Session Details
The session will provide a comparative overview of the world's major silver-producing regions, examining the deposit types that characterize each district and the exploration strategies most likely to deliver success — from the five-element vein systems producing bonanza-grade native silver in Australia, to the epithermal and sediment-hosted deposits of Latin America, and the carbonate-hosted ores of central Europe. A key theme of the session is silver's nature as a by-product metal. Because silver is most commonly recovered during the processing of other metals, its economic value is inseparable from the mineralogy of its host deposit. Smelters will typically pay for silver contained in copper, gold, and lead concentrates — but recovery and payability fall sharply for silver in nickel concentrates, and may be negligible or nil for silver locked in zinc concentrates. Accurate project evaluation demands a clear understanding of these metallurgical realities. Finally, we plan to provide a data-driven outlook on silver supply and demand fundamentals, above-ground inventories, and price drivers, offering perspective to the audience beyond standard sell side forecasting.
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Sterling prospects: Silver's time to shine