Lockdown, rocks and two rotating barrels by Gemma Lawson, Exploration Geologist at Origin Exploration Ltd.
AY ANOTHER D E IN PARADIS Any geologist that has worked in Africa, is familiar with the harsh conditions and an ever-changing barrage of unique challenges. In March 2020, Côte d’Ivoire, along with multiple other African nations, closed its international borders amid the rising COVID-19 pandemic. A plethora of expat workers were suddenly locked in, with no idea of how events would unfold. Sanitation quality in the next town across was on par with the inside of a nightclub’s toilet, so our hopes were not quintessentially high. It was turning into a bad day in West Africa. 46
Every fly-in, fly-out worker in the mining industry understands how drastically our work circumstances have changed in the last year and a half. Here’s the reality – demand for metals does not cease to exist amidst a pandemic, and a producing gold mine cannot feasibly halt production for an unknown period of time. As gold prices surged, some ventures set on running full steam ahead. But what was it like working on-site through the lockdown? I was a junior exploration geologist working in Côte d’Ivoire, fresh-eyed and exuberant my rotation had recently started when the lockdown began. The Hiré Mine, a shear-hosted intrusion-related gold deposit, was undergoing a series of exploration drilling campaigns to enable pit extension and the definition of new waste dumps. Abundances of intensely altered drill core were passing through the core shed, adding new data to the geological jigsaw. Ribbons of dust from the RC rig drifted off on gentle wind currents, heading in typical fashion straight for the rugged huts that kept appearing adjacent to the mine borders. We were busy… another day in paradise. For the most part, daily life remained much the same: we drilled, roasted in the sun, blasted, sent material for processing and ate copious amounts of anorexic chicken and rice served from the camp kitchen. Exploration and production continued at a steady pace, with the somewhat understaffed team surpassing targets. From the perspective of an early-career geologist, working throughout this period was key to an unprecedented rate of career development. Charcoal clouds loomed overhead as the arrival of the rainy season announced itself through a menacing rumble of thunder. The main issue now was that fresh teams could not come in to relieve those that were already due out. As the months crawled by, we experienced a slow-building fatigue. You can recreate this sensation at home by rubbing sand in your eyes, and repeatedly overdoing leg-day, all whilst on a whiskey hangover. Coring Magazine #17
