Mariana Operation, Group Photo and Fazendao mine.   The group posed with Vale staff at the Alegría mirante. From left:   Erika Cordeiro (Vale External Relations, who escorted the group throughout the visits to Vale operations in Minas Gerais),   Sergio Fernandes (BHP Billiton, Brazil),   Mark Pudovskis (BHP Billiton, Singapore),   Valeria Ribeiro (Chief Mine Geologist, Mariana Complex),   Adilson Dias (Mine Geologist, Alegría);  Doug Kepert (Fortescue Minerals Group, Australia),   Marco Túlio Naves de Carvalho (Votorantim Novos Negócios, Brazil),   Gesner Santos (Vale, Master Geologist, Ferrous Planning and Development),   Renato Freitas (BHP Billiton, Brazil).   John Dupuis (Canamera Geological Ltd., Canada) was absent for the day due to other commitments.   Following the pit traverse at Alegría, the group next visited the Fazendao mine to the north, where they were joined by mine geologist Renan Flores, who with Valeria and Gesner provided a description of the main points of the deposit and its geology (lower-right image), prior to traversing the orebody on one of the benches.   The top-right image illustrates typical soft, foliated, deformed ore from Fazendao, characteristic of much of the eastern "high strain" section of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero deposits.   The visit ended in the mid afternoon allowing the group to return to Belo Horizonte by just after sunset to end a long but very rewarding day.
Photographs by Mike Porter.