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This paper reviews the principles and applications of sustainable development as applied to minerals (sustainable minerals). The key pillars of sustainable minerals are well known and include economic, community, environmental, and political considerations. The ideal solution is one that finds a balance between community benefit, economic development, profit, and minimal negative environmental and political impacts. This is, of course, fine in theory but in the ‘real world’ difficult to achieve. From a geoscience perspective this paper argues that non-private sector geoscientists have a crucial role to play in developing the sustainable minerals paradigm to an intellectually mature and usable form. The geoscience approach includes re-interpreting the rich legacy of geoscience data and acquisition of new data (geological mapping, 3 and 4D modelling, geophysical and geo­chemical information) and contextualizing this information with socio-economic and environmental data (e.g. ethnicity, social mix, wealth indicators, environmental sensitivity indicators) to assist with strategic and localized decision-making, maximizing benefits, and minimizing adverse impacts. This approach also involves modelling the full lifecycle of minerals, mines, mineral commodities, and mineral-bearing land in an attempt to quantify benefits and disbenefits of mineral extraction. One crucial key element of a sustainable minerals approach is a mix between ‘hard’ science and social science and genuine inclusion and consultation with stakeholders, especially impacted communities. As geoscientists we are in a position to explain clearly the benefits of mineral development to society and the disbenefits of ‘nimbyism’ (e.g. exporting problems to countries less able to manage mineral extraction) and promote a ‘custodianship’ ethos of mineral development that is the only way to realizing the key principle of sustainability, i.e. leaving the planet in a state that our grandchildren can enjoy.

Feni is located at the southeastern end of the NW-trending Tabar–Lihir–Tanga–Feni (TLTF) volcanic island chain, in northeastern Papua New Guinea. This island chain is renowned for hosting alkaline volcanics, geothermal activity, copper–gold mineralization, and mining. There is no agreed consensus on the tectonic and petrogenetic evolution of Feni. Thus, the purpose of our paper is to present the geology of Feni within the context of the regional tectonic evolution of the TLTF chain and offer a succinct and generic geodynamic model that sets the stage for our next paper. The methodologies used in this study include a critical review of published and unpublished literature in conjunction with our geological observations on Feni. The Pliocene-to-Holocene TLTF chain is a younger arc situated within the greater Eocene-to-Oligocene Melanesian Arc bounded by New Ireland to the west, the Kilinailau Trench and Ontong Java Plateau in the east, and the New Britain Trench to the south. The geological units mapped on Feni include a large volume of basaltic lava flow and trachyandesite stocks intruding a limestone and siltstone basement. Younger units include the trachyte domes, pyroclastic flow, and ash fall deposits. The major structures on Feni are normal or extensional faults such as the Niffin Graben. Feni magmatism is attributed to the petrogenetic processes of polybaric or decompression melting and crystal fractionation of magmas previously influenced by sediment assimilation, mantle wedge metasomatism, slab tears, slab melts, and subduction. Deep lithospheric normal faults provide the fluid pathways for the Feni alkaline magmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of "Interconnected Geoscience" to a disaster and risk reduction (DRR) case study at SECMOL College, near Leh, Ladakh, N. India. Interconnected geoscience is a model that advocates holistic approaches to geoscience for development. This paper reports research/practical work with Ladakhi students/staff, undertaking community-oriented DRR exercises in hazard awareness, DRR themed village/college mapping, vulnerability assessments and DRR management scenario development. The geoscientific hazard analysis work is published within a separate sister paper, with results feeding into this work. This work addresses aspects of, and contributes to, the DRR research(science)-policy-interface conversation. Design/methodology/approach: Interconnected geoscience methodologies for DRR here are: the application of geoscience for hazard causality, spatial distribution, frequency and impact assessment, for earthquakes, floods and landslides, within the SECMOL area; the generation of community-developed DRR products and services of use to a range of end-users; the development of a contextual geoscience approach, informed by social-developmental-issues; and the active participation of SECMOL students/teachers and consequent integration of local world-views and wisdom within DRR research. Initial DRR awareness levels of students were assessed with respect to earthquakes/floods/landslides/droughts. Following hazard teaching sessions, students engaged in a range of DRR exercises, and produced DRR themed maps, data, tables and documented conversations of relevance to DRR management. Findings: Students levels of hazard awareness were variable, generally low for low-frequency hazards (e.g. earthquakes) and higher for hazards such as floods/landslides which either are within recent memory, or have higher frequencies. The 2010 Ladakhi flood disaster has elevated aspects of flood-hazard knowledge. Landslides and drought hazards were moderately well understood. Spatial awareness was identified as a strength. The application of an interconnected geoscience approach immersed within a student+staff college community, proved to be effective, and can rapidly assess/build upon awareness levels and develop analytical tools for the further understanding of DRR management. This approach can assist Ladakhi regional DRR management in increasing the use of regional capability/resources, and reducing the need for external inputs. Practical implications: A series of recommendations for the DRR geoscience/research-policy-practice area include: adopting an "interconnected geoscience" approach to DRR research, involving scientific inputs to DRR; using and developing local capability and resources for Ladakhi DRR policy and practice; using/further-developing DRR exercises presented in this paper, to integrate science with communities, and further-empower communities; taking account of the findings that hazard awareness is variable, and weak, for potentially catastrophic hazards, such as earthquakes, when designing policy and practice for raising DRR community awareness; ensuring that local values/world views/wisdom inform all DRR research, and encouraging external "experts" to carefully consider these aspects within Ladakh-based DRR work; and further-developing DRR networks across Ladakh that include pockets of expertise such as SECMOL. Originality/value: The term "interconnected geoscience" is highly novel, further developing thinking within the research/science-policy-practice interface. This is the first time an exercise such as this has been undertaken in the Ladakh Himalaya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From over three decades of close contact with Pacific Islands geoscience, the author reflects on key issues (what he wished he had known earlier) about the nature of islands, their landscapes and their peoples. Experience elsewhere in the world rarely prepares you for the Pacific, from its youthful and often tectonically unstable landscapes to the understandings of its inhabitants, which are sometimes time-consuming and difficult to access yet frequently illuminating. Mysteries abound in Pacific geoscience, often in places as difficult to access as they ever were, yet which have the potential to inform global ideas about earth-surface evolution. Geoscience research and enterprise remain largely foreigner-driven in the Pacific Islands, which is often anathemic to sustainability, privileging ideas that are uncritically assumed to be shared by their peoples. An opportunity exists for Pacific peoples to own the geoscientific knowledge and potential of their islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on sustainable development of nonrenewable mineral resources. It is noted that the development involves extraction and usage of resources for present use which is bound to cause a reduction in the resources for the future generation. The application of sustainable mineral development requires that the geoscientific information be reinterpreted. It stresses the need to ensure that past mining practices and their negative impact on the environment are not repeated.