London – 13 June 2022: Women in Mining UK 2021 Summer Internship at Golden Star Resources – Elizabeth Ampong
Written by: Elizabeth Ampong
My Experience As a Women In Mining (WIM UK) Intern At Golden Star (Wassa) Resource Limited
In 2021, I was offered a position as an intern exploration geologist at Golden Star’s Wassa mine in Ghana. I was overjoyed to accept this! My internship started in September and ended in October. Following that, due to the importance of my project and its completion, a two-month extension was granted. I have been exposed to both greenfield and brownfield exploration projects for the past two months. The knowledge gained combined with hands-on experience, has my desire to become a geologist, making this a rewarding journey.
I stayed in the brown field exploration project for almost a month. During this time, I was first assigned to the drilling site to observe and learn first-hand how various rods (PQ, HQ, and NQ) of various sizes and lengths are lowered below the subsurface as well as how drill core is brought to the surface and delivered to the core shed. I had the opportunity to ask questions at the logging shed as senior geologists walked me through the step-by-step process of core logging. I have learned how to identify minerals, structures, and measure the structures on the core.
I had the opportunity to undertake a brownfield mapping exercise. This involved an initial desk study of the area, including gathering historical maps and undertaking logistics planning before beginning the mapping exercise. The field mapping was achieved through systematic field traversing, mapping and field observation, rock descriptions and structural measurement of rock fabric and major structure. Mapping also included representative in situ rock sampling.