Who we are:

Exploration Direction is a provider of geological and management services to the mineral exploration industry with a focus on early-stage exploration for base-metals and gold.

We assist clients to develop and progress exploration projects ensuring that procedures and data are suitable for eventual use under national reporting rules including NI43-101, JORC and PERC.

Services:

  • QP/CP services for mineral exploration

  • Exploration programme design and management

  • Target generation studies

  • Property reviews / geological due diligence

  • Data audits and data management

  • GIS compilations (QGIS)

  • NI43-101 reporting for exploration results

  • 3D visualisation and modelling (Leapfrog)

  • Geochemical survey design, QAQC, and interpretation

  • Drill project management

  • Workflow optimisation and documentation

  • Fieldwork risk assessments, H&S reviews, and accident investigation

Personnel:

Thomas Sant FGS CGeol EurGeol

Having gained a BSc in Applied Geology from the University of Leicester in the mid 90s, Tom then spent a couple of decades “banging rocks” around the world. A lot of this time was spent looking for copper and gold in porphyry and epithermal systems including eight years with Rio Tinto followed by six years in Mongolia with Robert Friedland’s Ivanhoe Mines during the period of the Oyu Tolgoi discovery. Several years with Nautilus Minerals based in Brisbane, working on the geology and resource drilling of the Solwara 1 seafloor massive sulphide deposit 1500 m under the sea of PNG, gave good insight into VMS systems. Returning to dry land Tom joined Eldorado Gold as their generative exploration lead in Türkiye and then as their exploration manager in Greece.

Since 2016 Tom has worked as a freelance geologist and exploration manager based out of Manchester, UK, with involvement in exploration projects including:

  • Exploration and QP for Medgold Resources in Serbia covering generative projects and >9000 m of drilling leading to the discover of the Tlamino gold deposit with a maidan resource of 0.68M Oz AuEq.

  • Management of helicopter supported drilling for Major Precious Metals at the Skaergaard precious metals project in Greenland. Providing logging data and ~11,000 drill core samples for use in a resource update by SLR Consulting (11.4 M oz PdEq indicated, 14.1 M oz PdEq inferred).

  • Exploration management and QP for Munduro Capital in Serbia covering JVs partnerships with BHP and Vale. Included contract management of multiple large geophysical surveys and leading safety improvement initiatives.

  • Management of exploration drill programs in east Greenland for Longland Resources seeking conduit-hosted Ni-Co mineralisation.

  • Services to clients active in Chad (mapping), Russia (exploration management advice), Mongolia (geochemical survey control), and Türkiye (VMS exploration).

Tom is a fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS), a UK chartered geologist (CGeol), a registered European geologist (EurGeol), a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (FSEG2005), a member of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits, a core PDAC member, and a member of the International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits.