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Explore the Deepest

In this issue

21
ISSN 2367-847X

Ortadogu Drilling: Arctic Drilling Company: Economic Potential

Turkey’s Leading Diamond Reaching Targets in of Salt Lakes
Drilling Contractor the Kevitsa Mine Area
p. 10 p. 18 p. 38 10/22
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Table
Contents
/21 QUESTIONS /DRILL PAD BUILDING
6 Exclusive interview: 22 Everything you wanted to know about
Kelly Johnson - Senior pad building, but were afraid to ask
VP - Operations by Brian Doubt, Owner at Skookum
North America and Exploration Services Inc.
Africa at Major
Drilling International, /DRILLING STORIES
Inc. (Retired)
26 Another day on the rig
by Mike Junkins, Core Drill Operator
/IN FOCUS
/SURVEY TOOLS
10 Ortadoğu Drilling: Turkey’s leading
diamond drilling contractor 28 A thousand reasons why DeviGyro
by Ahmet Zeki Topdemir, Co-Founder, has changed the game
Mehmet Ruhi Akçıl, Co-Founder, and Sarp by Alex Butler, International
Ayken, Drilling Manager at Ortadoğu Drilling Sales Manager at Devico AS

/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

33 Q&A from the experts
In conversation with Dr Sarah Jones,
Structural Geologist at SJGeology Ltd

38 Economic potential of salt lakes

by Roland Gotthard, Director
at Playa One Pty Ltd
/EXPLORATION
DRILLING CATALOG
42 Silver is money
48 Drilling services
by James M. Wise, Shareholder at Pan
American Silver Corp., First Majestic
49 Drilling equipment & accessories
/CASE STUDY Silver Corp. & Newmont Corporation
53 Survey equipment
18 Arctic Drilling Company: 46 Becoming a female economic
Reaching targets through directional geologist in Turkey
54 Miscellaneous
drilling in the Kevitsa mine area by Gülay Sezerer K. MScEng, CPG, EurGeol,
by Aleksi Autti, CEO at Arctic UmrekCP, Economic Geologist & General
Drilling Company Oy Ltd Manager at GSK Geology Consulting
/AUTHORS

Authors in this issue

Kelly Johnson Mike Junkins James M. Wise

Senior VP - Operations Core Drill Operator Shareholder at Pan
North America and American Silver Corp.,
Africa at Major Drilling First Majestic Silver
International, Inc. Corp. & Newmont
(Retired) Corporation

Alex Butler Gülay Sezerer K.

International MScEng, CPG, EurGeol,
Sales Manager UmrekCP, Economic
at Devico AS Geologist & General
Manager at GSK Geology
Ahmet Zeki Topdemir, Co-Founder, Consulting
Mehmet Ruhi Akçıl, Co-Founder, & Sarp Ayken,
Drilling Manager at Ortadoğu Drilling

Aleksi Autti Dr Sarah Jones

CEO at Arctic Drilling Structural Geologist
Company Oy Ltd at SJGeology Ltd

Brian Doubt, Roland Gotthard

Owner at Skookum Director at Playa
Exploration Services One Pty Ltd
Inc.

Publisher Coring Magazine is an international

CORING MAGAZINE Coring Media quarterly title covering the exploration
October 2022 core drilling industry. Published in print
and digital formats, Coring has a rapidly
Editor in Chief
Grigor Topev growing readership that includes diamond
Cover photo drilling contractors, drilling manufacturers
Ortadoğu Drilling Executive Officer & Editor and suppliers, service companies,
Martina Samarova mineral exploration companies and
departments, geologists, and many others
Issue 21 Editor involved in exploration core drilling.
ISSN 2367-847X
Maksim M. Mayer Launched in late 2015, Coring aims to
Not for resale. Subscribe: provide a fresh perspective on the sector
www.coringmagazine.com/subscribe Section Editor –
by sourcing authentic, informed and quality
Contact Us Exploration & Mining Geology commentary direct from those working in
Coring Media Ltd. Dr Brett Davis the field. With regular interviews, insightful
119B D. Petkov Str., company profiles, detailed product reviews,
Digital Marketing Manager field-practice tips and illustrated case studies
Sofia 1309, Bulgaria
Elena Dorfman of the world’s most unique diamond drilling
Phone +359 87 811 5710 and mineral exploration projects, Coring
Email [email protected] Graphic Design provides a platform for learning about
Website coringmagazine.com Cog Graphics the industry’s exciting developments.

4 Coring Magazine #21

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/21 QUESTIONS

Exclusive interview with

KELLY
JOHNSON
questions

Senior VP - Operations North America and

Africa at Major Drilling International, Inc.
(Retired)

Kelly Johnson has 44 years of

experience in the drilling industry,
but that almost didn't happen.
His life looked set for a career
in banking before a summer job
with Midwest Drilling (Midwest)
made him change course. Grigor Topev: Hi Kelly, thanks for accepting our invitation! It’s a
pleasure to have you in our magazine. Let’s get started. It seemed
Kelly remained with Midwest you were set to go into a career of banking. Why and how did you
working in their warehouse for decide to go into drilling instead? Please tell us the story.
the next 20 years until Major Kelly Johnson: My whole family is bankers, and as such, I think there was
Drilling purchased the company in an expectation I would probably go that route as well. I was lucky enough
1998. Then everything changed. to graduate from high school at 16 years old, but my parents believed I
was too young to go eight hours away to university, so I decided to work
Only several years later, Kelly was for a year and then go. Also, I needed to save money as my parents could
Major Drilling’s global inventory not afford to send me. My dad’s friend said I might be able to get a job as a
bull cook, which is a ‘kitchen helper’, in a drill camp with a company called
manager, traveling the world Midwest Drilling so I went and applied. I started work the day after grad-
260 days a year and teaching uation, but since there was no immediate position for a bull cook, they
workers on five continents. had me help around the yard and warehouse. After 14 months of working
in the warehouse, I went to university in the fall. When I came home over
He returned home in 2007 as General the Christmas break, I went and saw all the people at Midwest, and I re-
Manager for Canada, then in 2010, alized that these people were hard-working, successful and happy and
since I loved working with them, I decided to quit university and start a
he lead operations in countries career in diamond drilling. I could see very clearly that with hard work and
in South America and Africa from long hours, you could rise within the company.
Major Drilling’s headquarters in
GT: Continuing with the early years of your career, tell us more
Moncton, New Brunswick. By 2017, about Midwest Drilling.
he oversaw operations in North
KJ: Midwest was a family company originating out of Flin Flon, Manitoba
America and Africa as Senior VP.
where I lived at that time. We were mainly a western Canada drilling com-
pany with a majority of our drills running in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Kelly retired in 2022 after showing the western part of Ontario. It was a very good company, and we were like
the ropes to entire generations a big family. Our branch was very busy, we ran more than 30 surface drills
of drillers and managers. and 18 or so underground drills during the peak seasons.

6 Coring Magazine #21

GT: What were the challenges at the be- company continually looking for growth, but distance of moves, distance to water and
ginning of your career? Could you tell us we also have a very high standard, so a lot of many other factors. All of these will help you
more about the first time you were on the acquisitions no longer fit our current model of bid accurately and avoid conflicts with your
field? advanced, modern equipment. customers. Make sure that when items are
not discussed, there is a clause in the contract
KJ: The challenges at the beginning of my career GT: And talking about the not-so-success-
that explains what happens if unforeseen
were many, but mainly there was a lot to learn ful expansions, what would be the rea-
and understand, as this is a specialized service
things do occur.
sons for the slow progress or its complete
industry. With almost all our surface work be- lack? GT: On the topic of mentorship, what
ing remote, it became very clear that one little would be your advice for managers in the
mistake in sending and setting up jobs could KJ: There are certain regions where we are not
industry?
cost thousands of dollars in downtime. Not interested in working in because it is danger-
being that knowledgeable about mechani- ous or risky from a political standpoint. We KJ: Always be training your replacement so
cal things, I had a lot to learn and I had to do you have not only the strongest team you
it quickly. We set up a large base camp in the can but so you are ready for the next step in
Wollaston Lake area of Saskatchewan, called your career. Train and learn constantly, it is
Hidden Bay. It was a large workshop, man camp surprising how often your next promotion will
and warehouse, and I spent my first time in the come and catch you out of position to take it.
field there in 1980, I believe, for about nine Major Drilling believes very much in bringing
weeks. At that time, we had around 40 drills people up from within, and for the last twelve
running in a 50-air mile region, mostly all drill- ‘Always be training years, we have been teaching an internal man-
ing B-size looking for uranium. Back then, our your replacement agement and advancement course called Core
customers were all oil companies, like Gulf and so you have not College for our employees from all around the
Imperial Oil, as uranium was a new concept for world. This is taught by Ben Graham, our VP of
creating energy. only the strongest
HR and Safety and me, along with a guest list
team you can of VPs, as well as the CEO, who would invite
GT: In general, what was drilling like back
when you started?
but so you are these employees to our head office in Monc-
ready for the ton, New Brunswick. We are a large public
KJ: Drilling was quite a bit different when I next step in your company, but we strive every day to act and
started. Wireline drilling was still very new, un- treat our employees like we are still a family
til then all the rods had to be pulled out of the
career. Train and
learn constantly, company.
hole each time you drilled ahead 10 ft (3.05 m).
Drilling in our area was mainly B-size drilling it is surprising GT: Any good piece of advice for junior
and at that time we thought a 1000 ft or 300 m how often your drilling companies from an inventory
hole was a deep hole. We could generally put next promotion point of view?
enough items on a 5-ton truck (≈ 4.5 tonnes)
to go out and get started drilling a hole. Now it
will come and KJ: It is always harder for smaller junior com-
catch you out of panies to carry all the inventory you can pos-
takes four-five semi-trailer loads for each drill.
position to take it.’ sibly need to be ready for any issue. One of
All the drills at that time were exact model JKS
the strengths of Major Drilling is that we car-
drills, so all components could be changed
ry extensive amounts of inventory globally so
from one drill to another, and it took generally
are prepared for almost any problem and were
only a few bolts to do so. The drills all had tow-
better prepared than others when the recent
ers with baskets, and the helpers would have
shortage of inventory in specialized tooling
to stay in the basket each time the rods were
happened after COVID-19.
pulled for a bit change or end of the hole. At
-35°F (-37°C) in Northern Saskatchewan, this GT: What does the industry lack?
was not a fun job at all.
also measure the risks of corruption, and we KJ: The main thing the industry lacks is females
GT: You were Senior Vice President and have a zero-tolerance policy for bribery. in all positions and sometimes a lack of diver-
were overseeing Major Drilling’s oper- sified workers. We are very lucky that work-
ations in North America and in Africa. GT: How to make a good drilling proposal? ing in so many countries as a global company,
Where has the expansion taken full scale Any tips or advice? we can have local workers from within those
with satisfactory results? KJ: The more information you have, the more countries. We have an ongoing goal to have a
accurately you can bid for the project, so your workforce that continues to reflect the makeup
KJ: Major Drilling is incorporated in around of the communities we operate in around the
customer is happy, and you are profitable.
20 countries, but we currently operate in 15 world, but this can be challenging. With such a
Historical drill hole data is key. When drilling
countries worldwide. Over the last decade, shortage of workers, we need to seek out every
companies are given generic information, we
we have closed some unsuccessful branches avenue to entice workers to this industry.
often don’t trust it, so we usually assume it is
and have put our focus on countries where
a higher number than it is achievable. Always GT: You have worked in many countries.
we can grow to be number one or two. Our
make sure you understand the true scope Which one impressed you the most in
biggest branch is in Canada, followed close-
of the work, such as ground conditions, the
ly by the US, Australia, and Mexico. We are a terms of diamond drilling and why?

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 7

/21 QUESTIONS

KJ: Every country has its own challenges and hurdles, so I am almost al- Ultimately though, our biggest strength is our people, and all stories
ways impressed when I visit a drill in a particularly tough region. Wheth- within our company link to the character and characters of our company
er it is the High Artic with permafrost drilling in Canada, the extreme and the wild adventures they had along the way. We truly believe that we
heat of Arizona, the US, Australia or Africa, the ultra-high elevations of have the best workers in the drilling industry and we know that without
Chile and Argentina, or drilling in the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mon- them, we would be like every other company. It is our people that set us
golia, to complete holes safely is a huge achievement. All branches have apart, and our culture that keeps these people at Major Drilling. We’ve
had very few high-level people leave our company, and that is directly
their unique issues ranging from holes that freeze immediately when
linked to the culture of caring that we have fostered.
the drill stops turning, to loss of water return, and huge fractures to con-
tend with. Our team is almost always able to find the best way to get to GT: What do you think directional drilling lacks and what would
the bottom. you like to see improved?

GT: Tell us a story or a couple of stories of interesting, memorable KJ: Over time, there will be more of a move to technologies used in oil field
projects. drilling, and they are being used in a lot of locations already. Part of the
issue is that this type of drilling is very expensive for the customer, and
KJ: Being in this industry for 44 years, I can tell you many stories about usually adds a lot of cost to the price per meter. The in-hole risk is also
projects not only throughout Canada but around the world. We had far greater, as bending holes too aggressively is one of the surest ways
one project in Arizona, US, where we drilled for 18 years. We have areas to lose a drill hole. Customers, drill hole technicians, and drillers need to
where we have had branches for close to 80 years, so experience is our work more closely together to plan holes to avoid the consequences of
strong suit. breaking off rods deep in the hole.

↑ Kelly Johnson at PDAC 2014

8 Coring Magazine #21

GT: Major Drilling is specialized in deep that area where the rods are turning. Total
holes. How did that start? hands-free rod and tube handling will be the
next game-changing technology, but it comes
KJ: We have always been a company that is
with a very high cost and will take a very firm
proud of completing every hole no matter how
commitment from customers if they are se-
challenging. We are proud to have drilled not
only the deepest hole ever drilled in Canada, as rious about wanting to take this to the next
well as many other very deep holes around the step. I believe it could almost double the cost
world. Over time, that willingness to push be- per meter for drilling, but safety needs to be
yond the limits of our competitors has caused priority one.
us to develop techniques to keep progressing GT: Is the drilling industry heading to-
forward, whether through directional drilling
wards a consolidation? We’ve certainly
or any other means. Hole management and
seen many high-profile mergers in the
care are priority one on deep holes. Our people
past few years…
are very proud that they are able to complete
deep holes that many others cannot. KJ: The short answer is that there is very little
barrier to entry in the diamond drilling busi-
GT: Does Major Drilling do any RnD?
ness. All you need to do is buy a drill rig and
KJ: We do not build drills, but we work close- some tooling and you have a drilling company.
ly with all of our drill suppliers to develop It doesn’t mean they are safe or competent but
and create the most modern drill and safety it happens all the time. There will always be
enhancements, as well as in-hole tool devel- companies purchasing competitors, but con-
opment. We have a small team of innovation solidation to eliminate competition will never
developers, who are constantly seeking out happen, as the smaller junior drilling compa-
ways to drill and retrieve core faster, as well nies will always have a place, especially for the
as manage water consumption, fuel consump- overflow of work in an up cycle.
tion and many other items in different stages
of development. GT: Finally, how do you spend your time
after retirement? What do you miss the
GT: How do you assess the changes to most from work?
drilling technology over the years?
KJ: Honestly, we are just starting down the re-
KJ: The basic wireline system has changed very tirement road this month, as I had a few out-
little since the original model of the 1970s. Ev- standing items to finish up, one being the Sep-
eryone believes that their head assembly and
tember Core College course. My wife Pam and
in-hole tools are the best, but short of having
I both enjoy traveling and intend to do some
more indication of landing on the bottom, or
and go back and visit some of the wonderful
traveling faster, it has not changed that much.
places we have been to for work where there
True technology is getting past the tough
was not enough time to enjoy the country.
ground on deeper holes, using drilling fluids,
We have four daughters and 11 grandchildren,
and hole management and bits that last longer.
The invention of rod handling and ultimately and we intend to see them a lot more often. I
the move to hands-free rod and tube han- will be staying on with Major as a consultant Major Drilling is one of the
dling is the biggest change and the one that working on mentoring and Core College over world’s largest drilling services
opens this industry to more people as physical the next three years, but it will be very limit- companies primarily serving the
strength becomes less of an issue. ed. I will miss the day-to-day conversations
mining industry, and maintains
with all our people and just watching them all
GT: What would be the next game-chang- field operations and offices in
constantly growing. I feel like I am leaving be-
ing technology in your opinion? Canada, the United States,
hind most of my best friends in the world, but
KJ: The whole drilling and mining world wants I know them all well enough to be certain that Mexico, South America, Asia,
people out of the most dangerous area; we will stay in touch. C Africa and Australia.

For more information

Visit: www.majordrilling.com
[email protected]

Drillers’ Trusted Publication [email protected]

/IN FOCUS

Ortadoğu
Drilling
Turkey’s leading diamond
drilling contractor
by Ahmet Zeki Topdemir, Co-Founder, Mehmet Ruhi Akçıl, Co-Founder,
and Sarp Ayken, Drilling Manager at Ortadoğu Drilling

History
Ortadogu Drilling was established in 1995 with only two
drill rigs and the sole purpose of drilling the deep mineral
zones of the Anatolian Peninsula in Turkey, exploring
the metallic minerals and coal beds of the country,
and introducing them into the Turkish economy. Like all
developing countries with a significant portion of GDP
coming from underground resources, the political strategy
in Turkey changed, and a new mining approach allowed
for foreign capital investment into the mining industry.
Therefore, despite the intention to continue with just a
few drill rigs, seven years after the establishment of the
company, its fleet exceeded ten rigs. This rapid growth
was driven by the demand from investors and international
mining companies for high-quality drilling services.

10 Coring Magazine #21

 ORTADOGU DRILLING

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 11

/IN FOCUS

↑ A slim hole drill site

Ortadoğu Drilling needed a trusted partner, With the GEO brand, the drill fleet grew closing in on one thousand, surface and under-
thus in 2010 the group company GEO Drill- more, and today Ortadoğu Drilling owns 35 ground drilling projects. It is the biggest drill-
ing Machines Manufacturing Ltd. was es- drill rigs, making the company one of the few ing contractor in Turkey and one of the biggest
tablished. The new company’s main aim has in the world, capable of manufacturing every- in the Eurasian Region with an annual drilling
been to meet the global demand and the most thing required for drilling operations. Drill rigs
capacity of 300 000 m (984 252 ft). The com-
recent requirements of the drilling industry and equipment are available for sale both for
through the collective years of experience domestic and international markets. pany also offers a full range of geotechnical
from Ortadoğu Drilling. GEO Drilling Ma- In 2012, Ortadoğu Drilling decided to be- and hydrogeological drilling services.
chines Manufacturing Ltd. manufactures deep come incorporated and strengthen its struc- Ortadoğu Drilling is also the main drilling
drill rigs with a capacity of 2500 m (8202 ft) ture by establishing a board of directors. contractor for the big international and do-
of H-size under the brand name ‘GEO’, as well In this regard, the company included a num- mestic mining companies in Turkey. Some
as drill pumps and wireline drilling equipment ber of CEOs, drilling and regional managers to of the clients include: Eldorado Gold (Tüprag
including drill bits and reaming shells inside an its business structure. During 2012, Ortadoğu
Metal in Turkey), Anagold, Centerra Gold
area of 15 000 m2. Thus, engineers are able to Drilling also decided to create a separate slim
tailor solutions according to the requirements hole drilling division by establishing the Geo- (Öksüt Mining in Turkey), First Quantum Min-
and the characteristics of the drilled forma- thermal, Oil & Gas Exploration Division. erals, Teck, Koza Gold Co. (Koza Altın in Turk-
tion and maximize the quality of the core sam- Over the 27 years of its history, Ortadoğu ish), Erdemir (a Turkish iron mining company),
ples and penetration rates. Drilling has successfully completed hundreds, and ESAN (a Turkish metal mining company).

12 Coring Magazine #21

 ORTADOGU DRILLING

‘Over the 27 years of its history, Ortadogu

Drilling has successfully completed hundreds,
closing in on one thousand, surface and
underground drilling projects. It is the biggest
drilling contractor in Turkey and one of the
biggest in the Eurasian Region with an annual
drilling capacity of 300 000 m (984 252 ft).’

Special projects: Slim hydrogeological tests were also carried out.

Following this successful project, the de-
surements, all types of wireline logging, hole
tests, etc.
hole drilling mand for slim hole projects increased, and
Ortadoğu started an exploration program for
Ortadoğu Drilling is the first and only com- gradian drilling with the Italian company Enel Pakistan iron ore
pany conducting slim hole drilling with the Green Power. A total of ten deep holes were exploration and
drilled in Turkey, and as a continuation, anoth-
purpose of exploring geothermal, natural gas
er four were drilled in Italy. Apart from these,
development project
and oil reservoirs in Turkey. With specially
many other projects were completed success-
manufactured drill rigs that allow for the in- One of the most comprehensive projects Or-
fully using the slim hole drilling technique;
stallation of blow-out preventers in separately tadoğu Drilling has ever conducted was exe-
some even reached depths of over 2000 m
designed well heads, Ortadoğu started drilling (6562 ft). Additionally, for some of these proj- cuted with the purpose of iron ore exploration
its first slim hole with the purpose of gradian ects, hole tests and wireline logging opera- for the Government of Punjab, Pakistan. The
exploration of geothermal reservoirs in 2010. tions were also successfully executed. project was composed of five work elements,
The hole was completed at 1993 m (6538.71 ft) The Geothermal, Oil & Gas Exploration di- namely diamond drilling, wireline logging,
and became the first slim hole in Turkey. After vision of Ortadoğu Drilling can also provide groundwater drilling and hole tests, geotech-
the completion of the borehole, a temperature engineering services, such as mud logging, nical drilling, and surface geophysics. On this
gradian (PTS) log was performed and some mud engineering, gas separation and mea- project, a total of 50 000 m (164 042 ft) of

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 13

/IN FOCUS

↑ GEO Drilling Machines Manufacturing Ltd’s manufacturing facility ↑ Drilling crew onsite

drilling with an average hole depth of 1000 m

(3281 ft) deep holes and related operations
This project was so important for the com-
pany because of the challenges of coring the
Deep exploration holes
were completed successfully under the con- trona mineral. As trona can be easily melted in the middle of tea
sultancy of international companies. by drilling fluids, various types of drilling mud gardens: Eastern Black
were tested before a full core of trona could be Sea Region of Turkey
retrieved. Twenty-five years ago, this project
Trona exploration was a great learning experience in mud engi-
The eastern part of the Black Sea Region of
& development neering for Ortadoğu Drilling.
Turkey is full of tea gardens, which are the
Besides wireline drilling, Ortadoğu Drilling mainstay for the local community. With to-
One of the very early and perhaps the most carried out many other activities, such as con- day’s owner, First Quantum Minerals, Cayeli
important projects that Ortadoğu Drilling struction of deep observation wells, wireline Copper Enterprises is a very old, big under-
completed was a drilling project for the explo- geophysical logging, borehole cementation to ground copper mine, located in the East-
ration and development of trona for US Borax/ prevent mixing of saline and fresh groundwa- ern Black Sea. Ortadoğu Drilling carried out
Rio Tinto in Ankara, Turkey. The project start- ter zones, and many hydrogeological borehole many surface and underground exploration
ed in 1997 and lasted four years. A total of 40 tests like deep packer tests. Today, the facility programs for copper in the region for over 15
exploration/development holes with an av- established for trona/soda production in the years. Some surface exploration holes were
erage depth of 1000 m (3281 ft) were drilled. Ankara region is the biggest one in Turkey. deeper than 1500 m (4921 ft). Some of them

14 Coring Magazine #21

 ORTADOGU DRILLING

↑ Exploration with noise curtains at the Black Sea Region

were next to the residences and some were disturbance to the environment and commu- Knowing this fact very well, Ortadoğu Drill-
even inside the tea gardens. nity, even if the drill rigs work almost inside ing can use a variety of drilling techniques en-
This project was very environmentally sensi- villages. hanced by their own manufacturing division
tive, Ortadoğu Drilling installed blow-out pre- which makes unique diamond tools specific
venters, which were used in slim hole drilling to the characteristics of the drilled rock to
at the collar of each borehole inside the tea
The importance of maximize core recovery. The company’s drill-
gardens. The exploration holes were drilled a drilling contractor ing crews have vast experience in drilling in
with slim hole technique – by cementing each the most challenging geological formations
size of casing to the preventer at the collar – Ortadoğu Drilling believes that the drilling of Turkey, which is a very tectonically active
to avoid pressurized groundwater discharge contractor plays an exceptional role in the country. Ortadoğu Drilling is used to work-
from the boreholes to the gardens. At the exploration and development of projects; it ing in rough conditions. Even at over 3000 m
drill sites close to residents, each drill rig was is not about just drilling a hole in the ground. (9843 ft) above sea level and under extremely
completely covered by noise curtains to avoid Core recovery and quality, linearity and design cold temperatures, the crews can drill 24/7.
disturbances to the community. of each borehole play a crucial role in the re- For all extreme conditions, the crews can
With the efforts of the drilling crew and serve calculation and the future of a project. rely on special water heating systems and
thanks to all the necessary precautions tak- Each member of the company’s specialized rig shacks.
en, these projects showed that it is possible crew is aware of the impact of drilling on the Armed with their experience, gained through
to execute a drilling operation without any economy in mining planning. many years of drilling into highly-altered and

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 15

/IN FOCUS

faulted zones, their drillers know how to core

difficult and unconsolidated formations. Or-
requirements, their site safety teams, man-
aged by the company’s Health and Safety
Company policy
tadoğu Drilling’s specialized drillers, super- Department, are composed of experienced and targets
visors and drilling engineers are capable of safety engineers, who monitor daily every
drilling and surveying deep holes and execut- single drill site and conduct periodical safety
ing all engineering applications to the highest Ortadoğu Drilling’s priority is and will always
trainings for the crews.
international standards. Thanks to the hard work of the health and be maintaining the mutual trust and cooper-
safety engineers together with the manufac- ation with its clients by providing high-quality
turing team, the long-term project of ‘Hands-
Health, safety free Safe Operation on the Rig’ was finalized
drilling operations. Without providing good
service and nourishing good relationships, in-
and environment and all the necessary modifications were
creasing the number of drilled meters would
completed, so as of the beginning of 2022, all
Ortadoğu Drilling is the only drilling contrac- of the company’s drill rigs are equipped with not be effective enough. Although the compa-
tor in Turkey whose entire crew is trained a rod holder and rod spinner making ‘hands- ny can increase the number of drill rigs easi-
and certified by the U.S. Geology Survey gov- free’ rod handling possible. ly, first they must be sure that the crews are
ernment agency on safety procedures during As a product of the company’s health and skilled enough to operate these rigs.
drilling operations. Ortadoğu Drilling un- safety culture over the years, Ortadoğu Drill-
On the other hand, the company is always
derstands how important the requirements ing has an impressive safety record. In the last
for accident- and incident-free operations five years, they have recorded zero loss time open to expand into other countries and is
of their clients are. To be able to meet these injuries and no environmental incidents. ready for challenging projects. C

For more information

Visit: www.ortadogusondaj.com & www.geosondajmakine.com

16 Coring Magazine #21

On-time, on-budget...

...on-target.
Make the most of your drilling fluid.
As the cost of drilling increases, the need to improve productivity is para-
mount. Additional costs caused by higher operational standards, environ-
mental restrictions and increased hole depths will continue.

As specialists in Drilling Optimisation, IMDEX’s vision is to ensure the

execution of drilling programs to specification, on time, within budget,
and safely.

Shaping the Future

IMDEX never stops exploring better ways to sustainibly find, define, and
mine for the future of the industry.

imdexlimited.com
/CASE STUDY

Arctic Drilling Company

Reaching targets through directional
drilling in the Kevitsa mine area
by Aleksi Autti, CEO at Arctic Drilling Company Oy Ltd

Arctic Drilling Company Oy Ltd (ADC) has been the preferred

drilling contractor of Boliden AB (Boliden), chosen to work on
their projects both in Finland and Sweden since 2015. Over the
past few years, we have brought along directional core drilling
as an extra service for our customers. The introduction of
this service has been made possible thanks to the cooperation
of Aziwell AS (Aziwell) and their AZIDRILL N-B tool.

↑ ADC’s K10 with 3500 m (≈ 11 483 ft) depth capacity

18 Coring Magazine #21

 Boliden Kevitsa chose directional drilling to reach three targets in the Kevitsa mine area, in
Northern Finland, which had a limited amount of appropriate drill sites. We were the first com-
pany to utilize directional core drilling there using Aziwell’s AZIDRILL. Boliden Kevitsa chose
this method, as previously our teams have performed it successfully on other Boliden sites.
We began planning for the project during the summer of 2021. Drilling started in October
2021 and ended with all targets reached before Christmas. Eventually, one of the three holes
was drilled to over 1200 m (3937 ft), another one reached 1100 m (3608 ft), while the third hit
1000 m (3280 ft).

The Aziwell directional drilling method

Through Aziwell’s method, the core is collected and oriented during the steering phase with
the AZIDRILL that is B-size 36.4 mm (1.43 in) diameter. The curves are usually planned to turn
4-9 degrees every 30 m (98 ft). Steeper curves are possible, but increased stress and fatigue
on the rods should be considered. With AZIDRILL, there are no limitations of depth or where to
use the tool. The length of the directional core drilling phase is determined by branching depth
and the distance between the mother hole and the target. All holes and targets are optimized
independently to reach the best ratio between saved drilling meters and the duration of the
directional core drilling.

The team
In order to make directional drilling operations with Aziwell possible, back in 2018, ADC formed
our first dedicated team of directional core drilling specialists, which were sent to Aziwell’s
maiden project in Colombia to practice directional drilling. The main idea was to create a team
that can handle conventional diamond core drilling but can also use the AZIDRILL tools for
directional core drilling. Achieving this goal meant that external teams or contractors would no
longer be needed when a client wants to use directional core drilling.
As a result, presently our team consists of seven drillers, who have been trained to operate
the AZIDRILL tool independently on-site. The team is led by our directional core drilling super-
visor Kalle Säärelä, who has the most experience with this method within ADC.
The rest of the crew was formed by assistant drillers to help with the physical stress, as this is
an omnipresent reality in surface diamond core drilling.
Aziwell has assisted us with our directional drilling projects since then and with the training
of new candidates. In 2021 they helped us coordinate and complete the project in the Kevitsa
mine area.

The rig
At ADC, we have always designed and built our own rigs from scratch, both underground and
surface. We use a wide rubber track platform on all our surface rigs to enable independent mo-
bility with wireless remote control for difficult terrain. On the Kevitsa project, the drill site was
in the middle of the mine site, so it was easy to access, and the terrain did not cause any issues.
This is not usually the case in Nordic countries.
Our rigs have solid walls and are covered by a hood to keep the working space warm and
dry during the Nordic winter, which can bring a lot of snow, temperatures of −35°C (−22°F),
and other extreme weather conditions. All ADC surface drills have the capacity to drill down
to 2000 m (6560 ft) depths with NQ2; we even have a rig that can go to 3500 m (11 483 ft). In
Kevitsa, we chose a K2 rig with a 2000 m (6560 ft) depth capacity.
We always use a rubber track-based container unit for transporting and storing all the rods,
tools, drilling fluids and other equipment during the moves between drill sites.

Reaching the targets

We started by drilling and steering the mother hole with AZIDRILL to its target. Directional
core drilling was used between 600 m (1968.5 ft) and 686 m (2251 ft) after which we switched

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 19

/CASE STUDY

back to conventional diamond core drilling and reached 945 m (3100 ft) The results in Kevitsa were satisfying for Boliden, thus they have de-
depth. The first branch was done by wedging from 498 m (1634 ft) and cided to use the same directional core drilling method again in Kevitsa
after passing the wedge, steering towards the target began. We hit bro- starting in October 2022 with the ADC K2 rig and crew.
ken rock formation at around 542 m (1778 ft) depth, which also blocked In conclusion, this is only one of the examples where ADC has used the
the inner tube. As a normal procedure, we took the inner tube up and as AZIDRILL tool to help customers reach their targets. Additionally, Azi-
a precaution, lifted the rods about 20 cm (≈ 8 in) from the bottom. Then well has been working successfully globally on projects with the same
we sent another inner tube down and once locked, we immediately dis- tool that has been proven reliable to use, even when the hole needs to
covered that the water was not flowing through and the water pressure be steered at 2000 m (6560 ft) depth to hit the target.
just kept rising, so we lifted the inner tube again to identify the issue. ADC remains a diamond drilling company, but we aim to expand
We tried to pull and rotate the rods, but they were stuck and were not further our exploration capacity and possibilities through directional
moving at all. After several rescue attempts, we had to accept that we core drilling.
had lost that branch. We cut the rods above the core barrel and saved all
the rods except the core barrel. We never found out what was the actual About the company
reason for the core barrel getting stuck, but we suspected that blasting
two days earlier might have had some aftereffects, which caused hole
ADC’s history goes back to 2004. Since then the company has quick-
collapsing in the broken rock formation. Fortunately, we had already
ly grown to the largest diamond core drilling company in Scandinavia.
steered the hole and could cut out from the branch bend at 524 m (1719
ADC offers diamond core drilling, BOT drilling and RC drilling services.
ft) and continue steering the hole towards the target as soon as a new The company has long roots in R&D, which has also led to drill rig man-
branch was formed and cleaned with a proper reamer. Once the direc- ufacturing and sales on the global market. ADC is certified for ISO9001,
tional core drilling phase was completed at around 600 m (1968.5 ft) ISO14001 and ISO45001 to ensure high-quality and environmentally
depth, we switched to normal diamond core drilling and drilled all the friendly operations, and employees’ safety during drilling. C
way to the target at 1218 m (3996 ft). The last target was cut from the
branch at 561 m (1841.6 ft) and steered to 1118 m (3668 ft). The cutting
method in directional core drilling is more recommended than using a
wedge to form branches, as the wedge always adds one more variable
For more information
to account for in drilling and may cause issues in terms of friction and Visit: www.adcltd.fi/en/
losing rods in the hole.

↑ Driller’s view

20 Coring Magazine #21

 Lorem ipsum

AZIDRILL® N-BTK
AZIDRILL® N-BTK: New Direc�onal Core Barrel!
• Biggest direc�onal core in the world
• N-size drill / BTK-size core
• Easy to operate

AZIDRILL® N-BTK
The new AZIDRILL N-BTK is a revolu�on in direc�onal core drilling,
providing a core sample closer to the industry standards in
conven�onal diamond drilling.
The AZIDRILL N-BTK comprise a range of innova�ons that makes
direc�onal core drilling highly beneficial for a broad range
of projects, by saving �me and money!
Advantages of the Advantages of Direc�onal
AZIDRILL N-BTK: Core Drilling:
• More geological informa�on • Fast and easy downhole steering
than prior DCB’s and mul�-branch boreholes
• Increased drill-bit penetra�on • Hits any target with high accuracy
due to less cu�ng surface and smooth curvature
• Be�er core recovery and more • Faster penetra�on and no
competent core restric�on in rock hardness.
• Similar penetra�on rate as • No special pumps, rods or rigs
conven�onal diamond drilling needed on site
• Easy to handle, only 30cm
longer than a standard core S��� M������!
barrel
B��� C��� T����
|+47 414 18 818|[email protected]|www.aziwell.no|
Copyright 2022© Aziwell
/DRILL PAD BUILDING

Everything you wanted

to know about pad
building, but were
afraid to ask
by Brian Doubt, Owner at Skookum Exploration Services Inc.

↑ A drill pad with space for a driller’s shack

22 Coring Magazine #21

 In today’s exploration industry, heli-portable
drills are becoming more common. Governments
and stakeholders are looking for ways to
cause less disturbance, as we explore for
deposits. Drill pads have become an essential
part of the exploration process, not only
in mountainous terrain but also in remote
areas where less impact is preferred. As a
pad builder, I’ve seen the growth firsthand,
and I’m happy to witness this trend, not only
for obvious self-serving reasons but for
their smaller environmental footprint.

D uring my 35 years in mineral exploration, I’ve seen the industry

change dramatically because of increased safety, environmen-
tal standards, and stakeholder involvement, and I am happy
to be a part of such a responsible industry. This brings us back to drill
pads. Once you realize you’re going to require them, planning becomes
essential for a smooth program. Choosing a pad-building company is as
important as choosing a drilling company, a helicopter company, or the
project geologist you require for your program. The wrong company may
not have the capability to build the pads you need. Safety is paramount
in this situation, as well as planning in advance, months in advance.
The further in advance you plan your program, the better it is. Once
you’ve chosen your drill contractor and pad builder, getting them to
communicate is essential. Pad builders need to know the specifica-
tions of the drill, plus how the drillers prefer their pads, and whether
they have any special requests. Once they’ve done this, you can get your
lumber list from the pad builder and order your wood. Ordering months
head is always best. If you wait too long, you may end up with lower
quality or wet timber, which can weigh twice as much as seasoned dry
wood. This makes the wood harder to work with, and less can be trans-
ported by helicopters in a sling load, obviously raising expenses.
Getting the wood delivered to your site slightly before or simultane-
ously with the arrival of the pad builders is preferable. They will need to
complete a couple of pads before the drillers come. There’s nothing pad
builders hate more than causing drillers to wait while they’re finishing
off a pad. Depending upon the depth of a hole, the number of holes per
pad, and the ease of drilling, you’ll need to figure out how much further
ahead the pad builders need to be in order to stay ahead of the drillers.
Once the drillers arrive, they’ll want to see the pads to ensure that
they meet their standards, as well as to be certain that the pads have all
the features they need. Depending on the safety protocols of the drilling
company and the jurisdiction, the pads will need to be inspected by the
drillers, the senior geology staff on site, and the builder, to ensure that
everyone’s standards are met. This is usually when the drillers make
↑ A series of drill pads on a steep mountain incline
their special requests, if any. If you have a good pad builder, they’ve

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 23

/DRILL PAD BUILDING

↑ Another drill pad on a steep and rocky incline ↑ Brian Doubt on a worksite

already anticipated the drillers’ requests, and are very happy to accom- Pad building is a service that can be overlooked if you don’t consider
modate the drillers’ additions. the risks of having a sub-par builder. It usually takes a few seasons for
Consider how much force is exerted by a drill during its operation on a helper to gain the experience needed to become a skilled pad builder.
your drill pad. The pressure is immense, meaning that lives and equip- Some builders have no experience in rocks or talus, while others may
ment are at stake. Like it or not, it’s dangerous work, therefore, a lot de- have never built a pad on a glacier. Additionally, some might cut corners
to finish quickly, while others may use the wrong materials, causing un-
pends upon the integrity of the drill pad. This is an area in your program
seen weaknesses that won’t be apparent until the pad fails. These are all
that can be problem-free with the right pad builders, or a total disaster
risk factors when considering which pad builders to use.
if you’ve hired the wrong crew. I recommend seeking pad builders with
In the end, planning ahead and doing some due diligence in your se-
experience and a proven track record. Ensure you are dealing with a
lection process will ensure a smooth field season. Pad builders should
company that carries adequate liability insurance, WorkSafe coverage, arrive on site with all the tools and supplies they need to complete the
and the personnel with the needed skills. The more complex or steep work. Adequate PPE and safety standards are also important. Attitude
your terrain, the more experience you’ll need from your pad builders. is paramount, as the job of the builders is to help you complete your
There are several good companies out there that offer everything re- project in a safe and efficient manner. Listening to their advice may just
quired, however, this is not an area that you can skimp on, especially if save you thousands of dollars, so all in all, pad builders are a key partner
you have challenging terrain. in the success of a heli-portable drill program. C

For more information

Visit: www.skookumexploration.com

24 Coring Magazine #21

Diamec Smart 6M
is here.

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Depth and mobility

What do you get when you take one of the most respected
underground core drilling rigs on the market and fuse it with a well-
proven and mobile carrier? You get the Diamec Smart 6M.

Find out more at epiroc.com

Drilling is hard work. Fordia makes it easier.

Our goal is to improve drilling performance. Reach out easily at www.fordia.com/support.
/DRILLING STORIES

Another
day on
the rig
by Mike Junkins, Core Drill Operator

I woke up at 4:11 P.M. on this frigid after-

noon in February. The location was West Forks,
Maine, US. I was getting ready for a 12-hour
I met my helper, Jacque, in the dining room. We said our hellos and
both yawned simultaneously. Reg was the cook’s name. He got our
meals and made-up sack lunches for us to take to the rig. He also
made up the rooms and cleaned the place by himself. We were the only
guests at this time of the year. The town was literally dead in the winter
night shift on Alder Pond. Yes, we had the months. In the summer, the town came alive with white water rafting
rig set up on the ice to hit a specific tar- enthusiasts. The Kennebec River flowed on the opposite side of the
street from where the hotel was located.
get. This job was an exploratory contract. We Reg brought our meals and said he would go and make sandwiches for
were looking for copper-bearing sulfide. We the shift. We thanked him and began eating the Goulash with a really
nice corn bread. There was also a green salad. I never seemed to lose
had to cross shifts at the drill. The extreme- any weight on these jobs.
ly cold temperatures would freeze the water- We finished up our meal and grabbed our sack lunch. I made sure my
thermos was filled with hot coffee. Jacque preferred Mountain Dew for
line very quickly if anything went amiss. The some reason. Caffeine comes in many forms. We had our cold weather
pump could quit, the line could come apart, or gear in the rear seat of the crew cab pickup. We made a quick stop at the
only convenience store in town for a couple of candy bars – some quick
the suction line could freeze. There were too energy for that 3:00 A.M. time when things got a bit yawny. It was about
many variables to leave entirely to chance. 16 miles (25.75 km) of logging road to get to the drill site.
Preparing to set up on the frozen pond, we had placed 12 cedar logs on
Without question, the water supply system the ice and packed snow between them. We’ve wet down the snow and
had to be monitored closely. let it freeze in overnight. Then the drill was skidded out across the fro-
zen pond and up onto the Cedar/ice raft. We used a Timberjack skidder
to move the rig and rod sloop. There was nearly 2 ft (91 cm) of good ice
on the pond. The insurance demanded no less than 18 inches (45.7 cm)
of ice before they would cover the rig in this type of setup. Casing had
been run down 42 ft (12.8 m) before we even had to turn a rod. The hole
was at +90 degrees, so no slings had been necessary. The slings were
For more information used under the ice to stabilize casing that was being run in at an angle
Get in touch with Mike on LinkedIn like -45 degrees or higher. This process involved ‘walking planks’ under
the ice and it was a royal pain in the butt. Hopefully, only a small number
of holes would be angle holes on this project.

26 Coring Magazine #21

 We drove the truck out across the ice-covered pond to the rig and not- and had a hydraulic Bean Pump along with a hydraulic mud mixer. Both
ed the smoke rising from the wood stove in the corner of the shack. The were very efficient for these cold weather projects.
day shift helper would yard a couple of Beech or Birch trees out to the There was room inside the shack for Jacque to dump the tubes. Barring
rig during his shift. The night shift helper would saw the trees into stove a rod trip, we should be able to stay warm by the glowing wood stove.
length and split what needed to be split. We used a propane torch and a We kept tinfoil at the rig so we could toast our sandwiches at lunch time.
coil stove at the pump shack to heat the water as it was sent to the drill. Brad told Jacque that he should fuel the supply pump by 10:00 or so
We had about 700 ft (213.4 m) of water line buried under the snow from and he might also have to change out the propane tank. The propane
the pump to the rig. We could not pump water from the pond because tank was a 100 lb (45.36 kg) tank that usually lasted about 36 hours. If
it was so full of silt that it kept plugging the suction screen. Instead, we the propane ran out, we had about 30 minutes to get it back on before
were pumping from a casing onshore from a previous drill hole. The cas- the water in the line started slushing up.
ing had an artesian flow, so the water was already 48 degrees Fahrenheit The night was uneventful. We knocked out a 280 ft (85.3 m) shift. That
(8.9°C) or warmer coming out of the casing. This was an old drill hole that
should keep Chris busy logging core all day. He had a semi-trailer parked
had been done during the previous summer.
up on shore with a propane heater, where he logged the core samples.
Normally, we cement up these artesian holes when completed. In this
He used our Muskeg truck to transport the core to the trailer. He had an
case, we knew we were going to need a water source for the winter drill-
assistant, who cut some of the mineralized core to be bagged and sent
ing, so we cleared it with Chris, the head geologist, to leave it open for
in for assay.
now.
We walked to the rig and entered the shack. Don was the driller, and he Jacque had checked on the pump and propane a final time at around
was sitting on a polymer bucket by the stove filling out his report. Brad 4:00 A.M. All was good and the pump was full of fuel. We added wood to
was his helper and he was wiping down the pipe wrenches and other the stove, and I began making out my report. It felt nice to drill without
tools as an end of shift courtesy. Don told me that everything was drill- any drama during the shift. Don and Brad arrived right on time. It seemed
ing well. Good stick rock. The hole was only 340 ft (103.6 m) deep with a like they had just left moments ago. I told Don everything was purring
proposed TD of 1000 to 1200 ft (304–365 m). TD stood for ‘technically along. He was impressed with our productive shift. I let him know that
done’. When a hole was completed we said it was TD’d. We had cased off he had a tube down and a 10 ft (3 m) stick up. Two ft (0.6 m) off bottom
with N tools and were drilling 10 ft (3 m) B-sized core. That was nice be- and ready to turn and burn.
cause it was light and fast to work with. As long as the formation stayed Reg had eggs, bacon and some French toast when we got back to the
competent, we should have a highball night. In this type of drilling, we hotel. I would watch TV, read some of the newspaper and hit the hay.
only used polymer as a mud additive. Our mud tank was inside the shack Another day, another dollar. C

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 27

/SURVEY TOOLS

A thousand reasons
why DeviGyro has
changed the game

In December 2019, Devico released its first downhole

gyro system. Less than three years later, an astonishing
1000 DeviGyro units have been produced, far exceeding
Devico´s expectations, and clearly documenting how the
industry was ready for a new and innovative gyro system.

by Alex Butler, In this article, Alex Butler from Devico, gives us

International Sales Manager a direct insight into the top five reasons why
at Devico AS so many companies are choosing DeviGyro.
28 Coring Magazine #21
 Versatility
is key
Firstly, DeviGyro is an advanced, miniature rate gyro survey instru-
ment designed for recording precise downhole navigational data,
as quickly as possible for a large variety of mining and civil drilling
applications.
Incorporating state-of-the-art gyroscope technology and propri-
etary navigational algorithms, the DeviGyro precisely detects and
quantifies any movement the instrument is subjected to as it tra-
verses the drill hole. Providing highly accurate, repeatable data at
any angle and location on the planet.
The physical DeviGyro system is best described as ultra-versa-
tile. With the complete instrument being so small and capable, we
have been able to develop a leading range of interchangeable, pur-
pose-built running gear configurations. Each configuration suits
specific drilling applications for length, weight, material, centraliz-
er type and range. This modular type of offering has resulted in the
DeviGyro being widely accepted as the preferred solution world-
wide for many leading companies in the mining and civil space.
It is also worth mentioning that we do not only supply the Devi-
Gyro for standard borehole surveying requirements, but it is also
integrated with Devico’s Directional Core Drilling (DCD) barrel,
DeviDrill, and in the new non-coring directional drilling barrel,
DeviDrill RSS.

More in the running gear

than meets the eye
For Devico, survey tool running gear assemblies are much more
than just pressure-proof instrument containers. Over the past de-
cade, we have developed several leading running gear technologies
that have proven to both enhance survey accuracy and survey tool
reliability.
One example is the Brilliant Blue Technology (BBT) activation and
patented Bluetooth wireless antenna system, enabling quick set
up, data transfer and wireless download without cables or having
to open the instrument.
Another example is our patented low-friction wheel-based
helix centralizer systems that combat residual bias and greatly
improve accuracy.
In addition, we have advanced vibration damping in several steps,
both in axial and radial directions to maximize robustness.
The best example of what we mean by ‘purpose-built running
gear’ is the DeviGyro Overshot Xpress (The OX), our overshot sur-
vey solution for diamond core drilling, proven to increase drilling
productivity compared to conventional overshot survey systems.
Overshot surveying is a highly beneficial survey method for dia-
mond core drilling, enabling surveys to be conducted while retriev-
‘... the success of the DeviGyro ing core tubes, effectively integrating surveying into the drilling
is mainly down to these points: process, and maximizing available drilling time per shift.
Manual handling and operator safety, however, are key factors
the right tool for the job, built that also must be considered.
to last, advanced functionality, Unlike other overshot survey tools on the market with typical
lengths of several meters, the OX is purpose-built for this applica-
high quality and easy to tion. It is not a survey tool that is just adapted to be used in over-
use from start to finish.’ shot surveying mode, it’s built just for it.
With a short 1.2 m (3.94 ft) length and 7.4 kg (16.3 lb) weight,

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 29

/SURVEY TOOLS

the OX is the ideal overshot surveying solution for both surface

and underground diamond core drilling applications, and especially
beneficial for surveying underground and in other confined space
environments. Not only maximizing the beneficial productivity
gains that come with overshot surveying but safer operation and
minimal impact on the operator as well.
All DeviGyro components are designed, built, and tested in-house
at our headquarters in Norway. All stages of this work are per-
formed by qualified mechanical and electrical engineers with many
years of experience and over 90% of all materials used are sourced
locally. This is how we ensure quality control.

Extremely
robust
Throughout the development process of the DeviGyro, a key el-
ement was to make a small, lightweight and nimble system that
could be used in multiple applications. Not only does this give a
system that is easier and safer to handle for the operator, but a
key reason was also that a small and lightweight electronics and ↑ Range of running gear options
battery solution significantly contributes to robustness, because
the size and weight of an instrument clearly correlate with shock of ADE (Automatic Depth Estimation), which was released in mid-
resistance. 2022. ADE is a new function within DeviGyro that enables contin-
Additionally, the advanced damping technology we have devel- uous borehole surveying without the use of a wireline counter. The
oped for the various running gear configurations offers superior depth is instead estimated from the instruments’ onboard sensors
protection for the DeviGyro sensor compared to conventional, fully and new proprietary algorithms. This feature is free for all DeviGyro
integrated survey tools. customers through a simple app update.
As a result of these careful design considerations, the failure rate
for the DeviGyro is extremely low (and significantly lower than our
competitors’ products according to our clients). Even with so many Taking the term ‘user
units produced, only a handful of gyros have had to come back for
repair. There have even been occurrences where, due to an incident
friendly’ to the next level
during surveying, the running gear has come back severely dam-
aged, but the DeviGyro instrument has been unharmed, and ready Having developed borehole survey solutions for over 30 years, we
to be placed in a new running gear after an onsite calibration check. know that ease-of-use is often more important to operators than
Even in the toughest of drilling environments, such as drill and most other survey tool features. For the DeviGyro we have put a
blast, reverse circulation, or the high-impact method of overshot lot of effort into developing a survey system which is guided via
surveying, DeviGyro excels as an easy to handle and extremely ro- intuitive steps in the operating application, so that it does not take
bust survey tool, setting a new standard for what our customers an expert to learn the application and get an optimal survey result.
can expect and saving time and money for everyone involved. Simplicity is always at the forefront to minimize the room for con-
fusion and guesswork. As a consequence of this, the feedback we
often get from customers all around the world is that the DeviGyro
OTA (Over-The-Air) is the easiest instrument to use on the market.
programming This point is well documented by the fact that the large majority
of DeviGyro customers have been successfully onboarded with the
To enable continuous improvement and efficient delivery of all new product via a one-two-hour, remote, online training session only.
functionality, our engineers developed the Android DeviGyro app When it comes to pre-survey set up time, all DeviGyro kits are
with key parts of the intelligence of the system not in the instru- designed for easy assembly and quick activation. Resulting in an
ments themselves, but in the subsequent processing of the data. extremely efficient survey process and time savings.
The logic behind this is that it is much easier to update an app to Finally, the onsite processing, transfer, and management of bore-
add new features than it is to remotely update instruments that are hole survey data are more streamlined and user-friendly than ever
deployed all around the world. with the combination of DeviGyro and DeviCloud.
This system allows our customers to simply do the latest app In a nutshell, DeviCloud, our uncomplicated cloud-based plat-
update and obtain added functionality through OTA (Over-The-Air) form, enhances the data transparency and quality of DeviGyro
programming. Hence a customer who has bought one of the first surveys.
DeviGyro kits in 2019 has access to the same functionalities as a Not only does it provide fast processing, instant QA/QC data
customer who buys their tool next week. And at no extra cost. Effec- analysis, comprehensive plotting and inspection parameters, along
tively ensuring all DeviGyro customers take part in advancements. with advanced reporting functionalities, but all while supporting
One of the greatest updates so far is undoubtedly the introduction secure two-way communication between site and office. Making it

30 Coring Magazine #21

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device at the drill site, with ease.
We see that this not only improves efficiency but provides stron-
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Drillers’ Trusted Publication 31

Exploration
Mining
Geology

In this Issue:

In conversation with Dr Sarah Jones

Structural Geologist at SJGeology Ltd

Economic potential of salt lakes

by Roland Gotthard
Director at Playa One Pty Ltd

Silver is money
by James M. Wise, Shareholder
at Pan American Silver Corp., First Majestic
Silver Corp. & Newmont Corporation

Becoming a female economic geologist in Turkey

by Gülay Sezerer K. MScEng, CPG, EurGeol, UmrekCP, Economic
Geologist & General Manager at GSK Geology Consulting

32 Coring Magazine #21

/Q&A FROM THE EXPERTS

In conversation with

FROM
Dr Sarah Jones
THE EXPERTS
After 23 years of living and working in Australia, I moved back to
New Zealand in late 2019 to start my own consultancy business
(SJGeology Ltd). I now reside in Cromwell, Central Otago and luckily
can do the work from home without the need to travel constantly.
I started my working career as an exploration geologist at the
Darlot Gold Mine in Western Australia, and after two and a half
years, I moved to Hobart to start a PhD at CODES on a massive
sulphide deposit in the middle of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.
After I completed the PhD, I moved back to Australia to Kalgoorlie
Dr Sarah Jones and worked there for four and half years as a regional mapper
Structural Geologist in the Eastern Goldfields. This was followed by a stint as a
at SJGeology Ltd consulting structural geologist for RSG Ltd., then about ten years
of working as a structural geologist for mining companies, such as
Consolidated Minerals Ltd., St Barbara Ltd., and Gold Fields Ltd.
My interest in geology started early, as I was always collecting
rocks wherever we went. However, I didn’t start studying geology
at university until my mid-20s. When I left school, I started a
computer programing course at a polytechnic institution, but after
a month, I decided it wasn’t for me and left. To offset the bad news
to my mum, I found a job on the way home at Farmers (a department
store) in their cosmetic department. I stayed there for a year,
then completed a three-year apprenticeship in Typography. Once I
started studying geology, I’d found my niche and never looked back.

Dr Brett Davis: Firstly, thanks for giving Coring the opportunity BD: You did your PhD in Canada. Can you provide a snapshot of
to interview you, Sarah. Very few people have a career like yours, what that involved and if that influenced your career path going
where you’ve worked across the spheres of academia, govern- forward?
ment surveys, mining, and exploration, plus gained enormous SJ: My PhD was on a volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposit at Myra
respect in the geological community while you’ve been doing it. Falls on Vancouver Island, Canada. The mine, which is over 100 years
Can you tell us what interested you in a career in geology? old, is in a beautiful part of the Strathcona National Park. The study was
based on data from underground mapping, core logging and field map-
Dr Sarah Jones: I’ve always had a rock collection. Our summers were ping. The PhD made it possible to pursue a technical path for the rest of
spent on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, and my twin sister my career that started with regional mapping with GSWA, then in the
and I would explore the beaches and creeks bringing home buckets of industry as a structural geologist.
quartz crystals. So, when I started university in my mid-20s, I thought BD: One of the things that I admire about you is the regularity
I’d give geology a go, even though I didn’t have much of a science with which you publish in peer-reviewed international geolo-
background. gy journals. Many people in academia haven’t got a publishing

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 33

/Q&A FROM THE EXPERTS

record as you have. What motivates you and what are the more SJ: I think the main thing working as a regional mapper for GSWA was
onerous aspects of publishing while working in industry? the importance of understanding the regional scale. When you are map-
ping on a 1:100 000 map sheet of ≈ 40 x 50 km (≈ 24.85 x 31.07 mi) you
SJ: Working in the industry has provided excellent access to the deposits can’t get bogged down with the detail in an individual outcrop. You have
and the people who work closely with them (resource, mine and explo- to keep moving, and if you don’t understand a particular outcrop, by the
ration geologists). This has given me a different perspective on docu- time you’ve seen five more, a pattern starts to emerge. These ideas were
menting the geology. I feel that when you have a good story, it should be helpful when I started consulting as a structural geologist because they
published to build our collective knowledge. As I prepare my company’s taught me to just keep making observations and wait for the pattern to
technical reports, I try to write them in a way that can be later turned emerge, rather than trying to apply a pre-conceived model.
into a published paper. The aim of the papers is to highlight the practical
aspects that can be of use in exploration or deposit geology later. BD: I’ve heard it said that some of your bosses have called you
The onerous aspect is of course the time spent during the weekends completely unmanageable. How do you respond to that, given
turning the reports into paper manuscripts and the ongoing revision of that I was one of those awesome bosses?
manuscripts. It’s worth it though when you finally get one published. SJ: Haha – I’m not unmanageable, just give me interesting work that I
I’m also grateful that I’ve worked with management and companies that want to do and there’s no problem.
have allowed me to publish.
BD: There are far too many reports of the unsavory experiences
BD: Typically, geologists enter the minerals industry in junior women have experienced in our industry. Given you have strad-
roles and work their way to retirement by culminating in man- dled major sectors of the industry, have you experienced any tru-
agement roles or joining a company board and sitting back and ly negative ones?
collecting director’s fees. You don’t seem to have aspired to fol- SJ: I have come across some bad behavior during my working career. In
low that route. Would I be right in assuming you still prefer to one instance, I was at sea south of New Zealand in the Puyseger Trench,
do geology? collecting samples from a deep-sea dredge on a fishing research vessel
SJ: I’ve always been driven by my love of geology, and I know I’d be no and the guy that ran the day shift refused to work with a woman. I just
good at managing people, so it was a natural choice to stick with the got around it by working with the night shift crew. When I come across
technical roles. That’s why I left the industry to do a PhD which certainly bad behavior, I tend to avoid those people and shift my focus to the pos-
helped me stay with the technical geology roles. itive ones, which are the vast majority.
BD: There are very few women globally who compile indus-
BD: You made major contributions to the geological understand-
try-based technical geology reports to the standard you do (I
ing of Western Australia during your time with the Geological
know – I’ve read quite a few of them). What is your perception
Survey of Western Australia. What were the important things
of the standing of women in the industry in technical roles like
you took from that job when you transitioned into the mining
yours? Are they respected and rewarded adequately?
and exploration industry?
SJ: I think by the time you’ve gotten into a technical role you’ve done a
lot of work to get there. So, in my experience, I don’t feel that I get treat-
ed or remunerated any differently to men in technical roles.
BD: Which geological environments do you most enjoy working
in? And which deposit have you found most interesting?
SJ: I like to work in structurally complex areas (with at least three de-
formation events) as I really like to peel back the different deformation
events and look for the early basin history. Because of this, I enjoy work-
ing in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. The Agnew and Le-
onora areas have been particularly fascinating, as the gold deposits in
these camps show such a wide range of structural settings from early
D1 extensional to D3 compressional settings.
BD: Given the current focus on energy metals, have you noticed a
change in the focus of your work?
SJ: Not really, as I mostly work for gold companies. I worked in manga-
nese before the big shift in focus to energy minerals.
BD: I have to ask – what sort of geological feature most fasci-
nates you and that you never get tired of seeing?
SJ: I think it’s growth faults. I like to look through deformation events to
understand the earliest phase of basin development and growth faults,
active at the time of basin formation are fascinating. I’ve been lucky to
work in a few places where they’ve been well exposed. Probably the best
place for these structures was at the Woodie Woodie manganese mine
↑ Dr Sarah Jones in the field
in Western Australia. These structures don’t disappear with subsequent

34 Coring Magazine #21

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deformation, instead they remain important conduits for mineralizing geology and are so enthusiastic and keen to learn. These are the ones
fluids. This is particularly obvious in the open pits at Woodie Woodie, that build an excellent geological skillset.
with high-grade fault-hosted manganese in the early normal faults. We
BD: Apart from meeting me, what do you consider the most satis-
also see this in the gold camps, with high-grade shoots associated with
fying moment in your professional career so far?
early basin-controlling structures, e.g., the Waroonga and Redeemer de-
posits, Agnew Camp, WA. SJ: Apart from meeting you Brett – I think getting the regional D1 study
for the Eastern Goldfields published two years ago. This work comprised
BD: Do you do much work with oriented core? If so, can you com-
a study that began when I was at GSWA, then involved many years of
ment on your orientation audit process and your preferred data
underground mapping and fieldwork at various mine sites in the East-
collection techniques?
ern Goldfields. A bonus for this study was the collaboration with you
SJ: I constantly work with oriented core, nowadays mostly from core and Kevin Cassidy.
photos as I’m based in New Zealand. I think the most important thing
BD: We are seeing increasing implementation of new technology
when working with oriented core is to have a good understanding of the
into mining and exploration geology. For example, drone surveys,
geological system (e.g., bedding, foliation orientations) so that you can
core scanning and software such as Leapfrog. Are there technolo-
spot bad orientations versus interesting structural anomalies. I’m also
gies that you find particularly important for exploration? And do
using ‘core-profiler’ software from Datamine on the historic oriented
you think the use of these technologies is making better or worse
core photos. This allows me to add a lot more structural information to
field geologists?
the projects and to verify existing structural readings.
SJ: I think the immediate information provided by core scanning to en-
BD: You’ve traveled and worked widely. What is your opinion of
hance drillcore logging is particularly important to understanding alter-
the geological skillsets, experience, and knowledge of geologists
ation systems. In brownfields exploration, many deposits are in areas
today, especially those who are newly graduated?
with relatively dense historic drilling. If this historic drill core can also be
SJ: I really think that it has always come down to the individual geolo- scanned, this can greatly add to the understanding of the entire system.
gist. There are always going to be young graduates that don’t really have I find that historic drill core is typically ignored and is a huge, underuti-
the passion for geology. Then you come across the ones that just love lized resource.

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36 Coring Magazine #21

BD: Do you think that there are any mineral exploration strate- sity. It’s the place for gaining theoretical knowledge and I wouldn’t want
gies or technologies that are under-employed, but could make to see that change.
a big difference to an exploration campaign if people used
BD: Here’s the familiar question that hopefully won’t be asked as
them more?
much in future interviews – how has COVID-19 impacted life for
SJ: I think that relogging and scanning historic drill core can add signifi- you personally and professionally?
cantly to a brownfields exploration campaign for relatively little cost.
SJ: Yes, like everyone COVID-19 has impacted me personally and pro-
Even just the relogging to look for patterns in alteration, lithology, and
fessionally. When the pandemic started, I was pretty anxious, as I’d
structure that may not have been recognized previously.
just moved to New Zealand to start my new consultancy business and
BD: If you had abundant financial funding, is there a fundamen- all of my work was on the other side of the Tasman. Luckily, my work
tally annoying geology question you’d like to solve or a topic mostly comprises structural analysis of ore deposits using existing drill
you’d like to work on? core and mapping. So, I could continue to do this from my base in New
SJ: I think I’d like to continue with the D1 study, but look at a comparison Zealand. Technology has improved and I can log in via VPN to the drives
with the Abitibi Belt. Of course, I’d need abundant financial funding for in Perth allowing me to access all the data I require. As far as personal
the fieldwork in Canada! impact, living in a small town meant less exposure to COVID-19 and we
didn’t have the prolonged lockdowns imposed on cities like Wellington
BD: What have you learned from field practice and your job expe-
and Auckland.
rience that is not taught at university?
BD: Finally, any concluding comments or words of wisdom from
SJ: My first job as an exploration geologist at Darlot Gold Mine was a bit
an industry veteran?
like doing an apprenticeship. I’d already done one of those as a typogra-
pher in the mid-1980s before I went to university. It was very enjoyable, SJ: Follow what you love doing and the work will appear. If you real-
and I learned the practical aspects of being an industry geologist. This is ly love geology, I recommend following the technical route, as you will
invaluable and I would not expect to learn that side of the job at univer- have a satisfying career that never gets boring. C

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/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

Economic
potential
of salt
lakes
by Roland Gotthard, Director at Playa One Pty Ltd

For geological units that amount to little With the economic importance of salt lakes demonstrated, it’s time to
pay a bit more attention to these geological formations that, for a lot of
more than muddy ponds, salt lakes are geologists and explorers, are something you drill through to get to the
perhaps some of the most economically ore, or drive right around on the way to drill for ore. Salt lakes clearly
important geomorphological features deserve far more of our attention, in Australia and worldwide, if we are
to meet sustainable and circular economic models in the future. This
on the planet. This is because of the article will serve as a brief introduction to their geology and economic
presence in the Andean Cordillera, of potential.
brines containing lithium within some salt
lake systems. Some ten million tonnes of Geology and Hydrology
lithium reserves are available in the salt
lakes of Chile and Argentina, representing Salt lakes are evaporitic systems formed in endorheic basins – water-
sheds which have no exit – also known as saline sumps. Salt lakes can
about USD 0.75 trillion in lithium carbonate be several meters across, to vast areas such as Salar de Uyuni at over
equivalent at today’s prices. This is about 10 000 km2 (3861 mi2). Whilst sodium chloride salt is a ubiquitous com-
400 million ounces of gold equivalent. ponent, salt lakes are highly variable in mineralogy, with almost no two
lakes identical.
Ten years ago, however, the same lakes
Salt lakes themselves can also vary meter by meter in mineralogy,
were worth 1/8th as much, or less. chemistry and in terms of water chemistry. It is not unknown for super
acidic pH 1.5 water to exist several meters away from pH 11 groundwater.
Water that falls into the drainage basin, or enters via groundwater
discharge, leaves only via evaporation, and when evaporation rates out-
weigh rainfall, this will result in salt lakes of some form or another.
Water interaction with the rocks of the drainage basin controls
groundwater chemistry. As bedrock is weathered to clay, alkalis (sodi-
↗ Image - Lake Hillier turns pink from the action of cyanobacteria um, calcium, potassium) and other soluble elements (magnesium, chlo-
(Wikipedia By Yodaobione - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, rine, sulphur) are carried into the sump via subsurface flow through the
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95475591) soil and aquifers.

38 Coring Magazine #21

 Dilute groundwater is concentrated by evaporation, forming min- rescences (gypsum crusts and crystals) formed on lake surfaces during
erals. The chemistry of the brine solution determines a series of min- hot summer months, with prevailing winds pushing the fine gypsum
erals which precipitate, with the first usually being calcite. Thereafter, crystals into complex kopi dune systems. These accumulate on the
Mg+Ca:SO4 ratios determine if magnesium minerals or gypsum precip- down-wind margins of the salt pans, and can constitute hundreds of
itate next, and this determines the evolution into alkaline, sulphate or thousands of tonnes of 99% purity gypsum.
calcium brine end-members. Within the fringing aprons of carbonate minerals that occur in the up-
The evolution of brine mineralogy is somewhat regular and predict- stream and upper watersheds of salt lakes, calcrete and dolocrete may
able, with diagnostic mineral assemblages precipitated in the drainage form significant cementation within sediments. Magnesite can form
basin allowing brine chemistry to be deduced from the salt and sedi- within the salt lake uplands as the groundwater chemistry evolves, and
ments. These brine trajectories also control the potential of a ground- can even form evaporite crusts in certain alkaline lakes.
water tract to contain economic mineralization. Calcretes can host mineralization, such as uranium and vanadium.
Here the groundwater evolution of the aquifer from oxidized to reduced
conditions occurs in concert with deposition of calcium carbonate; ura-
Economic potential nium and/or vanadium in the palaeochannel is then deposited within
the pore space. Australia’s vast, ancient regolith systems dominated by
Economic components of salt lake systems occur in three parts: the
uranium-rich granite, which feed into palaeochannels and eventually
aquifers wherein salts are carried dissolved in brines; salt encrustations
salt lakes, contain world class uranium deposits.
and efflorescences at the surface; and the solid residuum within the
Clays within salt lake systems may also be important targets for eco-
sedimentary succession, including salts, muds, clays and minerals with-
nomic mineralization. Groundwater compositions within salt lake sys-
in and around the lake beds.
tems can reach extremes unknown elsewhere in nature, such as extreme
Brines within salt lake systems contain one of the most important el-
acidity or alkalinity, and extreme salinity. These are highly unusual fluid
emental concentrations on the planet – lithium in brines hosted within
conditions which can result in alteration to unusual mineralogy. Two
salt lake aquifers. However, other important elements are extracted
prime examples of the influence of extreme fluid compositions in saline
from brines, such as sulphate of potash (K2SO4), muriate of potash (KCl),
environments are the mineral polymorphs halloysite, and palygorskite.
sodium carbonate and sulphates, borates, and table salt.
Halloysite, a tubular form of kaolin, forms in acidic groundwater condi-
Important by-products of brine production, in certain areas, include
tions, and deposits are known underneath acidic salt lakes in South Aus-
bromine and iodine. The world production of bromine is dominated by
tralia. Palygorskite, a tubular morphology of attapulgite-type clay, forms
the Dead Sea, in Israel. Metal is obtained from brines, either as magne-
in highly Mg, Ca and Cl enriched saline lake and palaeochannel systems.
sium produced from bitterns, and sodium and
chlorine which is obtained by electrolysis of
sodium salt.
Brine extraction involves pumping the aqui-
fer brine into evaporation ponds, where the
sun is used to evaporate the brine to satura-
tion with salt (normally NaCl) which is then re-
moved, and the resulting brine concentrated
to precipitate the next salt such as potassium
sulphate, with the residual bitterns enriched
in magnesium. The same process is used to
concentrate lithium brines.
Salt encrustations, usually dominated by
simple table salt (NaCl) are mined from the
surface of natural and artificial salt lake sys-
tems. Artificial salt lakes, such as the Dampier,
Shark Bay and the proposed Mardie salt oper-
ation, evaporate ocean water to produce the
salt, however in some areas salt is mined from
natural accumulations within salt lakes.
The solid residuum of saline groundwater
systems and salt lakes can contain significant
mineralization in the clays, fringing aprons of
carbonates, and even in dunes of salt blown
off the surface of the lakes.
Western and South Australia’s world-class
endowment of high-quality gypsum mineral- ↑ Brine evolution pathways and mineral assemblages of evaporites
(creative commons Australia 3.0 License, via Geoscience Australia)
ization is produced by ablation of salt efflo-

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 39

/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

Exploration opportunities
Salt lakes contain 75% of the world’s lithium endowment and will re-
main an important source of the metal for decades to come. Exploration
for lithium in brines worldwide is relatively mature but commissioning
and proofing of evaporation processes is technically complex, and much
work remains to exploit known but uneconomic brines that have not
yet been proven up.
Brine abstraction and evaporation is a small but growing source of
potassium sulphate in Australia and globally. Massive resources of
potassium sulphate are reported from the Danakhil Depression in Ethi-
opia with more than 200 years of resources identified.
The exploitation of magnesium from brines in saline systems looks set
to have a renaissance after the 2021 magnesium metal supply crunch.
Magnesium brines in the USA, Canada and elsewhere are capable of
producing magnesium chemical precursor salts as feedstocks for mag- ↑ ASTER scene of salt lakes near Meeline, Western Australia, with
nesium metal with lower carbon footprints than the current carbon-in- ferrous magnesite (red) and iron oxide (blue) showing carbonate
tensive Chinese smelting. Significant potential also exists for magne- apron and alteration of sediments in the catchment
sium by-products in the Danakil Depression, with millions of tonnes of
MgCl identified.
The economic potential of the solid residuum of salt lakes is poorly tourism, environmental preservation and mineral extraction is always
understood and woefully underappreciated. The chemical evolution of delicate. However, there are over 11 000 lakes in Western Australia
brines, saline groundwaters, and both alkaline and acidic chemistries, alone, so there are plenty to choose from.
provides opportunities for concentration of many valuable elements, It is clear that one should visit salt lakes, and take what one needs, but
from transuranic elements, chalcophile elements, to those sensitive to they are environments which should be managed carefully, because they
eH and pH changes. Analogues of other clay-hosted deposits of lithium, are such extreme environments, and such extreme concentrations of
magnesium, potassium and other critical elements are all potentially chemicals, salts and metals. Sustainable mineral extraction in these en-
extractable from salts, clays, and carbonate aprons around salt lakes.
vironments requires care and cannot occur without careful understand-
Thorough understanding of the co-evolution of brine chemistry and
ing of hydrogeology, hydrology, and competing water uses.
mineralogy of sediments shows potential for identifying critical miner-
als – an example being halloysite and palygorskite.
Conclusions
Environmental considerations
Salt lakes are clearly extraordinary reservoirs of economic potential
Salt lakes are relatively sterile environments due to the harsh chemical that, unlike other ore bodies, one can quite literally stumble across and
environment, with extreme salinity, acidity and alkalinity possible – of- walk upon billions of dollars of minerals – and you may not realise it.
ten wildly varied even within the same lake-bed. They are also, relatively Salt lakes contain the key to a low-carbon future, both in terms of their
speaking, quite durable environments capable of literally swallowing up endowment in lithium, but also in lower-carbon magnesium, uranium
almost any disturbance humanity wishes to inflict upon them – including and are important sources of halides, borates and potassium.
whole bulldozers at times. On this basis, they can be prime locations for Responsibly handled, mining on salt lakes can contribute materials
extracting minerals with lower ecological costs than other landforms. for our modern society and future needs. We have only just scratched
Salt lakes and evaporite deposits within them are also quite young and the surface of these fantastic formations in Western Australia
replenish relatively quickly. The age of residuum in Australian salt lakes and elsewhere. C
is from less than 2000 to 12 000 years, postdating the last glacial maxi-
mum. Evaporitic deposits have formed quickly and will replenish quickly Further Reading
if left to do so.
However, salt lakes are sensitive environments particularly regarding • Mernagh, T.P (editor). A Review of Australian Salt Lakes and Assess-
flux of water. One needs only look to the Great Salt Lake of Utah, where ment of their Potential for Strategic Resources GEOSCIENCE AUSTRA-
excessive use of surface and groundwater threatens to dry out the salt LIA RECORD 2013/39
lake entirely, which may precipitate an almost unimaginable disaster. • Warren J.K. Evaporites through time: Tectonic, climatic and eustatic
This threatens the survival of brine shrimp and migratory bird popula- controls in marine and nonmarine deposits. Earth-Science Reviews 98
tions that rely upon them. Dusts from the lake bed carry heavy metals, (2010) 217–268
and if they blow into the urban areas, catastrophic damage could be in-
flicted. Examples of salt lakes gone bad include the Salton Sea, in Califor-
nia, which is now a horrific alkaline wasteland due to over-extraction of
water for agriculture.
Lakes are also not completely sterile. Extremophile bacteria thrive, and For more information
one only needs to visit Lake Hillier in Western Australia, to understand Get in touch with the author on LinkedIn
that salt lakes can be extraordinarily striking places to visit. Balancing

40 Coring Magazine #21

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$ilver
is money
by James M. Wise, Silver is money. It has been for thousands of years. The
Shareholder at Pan American Silver
Corp., First Majestic Silver Corp. white metal was first widely, or most famously, distributed
& Newmont Corporation in the Roman coin called the Denarii. Subsequently, the
Spanish empire had for centuries a currency based on
the silver peso, while the British had the sterling pound.
For 76% of the US history, the country had silver coins
being minted and circulated until the government of
President Lyndon B. Johnson halted its use in 1964.
Today silver is held for investment purposes, but is also
broadly used in jewelry, electroplating, photography to a
diminishing extent, and industrial applications including
use in solar panels. Considered a precious metal, silver
is about eight times more abundant in the Earth than
gold, but still remains an important primary ore in
mining and has a role as credit in zinc, lead, and copper
mines. And as in all post-Industrial Revolution expansion
Disclosure: The author holds shares in Pan of mechanization and economy of scales, the amount
American Silver Corp., First Majestic, and
Newmont, amongst other non-silver mining
of silver being produced has steadily been increasing.
companies; company name mentions are not This is despite the extreme price swings that are prone
investment recommendations. to exaggerated lows and short speculative highs.
42 Coring Magazine #21
T he silver price over the last several centuries was remark-
ably stable as many currencies were referenced to it along
with gold. After the removal of the US dollar from the gold
standard in 1971, known as the Nixon Shock, the price of silver
climbed according to inflation but also had marked peaks pertain-
al used across ancient societies. The Freiberg mines of Germany
are particularly noted for their fine occurrences of horn silver, the
natural, almost fibrous and twisty branches of silver. The main sil-
ver-bearing minerals, or silver sulfo-salts, are acanthite, argentite,
argentiferous galena, cerargyrite, proustite, polybasite, tennantite,
ing to market speculation. The major peak in 1981 came from the and tetrahedrite.
well-known attempt by the Hunt brothers to corner the market. The In 2021, the top-producing silver countries were Mexico, China,
metal price went through a long depression in the 1990s, such that Peru, Australia, and Poland. Global production totaled to 822.6 mil-
in the year 2000 it was at USD 6 per ounce and many of the historic lion ounces. Both Mexico and Peru, over the last 400 years, typical-
silver camps in Peru were closed. The post-Global Financial Crisis of ly have been the leading world producers of silver. The companies
2008 saw an all-commodity ‘Supercycle’ that peaked in 2011 with with the greatest production in this last year were Fresnillo, KGHM,
silver price spiking up to USD 49.80 per ounce and averaged at USD
Glencore, Newmont, and Codelco. The companies that are mainly
35.16 for the year. The average price retreated to USD 15.66, which
silver producers, each with more than 10 million ounces of annu-
in 2015 had many of the Peruvian mines working near a breakeven
al production, are Pan American Silver Corp., First Majestic Silver
basis. The current price hovering around USD 20 per ounce is not
Corp., Silver Crest Metals, and Hecla Mining. The five largest silver
much higher, inflation-adjusted, from the low price in 2015. The to-
deposits in the world are Potosi district or Cerro Rico of Bolivia with
tal world silver production throughout history comes to 58.2 billion
ounces, which at USD 20 per ounce equals USD 1.16 trillion. over 2 billion ounces mined (other recent estimates suggest it had
Silver comes from many geological deposit types, including over 3 billion ounces produced), Coeur d’Alene district of Idaho with
low-sulfidation epithermal veins where it occurs with gold, often a production of 1.2 billion ounces, Penasquitos deposit in Mexico
mixed in electrum. Silver is a significant credit recovered from por- with ~1.27 billion contained ounces, Rudna and Polkowice-Seinawa
phyry copper concentrates, such as at the open pits of Cerro Verde Kupferschiefer deposits in Poland each bearing 1 billion ounces of
(Peru), Chuquicamata (Chile), Escondida (Chile), Butte (US), Bingham silver as credit to the primary copper mineralization. Deposit sizes
Canyon (US), and Antamina (Peru). The metal is found in carbonate can be classified as those having greater than 1 billion ounces of sil-
replacement deposits, which are abundant in Peru and Mexico, ver being supergiants, between 1 billion and 500 million as giants,
skarn systems and from sediment-hosted base-metal deposits such at less than 500 but more than 250 million as mid-tiers, and those
as those in Poland. In the near-surface weathering environment the below 250 million ounces as lower-tier or small districts. The world
silver minerals breakdown and reconstitute easily, such that silver has over 500 silver mines, many of which fall into the smaller side
also forms a native metal, which provided some of the early met- of endowment.

↑ A graph showing the nominal average annual price of silver in red compared to the annual global mining production
(info from the Silver Institute and the US Bureau of Mines/USGS mineral year books)

Drillers’ Trusted Publication 43

/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

↑ Example of horn silver from the Porco district, Bolivia

Exploration continues for silver, although it receives less media • Eloro Resources Inc.’s Bolivian project of Iska intercepted
attention than gold, copper, and lithium these last few years. The 8.11 m @ 32.9 oz/tonne in drill hole 11_C53_4.13.2021.
Silver Sands discovery in Bolivia, held by New Pacific, has about In general, for underground vein mining, equivalent silver values
155.9 million ounces in its measured and indicated resource that is require a minimum of 5 oz/tonne to be economic. This may be higher
at a pre-feasibility stage. Other idle resources pending development depending on country taxes, dewatering requirements, ground sta-
and permitting is the massive Navidad 632.4 million ounce deposit bility and mining method, or if the CapEx on a new operations needs
(2022 M&I resource) in southern Argentina, controlled by Pan Amer- to pay for a mill and equipment.
ican Silver Corp, Pascua-Lama project in Chile holds some 675 mil- In conclusion, silver is a valuable commodity that contributes to
the economics across numerous deposit types. The metal price
lion ounces of Ag in addition to the gold resource, and the Udokan
tends to move, although not perfectly mirroring, the price of gold,
porphyry occurrence in Russia with about 1 billion ounces of silver.
and when it does, the percent change can be a couple multiples of
Some examples of exceptional 2021 drill intercepts of silver are
the gold price movement. While Reddit fans and hack cell-phone
worth considering because the number of ounces required are
investors have been hyping silver stacking or hoarding, hoping for
greater than those reported for gold projects or mines: a social media movement for a market squeeze, the long-term out-
• Brixton Metals Corp’s Langis project in Canada drill hole LM- look regarding silver is reliable given its thousands of years of use
20-133 intercepted 2 m @ 188 oz/tonne. and finite character for supply as compared to the inflatable fiat
• Radius Gold Inc.’s Marcicela project in Mexico had in drill hole currencies of today. We have numerous undeveloped large silver re-
RSM103 3 m @ 92.5 oz/tonne. sources being held up for various social-political reasons and at the
• Silvercorp Metals Inc.’s La Yesca had in the exploration drill same time, relatively few new large deposits are being discovered.
hole ZK081 3.3 m @ 53 oz/tonne. The upside on silver investing remains as a safe-haven for monetary
• Vizsla Silver Corp.’s Panuco project in Mexico hit in hole CS- collapse, and is suggested as being more exchangeable under said
20-11 2.52 m @ 51 oz/tonne. crisis than its golden big brother. C

For more information

Visit: www.panamericansilver.com; www.firstmajestic.com; www.newmont.com

44 Coring Magazine #21

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/EXPLORATION & MINING GEOLOGY

Becoming a female
economic geologist
in Turkey
by Gülay Sezerer K. MScEng, CPG, EurGeol, UmrekCP, Economic Geologist & General Manager at GSK Geology Consulting

If I am going to express the relationship between me and the earth sciences

as an aphorism, I would call it a butterfly effect. When I was a child, a man
brought a chalcopyrite-galena-pyrite-bornite to my father’s shop. I was
immediately astonished by this sample, comprising part of a mineralized hand-
specimen assemblage, which would later become the cornerstone of my curiosity.
Afterwards, I was of course going to study it during my time at university.

A t university, one of my mentors said

that you must do your best wherever
you are. I took this advice because I
was raised to be a perfectionist by my family.
All my life I’ve tried to do the best thing any-
torate of Mineral Research and Exploration,
or MTA (analogous to USGS in the US), which
takes cognizance of the mentor-apprentice
relationships. MTA is the only state geolog-
ical research institution in Turkey that was
my gratitude to the managers there, as they
provided gender equality in the workplace. If
you were willing to see something, they would
send you to the field to gain some experience.
I started working on metallic mineral depos-
way, so I kept following this advice and applied sending junior geologists to a general geolog- its geochemistry projects in accordance with
it early in my career, even before I turned 30. ical mapping camp and was giving projects my master’s degree. In particular, I gave sup-
During my high school and university years, according to their specialization. I’ve always port to projects involving precious and base
Turkey was in a political conflict, which af- felt lucky during my years there as I found my metals, nickel, iron, etc. I carried out field stud-
fected everything, for example, the economy, mentors and completed a master’s degree in ies and laboratory studies, such as mineralo-
education, etc. Because of these conditions, geological engineering. I would like to express gy-petrography, alteration petrography, fluid
geological engineering was a required subject
for me. However, as I started studying it, earth
sciences attracted me. Before going to univer-
sity, I had never been to a village or a town, I’ve
always lived in the center of the city. So, on my
first field trip at uni, I slipped and fell into a
river. I learned my first real lesson that day: no
matter how successful you are in your studies,
real achievements won’t come until you put
your knowledge into practice in the field.
For me, the first step towards those real
achievements was learning how to walk prop-
erly on tough terrain and not be afraid of flies.
During my geology internship and over the
years since, I learned how to read nature, how
to get to know people and myself, and earth
sciences even taught me how to understand
the philosophy of science - every chemical
reaction that occurs in humans is similar to
earth’s geochemical events.
In the end, after I graduated from a presti-
gious public university with an honors degree,
I started working in different places and on a
variety of projects. I began my career at a gov-
ernment institution called The General Direc- ↑ Gülay working in the field

46 Coring Magazine #21

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inclusion studies, and ore microscopy. Over whilst working in the field. I was walking on
the 20 years in MTA, my life was spent in the the oldest continental craton and it was an
mountains in the summer and on the micro- incredible feeling for me. As a female econom-
scope in winter. For the development of me- ic geologist, the most important person that Mineral coring
tallic projects, I worked both in the field doing brought me here was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, BoP Diverters
mapping, drilling tracking, logging, etc., and in the founder of my country, who also gave
the laboratory with rock petrography, alter- women equal rights. Then and there, my heart
ation petrography, ore microscopy, and fluid filled with gratitude and my eyes with tears.
inclusion studies. After working at MTA for 20 years, I started
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precious metal) across the cities Diyarbakır, ferent geology, commodities, and terrain from
Elazığ, Adıyaman, Malatya, and the gold-silver Turkey, for example, granulite and epidote fa-
project across Kırşehir, Kaman-Savcılıebeyit, cies rock units, and BIFs.
and Terziali. I loved all my projects as if they As an idealistic economic geologist, I have
were my children. However, my heart was been trying to support projects both in my
always set on the ones involving base metals country and abroad for more than 30 years
and gold. The experience I gained from work- with Gskgeo. I especially can’t get enough
ing with my mentors, was the most valuable of the pleasure of exploring new greenfields
asset from my years with MTA. for gold. Some of my new findings in Turkey
After leaving MTA, I moved to Tanzania and are the Sivas-Bakırtepe Gold Mineralization,
started a consulting company called GSK Ge- Kırşehir-Boztepe Çimeli Gold Mineralization,
ology Consulting (Gskgeo). As soon as I got Sivas-Yıldızeli Yavu Gold Mineralization, Kay-
there, I immediately plunged into the depths seri-Pınarbaşı, Dikilitaş Gold Mineralization,
of Africa with my geologist hammer in my Sivas, Hafik- Aktaş Gold- Silver Mineralization.
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facies and Banded Iron Formations (BIFs), you love your job, everything is easier. C
[email protected]

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48 Coring Magazine #21

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50 Coring Magazine #21

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/EXPLORATION DRILLING CATALOG

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52 Coring Magazine #21

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/EXPLORATION DRILLING CATALOG

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