- Job Title:
- Platinum Exploration Geologist
-
- Employer:
- Exploration and Geology Department, Platinum
Group Metals Division, Impala Platinum Limited, General Mining
Union Corporation Limited, PO Box 222, Springs 1560, Johannesburg,
Transvaal, Republic of South Africa.
-
- Corporation:
- Gencor is one of the world's largest mining
companies. The group is a major diversified international resources
group, with important investments in Gengold (gold), Implats
(platinum), Ingwe (coal), Alusaf/Billiton (aluminium and related
commodities), and Samancor (ferroalloys, chrome and manganese
ores and alloys, stainless steel and nickel).
-
- Company:
- Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) is a South
African company which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
and now owns owns Impala Platinum Ltd. Gencor (46.5%) and Sanlam
are the major shareholders. The company mines, refines and markets
platinum group metals, nickel and copper. The company is currently
the world's second largest producer of platinum group metals.
It sold over one million ounces of platinum in a year.
-
- Project description:
- Project Delta (Houtenbek): Research and motivation
of the exploration project: Includes ground acquisition, exploration
drilling and project evaluation; collection and interpretation
of geological data (surface mapping, core logging, sampling,
research). Project concentrated on the known platinum-bearing
horizons in the Bushveld Complex, namely the Merensky Reef and
the UG 2 Chromitite Layer.
-
- Fieldwork:
- Seven Months fieldwork in the Eastern Bushveld
Igneous Complex, Transvaal, South Africa as a Platinum Exploration
Geologist. Aimed to relate the stratigraphic transgression between
the Upper and Main-Critical Zones mapped on the surface to drilling
exploration results and formulate a 3D projection below the topographic
horizon to suggest whether exploration and mining of the sub-outcrop
reefs was a viable option. An area of 150 square kilometers was
mapped and seven drilling rigs supervised to assess the Platinum-Group
Element (PGE) potential (Merensky Reef and UG2 Chromitite Reef)
of the region.
-
- Management Duties:
- Reported daily telephone memos to the Senior
Geologist and weekly exploration reports to the Chief Geologist;
regular discussion and verbal consultation on reef intersections
as well as deflection procedures for reefs. Consultation including
budget reconciliation. Project budget of 1.2 million Rand (£
500, 000 / $1,000,000) was managed.
-
- Geological Duties:
- Field mapping (with use of plane table and
alidade, level and theodolites - precision, universal and compact);
geophysical survey co-ordination and seismic interpretation;
geochemistry, routine core logging, sampling of all mineral horizons
and special logging; cutting, preparation and sampling of all
potential economic horizons with mineral analysis; special sampling
and soil survey techniques; assaying and interpretations; evaluations
and report writing; collection, collation and interpretation
of geological data for report writing with core logging, drafting
and recommendations; data research for target generation; mineral
claims and option analysis; ore reserve calculation and prospect
evaluation with geostatistics, aerial photograph interpretation;
construction of geological, structural and isopach maps.
-
- Drilling Duties:
- Diamond drilling instruction and implementation
(long year 38 and 45, Sullivan 45 and 50) including wedging (Directional
and non-directional); Marland surveying and Plumb-bob percussion
drilling; 'fishing' coordination; surveys (Marland stratimetric
survey instrument for wireline); Use of Sperry Sun / Eastman
Compass Clinometer for boreholes and the Pajari instrument; structural
interpretations, detailed core logging and sampling (with reference
to stratigraphical, structural, lithological and ore grade parameters);
down-the-hole logging - borehole surveys and temperature survey;
borehole siting; special reports with reef descriptions, assay
and analysis for sedimentological and ore trend analysis; supervision
of 7 surface exploration drilling rigs under Government regulations
and legal requirements.
-
- Courses studied:
- Field-based analysis of tectonic structures.
- Economic Geology Research Unit, University
of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Structural methods for the exploration geologist.
- Economic Geology Research Unit, University
of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Economic evaluation and investment decision
methods.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Project evaluation techniques.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Techniques of drilling: Equipment and procedures.
- South African Drilling Association.
- Short course on Platinum-Group Element exploration.
- Economic Geology Research Unit, University
of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Short course on Platinum-Group Element production.
- Economic Geology Research Unit, University
of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Mining Geology of Bushveld PGE deposits.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Concentration and processing of Bushveld
ores.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Aerial photography and geological interpretation.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Drilling for exploration geologists.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Assay procedures for reef analysis.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Structural methods for exploration geologists.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
- Platinum Group Element Exploration.
- GENCOR exploration training scheme.
-
- General:
- Attended symposia, conferences, divisional
meetings and departmental meetings.
|
