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On the Hauraki goldfields, within the limits of Cape Colville Peninsula, the Paheozoic rocks are confined to the district north of a line drawn from Mercury Bay on the east coast to Rocky Point on the shore of the Frith of Thames. South of Kennedy's Bay they are developed on the east coast only at Kuaotunu, at which place gold mining is carried on in sandstones and slates of this age. Between Tapu Creek and Coromandel there is, along and adjacent to the shore of the gulf, a very considerable development of PaJreozoic and in part of Trias rocks, and between the Tiki Stream and the northern end of Tokatea Hill, along the western slope of the main range, lies the special area of the Palreozoic or carboniferous rocks that have more particularly to be dealt with in this paper. The same formation has a large devolpment between Cabbage Bay and the northern slopes of Moehau, and appears to the water marge on both sides of this part of the peninsula.In this part they are of special interest as having, on the west spur of Moehau, a considerable variety of dyke rocks intruded into the sedimentaries, the interest in which is increased by the fact that these dykes theIllselves are of Palreozoic age and correspond to the dykes that are so' abundant in the Tokatea-Tiki area. It is this Tokatea-Tiki area as a goldfield, and its rocks as distinguished from later volcanic' products' on other parts 'of the peninsula...

Jan 1, 1903

By L H. G McClean

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have always been important to the minerals industry and is now considered one of our most important opportunities (and risks). Getting it right from the beginning is critical for the minerals industry, and that starts with mineral exploration. Exploration, or the process of investigation of an economic mineral deposit, is generally low impact and short-term. Exploration operations vary in size and scale and often shift priority, focus and location relatively quickly. Australia is a highly regulated jurisdiction with different regulatory systems and requirements in every state and territory. Most mineral exploration is undertaken by junior exploration companies or ‘explorers’. Exploration companies are lean operations with limited staffing and resources, traditionally with no income apart from funds raised or work through partnerships. Funds are tight and administrative investment is minimised so that investment into activity on the ground is maximised. All these variables mean that understanding and implementation of ESG frameworks for an exploration company can be challenging. ESG is a fast-moving sector with currently multiple frameworks and reporting standards. Interest from community and government stakeholders as well as investors and off-take partners has been growing, with mandatory reporting soon to be implemented. The upcoming changes to the JORC Code will ensure that ESG considerations will be a key component of all public reporting. Resources have been developed to support explorers implement, manage and report on ESG considerations. Due to their scale, agility and direct importance of land access and social licence, many explorers are not the ‘cowboys’ (or ‘cowpersons’) of the industry, but industry leaders in ESG. Strong interest and leadership have led to innovative practices and strongly embedded vertical frameworks that directly contribute to social licence to operate.

Sep 1, 2024

By A D. Campbell

Conversion of Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves requires a multidisciplinary approach and application of a number of Modifying Factors. The Modifying Factors for mining, particularly dilution and recovery in a caving mine are complex and can be difficult to determine. Cave flow modelling software is widely used for mine planning, scheduling and forecasting metal production. However, the conversion of Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves remains a difficult and subjective process and a consistent approach to convert Mineral Resources to Ore Reserves as part of the cave flow modelling process is not published in the literature. This is due to the difficulty in estimating the Ore Reserve that remains as cave stocks at a particular point in the mine schedule, the recovered tonnage and grade of the diluting material at various stages in the mine life, as well as the Mineral Resource classification of both the recovered and diluting material that forms the Ore Reserve. The key principle of this paper is the tracking of the Mineral Resource classification in the flow model used to estimate the Ore Reserves. This is critical to defining the Ore Reserve as Proved or Probable and enabling transparency in the reporting process. An approach for dealing with mineralised external dilution in the Ore Reserve estimation process is also provided.This paper outlines the approach to convert Mineral Resources into Ore Reserves developed at the Ernest Henry mine sublevel cave (EHM SLC). The same method could be used in any cave mine and applied at any stage of the mine life. The process replaces broad-brush assumptions for the mining Modifying Factors, such as dilution and recovery, as these are determined numerically as part of the model computation. This paper explains the Ore Reserve estimation method with a worked example to enable the reader to adopt the process at any caving mine. Mineral Resource classification within the block model is embedded in the cave flow model and the flow model results used to attribute tonnes, grade and the mixed proportions of the Mineral Resource classification for material extracted from each drawpoint. This information is then used to convert planned mine production into the appropriate Ore Reserve classification. Since the flow model simulation follows the mine schedule, it can be used to predict depletion and cave stocks at any stage of the mine life, and can calculate a residual block model at the end of the mine life. The accuracy of the flow model is checked by validating the forecast ore grade and metal tonne with reconciliation data from the concentrator which is also used to calibrate the flow model.CITATION:Campbell, A D, 2017. A simple and accurate method for Ore Reserve estimation and Mineral Resource depletion in caving mines, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 253–260 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 16, 2017

By A Calderon, J Harris, M Shi, D Viswanathan, C Ribeiro Duthie, P A. Kirsch

Mineral resource development activities impact the health and well-being of many people, from workers, to families and surrounding communities. In the current environment of corporate social responsibility life-of-mine planning considers that mining activities should be conducted in the best environmentally, socially and economically acceptable way for the entire life of the mine (ie from exploration to decommissioning and closure). In this context, the health impacts of mining extend throughout the life of the community from worker injury and chronic exposure to communicable and non-communicable causes of illness, through to family and community health and well-being. At the inaugural Life-of-Mine conference in July 2012, the authors proposed the life-of-mine in the life-of-community (LOMLOC) matrix as a framework for understanding issues at the interface between resource extraction operations and the surrounding environment.This paper reviews and compares health activities extracted from social and environmental reports published by selected major mining companies with American operations in Canada, Colombia and Brazil. These corporate approaches to public health management are mapped to the LOMLOC matrix to identify and compare trends and behaviour in corporate health investments. This analysis of how companies approach and prioritise health issues in the context of different regions, cultures and environmental drivers will serve as a resource for minerals industry managers, civil society and regulators regarding current health management approaches in this sector.CITATION:Ribeiro Duthie, C, Calderon, A, Viswanathan, D, ?Shi, M, Harris, J and Kirsch, P A, ?2014. Resource company investments in health – a life-of-mine / life-of-community perspective across America, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 349–364 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

By R C. Schodde

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. Over the last decade (2005–2014), a total of 439 significant deposits of gold and base metals were found in the world. Twenty (or 4.6 per cent) of these deposits were in the Pacific/South-East Asia (Pacific/SE Asia) region. In terms of contained metal, the region accounted for 1.6 per cent of gold and 13.8 per cent of copper found in the world. With regard to nickel and zinc/lead, the region’s contributions were insignificant.Over the same period, the Pacific/SE Asia region accounted for 6.6 per cent and 12.6 per cent of all gold and copper exploration expenditures in the world respectively. After adjusting for by-product credits, unreported discoveries and likely growth in resource, the unit discovery cost for the region was US$199/oz (compared to a world average of US$50/oz). For comparison, the unit discovery costs for the previous decade were US$55/oz and US$25/oz respectively. The region’s unit discovery cost for copper was US$0.036/lb (versus a world average of US$0.040). For comparison, the unit discovery costs for the previous decade were US$0.026/lb and US$0.008/lb Cu respectively.The region’s mediocre discovery performance doesn’t reflect its distribution of known mineralisation. Some countries within the region have a very good endowment per square kilometre.It is noted that the intensity of exploration (and resulting success) would be boosted if governments provided a more mining- and investment-friendly business environment and generated better precompetitive geological data sets (to identify new exploration targets and boost the country’s perceived mineral prospectivity). A multivariable regression analysis of a decade of data from the Fraser Institute’s mining company surveys found that a ten point increase in the Policy Perception Index or a 0.1 point increase in the Mineral Potential Index could boost (in the short term) exploration expenditures by 1.9 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively. The resulting economic benefits of an expanded mining sector would be significant. The same story applies elsewhere in the world.CITATION:Schodde, R C, 2015. Discovery performance for gold and base metals in the Pacific/South-East Asia – 2005–2014, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 25–34 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

By F T. Suorineni, L Baird, A Papaioanou, D Hines

The Mathews et al (1981) stability graph was developed to provide guidance in the determination of stope sizes to control dilution in bulk mining of large orebodies. Longhole and sublevel open stoping (LHOS and SLOS) are the lower end in scale of underground mass mining with panel and block caving (PBC) at the higher end. Currently, the stability states of stopes in the stability graph are described qualitatively as stable, unstable or cave. The alternative quantitative option to the qualitative stability graph is the Equivalent Linear Overbreak Slough (ELOS) stability graph. The ELOS stability graph only applies to narrow vein orebodies. It is easy for the Mathews et al (1981) and the ELOS stability graphs to be applied outside the limits of their databases. What is currently referred to as ‘stable’ in the present stability graphs has diverse interpretations at different mines depending on their acceptable dilution values. In 2014, a research program was conceptually conceived at the UNSW Australia School of Mining Engineering to develop a quantitative dilution-based stability graph independent of orebody width to address some industry concerns on the use of the stability graphs. A dilution-based stability graph provides the mining engineer the flexibility to determine open stope sizes based on what dilution amounts are acceptable. The graph also unifies both the Mathews et al (1981) and ELOS stability graphs for wide and narrow vein orebodies, thus, eliminating their potential misapplications. To date, the concept is proven with case studies from metalliferous underground mining operations located across Australia. This paper presents the dilution-based stability graph concept, the initial results and future plans to account for other critical factors and increase confidence in its application with the addition of more data outside Australia.CITATION:Suorineni, F T, Papaioanou, A, Baird, L and Hines, D, 2016. A dilution-based stability graph for open stope design, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 511–522 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By D Laurence, L Ge

This paper demonstrates use of remotely sensed imagery in promoting sustainable mining. Remote sensing technology can be used during all phases of a mining project û from evaluating the resource, to making extraction more cost-effective, through to monitoring, mine closure and remediation. Use of the new generation of satellite platforms with the capability of acquiring satellite data with higher spectral and spatial resolution have the capability to emerge as essential indicator for sustainable development in the minerals industry. A life cycle approach to satellite imagery is discussed. The use of an imagery of the site prior to mining activity establishes the environmental baseline, guides mitigation measures and eventual help in suggesting remediation. Remote imagery provides the cost-effective means of monitoring reclamation, including the growth of planted vegetation, of the mine site and surrounding area. The latest advancements in satellite remote sensing are highlighted to meet the newer challenges of sustainable mining practices. Some of the worldwide successful remote sensing applications for the measurement and evaluation of the sustainable development impact of mining operations are described. Presently available source of imagery and its comparative advantages and disadvantages are provided as a guide. Finally, the limitations of this tool are indicated.

Jan 1, 2009

The widely accepted kinetic model for the gaseous reduction of hematite is critically examined. The formation of the wustite layer during internal reduction cannot be explained in terms of solid-state diffusion. Present evidence indicates the existence of a micropore system in the wustite adjacent to the magnetite with the gas/solid type of reaction occurring not only at the iron/wustite interface but also at the wustite/magnetite interface. During the partial reduction of dense hematite pellets, in a controlled atmosphere, porous magnetite and wustite are formed as products. The mean pore size, as measured by mercury injection, increases with time at constant temperature and with temperature increase over the range 6500C to 950°C. The sizes of the pores indicate that Knudsen diffusion is the principal gaseous transport mechanism across thick layers of magnetite or wustite.The kinetics of the gaseous reduction to iron are consistent with a mixed control mechanism involving the interaction of gaseous diffusion effects with a first order reversible chemical reaction at the iron/wustite interface. Because of the larger pore sizes in the iron layers, ordinary molecular gaseous diffusion must be the principal transport mechanism. The usual experimental methods used for establishing the validity of chemical rate ~ontrol are incapable of differentiating between the mixed control- mechanism and exclusive chemical control.Some implications of mixed control kinetics are developed, including a predicted independence of rate on reducing gas pressure at higher pressures.INTRODUCTIONAn extensive literature review of the reduction of iron oxides has been compiled recently by Themelis and Gauvin (1962). From the large number of papers published and the widely divergent opinions of workers in this field, it appears that a simple unified quantitative analysis of reduction kinetics is not possible. The aim of the present paper is to show that a major cause of confusion is due to the attempts of many workers to interpret experimentally observed reaction rates in terms of a single rate controlling mechanism without due regard to other rate processes which must occur simultaneously.Some of the differences in behaviour reported for particles...

Jan 1, 1964

By McNicol M. D

Petroleum exploration in onshore Gippsland was directed in the 1950s and 1960s towards plays in the basal Latrobe and Strzelecki Groups, but these became forgotten in the 1970s with the Latrobe play discoveries offshore. The principal explorationists of the time were Woodside Oil and Arco Ltd, who then departed the scene after drilling some 18 wells without major success. In the late-1980s successful hydrocarbon finds in equivalent age Otway Group sediments in the Otway Basin were made and in early 1990 Tyers Petroleum began investigations into Strzelecki Group prospects as applied to the onshore Gippsland Basin. Some 18 anticlines have been mapped, based on shallower coal exploration drilling in the Latrobe Group, which from seismic and gravity evidence are believed to unconformably overlie similar anticlinal structures in the underlying Strzelecki Group. Strzelecki targets of interest within drilling depth are the basal Tyers Conglomerate/Rintouls Creek Sandstone Formations which outcrop in the north of the Latrobe Valley and are analogous to the Pretty Hill Sandstone in the Otway Basin. In addition, intra-Strzelecki Group targets similar to Heathfield and Windermere Sandstone Members are also considered to be present. Good source rocks are abundant including coal seams and carbonaceous sediments of Neocomian and Jurassic age, which lie within the oil window. Seal is provided by the overlying Aptian-Albian aged volcanogenic sediments. The Tyers/Rintouls sandstones - a target in the Woodside/Arco wells, with two exceptions, were not reached. Encouraging intra-Strzelecki shows were reported in many of the wells. Basal and intra-Strzelecki porous quartzose sandstones remain one of the few untested plays left in the Gippsland Basin and, in the onshore, merit extra attention as they he within the oil window at economically drillable depths.

Jan 1, 1992

This paper sets out to examine the possible relationships between three factors, they are, the rate of growth of world production of minerals, the growth of Australian production and the growth of scientific and engineering knowledge.The first two are quantified, in terms of tonnes and value. The third, an abstract concept "knowledge", requires to be quantified, in terms of manpower.A mathematical model, which has general application, was derived to demonstrate certain axiomatic premises and to define, more precisely, basic concepts related to the philosophy of knowledge.Finally a summary is made of education-cum-industry issues.

Jan 1, 1981

By S A. Myers, T Klein

The Yanacocha mining district is located in the northern Andes of Peru. The project is within the Cajamarca province, 20 km north of the town of Cajamarca and 600 km north of Lima, the capital of Peru (Figure 1). The district encompasses an area of 120 km 2 and is centred on the 78030'west longitude and 7000' south latitude. The project lies at an elevation of 3400 to 4200 masl.

Jan 1, 1999

By Lynch A. J

A method has been developed for the prediction of the performance of multi-stage grinding-cyclone classification circuits of any degree of complexity on any ore for a wide range of operating conditions. The method involves the simulation of the circuit on a digital computer by means of. mathematical models of the individual units. At present, to establish the characteristics of the ore and the machines in mathematical terms, it is necessary to know the performance of a simple system on the ore for one known feed rate and feed sizing analysis.Further work on the separate identification of the terms defining the characteristics of the ore and the machines may permit the method to be applied directly to the data derived from small scale tests on ores.INTRODUCTIONThe cost of preparing metalliferous ores for concentration processes by, grinding and classification frequently represents a major portion of the cost of treating such ores, and it is necessary both from an economic and a metallurgical point of view that grinding and classification circuits should be operated at their optimum efficiency. It will be realized that the processes carried out in all units in such circuits behave according to physical laws and, if a mathematical representation of the laws applying to each unit could be derived, optimization of the overall process for any given conditions of feed or product may not be difficult.The physical processes in both tumbling mills and hydraulic classifiers are extremely complex and do not appear at present to be amenable to a rigorous mathematical analysis. However, empirical mathematical models of grinding units which have been presented previously (Callcottand Lynch, 1963; Lynch and Moore, 1963) may be used to discuss the operation of the grinding units in multi-stage circuits. Another type of model, which leads to a reasonable...

Jan 1, 1965

The role of a project metallurgist is diverse and covers input into the resource definition, mining studies, metallurgical test program development, process engineering and plant design, cost estimate preparation and financial analysis aspects of project feasibility studies. Mining project schedule and cost overruns can often be attributed to cutting short metallurgical test work, engineering and cost estimating leading up to commitment to development. In a significant number of cases this may result from the lack of understanding and commitment by the project proponent to the requisite metallurgical and processing studies required during the various pre-commitment stages of a mining project. Metallurgical test work, process development, engineering and cost estimating requirements for each stage of pre-commitment development are described together with a summary of the ongoing role of the project metallurgist during detailed engineering and commissioning of a process plant.

Jan 1, 2008

By A C. Chieregati, A Heberle, F L. S P Villanova

Since the publications of Gy’s initial work, many authors have discussed the approaches to estimate the variance of the fundamental sampling error (FSE). Experimental tests suggested by Pitard and François-Bongarçon determine the sampling parameters K and a to calibrate Gy’s formula. The heterogeneity test and the sample tree method are well known and broadly used for many commodities. However, prior to the analysis, the collection of a representative sample is an intriguingly difficult task. The composite for the heterogeneity tests often consists of run-?of-?mine material or processed ore on a conveyor belt. In most cases the final sample does not have enough mass, mixes different geological units, represents a rare blend and does not characterise the deposit. In order to obtain a reliable composite for trace elements and low-grade ores, sampling practitioners suggest at least half a ton of material.To prevent the common representative pitfalls in the FSE, this case study focuses on a single gold-?bearing geological unit collected in situ. With this unit being structured by the mine geologists, but with the interaction between engineers and chemists, it was possible to validate the reconciliation suggested by Pitard (2015). The heterogeneity test and the sample tree method were performed using 500 kg of a smoky quartz from a single geological domain and the results were compared to Gy’s formula. The logging practice by the geologists was modified, emphasising the definition of the size of the gold nugget or its cluster, number of grains and association. Finally, a mineralogical study was conducted on the geological unit to define the liberation factor. All the information is compiled in this paper, showing the need to fully understand the mineralisation to correctly define representative samples and proper analytical techniques.CITATION:Villanova, F L S P, Heberle, A and Chieregati, A C, 2017. Heterogeneity tests and core logging – a final reconciliation, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 107–114 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

Single particle breakage tests have been used by a number of researchers to investigate some salient features of the complex comminution process. The characteristics of the common single particle breakage tests such as single impact, double impact and slow compression tests are examined and the results from these tests are compared. A comparison of the results from single particle breakage tests with grindability and ball mill tests is given. Application of the results from single particle breakage tests to modelling industrial comminution processes is described. The necessity for further research into single particle breakage tests to develop a simple but comprehensive technique for estimating the breakage characteristics of ores is discussed.

Jan 1, 1986

All previous attempts to cut rock in boring by means of revolving steel cutters have failed, chiefly in consequence of the mis-shapen teeth grinding the rock and themselves simultaneously, until, after a very few revolutions, the points of the cutters were so worn that it was impossible to force them into the strata. The diamond drilling plant being cumbrous, complicated, and costly, and seeing that fully 70 per cent of the boring generally needed is in what is known as the" milder strata," it will be readily understood that much of the work done will not pay a dividend on the outlay, so great is the cost of removal, the wear and tear of the machinery, and the loss of diamonds. The Calyx Drill, however, invented by Mr. F. Harley Davis, has been constructed so as to overcome these difficulties, and will penetrate quickly and .at a low cost this 70 per cent. of the milder strata. The Drill has taken ten years' hard work and thought to bring it to its present state of perfection, and it will now drill with steel cutters the 70 per cent of the work performed by the diamond drills at a greater speed and at about one third the cost of the latter.The utility of the diamond drill for certain work is undeniable, but it cannot by any means be described as a machine of general popular usefulness that is to say, it is quite beyond the reach of the great masses of mankind.

By Taylor G. H

The Triassic Ipswich (SE. Queensland) coals are of bituminous rank. The more exact rank of individual samples was determined by measuring the reflectance of the vitrinite. While in general the rank of the coals increases with stratigraphic depth, minor reversals, probably related to igneous intrusions, occur.The Ipswich coals form a coherent group so far as petrographic type is concerned. All are comparatively rich in vitrite and clarite, cutinite being the common maceral of the exinite group. The mineral contents of all the coals are comparatively high, clay and quartz being most abundant. The coals appear to be of essentially autochthonous origin, and to have been formed under conditions of fairly rapid subsidence.While the use of the coals is at present restricted to combustion, most have pronounced coking properties, as would be predicted from their petrographic composition and reflectance. However, the high mineral content of the coals would be a limiting factor in their use for coke-making.INTRODUCTIONDuring the last ten years, the Division of Coal Research, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has carried out an extensive investigation of Australian coals, providing a wide range of analyses of most of the important of them. Special attention has been given in recent years to Queensland coals.Most seams were sampled as a number of subsections, enabling the internal variations, as well as the overall properties, to be assessed. The lenticularity of many of the mineralrich layers may tend to limit the significance of the samples, particularly in respect of ash yield, but although the vertical distribution of mineral matter may vary considerably from one sampling position to another, the lateral variation of the total mineral matter in the whole seam may not be great.Apart from extensive chemical analyses and utilization...

Jan 1, 1963

By P Card

Some project managers accept unsatisfactory economic evaluation modelling because they are unaware of what constitutes good practice. They tend to leave it to the evaluation specialist or others to decide. The AusIMM has published on its website a draft set of guidelines for technical economic evaluation which will allow these project managers to take control and demand worldÆs best practices.The style of the guidelines is described and the source of a worked spreadsheet example in Excel is given.Economic evaluation in project management is described. A simple test for the acceptance or rejection of evaluation work is offered. The nature of modelling and evaluation in each of the three study phases of concept, prefeasibility and final feasibility are described. Suggestions on the selection of specialists for each phase are given. The three levels of evaluation thinking are described, namely, modelling, valuation and evaluation. Finally the meaning of æfinancial analysisÆ is explained.The conclusion is that æthe role of an economic evaluation specialist is to create models and evaluations for the whole project team to readily understand and use: it is not to create models for his/her own useÆ.CITATION:Card, P, 2012. What project managers must demand from an economic evaluation!, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2012 , pp 173-176 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 24, 2012

Laboratory electrical resistivity measurements of rocks are reviewed. Inductive and galvanic methods are discussed together with the ten important experimental factors which should be considered in an investigation.These experimental factors are electrodes, sample preparation, measurement errors, temporal current variations, current density, frequency, electrolyte composition, electrolyte saturation, pressure, and temperature.

Jan 1, 1969

By Fisher N. I

Disequilibrium ratios (U3O8/eU3O8), which assess the degree to which gamma activity represents the uranium content of a sample, have been measured on a representative set of samples from the ore zone of a carnotite ranium deposit located at Yeelirrie, Western Australia. A statistical analysis has been performed to investigate the dependence of the ratios on lithology and on the location of the sample in the orebody. The analysis indicates that dependence on lithology and on position across the orebody is negligible. Samples from the western end of the orebody and those from below the water table level tend to have slightly lower ratios than samples from other positions, although these trends are small compared with a large random variation in the data. The large random variation could result from some redistribution of the daughter isotopes of uranium within the orebody. On the basis of the results from all the samples, the estimated deficiency of uranium relative to radium in the ore zone of the deposit is 11 per cent.

Jan 1, 1980