Junior Vacation Geologist – Independence Group

Universtiy of Exeter Internships, UoE Internships, SCP, SBP, GBP, A2I

What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

My role included interpreting and analysing the geometallurgy within the site and writing a 70 page report to evaluate my work whilst with them and to affirm my understating of the VMS deposit found within the site. This was my main and only task whilst on site with a large data set to keep me occupied. Many hypotheses were made and a lot of statistical analysis was undergone, with each finding with their own evaluative conclusion.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

I recognised the difference in alteration assemblages across the ore lenses and spatial distribution of elements across the body through analysing my data. I also learnt the many colloquial terms used within the mining industry to fully comprehend what was being said.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

My project was a continuation from a PhD student who’s aim was to understand the mineral associations with the textures found. I have been informed that they will continue the project I have worked on and that it will ultimately be used to predict the amount of deleterious minerals coming through the mill.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

At first the chemistry was pretty overwhelming but with the help of a very kind colleague, we managed to solve the equations necessary to estimate the bulk sulphide composition.