Chris Lee is a mining engineer with years of experience throughout WA. Wherever he went, was the added bonus of his wife, Celia, as the community nurse!Chris started at a nickel mine in Leinster in 1985, which closed soon after her arrived! This demonstrated the roller coaster that is mining! WA is rich in minerals, Fe, Ag Au, Pb, Zn, Mn, W, oil, gas, and mineral sands. (Brain teaser on the chemical symbols!) The trick is finding and mining the good stuff so that a profit can be made!
Ore is found by exploration, the “Rock Lickers”! Using field work and aerial surveys they drill targets and assay for anything of value. This then becomes a “Resource”. After working out the costs and return, if it is economic, it becomes a “Reserve”.
Most mines are open cut, until they deepens creating more waste, then it is cheaper to go underground with tunnels. As technology has improved, it is now possible to mine lower grade ore.
Mining employs a lot of people, geologists, geophysicists, computer technicians, field assistants and drillers, as well as the support staff and specialist to get a mine up and running. The list is huge of the specialist people required to get the stuff out of the ground, processed, and off to market. There are also risks to personnel working in a potentially dangerous industry in remote areas. Wherever possible, locals are employed as they are the most loyal long-term employees.
Chris explained how gold is extracted from rocks, from the crushing to fine powder and extracted with cyanide. He touched on the traffic hazards of driving massive trucks and the move to robotic drive.
And when it is all over, it is the responsibility of the mining companies to rehabilitate the land.
Chris was thanked by the “multi-tasking” Doc for an eye opening insight into our resource industry!