Year 12 Earth & Environmental Science students recently ventured into the heart of the Goldfields by visiting Kalgoorlie. Arriving by train, they witnessed the changes in vegetation en route, including salt lakes and saw the Kalgoorlie Pipeline. They visited the WA School of Mines Kalgoorlie Library, where there were many valuable rocks on display, plus many other mining related instruments. Students were also able to gold plate their own 5c coin.
Students then dressed in their PPE ready for a tour of the Paddington Mine, where they learnt about the leaching process, exploration holes, the recycling of water during the drilling process and the rehabilitation of old waste dumps. The students were also lucky enough to witness a core being removed from a new exploration site, something you don’t see every day.
Students got off the beaten track with a walk up Mt Hunt to see pillow structures that were formed 2.7 million years ago when lava flowed into surrounding oceans, and then a trip to Kanowna Dam which also showed evidence of its violent volcanic past. Students trekked to check out the spinifex structures of nickel deposits and made a visit to the Super Pit, one of Australia’s largest open pit gold mines.
There was a bit of extra time to allow for some rock climbing and free time, and yet students still managed to complete their Renewable Presentation Assessment.