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2015 GSA PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
The world is changing
GSA TODAY | JANUARY 2016 Jonathan G. Price, LLC, 2210 Andromeda Way, Reno, Nevada
89509, USA
The world is changing. Our science is increasingly global, as we
recognize the challenges of understanding interconnected Earth
systems, meeting the rising global demand for mineral and energy
resources, handling tradeoffs regarding sustainable development,
and reducing the risks of natural disasters that impact the global
economy. The geosciences are vital to meeting these societal
challenges. The future is bright for the geosciences, from many
perspectives.
Demand is high for nearly every mineral and energy resource.
This high demand provides many opportunities for geoscientists
to contribute throughout the life cycles of these resources (from
exploration and mining to reclamation and recycling) and to
continually improve environmentally responsible and economi-
cally sustainable extractive activities.
Global production of copper (Fig. 1) illustrates the high demand.
Copper is vital in modern society, primarily as a conductor of
electricity. Demand is high in part because the world population
continues to rise and in part because per capita consumption is
also rising (illustrated in Fig. 1 as annual mine production divided
by population). More people want the conveniences that electricity
provides—lighting, heating, motors, refrigerators, computers, etc.
Since 1900, world population has increased approximately four-
fold, whereas copper production has increased by a factor of 38,
and per capita consumption has risen nine-fold. Although some
ups and downs (due to recessions and wars) in production are
apparent, the trends are clearly toward more copper mined and
more use per person each year.
Figure 1. Annual global copper production, 1900–2014 (production data from the world’s most populous country, with 19% of the global popu-
U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines; population data from U.S. lation (Fig. 6), and if one assumes even geographic distribution of
Central Intelligence Agency; updated from Price, 2013).
GSA Today, v. 26, no. 1, doi: 10.1130/GSAT-15PresAdrs.1.
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Figure 2. Annual global gold production, 1900–2014 (production data from
U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines; population data from U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency; updated from Price, 2013).
A somewhat similar situation is illustrated by gold production
(Fig. 2). Although gold has many industrial uses (vital for
conducting electricity in computers and cell phones and in
reflecting heat), its primary use is as money, either in the form of
bullion, coins, or, in much of the world, jewelry. Since 1900, gold
production has increased by a factor of seven, and per capita
consumption has fluctuated but overall increased by a factor of
about two.
Mine production of gold in 2014 reached the historically high
amount of 2,860 metric tons, according to the U.S. Geological
Survey (2015). For the geological community, this is a staggering
amount. In comparison, the Carlin trend in Nevada (Fig. 3),
one of the top gold-mining areas in the world, has produced
~2,500 metric tons of gold (worth approximately US$100 billion
at last year’s average price) in its entire history (including modern-
day production after the discovery of the Carlin deposit in 1961).
Assuming that mine production, from hundreds of mines
throughout the world, continues at this rate, geoscientists will
need to find the equivalent of at least one new Carlin trend each
year to keep up with global demand.
We are in the midst of the biggest gold-mining boom in history,
both globally (Fig. 2) and in the United States (Fig. 4). The current
boom has exceeded previous booms in terms of total production,
peak annual production, and longevity. Yet the world of gold mining
has changed. For decades the Witwatersrand in South Africa
dominated global gold production, but in 2007, China overtook
South Africa to become the number 1 producer (Fig. 5). China is
mineral resources, one might expect China to produce roughly
19% of most commodities. China’s growth in the last decade has