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By Rayner J. G, Leckie J. F, Moorehead C. F

The Coronation Hill gold-platinum-palladium prospect is located in the valley of the South Alligator River (latitude 13'35'S, longitude 132'36'E), about 80 kilometres east of Pine Creek in the Northern Territory. Coronation Hill was one of thirteen sites in the South Alligator Valley at which uranium was mined between 1955 and 1964 after initial discovery by the Bureau of Mineral Resources in 1953. Most of the mines were operated by United Uranium No Liability. The Sleisbeck mine 25 kilometres south of Coronation Hill was operated by North Australian Uranium Corporation and the group of mines at Rockhole about 20 kilometres to the north-west of Coronation Hill was operated by South Alligator Uranium No Liability. The uranium mine at Coronation Hill produced about 26000 tonnes of ore averaging 2.6 kg/t U308 with an estimated average gold grade of 10.4 g/ gold. Gold was commonly associated with the uranium mineralisation and was recovered at the gravity treatment plant at El Sherana. Gold was also recovered in 1986 by Pacific Gold Mines Limited by treating the tailings from the Moline and Rockhole uranium leach plants at a CIP plant at Moline. With the completion of uranium contracts in 1964 mining in the South Alligator Valley ceased. Exploration for uranium continued in the area during the 1960s and 1970s with no success. The Coronation Hill Joint Venture (BHP Gold Mines Limited 45 per cent, Pioneer Minerals (Gold) Pry Ltd 45 per cent, Notgold Limited 10 per cent)carried out the first exploration specifically targetted at gold in 1984 with the drilling of five vertical drill holes which indicated high potential for a substantial gold resource at Coronation Hill with no associated uranium. The Joint Venture has sub- sequently drilled about 25000 metres of diamond drill holes at Coronation Hill alone. Analytical results from 1985 drilling established that platinum and palladium were associated with gold. An indicated resource of 3.49Mt at 5.12g/t Au, 0.21g/t Pt and 0.56g/t Pd has been calculated using a lg/t Au cut off.

Jan 1, 1991

By Brian W. Mackenzie

The mineral exploration environment has observable economic characteristics, the assessment of which provides guidelines for exploration planning in the mining company. The long-term survival of the mining company is directly dependent on successful exploration. Exploration planning contributes to successful exploration through the development of exploration strategies. The objective of exploration planning is to select exploration environments which will enable the mining company to realize best possible profit and corporate risk conditions. Thus, the formulation of exploration strategies is based on profit and corporate risk criteria. Strategic considerations include the selection of commodities as exploration targets, geographic concentration of exploration effort, the realization of acceptable survival conditions, and the structuring of an exploration programme to optimize the economic benefits of the exploration investment process.

Jan 1, 2014

In the late-1990s, and into the 2000s, many industries, including the mining industry, have seen significant transaction activity by way of acquisitions, floats, joint ventures and major capital projects. The fundamental financial trends are two-fold. First and foremost, a high level of transaction activity within the industry and secondly, the recently introduced requirement for corporate governance standards, have placed increasing pressure on the directors of mining companies. This paper will deal with specifically corporate governance implications of any large capital investment transaction and the associated impact on the mining industry. To provide the framework for this paper, I have looked at a number of recent transactions as well as corporate governance recommendations from the ASX and the HIH Royal Commission.

Jan 1, 2003

By Blain CF

For all mineral resource-based companies, it is important to reach the right balance of investment between acquisition and exploration to allow the best chance of achieving long-term corporate goals. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP) provides an excellent example of success from generative exploration and supports the belief that exploration can be justified, not only in terms of investment criteria, but also because it is essential to a company wishing to build a dynamic profitable growth path based on world-class deposits as cheaply as possible. BHP was incorporated in 1885 to mine a lead/zinc/silver discovery at Broken Hill. The Company has since gone through a steel development phase (1911-1965) and is now in a major phase of growth partly based on exploration success. This third phase was marked by decisions taken in the 1950's to search actively for mineral and energy resources above and beyond the requirements of the steel industry. The commercial successes of this period have been Bass Strait oil and gas, Groote Eylandt manganese, Deepdale iron ore, Gregory coal and Carnilya East nickel. In total at least 22 new resource discoveries have been made in the last 25 years, of which 11 have been developed and several are undergoing feasibility studies. A financial analysis shows that the real value of the returns seeded by discovery covers the real exploration cost many times over. Moreover, the major discoveries have had a spectacular impact on the growth and development of the Company. BHP's present exploration effort is directed towards geological targets which most frequently meet attractive financial criteria and also promote diversification from steel-related earnings.

Jan 1, 1986

By V. Budinsky

In recent years the global mining industry has addressed its social and environmental responsibilities and numerous factors have contributed to this. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important part of mining company strategy for practical implementation of the goals of sustainability, transparency, accountablity and good relationships with stakeholders:- investors, employees and communities. A key stakeholder for all mining companies is the local community which is affected by the mining operations. Companies must identify the emerging social and environmental trends, study the interests and concerns of various communities, address their needs and maintain a positive relationship. The CSR programmes of Czech coal mining companies are focused on surrounding community initiatives and sustainable responsible business. Mining in the Czech Republic is subject to strict rules and regulations and supervised by the State Mining Authority. Mining projects undergo rigorous approval procedures which encompass all operational measures at the different planning levels ? such as public participation in the authorisation process for mining projects, the application of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, environmental sustainability programmes, innovative solutions and flexible options offered by the mining company. One very important part is the preparation of the mining-technology preconditions and developing the integrated planning process in which all socially and politically relevant subjects in the mining operation surroundings are included. In an in-depth debate, all stakeholders may jointly develop the concept, in accordance with democratic principles. The optimally conducted dialogue process needs broad communication bases, including setting up theme-related joint taskforces, together with good moderation and the highly qualified support of technical experts. Using a case study of Severoceske doly a.s. Chomutov (SD Company) and the Czech Coal Group ? Czech leaders in the extraction of brown coal, this paper aims to examine the community development approaches and the CSR effectiveness of large scale mining companies. This paper brings a review of CSR and other such voluntary initiatives in the mining industry's proactive steps to contribute to societal well-being in a meaningful way. Key studies are provided by the projects ? Region with Better Perspective?, ?Stop Dust for Healthy Brezno Village?, ?Clever Heads for the North? and ?Coal Safari?. CSR issues are managed throughout all stages of the mine operation and beyond, long after the mine closes (e.g. post-closure programmes of new landscape, alternatives for reclamation including generation of lakes in former surface mines, conceptualization of industrial heritage). Communities need to be given the opportunity to help themselves through participation in CSR projects rather than being recipients of financial gifts from the company. A fair balancing of interests is the basis of any successful cooperation.

Aug 1, 2013

By E. A. Adey, C. Baciu, P. Whitbread-Abrutat, M. Varul, T. Ejdemo, R. K. Shail, F. Wall

Responsible mining requires stakeholder engagement throughout all operational stages and after mine closure. By assessing the current and anticipated future socio-economic and environmental impacts, a company can maximise the positive impacts they can have on a community, whilst minimising any negative impacts. Despite the current emphasis on companies maintaining effective stakeholder relations to gain their ‘social license’ to operate, findings of the present study reveal a wide variation in community expectations, with different degrees of ‘acceptability’ evident across seven sites in Romania (Rosia Montana), Sweden (Kristineberg), the United Kingdom (Cornwall), Bosnia Herzegovina (Vihovici) and Russia (Karabash, Gay and Mednogorsk). These variations reflect the current status of mining within a community, as well as its socio-economic background and the nature of existing engagement with mining companies already operating in the region.

Jan 1, 2011

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. - Indentured work, sexual slavery, fair trade, organic growing, business ethics, environmental issues, ?Right to know -Right to decide?, AIDS activism, civil society - Balancing stakeholder issues - Government responses Who are the bad guys? Where are the threats?

May 1, 2010

By Dwight Newman

This paper discusses the author?s work identifying international law norms of consultation with indigenous communities and poses a potentially counterintuitive argument that corporate stakeholders? interactions with indigenous communities may have effects on the content of those norms. The claim is counterintuitive because the international law of pertinence is customary international law, which arises from consistent state practice and opinio juris (a belief by states that they are acting in a way they are legally bound to do so). Customary international law traditionally has no reference to corporate conduct per se. The paper first surveys several sources on developing international law on consultation obligations. Then it references the impact these norms can have on corporate stakeholders in industries like mining. Then, it poses an argument as to an economic ratcheting effect that can occur through various agreements between corporate stakeholders and indigenous communities that then feeds through into international law via several mechanisms. The consequences for mining companies are diverse and include the possibility that conduct by one company can have longer-term implications for the obligations of other companies and, indeed, of states. The effects will differ in the context of different competitive environments and may actually have effects on the economics of different competitive models.

Aug 1, 2013

By James E. Brewer

Procedure for approval by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers of a new source of aggregate is in three phases. Phase 1 consists of an investigation of a quarry or proposed quarry by district geologist and laboratory geologist and/or petrographer. The quarry face or suitable outcrop is logged in detail or, if exposures are poor, cores may be taken to determine whether further investigations are warranted. Phase 2 consists of thorough laboratory testing. Cores and crushed material are subjected to a number of acceptance and quality tests for soundness, absorption, abrasion, reactivity, and other properties. Petrographic analysis is also made. Phase 3 is a physical and economic study of the site and involves determining quantity of stone avail- available, amount-and character of overburden, condition of haul roads and distance to rail shipping point, plant flow sheets and capacity, aggregate sizes produced, and approximate price of material at plant.

Jan 1, 1966

By Allison

During the 1980’s, laboratories opened throughout the United States to serve the analysis needs of a rapidly growing asbestos abatement industry. The samples analyzed were either collected during the abatement of known asbestos-containing materials or were suspect asbestos-containing construction materials. Many asbestos analysts received minimal training and used analytical protocols that were industry specific. False positives (reporting a sample as containing asbestos when none is present) went unnoticed or had minor repercussions. The mindset of the industry was to err on the conservative side – it would be better to identify a non-asbestos fiber as asbestos than visa versa. With growing public awareness of the health hazards of asbestos, other materials began to be tested for asbestos content. Rock and ores began to be tested for naturally occurring asbestos by these laboratories using the same protocols or an in-house protocol. Analysts were given no additional training and accreditation, in most cases, it was not required. With no consistency in sample collection, testing protocol or expertise in analysis, significant discrepancies in final results can be expected. If we further complicate this scenario with misidentification of naturally occurring look-a-likes for asbestos, expensive false positives are likely. To avoid the repercussions of misidentification of naturally occurring chrysotile asbestos from look-a-like fibers in rock and ores, correct sampling and analysis protocols with more stringent scientific diagnostic criteria are needed.

Jan 1, 2005

By Francis Pitard

"The optimization of metallurgical processes requires an in-depth understanding of the heterogeneity carried by any constituent of interest. It emphasizes that knowledge of the Theory of Sampling (TOS) is the necessary step to ensure that valuable and valid research programs, pilot plants, feasibility studies, plant design and plant operations have been set on solid foundations. Too many publications today are solely based on the properties of the sample, with no mention of how this sample relates to anything in the environment where it was collected. Unfortunately sampling is an error-generating process that leaves no apparent tracks of its shortcomings. Indeed, it is easier to track down analytical errors than sampling errors. Consequently, bad sampling practices plague the scientific community and the industry and are responsible for severe money losses, unsatisfactory science and processing, and sometimes litigation. A point-by-point strategy is presented addressing sampling problems in early stages of a project. Sampling system requirements for metallurgical accounting and process control are listed. The use of Chronostatistics is suggested to determine if sampling systems are performing satisfactorily and to identify the various types of process variability that may not be easily detected by a conventional inspection of available chronological data. This strategy will help engineering firms, manufacturers, managers and supervisors to provide, install, use and maintain key sampling systems located at very important points in a process. Equipped with the appropriate sampling and statistical tools it becomes easier to minimize reconciliation problems with the mine, with suppliers and with clients. Contrary to the beliefs of many people, good sampling systems are not expensive because in the long run they help to reduce hidden cost and better regulate plant productivity; they most certainly minimize the number of unnecessary meetings looking for solutions where there are none. The suggested strategy will help specialists to extract maximum information from the available data, as large investments and crucial decisions depend on it."

Jan 1, 2014

By J Gresham, A Turichshev

Ore from Henderson’s 7700 Southwest panel cave is transported between the production and truck haulage levels through a series of orepasses. A typical orepass complex consolidates dump points from four production drifts into two long bored raises feeding into a single truckloading chute. The system typically covers a vertical extent of 200 m and a lateral extent of 90 m. In the process of commissioning several initial orepass complexes, challenges with preferential draw in the long bored raises were observed. Preferential draw occurs when one long orepass mobilises much sooner and/or flows significantly faster than the other orepass. This has negative implications for orepass availability in the production drifts. As future mining at Henderson relies on the construction and use of such orepass systems, the development of appropriate design criteria and practical solutions to existing flow problems was necessary.A series of PFC3D numerical models were developed to assist in identifying the factors influencing preferential draw and possible corrective measures. The models helped to identify two primary factors that caused the preferential effect: the relative elevation of the brow at the bottom of each long bored raise, and the location of the bin used to funnel fragmented rock from both raises into the chute. This paper covers the initial design of the orepass complexes at Henderson, results of the numerical models, mitigation work done to date on existing orepass complexes, and design criteria for future construction.CITATION:Gresham, J and Turichshev, A, 2016. Correcting preferential flow problems in long orepass systems at Henderson Mine, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 549–554 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By Joseph Cervik, Fred Garcia

Gob holes are routinely used by the mining industry to vent methane from gobs and to prevent it from entering the mine ventilation system. In some cases, flows from gob holes are measured by centering an anemometer on the end of the discharge pipe. These measurements are erroneous and tend to be high by as much as 30%. The Bureau of Mines determined correction factors (method factors) for anemometer measurements taken in this manner. Method factors for 10.2, 15.2, and 20.3 cm (4, 6, and 8 in) ID pipe are 0.68, 0.71, and 0.78, respectively. Comparisons between horizontal and vertical flows indicated no significant change in method factors. Consequently, the method factors for horizontal pipe flows can be applied to vertical upward flows.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. W. Baldwin

On page 309, column 1, the second equation should read: Ma-M1 = dlog_Pa M2-M1 d log P2

Jan 1, 1961

By Carmel Bofinger, Maureen E. Hassall, David Cliff, Eric Stemn

e Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. A. Herbst, G. E. Agar

Beginning with the second paragraph in the second column of page 148, this paper should read: The Reynolds number in Fig. 6 was calculated from the inlet diam and it is evident from the graph that above NR = 5000 the value of K2 is as it should be, a constant. The data10 shown in Fig. 7 was obtained for fluids flowing in pipes of diam D with sharp edged orifices of diam d. To be consistent with the representation in Fig. 6 the Reynolds number was calculated with the orifice diam d. These two sets of data show similar patterns and the variation in the orifice coefficient C is believed to account for the variability of the cyclone coefficient K2. The values of C given in Table IV are derived from K2 by conversion of units. C more nearly represents an equivalent orifice coefficient for a cyclone. Armstrong1' showed that data reported by Chaston 12 and Elcox13 yielded values for C of 0.24 and 0.27, re- spectively, Dahlstrom's4 data gives a value of 0.22. As a consequence of the variability of the cyclone coefficient some caution must be exercised in substituting for Q in the split size equation.

Jan 1, 1967

By D. W. Fuerstenau

On page 1243, column 1, the first line of the author's reply should read "D. W. Fuerstenau (author's reply)---," rather than D. E., as printed. In the sentence immediately preceding the first equation (page 1243, column 2)' the word "none" was omitted. The sentence should read: "However, if enough ore is put into the mill [so] that none of the energy put into the mill is wasted on metal-to-metal impact, then the product should have size modulus determined by the relation: ..."

Jan 1, 1961

By J. L. Gillson

The word "other" in paragraph 4, line 11, column 1, page 205, should read "over;" the correct version of reason 2, this paragraph, is: 'L. . . 2) to evaluate the usefulness of certain geo-chemical techniques, V. C. Kennedy and S. W. Hobbs of the USGS had already studied the distribution of copper, lead, and zinc in the soils (both in background areas and over veins) and in the water and plants, providing a criterion for measuring the magnitude and effect of soil contamination; ...9 On page 206, in the top left hand corner of Fig. 1 (in the area bounded by 47°35' and 116°10), the reference to Fig. 3 is incorrect. The area of Pine Creek, South Fork Coeur d'Alene River, and portion of Big Creek (the area which includes, from left to right, Kingston, Pinehurst, Smelterville, and Kellogg) should be identified as that of Fig. 2A. The headings for columns 1, 3, and 4, Tables I and 11, page 209, column 2, were reversed when the paper was printed. The corrected tables are:

Jan 1, 1961

Discussion of "The Ordering Transformation in Titanium-Aluminum Alloys Containing up to 25 at. pct Aluminum" by F. A. Crossley, Trans, TMS-AIME, 1968, vol. 242, pp. 726-30. Dr. Blackburn, in his response, pointed out that the c/a ratio of the Ti-26 at. pct A1 alloy quenched from 900°C is 1.6006 and not 1.5965 as plotted in Fig. 19. An error in transcription was made in preparing Table V of Ref. 1 (F. A. Crossley, Trans. TMS-AIME, 1966, vol. 236, p. 1174). The corrected Fig. 19 strengthens rather than weakens the argument that a martensitic transformation occurs in alloys containing from 15 to 18 at. pct Al. A Study of the Factors Which Influence the Rate Minimum Phenomenon During Magnetite Reduction, by P. K. Strangway and H. U. Ross, Trans. TMS-AIME, 1968, vol. 242, pp. 1981-88. Page 1883 Reverse Figs. 5 and 6. Sigma—Its Occurrence, Effect, and Control in Nickel-Base Superalloys, by J. R. Mihalisin, C. G. Bieber, and R. T. Grant, Trans. TMS-AIME, 1968, vol. 242, pp. 2399-2414. Pages 2403, 2407, and 2414 Arrows should appear on Figs. 4 and 9; a sigma is missing from Table IV; line 2, page 2414, change "case" to "cast". These are published correctly in the bound volume. Index, December Issue There were a few omissions in the Author Index. These have been corrected and published properly in the bound volume.

Jan 1, 1970