B. Bat-Erdene, head of the Mongolian Industrial Geologists Association, explains to E.Odjargal the unique nature of a geologist’s work and what leads to success in a remarkable profession. Let me begin by asking why you chose to become a geologist. Even as a child I used to be interested in rocks and had a large collection of them. When I was in 9th grade I decided to become a geologist. Following my graduation I worked in the field for 17 years, the first five of them in the taiga, the next five in the Gobi and the rest in the mountains. I remember how very isolated Ikh Altand in the taiga was when I first arrived there, but it later became a bustling mine. Now the mining is finished and it is no longer in use.
How do you remember the geological sector in your early days?In Socialist times it was very different from what it is today. Technology and communication systems were much poorer and no one cared about safety. The focus was only on executing the plan of work.
Being a geologist requires a lot of patience and hard work, no?When I was young I never really gave much thought to there being anything special in these. Even in winter, I would set up my tent on the snow and get to work. All the engineers would think nothing of breaking up freezing snow for a month if that’s what it took to reach the goal. In the Gobi it took even more persistence. And if you get lost, it could be very dangerous. In Khangai, for example, there is no hope of finding water.
A geologist may have to walk anywhere from 8-18 km a day for work, carrying the rocks he is studying. This kind of walking is comparatively easier in the Gobi, but in mountainous Khangai, with its trees and grass, one needs to carry as little as possible. During these walks, one is mainly by oneself, and has to take care of one’s own safety. One must be ingenious and observant to survive in remote terrain. It can be a wonderful experience, drinking from rivers, picking berries and roots in the mountains, and hunting animals for food. We are closer to nature, consuming pure, organic stuff.
But yes, even if we do not notice it at the time, it is geologists with bravery, patience, perseverance and the will to do whatever it takes to accomplish the task who are the ones to stay the course.
Tell us some interesting things that happened in the field.
Once in the Gobi, my colleagues were to pick me up after I finished my work in an area. I waited for a week but there was no sign of them. I waited some more and my food and water began to run out. I had some noodles which I cooked and ate.
I thought they had forgotten the arrangement and so I decided to go to our base camp about 50 km away. I left everything in my tent and began to walk in the direction I thought was the right one.
By this time I had worked in the Gobi for four months and was a sight. My eyes and teeth were white against my darkened skin. I had shaved my head to prevent infestation by lice. My shoes were worn down from walking and you could see my feet through the holes. My pants were torn. This was how I looked when I showed up at the base. After a good meal and a good night’s sleep, I was given fresh provisions and driven back to my position. I was in a hurry to get there as I had left sensitive material in my tent, and their loss could send me to prison. My teammates came for me after three days more, I remember.
B. Bat-Erdene, who took the picture, writes: In 1981, I was chief geologist in the Ore Department. At that time we were searching for ore in riverbeds and prospecting for gold. This was the first study of its kind, following a proposal we had submitted. A Russian expert, our technical geologist, an old herdsman, and I set off with two horses to the taiga—where no man had ever set foot before. After 10 days of travelling over harsh, frozen land with no animals to hunt, our food ran out. We debated whether we should turn back, and decided to go on, trusting to luck. The Russian was an elderly man and could not eat meat cured by jerking and the old herdsman did not eat vegetables. We did manage to do some hunting and somehow got through that assignment. I was the youngest and used a large knife to chop branches of trees and make a path. Myagmar, the technical geologist, is now retired and lives in the country. We lost touch with the Russian once he returned to his country. What characteristics distinguish a geologist? Most geologists are romantic, unique individuals. They are not interested in being like everyone else. Most geologists dress and talk differently from other people and their interests and ideas are different as well. This is true not just in Mongolia but in other places of the world as well. Maybe because they spend so much time alone, thinking and observing, geologists gain a wide understanding of archaeology, space, biology, religion and science.
Satisfaction apart, do geologists get material rewards when they find mineral deposits?During socialism, such rewards were given, but it is no longer the practice.Geologists are rightly unhappy about this, but their efforts to make such rewards legally obligatory have not succeeded.
In western countries, the exploration company that discovers a deposit gets a certain number of shares in the mining company, but we don’t have anything like this here. Instead, we hold an annual meeting called “Round Up” where geologists who discovered certain deposits are given some token of acknowledgement.
Besides this, the four geological associations in Mongolia come together once every four years to choose the Most Renowned Geologist, who receives a purse of MNT10 million. The money comes from corporate and individual donations.The first awardee was the scholar, Tumurtogoo.
Deposits like Erdenet, Darkhan, Bor-Undur, and Baganuur were all discovered by geologists, and new ones have been following them in regular succession. The fruits of the geologists’ labour are enjoyed by the mining companies. There has been no government support for us. That’s why we are demanding that mining companies that are making large profits based on our work should acknowledge this with some suitable gesture.
Geologists must be taking a lot of pictures as they spent time in unspoilt nature. What’s special about them?Geologists have to take pictures for their professional work, and these may include many interesting and unique natural structures. Dr. J. Byambaa and G. Uhnaa are two of the previous generation of geologists who took photographs of rare professional quality.
Nature is a wonderful artist, and as geologists go where few have gone they see and photograph things that reveal unknown and unseen aspects.