Vargem Grande Operation, Capitão do Mato mine.   The visit to Vale's Vargem Grande operation commenced with a welcome from Marcelo Vidigal (left in main upper image), Vale's Resource Modelling Manager, who had developed and overseen the organisation of the program of excellent and comprehensive visits the group were given to the company's mines in Minas Gerais and Para.   This was followed by a series of briefings on the geology and iron mineralisation of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, and the Vargem Grande operation mines in particular, by Gesner Santos, Master Geologist, Vale.   Two presentations were subsequently delivered by tour group geologist covering other significant deposits with which they were conversant for the benefit of the Vale exploration and mine geology staff who were also present for this reason.   The group was then taken to the adjacent viewing platform over the Capitão do Mato mine for an overview and geological explanation by the mine geologist Regina Rodrigues (second from right in lower-left image) and by Gesner Santos (third from left in the same image).   The group was then transported into the pit to make a traverse across the deposit, and study the hosts and ore in detail (lower-centre image) from the footwall sequence, into the ore, cutting both hard and soft hematite ores, to the hangingwall, as well as having the opportunity to discuss the deposit and ask questions of both Regina (lower-right image) and Gesner.
Photograph by Mike Porter.