All language subtitles for Tomorrows.World.Today.S07E03.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
On Tomorrow's World Today,

we explore
the cutting-edge advances

that are shaping
four different worlds.

The world of inspiration,
where the wonders of

the natural world
amaze and inspire us.

The world of creation,
where ideas

come to life
from traditional arts.

The world of innovation,
where ideas and inventions

move us all forward.

The world of production,
where innovations are

mass-produced
to improve our lives.

From Inventionland World
Headquarters, here's

your host, George Davison.

Hi, everyone.
I'm George Davison.

You know, our fascination
with gold, silver,

and copper, it dates back
centuries, and it puts

civilizations to work
in search of them.

They sparked innovation,
and it inspired the creation

of new things
and adorned empires.

And while these metals shaped
our past, they continue to

shape our present
and play a colossal role in

tomorrow's world,

driving the engines of
progress and sustainability.

Gold specifically has been
viewed as the epitome of

rarity, beauty,
and value throughout history.

But what's truly fascinating
is how the process of

extracting gold from our Earth
today is much more sustainable

than many of us realize.

From cutting-edge technologies
that guide exploration to

reclamation practices that
ensure a greener tomorrow,

every step is carefully planned
with sustainability in mind.

I'm sending Greg to the world
of production just outside of

Denver, Colorado, where
he'll venture into the heart of

the gold mining industry,
exploring the relationship

between technology,
sustainability,

and the precious metals that
are needed to shape a future

that sparkles with
innovation and responsibility.

[Greg] According to the old
adage, the only constant in

the universe is change.

And some might argue that
we've made more technological

advancements in the last
50 years than in all of

human history up to that point.

Well, the mining industry
is no different.

And as we look towards
a greener, more sustainable,

more electrified future,
gold, copper, and silver will

be more important than ever.

And that's why we're here at
the Newmont Corporation in

Denver, Colorado, to explore
the modern mining industry,

look at the whole process from
beginning to end, and see how

they're incorporating advanced
technologies like AI to move

mining into tomorrow's world.

-Hi, Erin.
-Hi, Greg.

-Welcome to Newmont.
-Thank you very much.

I'm excited to be here.

I'm gonna get to learn about
the modern mining industry

from beginning,
middle, and end,

and it is very complex.

It is complex, Greg, but
it all starts with exploration.

Well, how does that
exploration begin?

-How do you get started?
-That's a great question.

It starts with the mineral
systems approach.

So we take a look
at the geophysics,

the geochemistry,
the geology.

We even use AI and machine
learning in order to zero in

on where we think
those future discoveries are.

Newmont has been around since
the early 1900s and has always

been at the leading edge
of mining technology.

-That certainly hasn't stopped.
-[Erin] Absolutely, Greg.

One fun fact about Newmont is
we actually developed

induced polarization or IP,

which is
a geophysical technique

that allows us
to see under the ground.

Traditionally, we had to cut
large swaths of land through

the forest in order to lay
down cables to collect

this data, but today,

we're piloting technology
that's going to

bring it up into the air.

Okay, well, once you get on
the ground, what happens next?

Well, before we can even get
on the ground, we first need

to work with governments.

So that's state,
local, federal governments in

order to access
those mineral tenures.

Then we need to ensure
that we have the right

environmental permits in place
so that we can safely execute

any work that's on the ground.

And most importantly,
we need to work with those

communities, and we need to
ensure that we have the social

license to operate before we
even do any work on the ground.

[Greg] Okay, well, you've got
all of that in place now.

How do you know that
you're looking at a viable mine?

[Erin] We have to
take it to the truth machine,

which is the drill rig,
so let's put on

our safety gear
and go look at some core.

Okay.

[Erin] So, Greg,
here we are at the core.

I'd like to introduce you to
Scott, our chief geoscientist

for North America,
and Sarah,

our principal geochemist.

Well, it's nice
to meet you both.

So, Scott, from what
I understand, the drill is

the truth machine --
tell me more about that.

Absolutely, so we start off
with diamond drilling.

They're called that because
they have little tiny diamonds

in them, which help them cut
through the rock as it turns.

And those diamonds
will cut out a tube of core --

it looks just like this.

And we'll look at this in
the boxes here, and we'll log

what the geology is doing
and what's changing in it.

We can look at different kinds
of rock and then ultimately

what's related to gold.

Once we do that, we'll finish
it up, and we'll cut it in half

with a saw, and we'll send off
the one half to be analyzed

at the lab.

So at the lab, we have to take
the half-core and crush

it into gravel-sized pieces,
and then we actually grind

it further into a fine powder
so that it can be measured out

for analysis, and we're looking
at the ore elements, like gold,

silver, and copper,
but we actually analyze for

65 elements, which is the
majority of the periodic table,

and we're using all
that information to help

vector the drill towards more
ore zones and to see how far

away from where we were.

So then you'll take all that
information, all that data,

and you'll use that to build
a 3D model that'll give you

a much better idea of
what the mine will actually

look like.
-Yeah, absolutely.

So we'll take these tubes of
rock and we'll put them into

3D so we can see how things
are moving around and we can

plan additional drilling
and we can do resource

estimation based on that.

So why don't we take
a look at the 3D model?

So we'll start off looking
at an aerial photo to get

interested in what areas
look better than other ones.

And this will give us an idea
of what kind of things

we're up against.

And we'll begin layering in
the satellite images and also

some of the technology
where we can begin

seeing minerals from space,

and we'll start looking at
mineralogy changes from

the satellite data.

From there, we can plan to do
some soil surveys, and we can

start looking at surface
exploration techniques that'll

get us into
our first target area.

And from that, we're gonna
plan our first drill hole.

Okay, so you've drilled that
hole, and you're starting to

get information --
what's the next step?

So when we get those assays
back from the analytical lab,

that tells us how much gold is
in each drill hole and where

that gold's located
in that drill hole.

We'll then start to layer that
out in 3D space, and we'll

start to build a 3D wireframe
of that gold vein.

And we'll use that
3D wireframe to predict where

that gold vein is traveling.

And we'll use it
to plan additional drill holes.

[Greg] Well,
how many of these sites

that you look at in this way

end up producing gold?
-Very few.

Less than 0.1% of
any discovery ever becomes

an active gold mine operation.
-Wow, what do you do from here?

What can you tell
from this assessment?

So the next step, after we've
built the geologic model,

is to build
the resource model.

So the resource block model
is a 3D block model.

And what it does is it uses
all of that data from those

drill holes and statistics
to populate what we think

the average gold grade
is for each volume of block.

And that'll tell us
whether or not there's

one million ounces of gold
or 10 million ounces of gold.

Wow, well, I'm very impressed
with how much

advanced technology is
being used in modern mining.

I'm gonna go talk with Elaina
now, and she's gonna teach me

even more.
-Sounds great.

[Greg] With Erin,
we learned about

the discovery
and exploration process

that goes into finding
the location of a new mine.

We looked at the drill cores
that helped to determine

the viability of that mine.

Now, with Elaina, we get
to find out about advanced

technologies in the modern
mining industry and explore

great new job opportunities
that are available worldwide.

-Hi, Elaina.
-Hi, Greg.

-How are you?
-Great, how are you doing?

Doing great.

Well, Elaina, I just saw
the process by which

you collect data,
and it's fascinating,

but now there's a whole lot of
information that comes in.

What do you do with that?

Well, once we know what
the resource is in the ground,

we've got a whole team of
people dedicated to mine

design and mine planning.

So they take that data, they
create a mine optionalities,

looking at both surface
and underground,

using technologies
and data analytics to create

optimized mines, not just
what we would start with,

but considering
throughout the mine life,

and even including closure
into that design right from

the very beginning.

Wow, so you're
taking the beginning,

the middle, and the end of
the entire mining process into

consideration before
you even break ground.

Absolutely, as they're looking
at those design options,

they're considering the total
mine life and reclamation

enclosure of
that property, as well.

And that goes into
our permitting so we can

engage with our communities.

I've got some examples
I'd love to show you.

So here's an example of
one of our surface mines.

This pit is
over 2,000 feet deep.

And the image that we're looking
at is an orthographic photo

with an overlay of
images that were created from

data points taken
from survey drone footage.

So when you were
doing your initial planning

and envisioning what this pit
was gonna look like, this is

helping you to make sure
that you're accurately digging

the way you want to.
-[Elaina] That's right.

It's also setting us up then
for future technology coming in,

things like autonomous
haul trucks, which we have at

some of our other mines where
we're operating haul trucks

without a person
in the truck at all.

Wow, now how does this
technology advance

further on down the line?

So it all is interconnected,
all of that data from around

the world ultimately feeds
back right here to Colorado.

So we've got visibility
around what's happening,

what's going well,

and what areas
we can further optimize.

Great, well, what about
the processing of the ore

after the fact?
-Great question.

So after we take the ore out
of here, we send it to one of

our processing plants.

So one of the big things that
we're looking to do is

optimize the recovery.

How much of the metals are
we getting out of the ore?

The gold, the silver,
the copper.

And when we do that,
we're being good stewards of

the resource, ensuring that
we're getting all that we can

out of that finite resource.

And when we're doing that,
that the way we're doing

it minimizes our water usage
and is looking at managing

our electrical consumption,
as well.

[Greg] Excellent, so you're
maximizing the use of that land,

and then you're also
minimizing your environmental

impact on
the surrounding area.

[Elaina]
You got it.

I've got more to talk about
underground, too.

This colorful image is from
one of our underground mines.

So what we see here with
all of these gray lines is

they actually represent
our haul roads.

They're each about 15 feet
wide, and they connect all

the way down.

They spiral down throughout
the mine all the way down to

about 300 meters
above sea level.

Wow, now what do
the different colors represent?

So that's related back to
the mine plan and again,

making sure that we're staying
compliant with the plan as

we're developing
and completing

our stoping areas.

So this ties into
the geomodeling

that we looked at earlier.

[Elaina] All of it
connects, absolutely.

Underground, we do have
a bit more infrastructure that

we need to put in place in
order to ensure we've got

network coverage as we're
getting that connectivity of

data in real time of
what's happening.

And we're able to then
visualize that from

the surface and ultimately,
again, all around the world.

Wow, what are some of
the other issues that are

associated with going
this far underground?

So one of the things
that's really important in

underground mining
is around the ventilation.

And ventilation is to ensure
that we've got safe, clean air

for the workers that
are underground.

And so as we transition
towards electric equipment

underground, then that need
for ventilation actually

decreases, because
we're removing those diesel

particulates from
the diesel equipment from

the mine entirely.

Excellent, so there are just
as many jobs available in

mining as there used to be,
they just look different now.

[Elaina] They look
quite a bit different now.

We've actually just recently
had a breakthrough where

we've got

loader-operators operating
loaders from the surface,

and they can actually remote
operate multiple loaders on

different levels of that mine
at the same time in a safe,

clean, healthy environment.

We've seen this much
technology advancement

over the last 150 years.

What do you see happening,
say, maybe in the next 20?

So our vision for mining
going forward is to create

fully connected,
fully automated,

fully electric mine sites,

both surface and underground.
-Excellent.

[Greg] So far, we've learned
about the mining process

from the beginning
almost to the end.

We've even seen how the ore
comes out of the ground,

but now we're gonna meet
with Janet.

She's gonna turn that ore
into a gold ingot.

Well Janet, I've gotten
to get a look at the drill core

and see how that's all
brought out of the ground,

but this is where
it comes for analysis.

That's right.

So right now we're
in the mineralogy lab.

So in this room, we have
advanced instrumentation that

we can use to characterize
the minerals in the ore,

and we utilize
this information to help us

determine how we're gonna
extract the gold from the ore.

[Greg] Okay, well how does
that process actually work?

First we start by crushing
the ore or making it into fine

particles, and then we're gonna
mix in that with chemicals to

bring the gold into solution.

Once in solution, we can apply
electricity to bring it back

into a sludge that will now
contain mostly gold and other

precious metals,
like silver.

This sludge we will melt then
at a high temperature in

a furnace, so we're talking
temperatures of about

2,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
and this molten metal

then will pour into
our molds that then will make

our gold bars.

Wow, so if this were actual
gold, which it is not,

what would it weigh,
and how much would it be worth?

They'll be a little heavier
than this.

They'll be anywhere
from 50 to 100 pounds

and about half
to 1 million dollars.

Wow, well we'll have to make
sure we get one of these back

to Inventionland so George
can have one of those,

but in the meantime,
I'm gonna go meet with Rebecca.

Yeah, let's go this way.

-Hi, Rebecca.
-Hi.

-It's nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you, too.

Well, Rebecca, I've gotten
to see a lot of the modern

mining process,
the discovery and exploration

of a mine,
how it operates.

I've even gotten to see
some gold being poured.

-Excellent.
-Pretty cool.

What I wanna find out from
you that was about Newmont's

commitment to sustainability.

We're a purpose-driven
organization, and our purpose

is to improve lives
through sustainable

and responsible mining --
that's our North Star.

We achieve that
by living our values,

and we have five values.

The first and foremost
in everything we do every

single day is safety.

The other four are
integrity, sustainability,

responsibility, and inclusion.

So those five values inform
how we work and how we deliver

on those sustainability
commitments.

So what that means is before
we build a mine, we try to

understand
the physical environment,

the flora,
the fauna, the water quality

and quantity, air quality,
all the physical environment

things to help inform
the design

and operation of the mine.

In the sustainability,
we try to work with

the communities from
the very beginning to say,

what does a post-mine economy
look like for you?

What does a thriving
and resilient community

look like for you?

And then how,
throughout the whole life cycle

of that operation,

do we aim for that and work
together to achieve that?

[Greg] So this is actually
an opportunity for

these communities to kind of
reassess where they're at

and where they would like to
go and work that in

conjunction with Newmont.

[Rebecca] those partnerships
are absolutely key.

There's three things
we call the big rocks of

sustainability
in social performance.

One is that impact management.

So we understand the baseline
of where we are when we start

and then any activities that
we do that might impact on

the social and economic status
of that community.

So we work together to
optimize the positive impacts

and minimize
the negative impacts.

So then the second piece
of the big rocks is

value creation.

So that means careers
and employment with Newmont

while we're there,
it means buying stuff.

We buy a lot of stuff
and a lot of services as

a mine operation.

How much of that can we buy
from the local communities

and host jurisdiction?

And then the third piece is
community investments.

How do we invest
in the community

in education,
healthcare, infrastructure,

connectivity, so that
that community thrives

while we're there
and long after we're gone?

Rebecca, let's talk about
the mining industry in general

and Newmont in particular,
and the commitment to diversity.

Absolutely,
as I mentioned earlier,

one of our five values
is inclusion.

And if you want
to have diversity,

you have to have inclusion.

For those people to come
and want to stay in a place,

they have to feel seen,
and valued, and heard.

So we're being
very intentional

around our inclusion, diversity,
and equity programming.

In addition to that,
we have set targets

for ourselves.

We want to include our gender
diversity, so we have a target

to improve every single year
at every single operation.

We have targets around
diversity and leadership

and female diversity.

We also have a long way to go
at including the cultures that

host us and the communities
that host us.

We're doing really good work,
and we're working hard,

but we still got a ways to go.

One example of some of
the strides that we've made is

that at some of our mine
sites, we've named buildings

and conference rooms using
the indigenous language of

the communities
that host us.

Now, we didn't
choose those names.

We worked with
the host communities,

usually the elders,
and asked them, what would be

appropriate names?

What do those names mean in
their culture so that we can

learn about their culture
and not just see a name on

a conference room.
-That's excellent.

It's pretty clear that mining
is gonna be a really important

part of a greener and more
sustainable future.

Really loved everything
I've gotten to learn here,

but now I've got to head back
to Inventionland.

Absolutely,
let me show you out.

Hey Dean,
welcome to Inventionland.

Hey George,
thanks for having me.

-It's a pleasure to be here.
-Well, I'm glad you're here.

I got this replica gold bar
from your team,

and they sent me
these images.

I was hoping you could
talk to us about it.

Well, this is the actual
process that would produce

gold bars that look like that.

But George,
that's not where it starts.

Oh, hey,
is this where it starts?

Yes, it starts with us
understanding what the mine

needs to look like.

But actually, before that,
we need to gather data from

these core samples that come
from nearly 1,000 meters deep

in the Earth.

We take that information
through mathematical modeling,

develop a digital twin of
the ore body, which helps us

understand how we need to
do the mining.

Wow, so that makes sense.

I mean, so you're gonna
drill little holes down into

the earth, and you're gonna be
able to extrapolate what's

down there and start to build,
like, a formula, right, a plan?

Yep, absolutely.

And what that allows us to do
is develop the most efficient,

effective, low cost
and sustainable mine that

we can with having
the information that comes

from core samples like this.
-Oh, that's great.

We are on
Tomorrow's World Today.

So, how about we talk a little
bit about what's going on

in the industry --
where's the future going?

I think where the future's
gonna go is continuing down

this path of automization
and adding robotics to

what we do.

And what that will then allow
us to do is electrify

our mining fleet,
which will allow us to reduce

carbon footprint,
which again, helps us with

our sustainability goals.
-That's great.

Hey, do you think
I could hold onto this?

George,
these are yours to keep.

-Thanks, Dean.
-Thank you.

Take care now.

[George] And remember,
tomorrow's world is where

inspiration and creation drive

innovation and production --
see you next time.