consultant  His years as a Senior lecturer at Rhodes University, RSA provides PMC with a valuable source for ore genesis interpretation.  With over 20 years service with Rio Tinto as a Mineralogist and Laboratory manager ensures that Ivan can direct mineralogical investigations in many different ore types with particular insight into how variations in mineralogical content can effect production.

Ivan’s long career and extensive experience of most aspects of mineralogy and ore deposits, both in industry and academia has provided him with the unique ability of being able to evaluate and characterise ores and other materials from both geology/genetic and mineral processing perspectives depending on the requirements of his clients.  His experience extends from the characterisation of individual exploration samples through to full-scale orebody characterisation.  He has also been involved in the scoping and planning of all stages of the mineralogical/metallurgical processing aspects of project development from early exploration through feasibility to production as might be expected within a major mining company.  In addition to geological/mineralogical characterisation studies, he has been involved in the design and implementation of bench- and pilot-scale metallurgical testwork programmes, all stages of process development, trouble-shooting and plant performance evaluation including the characterisation of tailings and leach residues.  He also has significant experience in the characterisation and analysis of a wide range of pyrometallurgical products including slags, mattes, sinters, flue dusts, refractories and related materials.  He has also undertaken project and company reviews as well as due diligence studies.  His experience covers a wide range of commodities including gold and silver, iron, copper, lead-zinc, uranium, PGE, chromium, titanium, nickel, boron, phosphorous and zirconium as well as various industrial minerals and products.  He is currently available for mineralogical consultancy and project review.