Adventures at a High Altitude Lead-Zinc Mine Ganesh Himal-Nepal

Presented by Dr. Liz King
Westhills Community College
Ganesh Himal is in north central Nepal in the higher Himalaya near the border with Tibet. In 1992, during a semester abroad as an undergraduate Geology student, the author was fortunate to be able to visit the Ganesh Himal mine for an independent study project. The mine entrance is located at 4,115 meters (13,500 feet). At the time, the Ganesh Himal Mining Company was working to acquire United Nations Development Project funding needed to fully develop the deposit. Geography, geology, politics, and economics all make the development of this deposit extremely challenging. This study explores the feasibility of the deposit, the potential environmental impacts of mining in the higher Himalaya, and the balancing act of natural resource development and environmental preservation in developing countries. This presentation will cover the geology of the deposit and recount the adventures of a young geologist in the mountains of Nepal.