The Fifth International Heavy Minerals Conference (HMC) was held Oct. 16-19, 2005, at the Marriott Sawgrass Resort in Ponte Vedra, FL. With SME as sponsor, the 2005 conference marked the first time that the HMC was held in North America. The conference is held every two years and provides an important forum for professionals in the heavy minerals and related industries to meet and discuss issues related to heavy mineral exploration, mining, processing and marketing. Previous locations included Australia and South Africa. The conference consisted of technical presentations, field trips to heavy mineral operations, a trade show and social activities.
