Published on October 6, 2017
Digging in the dirt, driving big trucks and searching for gold sounds like the perfect day for some children. For members of the Midas Gold team, it is their daily reality.
Recently, we teamed up with the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology and the Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration to help bring mining to life for children in the Treasure Valley and give them a small taste of what it is like to have one of the best jobs on earth (we may be slightly biased).
There were several stations at this event to help teach children about geology and what goes into the mining process. Kids could go on a geology hike in the hills near the old state penitentiary, pan for gold, test their driving skills with remote control construction trucks, build their own construction hat and even try their hand at core drilling.
Core drilling allows mining companies to get a better understanding of what minerals might be present deep beneath the surface of the earth. It works by using a hollow bit to drill holes just inches in diameter that can extend hundreds or even thousands of feet below the ground. The hollow bit leaves a solid cylinder of rock, known as core, that is brought to surface in a tube inside the drill string. Once on the surface, the core then can be analyzed to determine what minerals exist and the rock quality. To help teach this concept to children, we created mountains using different color stacks of playdough – each color represented a different rock layer. Each child was given a straw and was able to drill small holes to see how many different layers of minerals existed in different parts of the mountain. The kids learned a lot and, as you can see in the photos, had a blast in the process.
We always have fun teaching children about minerals and mining. In our minds, we really do have one of the most fun jobs around. We get to work outside, enjoy nature, look for minerals and, in our case, restore an area in need of repair in the process. What could be better?
