General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

2

Total Parts

3

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Dense, rough rock sample is roughly rectangular in shape, with one elongated corner: predominantly grey, brown and off-white in colour, with gold coloured deposits (pyrite) visible.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

8.0 cm

Width

7.3 cm

Height

3.8 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Exploration and Survey

Category

Survey equipment

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Unknown

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Haiti

State/Province

Unknown

Period

Specific: Sample collected between 2010 and 2013.

Canada

Item from comprehensive collection of tools and technologies used by a Canadian prospector, who worked in the exploration division of Newmont Mining Corporation in Haiti between 2010 and 2013. This collection reflects three aspects of the modern Canadian mining, crucial to the understanding of this sector: mobility of the workforce, ethnicity in the workforce, and globalization. The mining workforce has been highly mobile on both community and individual levels. Entire towns formed around mining operations and died or changed their character when the resources were exhausted. Mining professionals, especially in the field of mineral exploration, work in various often remote locations around the globe, and cover long distances in their daily work. The items donated to the Museum well represent the type of tools and technologies necessary to working outdoors, in remote locations, and a tropical climate. Ethnicity continues to play a role in the sector’s hiring practices. In this particular case, an employer looked for a recent graduate, bilingual prospector, educated in Canada, who could also communicate in Haitian-Creole. A set of hiring criteria in mining is often very specific and difficult to meet by Canadian graduates, but essential to succeeding in exploration projects conducted abroad. Donated artifacts reflect Haitian-Creole cultural context of Newmont operations. [Ref. 1]

Function

Limited quantity of item or substance, typically created for retention, testing and/or analysis.

Technical

The collection contains tools and technologies used by Canadian prospectors abroad. These objects are all examples of the complex socio-cultural and economic context around mining operations. [Ref.1] One of three rock samples from an undisclosed exploration area in Haiti that contain pyrite, copper and iron. The samples are an essential part of exploration process. They are collected, processed into smaller pieces and send to an assayer for an analysis and estimate of the mineral content. At the same time, collection of the samples, especially these that contain pyrite, pose community-relations challenges. Locals may misidentify pyrite as gold and accuse the prospector of stealing gold from their properties. [Ref. 1]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None evident.

Missing

Appears complete.

Finish

Dense, rough rock sample is roughly rectangular in shape, with one elongated corner: predominantly grey, brown and off-white in colour, with gold coloured deposits (pyrite) visible.

Decoration

N/A