TALES FROM THE FIELD Tales from the Field Albert L. Lamarre, CPG-06798
One summer early on in my minerals exploration career I was sent to do explo- ration at the inactive Ima Tungsten mine in the Lemhi Range of eastern Idaho near Patterson, just a wide spot on the county road. Silver had been discovered there around 1900 in large, white quartz veins but by 1937 tungsten became the primary metal of interest. In 1938, the Ima mine boasted being the second larg- est tungsten mine in the United States, but in 1957 the mine closed. My job was to collect samples from the walls of the old tunnels and adits of the underground mine. I soon accumulated beautiful and rare specimens of reddish-brown hueb- nerite, the tungsten oxide ore mineral mined here.
While working at the Ima mine, I stayed with a nearby ranching family, where I witnessed the day-to-day strug- gles and pleasures of ranch life. I espe- cially enjoyed the delicious and hardy homemade meals they shared with me. This family also provided my first horseback-riding experience on their Pahsimeroi Valley ranch. The ranch was near where Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark’s Lemhi-Shoshone interpreter, was born. As I rode around the ranch, I
tried to imagine what it must have been like to live here in the late 1700s as she did, on sagebrush-covered plains sur- rounded by forested mountains.
The Ima mine project provided my first experience going into an under- ground mine, and because it was entirely new and foreign to me, I found work- ing underground to be fascinating and invigorating. I had never even been in a cave before. What a thrill it was to be hundreds of feet below the ground surface entirely surrounded by rocks. I loved it! But there is nothing darker than being deep underground without a light. I learned that in dramatic and scary fashion at the Ima mine. Proper lighting while working underground is normally achieved by a lamp (carbide or battery powered) affixed to a hard- hat—additional emergency light sources are recommended. One day my boss and another senior geologist came to the site and lowered themselves by rope down an ore pass from deep within the mine. My job was to stay behind at their point of departure and make sure their ropes held tight. But suddenly my carbide light went out, and I had never known such darkness. I became frightened and had
to fight off panic. An eerie black void surrounded me, and I was alone, need- ing to see what I was doing. Those two senior geologists were depending on me for their safe return.
A carbide lamp works by allowing water to drip into a container of carbide powder; a chemical reaction generates acetylene gas, which is then burned to produce a flame. Why we had these old-fashioned carbide lamps rather than battery-powered lights is still a mystery to me. Fortunately, I had some extra water and carbide, but in the darkness, the task of refilling and relighting the lamp would have to be done entirely by feel. I dreaded the possibility of drop- ping either of the vital ingredients down the hole. How would I ever locate them in such total blackness without los- ing my balance and disappearing down the steep ore pass myself? Slowly and meticulously, I replenished the water and carbide in the lamp and relit it. Whew! I was successful in regenerating light, and thankfully, my two partners emerged from below as scheduled. If this was a test for a young geologist, I guess I passed.
Remediation Expert, Mehmet Pehlivan, Joins Cardno’s Lake Forest Office
LAKE FOREST, CA (April 15 2020) -- Cardno, an international professional infrastructure and environmental ser- vices firm, is pleased to announce that Mehmet Pehlivan has joined the firm as a Senior Environmental Consultant in the company’s Lake Forest, CA., USA, office. Mehmet has 36 years of consulting and industry experience in remediation hydrogeology, which includes work for defense and aerospace companies, refin- eries, oil and gas pipeline companies.
Mehmet’s previous work includes negotiating several site closures with reg- ulatory agencies including the California
www.aipg.org
Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Central Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana Regions, and in Texas with TNRCC.
Before joining Cardno, Mehmet ran Bays Environmental Remediation Management, a California licensed gen- eral (A) and hazardous material removal (HAZ) and water well drilling (C57) con- tractor. As the principal hydrogeologist, Mehmet invented a two-phase extrac- tion method and obtained a patent for VacCirc – vacuum driven in-well striping and recirculation method. He also imple- mented innovative remediation solutions
at various sites improving effectiveness of remediation alternatives.
“We are excited to have Mehmet join our team at Cardno and tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience he has in our industry. Mehmet has 10 years of experience running his own business, which has included bringing in new work, growing existing work, and wearing many different hats, which is something we plan on continuing,” said Cardno Branch Manager Andy Nelson – Assessment & Remediation.
Jul.Aug.Sep 2020 • TPG 49
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