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 Simon Jones, a Geologist specialising in basin-hosted mineral systems and Senior Research fellow at iCrag, who is helping Viridian Metals understand the Seal Basin and pushing the limits of discovery.
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Can you tell us about your role at Viridian Metals?
I am a technical advisor, specifically for the Sedna project.
How did you get into this field?
I started my career in oil and gas working for Shell and BP. After realising that geologists in the petroleum industry see lots of seismic data, but very few rocks, I moved to mineral exploration. I explored for a variety of deposit styles but I was always fascinated by sedimentary basins. I am now in academia, following my passion: learning about mineral deposits in sedimentary basins.
What excites you most about working in exploration?
You never know what you’re going to find. We formulate ideas and hypotheses based on the knowledge we have, and we test them with surveys, mapping and drilling, but we are always surprised by what we find. We can’t predict nature.
What’s been the most memorable moment so far at Sedna?
For every belt, basin or terrane I’ve worked in, there is always one outcrop that is memorable. At Sedna it is a preserved, large-scale extensional fault that forms a huge cliff. It validated our thinking and confirmed that we were making progress in understanding the basin.
Why are these projects important?
They offer the best hope of a secure metal source that can be developed in a suitable way, for the benefit of the people of Labrador. From a science perspective, what we learn about the Seal Basin can be applied to exploration projects the world over.
What’s one thing most people don’t know about your job?
I get time to think. In a world of incessant distractions, thinking is the most undervalued of activities.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about Viridian?
We are learning about what lurks deeper, and in other parts, of the Seal Basin. We’ve had some pleasantly surprising results so far, and we are only scratching the surface.