The applicability of geology to real world problems is what Coragyps is trying to illustrate with his thread on oil geology. But as those of us who work in the fields of applied geologic science know, it's not an easy topic to tackle in a forum.
Like you, I'm also in mining and understanding ore deposits through time is crucial to finding more in the future. I would love to put together a post on the spatial-temporal evolution/distribution of various ore deposits, but I simply don't have the time. Things like BIFs, Archean Gold, Greenstone belts, Komatiites, Witwatersrand, VMS, ore-lineament associations, etc.
Despite what many Creationists believe, I don't get paid to disprove flood geology.