Students investigating a stope in the Young-Davidson mine.
Drillcore from the Young-Davidson mine.
iMAGE CREATE – SEG Mine Site Trip Report
Report by iMAGE-CREATE MSc trainee Rhian Dentelbeck
The Ottawa-Carleton Universities Society of Economic Geologists (OCUSEG) student chapter, in collaboration with iMAGE-CREATE, recently organized a site visit to the Côté Gold (IAMGOLD) and Young-Davidson (Alamos) mines, providing students with insights into Archean porphyry systems, open-pit operations, and syenite-hosted orogenic gold deposits. This opportunity enabled students, ranging from the second-year undergraduate to graduate level, to gain practical exposure to the mining industry, including underground operations. The trip was attended by iMAGE-CREATE trainees Rhian Dentelbeck (MSc), Jack Halloran (MSc), Kaan Onat (PhD), Arielle Ouer (MSc), and Reid Legere (MSc).
The trip began with travel from Ottawa to Sultan Lake. Participants received a brief overview of the Côté Gold mine’s operational layout, including a tour of the control room, a view of the open pit, autonomous haul trucks, and employee accommodations. The visit included explanations of procedures for remote monitoring, operation, and management of mine activities such as drilling and hauling.
The second day featured an underground tour of Young-Davidson’s syenite-hosted orogenic gold deposit. The day began with an introduction to the Young-Davidson mine and its history, followed by discussions of regional and local geology and standard operating protocols. Students were led through mineralized zones underground, where they saw an active stope, historic tunnels dating back to the 1930s, a refuge station, jumbo drill, and scooptram. An elevator shaft returned the group to surface level, after which a visit to the core shack allowed students to examine excellent drill core samples containing visible gold.
Special thanks to Adam Grenier and Reid Legere at Young-Davidson for coordinating the site tour and hosting the group.
