The Development of Reference Sites for Mineral Exploration under Tec-Soc-Env Conditions

This paper introduces a framework of site selection to inform the optimal location of test sites in mineral exploration based on the three dimensions of technical, environmental and social factors. A novel two-stage procedure is introduced, consisting of exclusion criteria and evaluation criteria. The first stage analyzes geophysical and spatial conditions of potential sites and determines a sub-set of sites meeting specified pre-conditions. Based on the remaining sites, the second stage proceeds to assess sites based on a list of evaluation criteria that are weighted following the analytical hierachical process (AHP) method. The result of this two-stage procedure is a comprehensive ranking of test sites that considers the integration of environmental and social factors that were omitted from previous research. The framework is of practical importance in light of a recent push to develop test sites in Europe for the mineral exploration industry. It is carefully structured to allow extension to other industries.