iCRAG researchers were in the spotlight on the season opener of the award winning series 10 Things to Know About on RTE1 TV. The series, now in its third year, examines the leading lights and cutting edge of science and research in Ireland. The opening episode, The Earth's Crust, featured iCRAG reseachers Dr Richard Unitt, Dr Pat Meere, Juergen Lang and Dr Koen Torremans in an abandoned copper mine in Allihies, west Cork. This area is an important field site for Juergen's work, which combines underground, overground drone and laboratory investigations. Almost all technical devices (smartphones, computers, cars, etc.) require a certain amount of copper. The copper can be recycled from old devices, but this amount is too less for our economy and it needs to be mined from natural resources. Juergen's research tackles the natural formation of copper deposits in Southern Ireland. A series of copper occurrences, which were mainly mined since the Bronze Age, represent the main target of the investigation. The outcomes of the project will support scientific and industrial understanding of the natural processes which formed these mineral deposits.
The same episode also featured our colleagues in the Geological Survey of Ireland and their work on radon through the Tellus project. The episode is currently available to view on the RTE Player.
Juergen Lang, Dr Pat Meere and Kathriona Devereux discuss the use of drones in iCRAG's copper research.