After a five year period representing the strongest resource and commodity rally ever experienced, we are now faced with a subdued recovery following the global financial crisis. This renewed economic growth will be steady but eventually attain levels that reignite export demand out of China and other emerging nations, which are now reliant on increasing domestic demand to support their economies._x000D_
This backdrop of weaker share prices and less available investment capital creates a greater imperative for company management to ensure that its share price is fully valued. The mining geologist plays an important role in achieving this outcome through direct estimation of asset value (resources) but also in strongly communicating the upside' value opportunity in both mine site and adjacent brownfields exploration and an efficient and technically sound mining operation._x000D_
The contribution of mining geologists to assist in conducting analyst site visits should not be underestimated, particularly with reduced analyst coverage of the resources sector and some simplification in company analysis through ranking companies on Reserve and Resource positions._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Bartrop, S B, 2009. The market, the mining geologist and booms and busts, in Proceedings Seventh International Mining Geology Conference 2009, pp 3-10 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).