October 2024: Women in Mining UK 2024 Summer Internship at Centamin
Written by: Eva Cumming
Women in Mining UK 2024 internship with Centamin at the Sukari Gold Mines
I am a recent graduate from the University of St Andrews, where I received a BSc in Geology. During my University career, I developed a keen interest in ore genesis and mineral deposits, and so this internship with Centamin was the perfect opportunity to explore this industry. I am incredibly grateful to have been accepted into the Women in Mining Uk 2024 internship at the Sukari Gold Mines.
I was with Centamin for eight weeks, from the 14th of October until the 6th of December, where I spent time with the various departments of the Mineral Resource Management. For the duration of my stay, I lived in Marsa Alam right on the coast of the beautiful Red Sea, and only 23 km from the Sukari Gold Mine itself.
After the initial few days of general and safety inductions, my experience truly began with a week and a half in the Projects department coreyard. Here, I was shown the process of core-logging by the incredible team of geologists, alongside my fellow intern Badria Hassan. Learning the intricacies of the core was a tricky task, however it was fascinating and gratifying to figure out the alteration and mineralisation history of the rock. After logging, we would plot our findings on a cross section, and eventually build up enough information to make our interpretations. Alongside the geological tasks, I was able to assist in the core maintenance, information gathering and preparations, including mark-up, magnetic susceptibility and analytical spectral device recordings.
I then moved to the Open Pit department where I spent time with drill rigs in the mine and developed my understanding of the quality control procedures that keep the Sukari Gold Mine running at peak efficiency. My week with Open Pit concluded with further plotting and interpretation of data I gathered from the mine, that I supplemented with a written report.
A week in the Underground department followed, where I applied my new knowledge of the Open Pit processes in the underground context. I greatly enjoyed going underground and seeing the inner workings of the mine, as well as the amazing geology that’s been exposed. The cut faces provided the perfect surface for viewing the geology up-close, giving great exposure of the faults that slice the granodiorite host body and allowing me to see clearly the strain kinematic indicators and the effect on gold mineralisation.
The last department I visited was Resource Estimations. There, the geologists use the data from across the mine to produce complicated models that aid in further exploration and mine development. I only spent a few days with this team, but the information I received is highly valuable and the skills are transferable within the industry.
I completed my internship with a project on a topic of my choosing. I decided to return to the Projects department where I spent my time interpreting a large level map of a region known as the ‘Keel’, and mapping both lithology and mineralisation. I also produced two oblique cross sections to visualise the mineralisation zones and their true thickness.
Although there are only a small percentage of women currently working in Sukari Gold Mines, and of that very few work as geoscientists, my time with Centamin was incredibly positive. It was evident the efforts being made to improve the gender imbalance and make the women there as comfortable as possible in a male dominated environment. I cannot thank enough the members of staff that went above and beyond to ensure my safety and share their expertise with me, and I believe I have left this internship a better geologist. Lastly, I would like to thank the teams at Centamin and WIM UK who made this opportunity possible.