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
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Takhar: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Nuristan: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Badahkshan: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Zarkashan: Points (2014, 2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Nangarhar: Points (2017)
Small-scale miners operating a cannibalized river dredge searching for gold in the Bonsa 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.
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.
Testing a small UAS for mapping artisanal diamond mining sites in Africa
A sub-national scale geospatial analysis of diamond deposit lootability: the case of the Central African Republic
The role of conflict minerals, artisanal mining, and informal trading networks in African intrastate and regional conflicts
A methodological toolkit for field assessments of artisanally mined alluvial diamond deposits
Conflict diamonds as an example of natural resource conflict
Reconnaissance investigation of the rough diamond resource potential and production capacity of Côte d’Ivoire
The influence of geomorphology on the role of women at artisanal and small-scale mine sites
Reconnaissance investigation of the alluvial gold deposits in the North Takhar Area of Interest, Takhar Province, Afghanistan
Reconnaissance investigation of the placer gold deposits in the Zarkashan Area of Interest, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
Topographic and hydrographic GIS datasets for the Afghan Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey 2013 mineral areas of interest
Preventing the trade of conflict diamonds and supporting artisanal mining
Late Pleistocene and Holocene uplift history of Cyprus: implications for active tectonics along the southern margin of the Anatolian microplate
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Takhar: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Nuristan: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Badahkshan: Points (2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Zarkashan: Points (2014, 2017 to 2018)
Inventory of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in Nangarhar: Points (2017)
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.
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.
Testing a small UAS for mapping artisanal diamond mining sites in Africa
A sub-national scale geospatial analysis of diamond deposit lootability: the case of the Central African Republic
The role of conflict minerals, artisanal mining, and informal trading networks in African intrastate and regional conflicts
A methodological toolkit for field assessments of artisanally mined alluvial diamond deposits
Conflict diamonds as an example of natural resource conflict
Reconnaissance investigation of the rough diamond resource potential and production capacity of Côte d’Ivoire
The influence of geomorphology on the role of women at artisanal and small-scale mine sites
Reconnaissance investigation of the alluvial gold deposits in the North Takhar Area of Interest, Takhar Province, Afghanistan
Reconnaissance investigation of the placer gold deposits in the Zarkashan Area of Interest, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
Topographic and hydrographic GIS datasets for the Afghan Geological Survey and U.S. Geological Survey 2013 mineral areas of interest
Preventing the trade of conflict diamonds and supporting artisanal mining
Late Pleistocene and Holocene uplift history of Cyprus: implications for active tectonics along the southern margin of the Anatolian microplate
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.