Small-scale miners operating a cannibalized river dredge searching for gold in the Bonsa River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
Peter George Chirico
Pete Chirico is the Associate Director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center in Reston, VA. He also leads the USGS Special Studies project as a research scientist focused on terrain analysis and geomorphological mapping.
Pete Chirico is the Associate Director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center in Reston, VA. In over 20 years at USGS, he has focused his research on the geography and geomorphology of illicit small-scale mining of diamonds and mineral deposits in conflict zones and during complex emergencies. He has worked extensively with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Agency for International Development, the United Nations, and the Kimberley Process to understand how diamonds and other natural resource exploitation contribute to funding conflicts. While his regional expertise is Sub-Saharan Africa, he has led or been a member of more than 30 field expeditions throughout Central America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa. He is author or co-author of over 50 peer reviewed scientific reports and journal articles in the fields of geography, geomorphology, remote sensing, and natural resources in conflict zones. Pete also serves as scientific and technical advisor to the Office of Threat Finance Countermeasures in the Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
Science and Products
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USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
Small-scale miners operating a cannibalized river dredge searching for gold in the Bonsa River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
Site manager of an artisanal and small-scale mining site showing a collection of diamonds recovered along the Birim River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
Site manager of an artisanal and small-scale mining site showing a collection of diamonds recovered along the Birim River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
Small-scale miners operating a cannibalized river dredge searching for gold in the Bonsa River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
Small-scale miners operating a cannibalized river dredge searching for gold in the Bonsa River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
USGS Scientists Help Address Conflict Mining
Site manager of an artisanal and small-scale mining site showing a collection of diamonds recovered along the Birim River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.
Site manager of an artisanal and small-scale mining site showing a collection of diamonds recovered along the Birim River in Ghana, Africa, in 2009.