At Viridian Metals, every discovery begins with the people behind it. Our Team Spotlight series celebrates the geologists, engineers, management and field leaders whose expertise, curiosity, and commitment drive our exploration forward.
By sharing their stories, we’re offering a closer look at the dedication and innovation that power our projects — and the personalities shaping the future of responsible resource discovery.
_____
In this edition of our Team Spotlight series, we caught up with Charlene Duffett, Viridian’s Exploration Manager who explains what motivates her, what makes the work exciting, and why Labrador’s unexplored terrain feels full of promise.
Duffett’s leadership keeps our operations at Sedna and Kraken running smoothly. And, beyond her technical work, she is a board member of She Connects, a nonprofit supporting mentorship for women, and was recognized with the 2018 Young Mining Professionals Scholarship for her contributions to the field.
*
Can you tell us about your role at Viridian Metals?
To put it simply, my role as Exploration Manager is to keep things running and organized in the field. I manage personnel, helicopter contracts, field logistics, administrative work and last but not least, geology! At Sedna the geology work includes mostly prospecting, while at Kraken it is logging core and sampling. I like to think of my role as “keep people happy and the work flowing”.
How did you get into this field?
I had decided to pursue science after high school, and I knew that I wanted to work outside. I was pretty uninterested in Biology (sorry Mr. Pippy) which left Geology as my choice at the time! I met Tyrell through a Carleton – U Ottawa networking event and have worked mostly for him on various projects since then.
What excites you most about working in exploration?
I am most excited about exploring Labrador. Everyone knows about the Voisey’s Bay Mine and the Labrador West Mines, but there is 200 thousand km2 in between those two mines that are underexplored!
What’s been the most memorable moment so far at Sedna or Kraken?
I have a few answers for this one!
Funniest moment: We saw a porcupine in the field at Sedna, and our student asked very seriously why it wasn’t shooting quills at us and I had to explain that that is not how they work!
Best moment: One of our goals for the field season at Sedna was to find limestone and arkosic sandstone in outcrop, because we had only ever seen them in float before and they are important units for the copper sedimentary basin system, and I was incredibly happy that we found them both!
Most memorable: There was a thunderstorm right on top of us at Sedna in July, we counted over 200 lightning strikes in less than an hour, it was incredible.
Why are these projects important?
I think specifically Sedna is important because we are trying to understand the mineral system as a whole, to advance our understanding of these types of deposits and this specific geologic environment. Kraken for me is significant as it is our test location for our new custom built drill, which has been performing well so far!
What’s one thing most people don’t know about your job?
I don’t think most people know much about this job to be honest! Unless you’re in the mineral exploration world. But one thing that even I didn’t realize is just how much time and energy helicopter logistics takes out of my life! That helicopter costs about 3000$/hr and when the fuel station is over 100km away you have to make every minute flying count!
Looking ahead, what excites you most about Viridian?
Viridian has a great crew from Upper Management to our field crew, our projects have huge potential and our ingenuity when it comes to green exploration is amazing.