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Student Journal - Canberra Student Chapter - Geology Students Reflection on Vacation Work in the Mining Industry

Katya Orlova Geology Student, Australian National University
ยท 630 words, 6 min read

Bio
I have recently completed my second year studying a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) at the Australian National University, majoring in Earth Science and specialising in Petrology and Geochemistry. Since early 2023, I have been actively involved with the AusIMM Canberra Student Chapter which has been invaluable to my professional development for a future career in the resources industry.

I am drawn to a career in mining due to the variety of opportunities it provides me with to make a meaningful contribution to Australia’s future development. I believe that the resources industry is essential for shaping a sustainable future for our world, and I think that working in the industry provides me with the best chance of making a tangible impact on the planet.

Article
During my first year at the ANU studying Earth Science, I was lucky enough to attend “The Great Mining Expedition” – an AusIMM trip to the mines of the Central West, where a few days of having many conversations with mining professionals first sparked my interest in resources. After this, I was encouraged by other members of the AusIMM Canberra Student Chapter to apply for various vacation work opportunities around Australia. So at the end of December that year, I packed up all of my stuff and moved 7 hours away into the middle of the desert to Cobar, NSW.

Here, I was fortunate enough to receive a truly unforgettable 7-week experience working in the Exploration Geology team at MAC Copper Limited’s CSA Mine – one of Australia’s deepest underground copper mines. Here I got to experience the processes behind brownfields near-mine exploration including working with surface drill rigs, processing and logging diamond drill core as well as doing drilling rehabilitation and pioneering the brand new drill collars for the 2024 program. More importantly, I got to form relationships with a lot of passionate and down-to-earth individuals who come to work every single day to make mining a better industry to be in. After this first real taste of mining, I knew for sure that I would be looking to complete more vacation work during the course of my degree because the resources industry is definitely where I see myself in the future.

This summer, after completing my second year at the ANU, I secured a vacation work position with Newmont working in the Mine Geology department at their Cadia site near Orange, NSW. I was thrilled to join the geology team and experience what hard rock underground mine geology was all about after having a go at surface exploration the previous summer.

My time at Cadia has been an extremely eye-opening and unique experience, as it has allowed me to witness how geological theory can be applied and is invaluable to running a successful block caving operation. During my time here, I have rotated through the main roles – mapping, drilling and near-mine exploration, thus allowing me to gain insight and familiarity into the processes, software, and procedures that connect to form the final geological model of the mine. Additionally, I got the opportunity to go out into the field from underground drill rig visits and mapping to exploration soil sampling and working at the Core Processing Facility. Furthermore, being part of the Technical Services team has allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the whole mining operation at Cadia by being able to gain field experience with a variety of different departments such as production geotechs and engineers, vent team and surface operations.


Overall, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have been provided at both Cadia and CSA. The hands on experience I have gained on site is something that has provided me with many transferrable skills that will enable me to be a better geologist going forward in my career.

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