56

No 120 • JANUARY 2020

SEG DISCOVERYSTUDENT NEWS

Akita University Student Chapter (SEG-AUSC)
Students from the Graduate School ofInternational Resource Sciences, Akita
University, Japan, participated in athree-day field excursion August 5 to7, 2019, in the Miyagi, Yamagata, andFukushima prefectures of southern
Tohoku, Japan. The main objective of
the field excursion was to explore andget practical experience on the geology and mineral resources of southern
Tohoku.
The first stop was the Hiraizumi
temple, the interior of which is lavishly
decorated with gold that originatedfrom orogenic gold deposits in northeastern Japan. On the same day wevisited the Hosokura mine park to navigate through the underground mine(now closed), which used to be one of
the largest epithermal to mesothermal
polymetallic (Pb-Zn-Ag-Cd) vein-type
deposits in Japan. The next stop was theItaya zeolite deposit, which has recently
been used to correct the soil system of
the Fukushima nuclear plant, following
the 2011 nuclear accident. A full day
was allocated for the Adatara volcano,where we had an opportunity to observe

Akita University field trip participants at the top of Adatara volcano, with the Numanotaira (thesulfur river) crater in the background.

and witness active H2S fumarolic hotsprings, different rock types (someof which were mineralized with finegrained pyrite), residual silica (potential
fluid conduit), and the Numanotaira

crater. On the last day we visited Ishikawa pegmatite deposits from which
feldspar and mica were mined mainlyfor ceramic and clay making.

University of Michigan SEG Student Chapter Field Trip
The University of Michigan (USA) SEG
Student Chapter organized a field tripto tour the geology in the Marquette,
Michigan, area from November 7 to 9,
2019. On November 8 the group visitedthe Eagle Cu-Ni mine, a subsidiary of
Lundin, for an underground mining
tour to see the mineralization styles
and extraction techniques up close. We

spoke with several Eagle mine geologists in various roles, including exploration, ore control, and core loggers,
and learned about the progression ofa mine from the exploration stage toresource assessment, production, andmine closure. After leaving the minesite, we met with geologists from a local
environmental consulting firm thatmonitors the hydrology of the wetlandsand rivers around the mine site. We
learned about the permitting process
for an underground mine operation(like Eagle) and how it contrasts withregulatory protocols for an open-pit
mine. The day ended with an informal
meeting with local geologists, including
our Student Chapter’s industry sponsor,
Robert Mahin, the exploration manager
at Eagle.
The next morning, we embarked on ageologic tour of the Marquette area andvisited outcrops of 2.7 Ga pillow basalts,
the Black Rocks ultramafic intrusion on
Presque Isle, and the exposure of 1.8 Ga
banded iron formation of Jasper Knob.
The trip was a great opportunity tomake connections between the regional
geology, an economic magmatic sulfide
deposit in operation, and the environmental monitoring that quantifies theimpacts of an underground mine ina remote yet populated area. We areplanning a future trip to explore theincredible native copper deposits of theKeweenaw Peninsula and to visit the Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech.

Geared up with cutting-edge safety equipment, students explored the underground facilities atthe Eagle mine.

Jackie Wrage (SEG SM),
Chapter President