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By G. H. Blackwell, N. I. Norrish

"At most operating mines, geostatistical are reserve estimation methods have been implemented by head office or consulting groups . With recent advances in small computer technology it is now possible for a remotely-located mine department to independently implement a geostatistical package.This paper describes the evolution of geostatistical routines to calculate the mineral inventory for porphyry type copper/ molybdenum or similar are bodies. The problems encountered in down sizing the geostatistical routines to run using limited minesite computing facilities are discussed. The high quality of the results, in spite of some compromises to geostatistical theory, is emphasized.The first stage entailed the development of a mineral inventory based on diamond drill data. The difficulties in fitting variogram models to two metals, copper and molybdenum, and the shortcomings of the mineral inventory due to the mixing of lesser quality exploration data with data from more recent diamond drilling are discussed.To improve the ore reserve estimates for short-term planning, a mineral inventory was produced using both the diamond drill and production blast hole drilling data. This inventory, when compared to actual grades, was found to be quite satisfactory for short-term planning. The inventory also provided a reliable data base for long range pit design and financial planning. By regularly updating the mineral inventory, many of the uncertainties of mining a low-grade orebody were minimizedIntroductionThe comparatively low grades of many Canadian mineral deposit s, the escalation of mine operating costs, and the volatility of metal prices in recent years, has required improvements to both short- and long-term mine planning.One of the prerequisites to improved planning systems is the need for accurate grade prediction. This paper describes the on-site implementation of geostatistical techniques for grade estimation of a porphyry I vein type copper/molybdenum ore body ."

Jan 1, 1987

By Terry Gerritsen, Sylvain Picard, Bruce MacKay

Virtually all new technologies require a control system. Any intense process has many process variables that react quickly making manual control difficult. Control system design has a significant impact on the success of a plant especially during ramp-up. New technology projects are particularly sensitive to control system design as the process response is unknown. This paper discusses the important factors encountered in the design of a control system for a new technology. Examples are given of successful new technology plant start-ups where tight coordination of the process control system implementation, process design and selection major equipment led to rapid ramp-ups.

Jan 1, 2011

By Rick Valenta

Is the Labrador Central Mineral Belt part of the IOCGU Club? ?I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.? GrouchoMarx Acknowledgements ?Ian Dunlop, Matt Lennox-King, Mark O?Dea, Dave Barbour, Derek Wilton, Lucas Marshall, Roland Butler, Mark King, Sally Howson,

May 1, 2006

By Gonzalo Mato, Colin Godwin, G. Ditson

"The mid-Cretaceous Seagull batholith intruded Mississippian sedimentary and volcanic rocks and Jurassic(?) granitic and ultramafic rocks within the Omineca Crystalline Belt in the Yuk on Territory near the British Columbia boundary. Leucoerotic fluorine- and boron-rich granites of the batholith exhibit many textural variations from aplite to pegmatite, but are dominated by a coarse-grained seriate unit and a fine-grained porphyritic unit.Four distinctive tin vein occurrences within and near the batholith are described, the most interesting of which is the MC showing of quartz-calcite-chlorite-cassiterite veins in intensely fractured zones of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Three other showings occur within the batholith:J) the EC showing of quartz-fluorite-cassiterite-sulphide veins with prominent muscovite-illite alteration;2) the DU showing of quartz-hematite-fluorite-sulphide- sulphide-cassiterite with considerable manganese staining and sericitic alteration; and3) the VAL showing of quartz-tourmaline-cassiterite-fluorite-arsenopyrite veins with little associated alteration.Most cassiterite occurrences are within easterly-trending, vertical structures and all occurrences are thought to represent parts of a single system. These mineralogical and physical variations are apparently related to the distance from the upper contact of the batholith.For the Seagull batholith, Rb-Sr isotopic data give a 100±1.4 Ma isochron age that is concordant with the K-Ar model age from biotite of 101±4 Ma. Initial Sr isotopic ratios for the batholith are high at 0.712, indicating an old, sialic crustal source for this pluton. This initial ratio is similar to values for granitic rocks associated with tungsten deposits in the Yukon Territory. The high initial ratio for Sr, the high Si02 content, the high s/I index, the presence of normative corundum. leucogranitic composition and associated lithophile-tungsten mineralization demonstrate that the Seagull batholith is probably an S-type granitic body. This factor is significant to regional exploration jar tin and tungsten in the Canadian Cordillera."

Jan 1, 1983

By William M. (Bill) Shaver

"The author will review the early history of shaft sinking as well as focus on the improvements made in shaft design and construction over the last fifty years (1970 to 2019) to predict how shaft sinking will change over the next fifty years and describe what the shaft sinking world might look like in 2070. INTRODUCTION It is a great honour to be one of your keynote speakers for the Fourth International Conference on Shaft Design and Construction being held in Toronto in November 2019. This is one of the opportunities we have to thank the Mining Companies of the world as well as the industries and companies we serve for their support of the mining contracting and shaft sinking business of Canada and the world at large. Many of these companies are represented here today. Without your support many of the innovations we will talk about today would not be possible. We would also like to thank all the companies that work with us in our business including all the contractors and suppliers who provide the various services we require. These include equipment manufacturers, engineering companies, project management companies and suppliers large and small who cater to our every need as quickly as possible. Without all these partners we would not be as good as we are. Many of these companies are our sponsors this week. Thank you from all of us! This is also an appropriate time to pause and think about those Shaft Sinkers we have lost and those who have been injured on our projects around the world. Please bow your head and remember the Shaft Sinkers you have worked with, who did not return home or those who returned home injured. Think about how we can continue the work of making shafts safer every day as we go forward with our projects so everyone goes home to their families safe and sound. Pause for a minute and thank you. The subject matter we have chosen to discuss today is “Shaft Sinking in the Next Five Decades”. How will the work be done, how fast will it be done, what will it cost, and why we think this may occur? It is appropriate to consider this over the next few days with this auspicious group we have assembled. Today, we will look back at all the advances that have been made over the last many years and look ahead to the future to attempt to predict what shaft sinking will look like in 2070. When I look around the room I recognize that many of us will not be around then so we need not worry about being wrong. Suffice it to say that the next 50 years will be very interesting and exciting for the shaft sinking business."

Jan 1, 2019

By C. R. Stelck

"AbstractThe Cardium formation of northeastern British •Columbia •contains an erosional unconformity that becomes progressively more severe northward until, •at Liard river, the stratigraphic hiatus eliminates the underlying Lower •Cardium sandstone, the Kaskapau formation, and the upper Dunvegan sandstones. The area of unconformity roughly coincides with the distribution of the continental facies of the earlier Dunvegan formation. Along Wapiti river, the zone fossil Scaphites ventricosus Meek and Hayden is found in the Bad-heart member of the overlying Wapiabi shale; Scaphites :preventricosus. Cobban marks the base of the Wapiabi shale; Scaphites cf. corvensis •Cobban is found in the middle shale member of the •Cardium formation. The log of the Red-Willow No. 1 well shows close similarity to the outcrop sections south of Wapiti river. The Cardium formation is mainly late Turonian in age. Two other pre-Cardium Turonian sands of north-eastern British Columbia are named the Wartenbe and Tuskoola sands.IntroductionTHE Upper Cretaceous Cardium (Bighorn) sandstone formation of the Foothills of northeastern British Columbia carries within its formational limits an erosional unconformity. The unconformity decreases to the southeast, becoming in immediate shoreline regions, now under the plains, a minor diastem. Such diastems, or stratigraphic intervals of non-deposition, occurring in the shallow unda-zone are paralleled in the deeper portions of the unda-zone by the phenomena of sub-aqueous winnowing. '.This winnowing and re-working •at critical depths creates sand areas with porosity."

Jan 1, 1955

By M. E. Grimes

"The future of the uranium industry in Canada during the next twenty years will be very dependent on political and social issues on a world scale. Technology, as such, will tend to be of lesser importance. Nonetheless, some technical changes can be anticipated.This paper deals with milling of uranium ore, leaving further processing and nuclear power production to specialists in these fields. An attempt has been made to look at uranium production technology in Canada in relation to that in other countries, and to draw interference regarding future changes that seem probable in the Canadian context. In particular, recent advances in mill equipment are considered.The chemistry of uranium and its relatively low concentration in most ores has been responsible for a completely hydrometallurgical approach to mill processing, and this should continue. In spite of little commercial success to date, pre-concentration of lower grade ores will be researched further in order that these ores can compete with higher grade deposits in Canada.The discovery of the relatively high-grade ores of the Athabasksa region will undoubtedly influence choice of mill processes and equipment. The potential effect on innovations is discussed"

Jan 1, 1986

By Alan D. Brown

"Diesel-electric trucks are those that have some portion of the convention-al mechanical drive train replaced by electrical components. As larger and more powerful diesel engines appeared, the development of mechanical transmissions and related drive components failed to keep pace, and electrical generators and drive motors therefore came into use as an efficient means of transferring the mechanical energy of the engine to the driving wheels of the vehicle.The Berkeley Pit has been a major testing ground for the evolution of this type of truck. We now operate a haulage fleet consisting of conventional diesel trucks and two different types of diesel-electric trucks. There-fore, we have been able to obtain an interesting comparison of costs and performances between these three types of haulage units.In all phases of operation, the diesel-electric truck commands a favourable advantage over the conventional diesel truck, and represents a more efficient and less costly means of haulage. Nearly all manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks are now building, or have plans to build, such a truck."

Jan 1, 1966

By W. E. Oching, M. M. Ghomshei

Attracting and retaining workers in mining industry has become an uphill battle to many mining companies. As workers with significant experience retire, it is getting more difficult to attract not only new workers but also top talent to the mining industry to replace professionals exiting the workforce. To make matters worse, students’ enrolment in the post-secondary mining programs in Canada and USA is continuously declining year after year for reasons not directly linked to job market. This raises a question of how can the future needs of mining be met? This paper focuses on avenues for collaboration of industry and educational institutions to meet the current and future needs of mining. It provides effective approaches that mining institutes can engage with program advisory committees, role of the mining industry in supporting both faculty and students, how to harness the benefits of diverse workforce in the country and use of innovative technologies to attract young workers in mining. This work presents Human Resources (HR) professionals with tools that they can use to hire and retain skilled workers with strong interest to work in the mining industry. It also provides HR professionals with an opportunity to re-evaluate their restructuring practices during economic downturns as they reduce number of employees on temporary or permanent basis. The paper stresses the need of working together of the mining stakeholders including mining industry, academic institutions, First Nations’ communities and provincial(state) and federal governments to meet the current and future demands of mining as the industry experiences shortage of labour and low students’ enrolment in post-secondary mining programs. It is shown that mining educational institutes can enhance their programs and recruitments through establishing a better communication with all stakeholders. This communication can be facilitated by creating a national advisory board, to work with all mining programs at the national level for sustainable mining.

Jan 1, 2023

By Lloyd W. Trevoy

Titanium and zirconium heavy minerals occur in the tailings streams from processing plants which use the hot-water extraction process for recovery of bitumen from tar sand. In a research program conducted by Syncrude Canada Limited, the crude tailings stream was upgraded to produce quality zircon and titanium mineral products. To process the tailings through conventional upgrading equipment, bitumen residues must first be removed from the mineral grains. Then, by gravity separation, fines and coarse sand grains were removed and a 71% heavy minerals concentrate was prepared which was further separated by high-tension equipment into zircon and titanium minerals concentrates. The zircon concentrate was upgraded by gravity, magnetic and high-tension cleaning to produce a high-quality 98% zircon product. The titanium minerals concentrate was separated into rutile, leucoxene and ilmenite fractions. Heavy minerals distribution in tar sand drilling core samples has been evaluated for various locations on Syncrude Lease 17, and expected annual production levels of heavy minerals have been estimated. A preliminary evaluation has been made of the potential for zircon, leucoxene and rutile production and for further upgrading of ilmenite and leucoxene to synthetic rutile for titanium dioxide pigment production.

Jan 1, 1978

By V. Ushakov, P. Bogdan

Daily production scheduling in a highly dynamic smelter environment has always been a great challenge for the operation management due to a significant amount of uncertainties. Planned and unexpected equipment failures, various energy outages, inaccuracies in flow and mass balancing, manpower availability conflicts and other constraints make the job of daily production planning exceptionally difficult. This paper discusses a general scheduling approach utilized by the production management of the Phelps Dodge Miami Smelter (the Smelter). It also describes logical assumptions and some practical software solutions that have been exploited by the Smelter managers to assist the front line supervisors in dealing with daily planning activities for several years.

Jan 1, 2007

By L. K. Daneshmend

The mine of the year 2020 will need to be based on a new way of mining. It will employ technology in a paradigm that assumes responsibility for sustainable development: taking account not only economic but also ecological and social issues. This will require a holistic approach to mine design and planning, considering all controlling factors and impacts (technical, economic, environmental and social). A national collaborative strategy is required to address the several options that exist for the development and application of 2020 mining technology. Key issues in implementing 2020 mining technology will also relate to human resources, in terms of employment, skills and education. A need exists to proactively prepare for 2020 through development of a comprehensive education and training strategy.

Jan 1, 1998

By L. S. Jen

Canadian copper, nickel, zinc, lead and molybdenum mines are characterized by the mining of ores from which more than one metal is recovered. During the 1980s, approximately 15% of the gold, 25% of the zinc, 30% of the copper, 55% of the molybdenum, 80% of the silver and 90% of the lead produced from Canadian mines were produced as co-products and by-products of base metal mining operations. This trend is not expected to change significantly in the near future. The presence of co-products and by-products affects the level of production and the level of revenue from base metal mines in several ways: (I) in general, production of one base metal cannot be expanded or cut back without affecting the amount of production of another metal;(2) the commercial success of certain base metal mining operations depends on the substantial bonus revenues from co-products and by-products; (3) the quality and economic viability of many ore deposits are significantly improved by the presence of co-products and by-products; and (4) while coproduction is critical to the survival of some mines, bonus revenue from by-products can also be life saving to others during economic downturns. For these reasons, deposits with significant co-product or by-product values are likely to continue to be significant targets for exploration and for acquisition.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. C. Nicholson

The "V" system was first introduced by the West Virginia Coal & Coke Company at their No. 9 mine, Norton. Norton is a small mining village on the B. & 0. railway, about seven miles from the town of Elkins. This year, accompanied by G. D. MacDougall, I visited this mine to obtain first-hand information regarding this modem system and to determine its adaptability to conditions in Nova Scotia. The following is a brief account of my observations. The seam that is being worked is known as the Lower Kittaning, which, at this point, has an average thickness of 7 feet. This includes a band of hard clay varying in thickness from 8 to 14 inches, which occurs about 2 feet from the pavement, also 8 inches of inferior coal at the roof. The latter is not recovered, which leaves to be mined about 5 1/2 feet of clean coal. The roof is slate and shale for the first 30 feet, followed by 40 to 60 feet of sandstone; the total cover is from 80 to 250 feet thick. The seam lies very flat, with a dip of only 2 per cent., and, as the dip is toward the main entrance, it' is in favor of the load, also providing natural drainage for any water the mine makes. As the mine is not gassy, and there is no water to be pumped out, one can understand that mining conditions are practically ideal.

Jan 1, 1924

By B. Ignasiak

Laboratory studies suggest that improvements of coke strength brought about by pre-heating caking coals before carbonization accrue from inadvertent oxidation rather than from other low-temperature changes in the coal mass. Controlled oxidation of highly caking coal, followed by laboratory carbonization, produces cokes which, in terms of a laboratory scale tumble test index, are equivalent to those obtained from prime metallurgical blends. Appropriately formulated blends of exhaustively oxidized and fresh caking coal similarly yield cokes with strength indices comparable to those of cokes made from the same coal after oxidation under optimum conditions.

Jan 1, 1979

By Simon C. Dominy, Ian M. Platten, Garry F. Johansen, Alwyn E. Annels, Brian W. Cuffley

Abstract - Coarse gold-bearing veins are characterized by high grades that are localized and erratic. Effective sampling of coarse gold-bearing veins is difficult because of the low concentration and erratic nature of the gold particles. Diamond drilling is an effective measure of geological continuity, however, grade distribution can only be reliably obtained from underground development (including close-spaced sampling, bulk sampling, and trial mining). Comparison between surface and underground drilling, underground linear/panel and bulk sampling indicate that drilling and linear/ panel samples generally understate bulk sample grades. Bulk samples are likely to be the closest estimators of true grade. It is unlikely that anything above an Inferred Resource category can be estimated from surface drilling alone, and at best the grade will only be a global estimate. Underground development, in-fill drilling and bulk sampling/trial mining will be required to delineate Indicated and Measured Resources. Closely spaced development and bulk sampling is likely to be the only way to determine Reserves. The resource estimation process must driven by a clear geological model that should attempt to understand both geological and grade continuity. Traditionally, grade interpolation has been undertaken using classical methods, though more recently, computer-based block modelling techniques have been used with some success. Three case histories are presented, documenting the problems of estimating resources in coarse gold-bearing veins and the practical ways in which they were approached.

Jan 1, 2000

By Barry D. Simmons

Abstract -A well-defined approach is essential to ensure the long-term success of a regional exploration program. Teck's approach in eastern Canada is designed to fulfill corporate objectives while recognizing certain unique parameters for exploration in the area. The elements of this approach include clearly defined objectives, technical considerations and personnel policies, all of which are equally important. The goal is a significant discovery before the mid-1990s and the company is confident that this target will be achieved.

Jan 1, 1992

By R. C. Fernandes, F. L. Santos

Aluminum alloys in particular, have certain limitations when subjected to welding process. This is mainly present because aluminum alloys have high thermal conductivity, high contraction in solidification and high hydrogen solubility. Taking this into account, the FSW process has great potential for this application, since it is autogenous, held without metal melting and without the use of slags or shielding gases. From this concept, the aim of this study is to evaluate the joining of thin sheets of aluminum alloy 3105 H26 with 0.7 mm of thickness. To performing of the tests, some parameters were analyzed, such as: tool penetration in the sheets, attack angle, the type of welding tool and penetration control mode (position or force). The results indicated that the force control mode is most suitable for thin sheets, and the transient state at the beginning of welding was the most critical part to control the welding quality.

Jan 1, 2015

By Charles J. Zablocki, Robert J. Kamilli

"Abstract - Buried, possibly mineralized granite cupolas at the Silsilah tin deposit in Saudi Arabia (lat. 26°06' N, long. 42°40' E) have been successfully located using a closely spaced electric-field-ratio profiling technique. In this study, electrical fields at 27 and 270 Hz across grounded electrodes spaced 50 m apart were measured along six traverses. This method is interpretable by inspection, unlike the dipole-dipole technique, which requires mathematical modeling for interpretation.In the study area, the technique allowed the authors to identify and distinguish among unroofed granite cupolas, cupolas with their aplite-pegmatite apical contact zones intact, strong (quartz-rich) and weak (relatively quartz-poor) greisens, dikes, faults, and pervasively argillized rocks.This method should be useful in the valuation of other shallow mineral prospects in similar settings in other parts of the world, especially deposits for which the location of vertical contrasts is important, such as veins or mineralized zones associated with the apexes of small igneous cupolas."

Jan 1, 1993

By Rodney A. Cooper

The Mary River iron ore deposits were discovered in the 1960?s. The high quality of the deposits was immediately evident, and drilling programs were successful in defining a resource adequate for supporting a feasibility study. Through a combination of ownership, market and political forces, the deposits were not developed. Having missed the window of opportunity, the project remained dormant for over three decades. Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation, with its 100% ownership of the Mary River deposits, began trading publicly in 2004. Modern exploration and metallurgical test work began in 2004 and has continued in 2005 and 2006, resulting in total expenditures during this period of almost C$60 million. In May 2006, an engineering team lead by Aker Kvaerner E&C, a division of Aker Kvaerner Canada Inc., completed a scoping study based on the first of five identified deposits. Highlights of that study include direct shipping of high quality lump ore to Europe over a 34 year mine life at a production rate of 10 million tonnes per annum, based on an indicated resource of 309 million tonnes at 66.1% Fe and an inferred resource of 28 million tonnes at 65.9% Fe. Capital costs were estimated at C$1.5 billion. Using iron ore prices approximately 36% below that of the 2006 market, a pre-tax internal rate of return of 15% was estimated assuming equity financing. Payback on initial capital was 5.9 years. The pre-tax life-of-mine cash flow was estimated to be C$6.3 billion. As a result of this study, Baffinland initiated a Definitive Feasibility Study, under the management of Aker Kvaerner, which is scheduled for completion in December 2007. This paper touches on the geology of the deposits, the current resource and the outlook for expansion. Project permitting, construction planning, logistical challenges and ocean shipping considerations are discussed, providing a current perspective on the project scale, scope and timeline for commercial production. In addition, an overview of the Company?s bulk sampling program will be provided.

May 1, 2007