Hello everyone! I’m Kosuke Sasaki, a fourth-year undergraduate student.

From August 21 to 29, we conducted fieldwork in Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The expedition was divided into two teams: one conducting a geological survey around the Mowana copper deposit in the Matsitama region, and the other investigating acid mine drainage (AMD) and tailings dams near the Selebi-Phikwe mine.

The team consisted of five members from the Environmental Geology Laboratory—Prof. Otake, Joseph (D3), Dineo (D1), Oritani (B4), and myself (Sasaki, B4)—and three members from the Resource Recycling Engineering Laboratory: Prof. Ito, Cocktail (Research Student), and Sato (M2).

We arrived in the capital, Gaborone, on the evening of the 22nd and enjoyed a steak dinner together.

On the 23rd, the team split up to head to Francistown and Selebi-Phikwe. The local drivers were all friendly and easy to talk to.

From the 24th to the 26th, each team carried out sampling. Logging the drill cores proved challenging due to the prevalence of metamorphic zones...

                                                                            (above: Matsitama team  below: Selebi-Phikwe team)

Around midday on the 26th, I took photos with the representatives from the companies that had assisted me and met up with the group in Selebi-Phikwe. I received a wealth of valuable experiences, samples, and data.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Tropic of Capricorn)

On the 27th, I had the opportunity to speak and exchange views with Mr. Yatsuka from the JOGMEC-Botswana Geological Remote Sensing Center. During some free time, I visited a craft shop to buy souvenirs.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(beautiful hotel)

This study would not have been possible without the support of the faculty, international students, Ms. Ishioka (the secretary), and the cooperating companies. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to gain such a valuable experience, despite still being an inexperienced fourth-year undergraduate student. I intend to do my utmost to apply what I have learned here to my research and my future endeavors.

(Text by: Sasaki)