Education

• M.S., 2019 Mineral Exploration, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA
• B.S., 2015, Environmental Geology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Current and Recent Projects

• Mine waste mapping and characterization
• Abandoned Mine Land project (NMBGMR)
• Exploration for low sulfidation epithermal, polymetallic vein, and porphyry systems

Research Interests

• Mapping, reclamation, and remediation of historic mine sites and waste material
• Abandoned mine land surveys and inventory
• Field mapping and mineral exploration
• Ore petrography

Selected Publications

• Silva, M., 2019, An inventory and mineralogical characterization of mines and prospects in the North Magdalena mining district, Socorro County, New Mexico: Unpublished M.S. thesis, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Socorro, 219 p.
• Silva, M., O’Bannon, E., Williams, Q., 2018, A vibrational spectroscopic study of kernite to 25 GPa: implications for the high-pressure stability of borate polyhedral: American Mineralogist, v. 103, p. 1306-1318

Biography

I joined the Arizona Geological Survey in September 2024. Going forward, I will be working primarily on mine waste mapping and characterization projects across Arizona with implications for reprocessing and extraction of critical minerals and other commodities. In graduate school, I worked on an Abandoned Mine Lands project through the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. During my time there, I inventoried hundreds of historic mine features across several districts, while characterizing waste and prioritizing them for reclamation based on physical and environmental hazards. In the 5 years after earning my master’s, I provided mapping, sampling, core logging, and petrographic services to several junior exploration companies on a variety of precious and base metal projects in Idaho and Arizona. As I leave the exploration industry behind, I’m interested in getting back to work focusing on reclamation and remediation of legacy mine features and waste across the southwest.