Umnugovi, Mongolia – A memorial monument has been erected at the Oyu Tolgoi Open pit mine to commemorate the everlasting legacy of the late Garamjav Dondog, the Honored Industrial Worker of Mongolia, who played a pivotal role in the exploration and survey of the Oyu Tolgoi deposits, who first recorded the surface copper mineralization at Oyu Tolgoi. The monument has been realized after a resolution of the Oyu Tolgoi LLC Board of Directors of November 28, 2018 to name the Open Pit mine after him.
Ambassador G.Batsukh, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oyu Tolgoi LLC noted in his commemoration speech, “Mr. Garamjav Dondog carved the name Mongolia in gold in the world geology and mining industry through his celebrated discovery, becoming the first Mongolian to receive the prestigious Thayer Lindsley award for international mineral discovery alongside world-famous geologists who discovered copper, gold and diamond deposits in the African deserts, mountain ranges of Chile or the Canadian Arctic. Oyu Tolgoi family will honor and pass on a legacy of this erudite, talented, hard-working, amiable and humble man. ”
D. Garamjav, the Honored Industrial Worker of Mongolia, graduated the National University of Mongolia in 1967 as a geologist and cartographic engineer. He dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to geology since he started his career at the Authority for Geology in Choir. He was known as ‘Garamjav of Copper’ among peers and within geology and mining industry. For over half a century, Mr. Garamjav carried out exploration and survey in the deposits of Erdenet, Tsagaan Suvarga, Dornod Mongol, Oyut Tolgoi in Zavkhan, and Oyu Tolgoi group deposit in Umnugobi.
In 2004, D.Garamjav received the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s prestigious Thayer Lindsley award for international mineral discovery for his participation in the discovery of the Hugo Dummett deposit, one of the world’s largest copper-gold deposits, along with fellow senior geologists Charlie Forster and Douglas Kirwin. The Government of Mongolia recognized his merit and efforts and awarded the title ‘Honored Industrial Worker of Mongolia’ in 2008. In 2014, D.Garamjav, having been recognized by the public, was awarded “Mongolian Pride”.
Mr. Garamjav dedicated more than 20 years of his life to the exploration and survey of the geological formation, structure, volume and valuation of the mineral resources of the Oyu Tolgoi deposits. He authored and co-authored six publications, including a handbook on rare earth elements exploration and assessment criteria, translation papers, and two Memoirs on the history of the Oyu Tolgoi mine.
He was a true maven, an inspiration to the generations of professionals and the embodiment of his belief that one must be true to one’s purpose in life and profession. The Mongolian people will always remember D.Garamjav for his invaluable contribution to the discovery of Oyu Tolgoi deposits and development of the world-class Oyu Tolgoi mine, for he cemented his place in the history through his incredible career.
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