Mining exploration companies in Cornwall will collaborate in a £4 million programme to gather fresh geochemistry and geophysical data for a new centre in the county.
PARTNERS
Cornwall Resources Ltd, a subsidiary of Australian miner Strategic Minerals, has been chosen for the Deep Digital Cornwall (DDC) project funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The project, which also includes Cornish Lithium Ltd, is led by the University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines (CSM) and the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
DDC will involve research and promote innovation with 40 of the region’s small and medium size companies.
The South West Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications (SWCoESA) has also been chosen as a participant.
MINING RESURGENCE
Cornwall Resources will receive up to £446,063 out of £3.3 million for its Redmoor exploration licence area to be used as a field laboratory for the project.
Raw data will be provided to the DDC data centre as an example dataset, while collaborative research at Redmoor will improve understanding of both local prospectivity and the wider Cornwall sub-surface.
“The Cornwall Resources team are proud and excited to play a significant role as a delivery partner generating new data for the project, which is anticipated to be one of the catalysts stimulating the resurgence of Cornish mining,” said Strategic Minerals executive director and Cornwall Resources director Peter Wale.
“The project is expected to meet both the needs of the data hub and to provide Cornwall Resources with further information regarding the potential for broader and additional targets in close proximity to the already internationally significant Redmoor deposit.”
URGENT NEED
A new physical research hub will be created on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, providing a 3-D modelling and visualisation suite with dedicated researchers, innovators and business development specialists.
“This is such an exciting opportunity to expand the digital skills and information related to the underground,” said Professor Frances Wall, lead academic from CSM.
“Our cluster of local companies work all over the world, at a time when there is an urgent need for new metals that are essential for the transition to net zero emissions.”
CAPABILITIES
Cornish Lithium senior geologist Lucy Crane added that DDC was a fantastic opportunity to develop understanding of the ground below the county.
“Cornwall has an amazing mining heritage, but this project will bring Cornwall’s relationship with the subsurface right into the 21st century.
“Our technical team brings expertise in digital subsurface data, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and is looking forward to working closely with CSM and CRL [Cornwall Resources] to develop these capabilities further.”