Mining Engineering
Exploration and Geology
MINING & MINERALS EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGY (Mineralogy and Petrology)
Minerals and rocks examined properly: crystal chemistry, optical identification, and what a thin section tells you.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
Where the physical geology module identifies rocks in the hand, this one looks through them. It covers crystal chemistry and the silicate structures, systematic mineralogy of the groups that matter in exploration, and optical mineralogy under the petrographic microscope. Thin section work takes the second half, building to interpretation: texture and mineral assemblage as a record of the conditions a rock formed under, and the alteration that points toward ore.
Who should attend
Exploration and mine geologists, laboratory and core shed staff, geometallurgists, and geoscience students.
What you will be able to do
- Relate crystal structure and chemistry to mineral properties.
- Identify rock forming and ore related minerals systematically.
- Use a petrographic microscope and the standard optical properties.
- Describe a thin section in correct terms.
- Interpret texture and assemblage as a record of conditions.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Crystal chemistry
- Bonding, structure and the silicate classes
- Solid solution and polymorphism
- Physical properties from structure
Day 2
Systematic mineralogy
- Silicates, oxides, sulphides and carbonates
- Accessory and indicator minerals
- Ore minerals and their associations
Day 3
Optical mineralogy
- Plane and crossed polarised light
- Relief, birefringence, extinction and pleochroism
- Using the microscope properly
Day 4
Thin sections
- Preparation and its artefacts
- Systematic description
- Modal estimation
Day 5
Interpretation
- Texture as a record of history
- Assemblages and conditions of formation
- Alteration mineralogy and vectors to ore
What you leave with
- Completed thin section descriptions.
- An optical identification scheme you can work from.
- An alteration assemblage interpretation.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Port Louis, Mauritius | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Nairobi, Kenya | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Classroom | US$1,500 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.