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By D. Crone, T. Watts

"The Lindsley project was a program of deep drilling to test the contact down-dip from two nickel-copper deposits, one uneconomical and the other mined out. The role of Borehole Pulse EM(PEM) was to detect the higher grade, more massive sulphide zones if they were missed by a drillhole, and to help determine geometry if the zones were intersected. Two problems appeared as the PEM survey progressed: (1) conductivity-thickness as measured by the PEM did not always relate to economic sulphides as determined by the market; (2) a pattern of unusual PEM anomalies was obtained that indicated something odd and big, but the cause was unknown. A large fold structure subsequently was indicated by a program of deepening previous holes, the third of which intersected high-grade mineralization below 1280 m. Falconbridge is in the process of shaft sinking and underground exploration.IntroductionThe Falconbridge Lindsley property is on the south rim of the Sudbury basin, 8 Ian north of downtown Sudbury. The original property was acquired by a prospector named James Stobie, who, in early August 1885, staked a showing that later became the Mount Nickel mine (Fig. I). On August 10 Stobie staked another property that would become the Little Stobie mine, and at the end of the same month he staked the main Stobie orebody.In 1888, the ground immediately west of the MOlU1t Nickel find was staked. This ground contained the Blezard deposit (Fig. 1) which was put into production in 1889 and was eventually acquired by Inco. Down-dip from the Blezard workings, on Falconbridge ground, is located the upper Lindsley No. 1 deposit which was drilled off by Falconbridge in the 1940s to 1950s. A decision to go underground on the Lindsley No.1 mineralization was made in 1969, but the project was cancelled in 1971 because of declining nickel prices. The shaft was stopped at 95 m, and the headframe and hoist were sold. Further surface exploration drilling in the 1970s discovered the deeper Lindsley No. 2 zone, but as it had grades similar to those of the No. 1 zone, it too was considered uneconomic."

Jan 1, 1992

By T. H. Patching, M. W. Mikhail

"The gas sorption and emission characteristic of coals are important to the planning and conduct of mining operations. Methane drainage from coal strata can also provide a supply of fuel in certain circumstances. Gas emissions have also created hazards during the handling and transport of coals and the release of gas also appears to be related to the yield of fine sizes during mining and processing operations.This paper summarizes studies at the University of Alberta on the permeability and gas emission of certain bituminous coals. Permeability of 'solid' samples was found to be drastically reduced by confining pressure. An emission index, .P, which has been related to outbursting behaviour of coals, has also been related to the proportion of fine s in cleaning plants. Gas sorption isotherms are dependent on temperature, moisture content, the gas involved and the type of coal and can be approximately expressed by the Langmuir or the Freundlich equations. Sorption values in sections taken across a given seam were similar but considerable differences were found in . P indices in the different coal layers of a seam.IntroductionThe emission of gases, especially of methane, from coal has been a subject of great interest (and sometimes a matter of life and death), to those who dig and handle coal since it was first mined from underground pit s. Many studies and investigations have been carried out on gas occurrences and emissions but our knowledge of the precise mechanisms of gas sorption, desorption and flow from coal is still incomplete. It is the purpose of this paper to review the principal factors involved in these processes and to briefly rep ort some of the results that have been obtained by studies in the laboratories of the Department of Mineral Engineering, University of Alberta, and Coal Research Laboratory, Edmonton, CANMET"

Jan 1, 1986

By S. Wood

"Plastic Filled Valley (PFV) wire rope represents a significant development over the design of conventional wire rope. A sealing thermoplastic is impregnated under controlled conditions of temperature and pressure into a conventional lubricated wire rope to produce a lattice of plastic which surrounds and separates the strands from each other and from the core. Metal-to-metal contact is thereby alleviated and the lubricant is sealed in. The wear resistance, rope breaking load, fatigue resistance and crushing resistance are all increased. The result is a rope which offers exceptional service life.Laboratory tests carried out in Canada and at the University of Stuttgart, in West Germany, confirm the increase in fatigue life. The field trials conducted so far have indicated that the results obtained in the laboratory can be duplicated in the field.IntroductionIn times of double -digit inflation, the consideration given to operating costs throughout industry commands considerable attention. The same can be said of the mining industry. A set of large-diameter wire ropes used on the huge draglines in strip mining can cost in excess of $100,000. Because a machine may use three sets of rope s each year, it is clear that the costs of wire rope can contribute a considerable percentage to any operating budget. As wire rope is a product which is used extensively throughout the mining industry, it would appear timely to turn our attention to any ""Method of Extending Wire Rope Service Life"" in order that wire rope life can be optimized and wire rope costs can be minimized."

Jan 1, 1982

By Doug Ashbury

Diamond Miners? Challenges ? Remote ? 300 kilometres from Yellowknife ? Sub-Arctic conditions ? permafrost, climate ? No power ? No all-weather roads ? Ore bodies difficult to find ? Caribou, fish of special concern ? Communities with low education, little experience, but high expectations ? Major investment required ? Diavik C$1.3 billion

Apr 1, 2005

By J. E. Dutrizac

A pyritic Zn-Pb-Cu ore waspercolation leached with acidified ferric sulphate solutions; zinc and copper were leached, lead was oxidized, but not dissolved, and pyrtte was essentially unattacked. High zinc extractions were achieved after a few months leaching, and substantial zinc solution concentrations could be produced by recycle of the oxidized solution. The leaching rate was generally controlled by the transport of the ferric sulphate oxidant. Zinc extractions increased with increasingferric ion concentration or flow rate, but were essentially independent of the concentrations of sulphuric acid, ferrous sulphate, cupric sulphate or chloride ion. The leaching rates were insensitive to the height of the ore column once a minimum height had been exceeded (0.8-1.0 m). Elemental sulphur was the principal sulphidic reaction product, but variations in the ratio of sulphur to sulphate produced anomalous temperature effects.

Jan 1, 1979

By Shahé Shnorhokian

Numerical modeling is increasingly being used as a tool to examine complex geomechanical issues related to rockmass behaviour and stability of underground openings. The in-situ stress regime and the evolution of mining-induced stresses during the life of an operation, taking into account the planned stope sequence, are topics that can only be handled through the use of a realistic and calibrated numerical model. This paper presents a case study of a deep underground Canadian mine in northern Ontario. A FLAC3D model was constructed and calibrated based on in-situ stress measurements. In the first stage, the evolution of stress regime was studied and compared with the occurrence of rockburst events during a period of three years. The locations of clusters were examined and compared to the mining sequence during that period. In the second stage, stresses within a diminishing ore pillar were examined based on the planned stope sequence and compared to levels deemed acceptable to the mine. Based on the results, an alternative sequence was arrived at to reduce stress accumulation in the pillar, or induce it to occur at a further distance from a brittle dyke in the vicinity of the orebody.

Aug 1, 2013

By Roger Lacroix

Presentation outline Project definition Characterization of mine ventilation systems Strategies in place and results Detailed study (2 mines) Other potential energy savings Conclusions Next steps

Feb 1, 2008

By T. P. Riordon

"Major swings in the silver price since 1979, along with the ever constant fight to maintain ore reserves has forced United Keno Hill Mines Limited through several unique series of events in order to survive in the 80s.This paper is specifically meant to be a description of safety and productivity improvements achieved to ensure the survival of a silver mining community ill the Yukon. There are, however, other events and conditions that must be described to complete the story and this paper attempts to do that as well IntroductionUnited Keno Hill Mines Limited, a subsidiary of Falconbridge Limited, is the only silver producer in the Yukon. Operations are located in north central Yukon, in and around the small town of Elsa, latitude 62.5 °, about 275 road miles from Whitehorse. The Arctic Circle is about 185 miles due north of the town.Temperatures in 1986 ranged from a high of 28.5°C in July to a low of -37.0°C in November, however, much lower temperatures have been recorded in previous years. Due to the mountainous terrain the town of Elsa is completely in the shade from mid-November until early February, a period of about 12 weeks.The Elsa area, as is most of the north, is considered semiarid with an average precipitation level of about 15 inches. Vegetation, however, is quite abundant though slightly dwarfed at the townsite elevation of 3200 feet above sea level: Many of our operating and exploration portals as well as our open pits are above the tree line. Permafrost in the area has been recorded up to 400 feet below the surface."

Jan 1, 1988

By Dina Aloi

The need to be seen as responsible neighbours and good corporate citizens is a critical success criteria for mining companies. To be seen as responsible requires both achieving responsible performance, and making that good performance visible to the community, legislators, investors, and other stakeholders. This has broadened the skills required for the successful operation of a mining company to include social sciences, public affairs, communications, and environmental sciences. Mining companies still look to technical specialists to achieve the core of that good performance - broadly characterized as a sustainable operation. However, the degree of understanding that those specialists have of the requirements for sustainability and overall Corporate Social Responsibility has a tremendous impact on the overall performance of the project and company. In her keynote address to the Sustainability for Profit session, Dina will outline some of the key areas in which technical employees and consultants can contribute to achieving successful sustainable mining operations.

Jan 1, 2010

By R. E. Lawless

The transportation challenge began with the need to move millions of tons of coal annually from Western Canada to Ontario. The paper will discuss the options which were available, the final mode selected and the economic trade-offs which were involved. It will outline the demands of unit train technology and the effect of transportation requirements on the other elements of the whole system.

Jan 1, 1979

By Patrick J. Williams

Outline -An Australian View On: ?IOCG defining features and occurrence ?Variable exploration characteristics ?Extracting value (gold metallurgy) ?Recent exploration experience(case study)

Apr 1, 2005

By R. Bonnar, R. J. McH. Clark

"The Cheminis gold mineralization zone is approximately 6.5 km west of the Kerr Addison Mine along the Larder Lake Shear Zone, in the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The zone is very similar in appearance to the flow ore at the Kerr Addison Mine and occurs at the same stratigraphic position. Drilling has demonstrated that the gold mineralization at Cheminis persists to a depth of over 3000 ft .The mineralization is hosted by a pyritic, tuffaceous sediment which occurs within a sequence of volcanics and sediments which have been pervasively carbonatized. The gold is largely enclosed within pyrite grains and the amount of gold in the layers of pyrite increases in the layers closest to a graphitic f ault zone.It is suggested that the gold mineralization may be primarily related to the syngenetic sulphide concentrations formed during fumarolic activity on the seafloor along the Larder Lake Shear Zone. At a later stage a hydrothermal event associated with alkalic volcanism may have resulted in regional carbonatization and further concentration of the gold in the vicinity of fault zones."

Jan 1, 1987

By G. A. Campbell

This paper looks at how changes in the economies and demographics of the eight largest copper-consuming countries have been affecting their consumption of copper. The period of 1976 to 2005 is considered. Annual changes in measures like intensity of use of copper, per capita consumption of copper, copper consumption based on per capita income, and copper consumption from industrial production for each country and in aggregate are calculated. Other factors like the change of industrial production relative to total GDP and population/age trends are also considered for the individual countries. Non-parametric and parametric statistical tests are used to determine the significance of observed trends and relationships for individual countries and in aggregate. The results give insights into how copper consumption is changing for the countries and what economic/demographic factors are driving these changes. These insights provide some guidance about where copper consumption trends are headed in the future.

Jan 1, 2007

By Jamie W. Pardy

The objective of the Canadian International Development Agency program is to facilitate the efforts of the people of developing countries to achieve self-sustainable economic and social development in accordance with their needs and environment. The British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines (BCMEM) is the executing agency for the four-year Peru Minerals and Metals Public Sector Assistance Project which began in December 1998. The primary beneficiary is the Ministerio de Energía y Minas del Peru (PMEM). The project is designed to address mine health & safety, environmental management and mineral resource information. Project activities currently underway include joint development of: an inspection system, a mine rescue system, an enhanced and e-Commerce capable mineral information website, environmental guidelines for industry and standardized ministry evaluation criteria for environmental impact assessments and closure plans. In addition, reports on management options for mineral concentrate transportation, storage and handling, and on mine reclamation security policy have been delivered at workshops.

May 1, 2001

By T. Nagasaka, T. Miki

Suppression of CO2 and waste such as slags discharged from iron- and steelmaking processes are some of the typical major issues for the protection of global environment and sustainable growth of steelmaking industry. Utilization of active phytoplankton growth will be one of the best options to stabilize and suppress carbon dioxide at high-efficiency. Inorganic minerals such as C, 0, N, Si, P and Fe are necessary for phytoplankton multiplication. It is crucial for supply of nutrition into seawater effectively for phytoplankton multiplication to understand the dissolution behavior of some elements from steelmaking slags into seawater. The morphology of the precipitated phases in steelmaking slags during cooling period was investigated in the present work. The dissolution behavior of some elements from steelmaking slags into artificial seawater has also been studied. The effect of nutrient dissolved into seawater on phytoplankton multiplication, some examples of marine structure made from steelmaking slag, and estimation of CO2 fixation amount by marine phytoplankton are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2004

By J. G. Cullain

In conjunction with the over-all goals of energy conservation at Inco Metals Company, a program of improvement in compressed air utilization was established. Air flows were monitored and compared to calculated requirements to establish efficiency by area. With the cooperation of area management, measures were implemented to reduce nonproductive usage. At the operation, annual savings in power consumption alone were 80,000 dollars. The program is being extended to other mine areas within the Division.

Jan 1, 1979

By R. D. Brown

Higher metal prices have resulted not only in increased exploration and production, but also increased activity in the purchase of mining properties and mines. This article discusses some of the basic income tax considerations to be taken into account on the disposal of an interest in a mining claim or an active mining operation. It notes the importance ofan appropriate allocation of the purchase price amongst the various categories of assets, and discusses the tax implications to both vendor and purchaser of the transfer of the comm on types ofassets involved in mining operations. In the space available, the article can only outline the basic tax considerations, and point to areas where both vendor and purchaser need to be o

Jan 1, 1980

By Brian C. Maynard

"Blast design is becoming more and more important as industrial limitations change in regard to economical and physical restraints. Certainly there are ways to alter the nature of the blast by using different explosives, various hole sizes and modifying the timing and charging details. However, it is not possible to alter the fabric of the rock mass. Therefore, it is necessary to learn more about the rock mass and its role in the blast design, and the resulting fragmentation. The major determinant in the degree of fragmentation, or lack of it, is proposed to be the inherent fragmentation of the in situ rock mass. A practical method of quantifying the discontinuities existing in the rock mass is presented and discussed. Likewise, the effects of inherent fragmentation on the resulting muckpile are reviewed. Finally, a fragmentation model combining the calculated inherent fragmentation and the Kuzram model is shown using a sample blast.IntroductionIn blasting, discontinuity characteristics (Fig. 1) control the method by which the rock mass will behave. Research carried out by Piteau (1970) showed a number of characteristics important in engineering design and, as proposed, in blasting processess. These included:• the nature of their occurrence (i.e. sets or isolated);• orientation and position in space;• continuity; and• intensity"

Jan 1, 1990

By B. A. Watters, G. A. Parslow, F. H. Mcdougall

Carbonate-rich rocks occur at several localities within the Flin Flon volcanic sequence of the eastern Amisk Lake area. The rocks occur in two areas: as a group of small occurrences on islands within Amisk Lake and as two much larger linear belts running parallel to the regional structure east of Amisk Lake. Mineralogically, the rocks consist of talc and Ca-poor ankerite with occasional graphite. Segregation of these minerals and colour variation impart a well-defined planar fabric to the rocks and where the units are fairly continuous (e.g. Mosher Lake), their trend and attitude suggests a concordant relationship to the volcanics. Major and trace analysis of22 samples confirms the presence of two types, with one type being represented in each of the two areas. Most of the elements studied can be used to characterize the two groups, but three elements in particular give a clear separation: Mg, AI and Ni. Recalculation of the major element analyses, on a water and carbonate-f ree basis, indicates that one group (large concordant bodies with high MgO, high Ni and low AI20.J is altered ultrabasic material of peridotitic or dunitic composition. Because no relict igneous material is observed, and the contacts are apparently very sharp, it is possible that the hydration-carbonization process occurred simultaneously with intrusion, .in a closed system. The other group (small occurrences with relatively low MgO, low Ni and high AI203J represents alteration of basaltic rocks. AIthough some analyses suggest the introduction of calcium, as carbonate, along with the volatiles, the major oxides have remained remarkably stable during the alteration process(es).

Jan 1, 1981

By Eric Pirard

"A mineralogical and trace element analysis was performed on the Küre historical slags in order to evaluate the possible recovery of copper and cobalt. Reflected light microscopy, electron microprobe and image analysis were combined to determine the Cu and Co distribution in the slag.The results indicate that 81% of the total cobalt is chemically combined in the fayalite whereas only 3.4% is in the mechanically entrapped sulphides. The remainder being in hercynite and wiistite. On the other hand, 95% of the total copper is in the sulphide phase.This kind of applied mineralogical investigation gives invaluable information when it is performed preliminary to metallurgical experiments.IntroductionThe recycling of metallurgical slags is a growing business. The operation is directed toward recovering base metals (Cu, Pb, Zn), and by-products (Floyd and Mackey, 1981).Two reasons are invoked to explain metallic losses in slags: (1) mechanical entrapment of matte globules in the silicate melt; and (2) chemically combined metals in the slag-forming phases. Obviously, a chemical analysis of the slag cannot distinguish between those two modes. Grinding and flotation of the liberated sulphides have often been used to evaluate the importance of mechanical entrapment (Mechev, 1970; Imris , 1982).Recent studies in applied mineralogy of pyrometallurgical products (Bérubé et al., 1987; Pignolet et al., 1986) have demonstrated the benefits of quantitative mineralogical analyses of slags. Optical microscopy together with electron microprobe and image analysis offers a powerful and easy way of quantifying the relative importance of mechanical and chemical losses."

Jan 1, 1991