Transformative genomics-based mineral exploration technology
Enabling critical mineral discovery with genomics and data analytics
Undiscovered mineral resources are often concealed by surface materials, hindering effective mineral exploration.
Traditional geochemical and geophysical tools to “see through” till, gravel, soil, and regolith cover are often diminished when overburden is thick or transported. Discovery Genomics applies DNA sequencing and microbial community profiling to mineral exploration, leveraging the high sensitivity and abundance of microbes in the surface to find new mineral deposits.
Our technology
We extract DNA from surface materials, sequence it, and profile microbial communities. We are able to identify anomalies in natural microbial biosensors associated with subsurface mineralization at depth.
A variety of supervised machine learning tools are used in our approach during downstream analysis to transform DNA-sequencing into a predictive exploration tool.
Our technology allows for the prioritization of mineral targets identified with geophysical tools to aid in drill or no-drill decision making.
Our services
High fidelity DNA recovery
Extracting useable DNA from surface materials is tricky. Our team specializes in recovering the highest quality DNA from the environment to be used in downstream sequencing applications and analyses.
Improve mineral discovery
Microbial communities respond to subtle geochemical differences in soils above deeply buried mineralization. Sequencing their DNA produces mappable microbiological anomalies that vector towards a potential mineral target.
Work with us to integrate genomic data into your existing exploration workflows and improve exploration outcomes.
Environmental baselines
Monitor biodiversity of environmental microbial communities to inform land use decisions, environmental protection policy, and preserve ecologically important and sensitive natural environments.
Our primary literature
Bianca P. Iulianella Phillips, Rachel L. Simister, Shane D. Rich, Craig J.R. Hart, Peter A. Winterburn, Sean A. Crowe; Microbial indicators and detection of Cu-sulfide ore mineralization. Geology 2025;; 53 (9): 763–768. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G53118.1
Simister, R.L., Iulianella Phillips, B.P., Wickham, A.P. et al. DNA sequencing, microbial indicators, and the discovery of buried kimberlites. Commun Earth Environ 4, 387 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01020-z