What makes a mineral critical? What makes it strategic? And why are governments around the world racing to secure supplies of certain commodities?

In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro , Senzeni Mandava Matondi, Julian Aldridge, and Laurie Hassell explore the growing importance of critical and strategic minerals in today's economy. From copper, lithium and rare earth elements to gallium and germanium minerals, the discussion examines how countries define these resources and why those definitions matter.

The team explores:

• The difference between critical and strategic minerals
• Why supply risk matters
• The role of minerals in national security and defence
• Food security and fertiliser-related commodities
• How critical mineral lists differ between countries
• The influence of processing capability and intellectual property
• The minerals driving the energy transition

Will AI replace geologists? In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro , we explore how artificial intelligence is being used across the mining industry, from exploration targeting and core logging to resource estimation and technical reporting.

Our team discusses the opportunities AI presents, its current limitations, and why geological expertise, judgement and accountability remain critical in mining workflows.

What are the key differences between private mining companies and publicly listed mining companies when it comes to project development, risk, and reporting? In this episode of ‪@SnowdenOptiro‬ 's Fresh Thinking podcast, Senior Consultant, Laurie Hassall speaks with Managing Consultant, Julian Aldridge, about how private companies approach mining project economics compared with companies reporting under the CRIRSCO framework. The discussion covers:

• CRIRSCO Code compliance and disclosure requirements
• Investor protection and technical defensibility
• Resource and reserve classification
• Mining project economics and financing strategies
• Risk appetite in private vs public companies
• ESG considerations in modern mining projects
• How reporting standards influence mine development decisions

This episode provides valuable insight for mining professionals, investors, geologists, engineers, and anyone involved in mineral resource development and project evaluation.

In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Ian Glacken and Susan Havlin explore localised conditional simulation (LCS) and its role in modern resource estimation workflows.

Building on earlier discussions around estimation methods, recoverable resources, and conditional simulation, this episode brings everything together to explain how LCS converts multiple simulation realisations into a single, practical block model—while preserving realistic grade variability.

Key topics include:

• What localized conditional simulation is and why it matters
• How localization transforms multiple realizations into a single model
• The role of the E-type estimate in ranking and distribution
• Differences between LCS and traditional ordinary kriging
• How LCS supports recoverable resource estimation at the SMU scale
• The origins of localization and its relationship to methods like uniform conditioning and MIK

In this episode of Fresh Thinking by ‪@SnowdenOptiro‬, Susan Havlin and Ian Glacken explore the fundamentals of conditional simulation and its role in modelling grade variability and uncertainty in mineral resource estimation.

They discuss how simulation differs from traditional methods like kriging and uniform conditioning, why capturing uncertainty is critical for modern mining decisions, and how multiple realizations can provide valuable insight into upside and downside risk.

The conversation also touches on practical challenges, including reporting to the market and integrating uncertainty into mine planning workflows.

In this episode of Fresh Thinking by @SnowdenOptiro, Susan Havlin speaks with Tarrant Elkington about the mine planning implications of simulation.

The conversation explores:

• Why resource models are fundamental to mine planning and project evaluation
• The impact of grade variability and smoothing on mine planning outcomes
• How LCS compares with conventional estimation methods such as Ordinary Kriging
• The operational implications of dilution, ore loss and mining selectivity
• How simulation-based approaches can support risk-aware and stochastic mine planning
• Why LCS can integrate into existing mine planning workflows

This episode is the sixth in our seven-part series exploring recoverable resource estimation, simulation and uncertainty in mineral resource modelling.

In this episode of Fresh Thinking by ‪@SnowdenOptiro‬, Susan Havlin and Ian Glacken discuss uncertainty in mineral resource estimation and how Localised Conditional Simulation (LCS) provides a more practical framework for analysing geological risk and variability. The conversation explores:

• Conditional simulation and uncertainty
• Resource classification
• Simulation versus kriging
• Risk-qualified mine planning
• Why preserving variability matters

Listen now to learn how modern geostatistical approaches are shaping the future of resource estimation.

In the final episode of our 7-part series on recoverable resources and localised conditional simulation (LCS), Susan Havlin from ‪@SnowdenOptiro‬ is joined by Bruce Kendall, Technical Advisor at Minerals 260, to discuss the application of LCS at the Bullabulling Gold Project in Western Australia. The episode explores:

• Why Minerals 260 moved beyond traditional ordinary kriging methods
• How LCS was used to better represent grade variability and uncertainty
• The impact on resource modelling, mine planning, and grade control
• Why approaches like LCS may become increasingly important for low-grade, variable deposits