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By Graham J. Morgan

The following material is excerpted from a presentation Mr. Morgan gave recently to representatives of the financial community. Introduction 1982 was a period of challenge for United States Gypsum Company because of reduced market opportunity. Housing starts for the first 10 months averaged a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1 million units, 9% below the comparable 1981 period when housing starts were the lowest in 35 years. Industry gypsum board shipments declined 9% from the already low levels of the same period in 1981. US Gypsum met the challenge with stringent cost reduction programs and aggressive action in the marketplace. In late 1981, anticipating market deterioration, the company's management adopted strategies to focus on two shortterm objectives: • Adjust operations to perform profitably in view of limited opportunities through more efficient operations and asset management. • Continue to strengthen U.S.G.'s resources and ability to take advantage of important market opportunities as the economy improves through selective expansion of production capacity in key growth markets. Concentration on these two objectives resulted in a nine month performance in 1982 that, while certainly not satisfactory by company standards, compared very favorably with that of principal competitors in terms of net earnings, margin on sales, and return on average stockholders' equity. To counteract limited market opportunities, U.S.G. focused on productivity improvement, cost reduction, expense control, and maximization of market penetration. Energy Use Improving performance encompassed all segments of operations. For example, efficient use of energy was a significant factor despite lower operating rates at most plants. Overall, in the third quarter of 1982 versus 1972, the company used 27% less energy per unit of production, a savings of $15 million in that quarter alone. These continuing improvements helped to partially offset constantly rising energy costs. A number of operations achieved superior results in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 1981. For example, gypsum board plants in Jacksonville, FL, and Sweetwater, TX, recorded 8% and 7% reductions, respectively, in energy use per unit of production. Paper mills in Oakfield, NY, Galena Park, TX, and Kansas City, MO, each reduced energy use more than 12%, while the Greenville, MS, ceiling products facility achieved a 16%o reduction. Safety Safety is another important element that received increased attention. U.S.G.'s safety performance over the past five years has consistently improved. In 1981 it was five times better than that of the gypsum industry; nearly 10 times better than all industry as measured by the National Safety Council; and almost 20 times better than all US manufacturing as recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to human concerns, this excellent record results in significant dollar savings that directly affect company results. In 1981, U.S.G.'s pre-tax savings in claims, premiums, and related expenses were about $20 million compared to the industries in which it competes. For the first half of 1982 performance improved further, with a cumulative lost workday incidence rate per 200,000 man-hours worked of only 0.27, an all-time record. Expense Control Careful control of inventories and receivables also received special attention. As of Sept. 30, 1982, inventories were 29%, or $44 million, below the level of Sept. 30,

Jan 2, 1983

By Peter Joralemon

Introduction The Sierra Nevada Foothill Gold Belt in California extends from Mariposa north for more than 420 km (200 miles). It includes the Grass Valley and Alleghany districts in the zone of Northern Mines and the famous Mother Lode to the south. The gold belt has produced more than 3.1 kt (100 million oz) of gold since its discovery in 1848. This remarkable production, at the present gold price, would be valued at more than $40 billion. The Law of Gambler's Ruin supposes that averages are based on systematic rather than random variations. It emphasizes the vast differences between finite and infinite probability. By applying this Law to this figure, it can be seen that the belt has produced an average of 15.5 t (500,000 oz) of gold per running mile. Many geologists believe, with some justification, that less than half the gold in this belt has been mined. Sixty per cent of the past production has come from lode deposits, the balance from Tertiary and Recent placer gravels. This paper will concern itself with the developing lode mines along the Sierra Nevada Foothill Gold Belt. As a further and final note regarding placer mining along this belt, Mark Twain suggested that placer miners, having lost their senses, had contributed liberally to the population of California's insane asylums. After a 40-year lull with little or no gold production, the lode mines of this famous belt are showing signs of renewed activity. Two open pit mines, the Sonora (Jamestown) and Carson Hill, are now in operation at substantial scales. Two others, the Goldenbell (Pine Tree-Josephine) and the Royal-Mountain King, are being readied for production on equally impressive scales. All are in the southern part of the Mother Lode. Exploration farther north, at Sutter Creek, Drytown, and Georgetown, is showing encouraging results in developing deeper lode deposits. This new activity has been sponsored to a large extent by junior Canadian mining and exploration companies. Most of the established American mining companies have looked the other way, not participating in this important development. One major reason for domestic disinterest in this opportunity is there is little chance for heap leachable open pit ore in this belt, excluding Carson Hill. And heap leaching has become fashionable with American mining companies today. Also, this great old gold belt must have been worked out, for why else is there so little activity here - Catch 22 logic. Another reason is that if a new deposit of size and grade similar to the mines in the past was found, high costs would preclude a profitable operation. And, finally, California environmentalists would not permit mining, even if a rich deposit were found. These may all be pefectly valid reasons not to explore for gold along this belt. But a look at the history of gold mining in California may suggest that the future for exploration and development of the gold resources in the Sierra Nevada Foothills can be greater than the past. It was during the Depression of the 1930s that this gold belt saw its maximum activity, with more than 3000 mines in operation. Some were father and son operations producing only a few tons of ore a day. Other mines employed hundreds of miners to hoist more than 900 t/d (1000 stpd). Some ores were of marginal grade. Others, like the Sixteen to

Jan 7, 1987

By Steve McIntosh

Restoration of a wetland which was initially disturbed at the turn­of-the-century will be undertaken to compensate for the temporary loss of wetlands associated with future mining operations. The proposed mitigation area exhibits xeric conditions as a result of past dredging and gravel mining operations which had the effect of lowering the flood plain surface and wasting the fine surface sediments. Together these mining activities resulted in complete alteration of the surface and subsurface water systems. Water which had inundated the soil profile, now flows on the basalt bedrock, surfacing only for a relatively short time during high flow periods. The conventional approach to wetland restoration in this type of area is to remove surface material in an attempt to bring the surface nearer to the underground water. These operations would require the removal and redistribution of large quantities of gravel, cobbles and boulders and the attendant destruction of existing wetland areas. Rather than lowering the surface elevation to the water level, the mitigation plan conceptualized for this project involves forcing the water to the surface by creating subsurface ponds behind four impermeable barriers. The barriers will extend vertically from the bedrock to the surface. Surface berms will be constructed along the length of each groundwater barrier to enhance sediment deposition and encourage the development of wetland vegetation. This is the least expensive and least invasive method of creating a wetland which will remain saturated to the requisite degree and for the amount of time required for classification as a wetland as defined by the 1989 Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands.

Jan 1, 1993

By William M. Clark

In 1988, the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) launched Responsible Care®, a program of guiding principles created to address the publics' concern about the manufacture and use of chemicals. The Product Stewardship Management Practice code is a key component of the program. Along with the other five comple­mentary codes - Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER), Pollution Prevention, Employee Health and Safety, Process Safety, and Distribution - it has been initiated to protect the health and safety of member companies employees, neighbors, customers, the public and the environment. Possibly no other Management Code requires greater collec­tive effort or comprehensive commitment to implement than Product Stewardship. With its mandated cradle-to-grave control, every employee is required to consider all of the potential cir­cumstances involving product and processes, from raw material supply to customers final use or consumption of product. Degussa Corporation, a long time CMA member, fully endors­es the Responsible Care initiative and is most active in imple­menting the various codes. In fact, the guiding principles of the program are an integral part of the company's business strategy. Degussa recognizes that its long-term success and the health of each of its products, the company and the chemical industry itself, is contingent on the successful implementation of the program. Furthermore, the company believes its role in society and the economy can only be justified and sustained if it improves the overall quality of peoples' lives. Consequently, it is a dictum that Degussa products must provide a net benefit over their entire life cycle - from inception to final disposal - both in terms of their utility and their impact on health, safety and the environment.

Jan 1, 1998

By John J. Rhodes

I welcome this opportunity to give a Congressman's birdseye view of a subject which I believe holds great potential for the future in helping meet the needs of people, with minimal adverse impact on the environment. All mankind, not just the people in this great nation, faces the need for additional usable space. In some parts of the United States the problem arises from rapid urbanization of the surface and little utilization of the subsurface. Everywhere there is an increasing problem of insufficient space arising out of the increasing population crush and growing demands for open space, housing, water, transportation, communication, and social service. You are the technicians to whom we look for assistance in finding answers. We look to you also to provide guidance for broad policy decisions concerning underground space. I prepared for a career practicing law, but since 1952 I have been a member of the House of Representatives. In this latter capacity I deal with programs designed to help solve all kinds of problems. But, naturally, I am especially interested in the water scarcity and other environmental problems of my home state of Arizona and the arid and semi-arid areas in the West. This North American Rapid Excavation and Tunneling Conference has as its theme: "Tomorrow's Tunneling Technology Today." I have a very great interest in this potential of our underground space resource. The Central Arizona Project now getting underway in my state will consist in part of tunnels and underground pipelines to convey life-sustaining water from the Colorado River to people and lands across Arizona to the Phoenix and Tucson areas.

Jan 1, 1997

By Ronald D. Mariani, Gregory E. Mahoski

BACKGROUND The steel and iron ore industry has had a long history of an adversarial relationship with its union and workforce. The Empire Mine during its first 40 years of existence was no exception. The "we-they" mentality went hand-in-hand with the normal by-product of an adversarial relationship, grievances and arbitration. This relationship was considered the norm and it was not until the late 1970s that consideration was given to changing this relationship. At this time the industry was involved in a fight for existence and the economic pressure demanded increasing productivity to lower cost. The challenge to survive highlighted the fact that an adversarial relationship was not conducive to attaining the needed gains in productivity. The first formal attempt to change the way we worked came in the 1980 Labor Agreement which provided for the opportunity to utilize Labor Management Participation Teams (LMPTs). LMPTs were established at the Empire Mine and they functioned for a couple of years. The teams spent most of their time working on creature-comfort issues and steered clear of dealing with productivity issues. Mine shutdowns had occurred in Michigan resulting in large layoffs, and the union was trying to add jobs and was not supporting teams that could increase productivity and eliminate jobs. When the 1986 labor negotiations began, the local union pulled their support of the LMPT process. Other initiatives were negotiated over the years to foster a change in the culture but, as with the LMPT program, they did not produce the desired culture change. It became abundantly clear: you cannot negotiate a culture change.

Jan 1, 2004

By Hal McVey

Introduction The role of marketing in the minerals and mining industry takes on different degrees of importance depending on the commodity, but nowhere are sales and marketing more important than in industrial minerals. This article compares industrial minerals marketing with the marketing of other mining and mineral products. Marketing in Mining Some broad generalizations on the marketing of industrial minerals in relation to other mineral products can be made without getting bogged down with exceptions to generalizations. Two totally different areas of mineral production are crude oil and natural gas, and metals, including ores and concentrates. Although these commodities are the basis for two completely different industries, they share two things in common from a marketing standpoint: • Their value per unit volume is usually high enough so that they can be transported great distances. • Their specifications are readily definable and, therefore, the quality of a standard product from a production run can be communicated by stating certain chemical and physical features. This permits sales to be consummated by telephone, telex, and letter, without the need to pretest the products under use conditions. In regard to the first item, industrial minerals, as opposed to oil, gas, and metals, are in most instances site specific. Location of the point of production in relation to the point of use is of paramount importance based on a generally lower unit to volume value. This means that transportation is a major factor, with the cost of getting the mineral to market commonly exceeding its f.o.b. value. Coal marketing has many characteristics in common with industrial minerals. Coal sales can es-

Jan 11, 1983

By Alan G. Fricker

Cyprus Gold NZ Ltd will be recovering residual free cyanide in barren gold pulp by air stripping. Laboratory investigations by DSIR have indicated additional advantages by recovering the cyanide from pregnant pulp. These are a lower leach pH, a greater cyanide recovery and less carbon consumption. They have a net economic advantage of $1.20/tonne over recovery from barren pulp. The realisation of these advantages is dependent on three crucial technical aspects -optimum pH for dissolution, the absolute loss of cyanide and the stability of the aurocyanide ion. The laboratory investigations described herein address these aspects. Earlier work had indicated that the rate of dissolution of freely revolving gold discs at constant cyanide ion concentration increased with decreasing pH from 11 to 8. Attempts to repeat the work in a more controlled manner by measuring the corrosion potential and current density have, to date, not been reproducible, but do not contradict the earlier observations. Cyanide recoveries and balances were obtained on leaches at pH 10.5 and 9 at the same cyanide ion concentration -the lower pH requiring three times as much total cyanide. Unaccounted-for losses, unfortunately, exceed the accounted-for losses, making interpretation of the balances difficult. Nevertheless, it appears that the additional amount of cyanide at the lower pH of 9 may not be fully recoverable. It may not, however, prove necessary in practice to use more cyanide at a lower pH. Both the gold and silver cyanide complexes remain available for carbon adsorption, as do mercury, copper and iron. Zinc, and probably cadmium, nickel and lead, may precipitate during stripping, which is an environmental advantage.

Jan 1, 1991

By T. W. Camm, J. C. Johnson

"Most engineers are bright, hard-working, reliable, and prefer to avoid conflict. An engineering curriculum tends to self-select these characteristics. By most standards, you would expect workers exhibiting these traits to require minimal supervision. But is this true? Is this how most current engineering managers lead? Looking at some current theories on leadership combined with personal anecdotes, this presentation will look at some common misconceptions about leading engineers. INTRODUCTION Engineers are different. There, I said it. From cartoons to movies to television shows and more, there is a reason stereotypes of engineers resonate. Yes, you can find a lot individual variation among specific engineers that you may know, but they do not detract from some of the overarching commonalities that engineers are known for. CLASH OF CULTURES What distinguishes a professional? Raelin (1985), in his book Clash of Cultures, describes professionals as having superior intellectual training, maintaining their own standards of excellence, and being supported by associations that maintain the quality of the profession. Engineers obviously fit all three of these ideas: an engineering degree is still regarded as one of the most difficult to attain; we maintain our own standards both through peer-review and in academia through ABET accreditation; and through professional associations like SME to promote the discipline and foster technical growth. Six characteristics representing professional status are described by Raelin (1985, p. 9): Expertise—prolonged specialized training in a body of abstract knowledge. Autonomy—the freedom to choose the means to solving a problem. Commitment—Primary interest is in pursuing the practice of one’s own chosen specialty. Identification—identifying with the profession and with fellow professionals, both through formal associations and through peers external to the organization. Ethics—providing service without concern for oneself or without becoming emotionally involved with the client. Standards—committed to help in policing the conduct of fellow professionals. Engineers are smart—in the vast majority of cases they are hired specifically for their expertise. At a typical mine the ventilation engineer knows more about mine ventilation than anyone else on site; the same is true for the rock mechanics engineer, the explosives engineer, the planning engineer who uses sophisticated computer software—each is the expert for their particular area at the mine, that is why they have that responsibility. This can present a dilemma for the manager for each (sometimes all) of these engineers. The manager needs to keep everyone on task and focused on the objectives of the organization. Because they have reached their position by following the norms and expectations of the organization, managers tend to have a certain amount of loyalty to that organization. Engineers, on the other hand, tend to have mixed loyalties, having as much loyalty and affinity for their profession as they do for the particular company they happen to be working for at any given time. This dynamic can often lead to power struggles between the managers, based on their positional authority in the organization, and the engineers, based on their specialized knowledge (Camm, 2013)."

Jan 1, 2017

By T. P. Meloy

Like our wives, the comminution of brittle solids is easy to recognize but difficult to describe. However, describing it we must. Describing the fracture mechanism of brittle solids permits the eventual mathematical quantification of the results, process optimization and control strategies. This paper presents a physical model of brittle solid comminution that explains why the slope of the log-log size distribution curves have a slope of one or less in the smaller particle sizes. To develop the hypothesis, modifications of the Gaudin Meloy physical model are made. In brittle solids, comminution takes place by cracks propagating through the material. These cracks may bifurcate as they move. Cracks may terminate either on the original surface of the material, or on a secondary crack within the material formed earlier in the comminution process.

Jan 1, 1994

By R. R. Klimpel

The process of froth flotation as a means of upgrading the quality of coal by removing ash/pyrite and of separating selected mineral(s) from undesired gangue materials is certainly one of the most common unit engineering operations in use today. Flotation has been successfully practiced at the industrial scale for well over 50 years, and if anything, its use is increasing due to the ever decreasing feed grades of the coals and minerals being processed. Flotation, as a process, has also shown itself to be an extremely flexible process that lends itself well to a wide variety of solid/solid separations. Thus separations can involve very different particle sizes, particle densities, relative weight ratios of materials to be separated, etc., with surprisingly little modification in equipment and operating philosophy required.

Jan 1, 1988

By P. R. McOllough

The Colorado Department of Highways awarded a contract to construct the Second Bore of the Eisenhower Tunnel in August, 1975. The contract was completed June 29, 1979, nine days ahead of schedule, with¬out major claims or delays. The tunneling involved complex construction through difficult ground conditions. The contract, plans and specifications were specifically planned to more equitably share the risks involved and to minimize adversary relationships. The Department produced a detailed tunnel design and maintained responsibility for the design. The contract employed some new provisions; e.g., a review board for settlement of claims and disputes; escrow documents (contractor's bid documents) to determine the contractor's basis of bid when determining adjustments. The tunnel contract, plans and administrative efforts employed by the owner and contractor were very successful in this project.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. A. Eltringham

Mining and extraction methods in the copper industry use basic technologies developed over a period of almost 150 years. Paradigm shifts in the industry have been rare, yet human involvement in the activities has changed dramatically. Clearly defined extraction paths have become more blurred as economic considerations broke down the barriers that had encouraged specialization. What had been a labor-intensive industry unfettered by environmental restrictions was forced to change. Better productivity and "cleaner" operations resulted in much higher capital costs on a plant basis. Many of the changes were truly innovative in the same spirit as in the mining revolution of the first decade of the twentieth century. What role will innovation play in the next 20 years as lower-grade, mixed-metal orebodies are exploited in more remote locations?

Jan 1, 1998

By Martin F. Grier

The Mt Todd Gold Project is located 300km to the south of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. The identified resource comprises 46 million tonnes at 1. 65g/t using a 1. 0g/t cut-off ( 50 million short tonnes at 0.05oz/st). The resource is open to the north and at depth. Mineralisation comprises easterly dipping sheeted quartz/sulphide veins, typically 10 to 20 millimetres in thickness, hosted by hornsfelled greywackes. The majority of the ore body is primary ore with only 10% classified as oxide ore. Early testwork showed that the ore was not suitable for heap leaching, giving only 50% recovery at a -3mm crush size. Acceptable recoveries were obtained at a P80 of 75 micron. However, the ore is extremely hard.

Jan 1, 1992

By Harold Wahlborg, George Owusu

In a study using butyl diglyme as an organic extractant, essen­tially complete extraction of gold from chloride leach solution was achieved. The extraction kinetics are so fast that the process could be completed in 30 seconds. Except for iron, co-extraction of other ionic species was insignificant. Co-extracted iron species were successfully scrubbed from the loaded organic using 10% HCl solution. High grade, >99.9%, gold was recov­ered from the loaded organic using 5% oxalic acid solution as the stripping agent at a temperature of 70°C to 80°C. Over 99% of the organic-loaded gold was stripped from the organic phase. The butyl diglyme extractant is being tested on a variety of gold-bearing feedstocks. Presented here are results obtained from two gravity concentrates.

Jan 1, 1999

By G. D. Ritson

Gold surveys were sent to 21 gold operations around the world. Eleven different surveys were sent, each targeting a dif­ferent unit operation used commonly in gold processing. On a monthly basis the individual reports were returned to the opera­tions. Empirical data collected during the surveys has con­tributed to more effective engineering design. Graphical rela­tionships established have been used by the operations to "benchmark" performance against the industry and identify areas of possible improvement. This paper presents some of the findings related to the fol­lowing four surveys that investigated parameters specifically relating to carbon processing. Rescan Gold Survey GO 1 - Carbon Management practices Rescan Gold Survey 003 - Carbon Stripping Rescan Gold Survey 006 - Carbon Loading Isotherms Rescan Gold Survey 007 - Screening A final report documenting all the surveys will be compiled

Jan 1, 1998

Mines in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales, Australia, are faced with the dilemma of having to introduce longwall mining techniques at a time when increasingly large areas of the surface are being used for urban development. Increasing pressures on safety, costs and productivity performance dictate that longwall mining is the method for the future. Construction of surface structures is controlled by a statutory body known as the Mine Subsidence Board (MSB). All surface structures have to be designed to MSB criteria. All mining plans involving secondary excavation also have to be submitted to the MSB for approval. The Board acts as risk assessor in evaluating acceptable levels of surface subsidence vs. the value of the coal resource. Surface repairs are paid for by a levy on all coal producers.

Jan 1, 1995

By F. X. Meagher

Vertical slot raise driving from bottom up has always been a hazardous, inefficient, high cost operation. The introduction of the Simba 5 drill rig has enabled this type of raise to be drilled accurately from the top down and to be blasted in stages from the bottom up. Safety, high efficiency and low cost were the main criteria in opting for this method. Drop raises with the Simba 5 at Geco have been successfully drilled and blasted up to 115 feet, and this is close to the maximum length of raise that can be drilled and blasted efficiently with Simba 5. A look into the future would indicate a rig capable of drilling up to 200 foot raises with the same accuracy of Simba 5 to 115 feet.

Jan 1, 1974

By R. H. T. Garnett

Offshore mining of placer diamond deposits along the coast of South Africa and Namibia has become a multi-scale activity. It is a successful offshoot of a land-based mining industry that has operated along the coastline for more than 80 years. Onshore diamond deposits have been worked by several methods from the foreshore to some kilometers inland (Hodgen). These deposits are the foundation of an ongoing industry along the coastline. The offshore diamond industry began in the late 1950s and has now come of age. Diamonds are produced along 800 km (500 miles) of coastline in water 200 m (660 ft) deep. About half of the coastline is in Namibia, north of the Orange River that defines the border with South Africa. The other half is in South Africa.

Jan 1, 1995

By F. Habashi

It has been estimated that about 45 tonnes of mercury are emitted annually in the USA in the atmosphere as a result of burning coal in power-generating plants. A similar situation had existed in the metallurgical industry particularly in zinc production plants but this problem has been solved long ago by introducing scrubbing systems. Methods of mercury removal and recovery are discussed.

Jan 1, 2010