Who are we?

grant.png  Grant Couston

 

Grant Couston possesses over 25 years experience as a geophysicist predominately in the mineral exploration industry and crossing a broad range of minerals and deposit types. He graduated from the Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia in 1999 with BSc (Hons) Geophysics before working for several geophysical contractors, covering projects throughout Australia and internationally. A later focus on EM saw him providing consulting services to various WA based nickel explorers with Geoforce/Ground Probe, before taking a position with Ivanhoe Australia as Senior Geophysicist, supporting their exploration team with multi-commodity exploration in NW QLD. From 2015, Grant has been providing geophysical consulting services to the mineral exploration industry with both Geo Discovery Group in Brisbane, and from 2019 Southern Geoscience Consultants in Perth as a Principal Geophysicist. In the later role consulting to in excess of 30 clients over a calendar year resulting in being awarded SGC MVP for 2021. He joined ExploreGeo in 2025 as an independent consultant.

Grant has extensive experience covering potential field and electrical geophysical techniques encompassing acquisition, processing, modelling and through to interpretation. He is considered an expert in electromagnetics. He has proven capabilities in managing multiple projects simultaneously covering many mining jurisdictions within Australia and internationally.

Grant is an active member of the ASEG and AIG.

Kim Frankcombe   Kim cropped

Kim Frankcombe graduated from the University of Tasmania in 1978, with an Honours Degree in Geology and Geophysics. He worked initially as an exploration geologist for DeBeers before joining Mobil in 1981 as a geophysicist in their energy minerals division, searching for uranium and coal.

In 1983 he left Mobil to set up an independent consultancy and over the next six years worked on a wide range of projects including engineering site investigation studies, groundwater exploration, software development and minerals and petroleum exploration. He was recruited by World Geoscience Corporation in 1989 to lead their ground geophysics contracting and consulting division, later adding the new airborne EM branch to his responsibilities.

Kim left World Geoscience in 1991 to take up a position as senior geophysicist for Normandy Mining Group, responsible for geophysical support to regional and mine exploration teams in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Indonesia.

He joined Southern Geoscience Consultants (SGC) in 1997 as a Senior Consultant going on to become a significant shareholder in 2000. He provided sole geophysical support to the exploration teams of a wide variety of companies operating both in Australia and overseas. Kim also provided specialist technical geophysical support to company geophysicists and engineering consultants. In addition he provided technical support and mentoring for geophysicists within the SGC group.

Having played an active role in building SGC to possibly the world's biggest minerals geophysical consultancy he decided to form a smaller group and in 2010 left to form ExploreGeo. 

Kim is an active member of the ASEG, EAGE, AIG, IAMG and both SEGs. He served on the ASEG Federal Executive from 2011 through to 2018 and as District 12 representative on the SEG Council from  2019 to 2021 He is currently Secretary of the Australian Geoscience Council (AGC), District 12 Special Advisor to the SEG Council, Co-Chair of the GeoSciEd X conference and an active participant of three ASEG subcommitees.

Regis Neroni   Reggie pic

Regis had his first brush with geophysics volunteering on archaeological searches and guiding tours at the local museum of seismology and Earth magnetism during his student years at Strasbourg University in France. Shortly after graduating in 2006 with a French Master’s degree in Geosciences, Environment and Risks, he arrived in Australia to undertake an internship in hydrogeophysics at the University of Adelaide. The short visit unexpectedly turned into a few years undertaking ground electrical surveys in outback Australia with Zonge Engineering and Research Organization.

He moved to Perth in 2009 to join Southern Geoscience Consultants, where he provided geophysical support to numerous mineral exploration companies active in Australia, SE Asia and Africa, including an 18-month long secondment to Barrick Australia’s gold and copper exploration teams. From 2012, he worked as a company geophysicist for Rio Tinto and took part in exploration programs throughout Australasia searching for copper, iron ore, aluminium, uranium, diamonds, mineral sands and coal. He left in 2014 to build Fortescue Metals Group’s geophysics department and steer the company’s geophysical endeavours across their Pilbara-based operations and exploration projects for iron ore, copper and lithium, in Australia, Eurasia and South America. He finally joined ExploreGeo as an independent consultant in 2021.

Regis is an active member of the ASEG, AIG and EAGE, and a Registered Professional Geoscientist (Geophysics and Mineral Exploration). He is the first person to have received awards for best oral paper at two consecutive ASEG conferences: in 2016 (Minerals) and in 2018 (Near Surface and Groundwater), and the grateful recipient of the prestigious ASEG Early Achievement Award in 2019. More importantly, he is a keen proponent of the promotion of applied geophysics and a dedicated mentor to junior colleagues.

When he is not thinking about the next big mineral discovery, Regis enjoys searching for astonishing small underwater creatures he attempts to photograph with his limited recreational skills or bring home for an outdoor cooking feast.

 

  1. Riaan Mouton