Carajás N4E mine.   The next morning saw a leisurely start.   After breakfast the group was driven to the main lookout above the N4E mine at Carajás where a comprehensive set of posters was set up to demonstrate the geology and mineralisation of the deposit, with explanations from Vale geologists Gesner Santos, Roberta Marais, Ivan Andrade and Alexandre Rocha.   Sections of the more than 3 km long N4E pit are shown in the upper-left and upper-right images, looking to the south and north respectively.   Note the pale, weathered hanging wall mafic volcanics in the upper half of the far pit wall.   The lookout, from which the images were taken, is in footwall mafic volcanics.   The orebody dips at around 40°W.   The group were next taken into the main N4E pit to study the ore and host rocks at a series of faces (e.g., upper-centre image).   The lower-centre image shows some of the high grade banded soft ore, while the lower-right image shows the protolith 'jaspilite' or banded iron formation found below and lateral to the ore.   In the lower-left image, Roberta Morais answers questions from the group.
Photographs by Mike Porter.