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By H. C. Voges

The concentration of cassiterite at Iscor's Uis Mine is described, and information is given on aspects of the concentration of iron ore at Thabazimbi and Sishen Mines. At Uis, a very Iow-grade tin ore is concentrated by three-stage jigging, spiral concentration, and tabling to give a high-grade concentrate with a recovery of 80 per cent of the tin. A Iow-grade tantalite-columbite concentrate is also produced. The possibility of recovering mica, the use of sluice boxes instead of spirals, and the recovery of cassiterite from minus 45 µm material are being investigated. At the two iron-ore mines, heavy-medium separation is applied to size fractions larger than 0,5 mm. The types of ferrosilicon and the circuits used for the recovery of ferrosilicon from the various dilute-medium circuits are described. The spiral-concentration plant being installed at Thabazimbi for the treatment of the minus 0,5 mm portion of the ore is described.

Jan 1, 1982

By K. J. Stanaway

Syngenetic concentrations in clastic sediments of valuable mineral particles with specific gravities exceeding that of quartz constitute placer deposits. Two fundamentally different modes of concentration characterize "trap" and "bed" placer variants. Trap placers originate during sediment erosion or reworking. Bed placers form during episodes of sediment accumulation in a variety of depositional environments and lithofacies where mineral supply and fluid dynamics are favorable. Because trap placers are thin and generally limited in area, they rarely yield economic heavy-mineral deposits. They can become economically significant if they contain more valuable "heavies," such as gold, or if they occur within or very close to much larger but characteristically lower-grade bed placers.

Jan 1, 1993

After a discussion of the principles of heavy-mineral enrichment and the sedimentary history of shelf sediments, four models are described that can explain the genesis of heavy-mineral deposits in shelf areas. On the basis of these models, the heavy-mineral potential of most shelf areas is estimated to he significantly lower than the potential of their neighboring coastal plains.

Jan 1, 1991

By Andrew E. Grosz

The United States is dependent on foreign imports for about 80 percent of its ilmenite, about 60 percent of its rutile, and virtually all of its monazite. Nearshore marine sand deposits and beach-complex sediments in the southeastern United States are important domestic sources of ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, zircon, monazite, and a number of other less well known economic heavy-mineral (HM) species. Because global onshore reserves of placer titanium minerals may fall short of demand in as few as 20 years, offshore research in HM placers will become more important. The Atlantic Continental Shelf (ACS) defined by the shoreline and the 200-m isobath varies in width for the modern U.S. coastline from a fraction of a kilometer to about 150 km offshore of Cape Cod, Mass., and includes an area of about 3.91 x 105 km2. It probably contains 3-7 x 1011 m3 of sand and gravel which may locally contain commercially exploitable placer HM deposits.

Jan 1, 1986

"2016 marks an amazing accomplishment in the mining industry as Hecla Mining Company celebrates its 125th anniversary. Mining Engineering sat down with Hecla chief executive officer Phil Baker to gain insight on this tremendous longevity and to get his view on how the company demonstrated persistence, gained perspective and created position for its future.How did Hecla Mining Co. get its start?In 1891, a group of investors formed Hecla Mining Co. to acquire and trade mining claims. No one envisioned at the time that the Coeur d’Alene Mining District would become known as the “Silver Valley” and produce more than 37.2 kt (1.2 billion oz) of silver. Or that Hecla would become the United States’ largest primary silver producer and the last of the pioneer mining companies from this illustrious mining district.What is the origin of the name “Hecla?”That will forever be a bit of a mystery. Some say it was named for an Icelandic volcano. Or that it was the foresight of James Toner, who staked the original claim, that it would go so deep, fulfilling the medieval folklore definition of the word ‘Hekla’ which is the ‘Gateway to Hell.’ I kind of like that one as the Lucky Friday Mine is almost 3.2 km (2 miles) below the surface. It has operated for more than 70 years and has all the markings of being one of only a handful of mines that will exceed 100 years of operations.Is there a common theme, or thread throughout the 125 years?Yes, Hecla has always had a solid core of high-quality and long-lived assets, positioning the company to survive times of low prices and reap the rewards when cycles turn and higher prices are realized. But it is not just assets. Hecla has extraordinary expertise that gives us the perspective of how to acquire, explore, develop and operate mining assets, particularly underground. Hecla is one of the few companies to acquire assets in the last five to six years and we did not have to write down the value of them, which means we paid a fair price for the asset despite the metals price reductions that followed the purchase. And our culture has given us the persistence to develop mines and complete projects despite lower prices. For almost a decade we have been advancing the #4 Shaft project at the Lucky Friday. We will complete this project this year, positioning the mine to operate for decades. We have elected to spend capital on San Sebastian (Durango, Mexico) and Casa Berardi (La Sarre, Quebec, Canada) to start a new mine and increase production, respectively. And we are spending money on new techniques, new equipment and innovations to our operations. Our insistence is on developing for the future, and our persistence in doing so is in contrast to many companies that are reducing investment and shrinking production"

Jun 1, 2016

By G. L. Wilhelm

Prior to the construction of a 450 tpd concentrator at the Mayflower mine, owned by the New Park Mining Co. and operated by the Hecla Mining Co., the common mining methods were cut and fill, with waste or gob filling and square set timbering with waste fill. Stoping operations were beset with the usual problems related to waste filling methods- storage and handling of fill material from development, costly waste excavations necessary to obtain a portion of the needed waste rock, slow mining cycles due to filling and inefficient ground support. After Hecla Mining Co.'s successful utilization of sandfill in its mines in the Coeur d'Alene district, utilization of hydraulic fill in stoping operations at the Mayflower was a logical development of the modernization plan then in progress. The mine, located in the southeasterly part of the Park City mining district, Utah, is a medium size producer of lead and zinc ores, with gold, silver and copper as secondary minerals. The mine has been producing commercial ore since 1939 from a dual vein system which outcrops at an elevation of 7200 ft in the Wasatch Range. Access to the present mining areas is gained by a 7200-ft haulage tunnel and by an interior, three-compartment main shaft. The present mining horizons are about 2400 ft deep. The average horizontal cut and fill stopes, ranging from 3-15 ft wide and up to 120 ft long, can be classed as small.

Jan 5, 1968

By John T. Langstaff

Rock bursts in the deep metal mines of the Coeur d’Alene district present an ever increasing problem in the safe and economic mining of the district’s silver, lead and zinc ores. Hecla Mining Company operates two mines in the district - the Star, a 1100-ton/day lead-zinc mine, and the Lucky Friday, a 750-ton/day silver- lead mine. Rock burst problems at both operations prompted Hecla management to make an all-out attempt to find a practical method of predicting and eventually controlling these bursts. Research by personnel from the Denver Research Center of the Bureau of Mines at ASARCO's Galena Mine indicated that a recognizable pattern of seismic activity preceded some bursts and this activity could be precisely monitored by present- day, off-the-shelf electronic devices. Using information gained by the Bureau and other sources, Hecla designed and installed a 24,- channel seismic monitoring system in the Lucky Friday mine. Installation was completed in December 1973 and after a year of successful operation, it was decided that a similar system would be installed in the Star mine. This second installation was completed in June 1975. Both systems are now operating and providing continuous information on underground seismic activity. Each monitoring system consists of a network of geophones with attendant amplifiers that are connected by shielded cable through an interfacing device to a computer. The origin of each seismic event is determined by the computer and a three-dimensional location is printed out. This information is plotted daily and is used to pinpoint rock burst prone areas and chart their relative seismic activity. This paper will review the causes and effects of rock bursts in the Coeur d'Alene district, the equipment and operation of the microseismic system at the Star and Lucky Friday mines, and the results obtained to date.

Jan 1, 1977

By M. Board, C. Alexander, M. Ramström, W. Johnson

"Hecla - Lucky Friday is an underground mine that has been in operation for 75 years and produces from depths over 2.3 kilometers (7,500 ft) below the surface. Technical issues at this depth include high rock temperature and seismicity. The use of new innovative mechanization is being examined for ore production. Principal advantages of mechanization are the reduced exposure of personnel, reduced seismic triggers, and increased efficiency. Lucky Friday has partnered with Atlas Copco to design, build, test, and deploy a mechanical miner for primary ore production. We will discuss the background, concept, development and deployment strategy for a mechanical miner. BACKGROUND The Coeur d’Alene mining district in northern Idaho was first discovered over 130 years ago and has been the most prolific silver producer in the US. The Lucky Friday mine of Hecla Mining Company (Figure 1) is the oldest (76 years) and deepest mine in the district, producing approximately 725 tonne per day (800 tons per day) from narrow, vertical lead-zinc-silver veins. Cut and fill stoping is currently employed at depths to about 2.3 km (7,500 ft) below ground surface, making it one of the three deepest mines in the western hemisphere. The #4 Shaft, a winze collared at approximately 1.8 km (5,900 ft) below surface and extending to a depth of nearly 2.9 km (9,600 ft), was recently completed to exploit the high-grade 30 Vein, whose resource has been identified to at least 3 km (9,700 ft) in depth.As with other deep mines worldwide, a number of challenging engineering issues occur, including: high in situ rock stress, squeezing ground, seismicity, high in situ rock temperature that requires refrigeration, diesel equipment that generates diesel particulate matter (DPM) requiring high ventilation airflow rates, and long travel times for worker transport to mining areas."

Jan 1, 2018

By J. P. Fitzgerald

This paper is an accumulation of information on the geology, mineralogy and mining of the Hectorite clay deposit owned by NL Chemicals (U.S.A.), Inc. The mine is located in San Bernardino County, California approximately 35 miles east of Barstow and 1-1/2 miles south of U.S. Highway 40. The region is known as the Mojave Block which is a region bound by the San Andreas fault zone to the southeast and the Garlock fault zone to the North. The faults of both zones are active, vertical faults along which movements are mainly horizontal. Most of the faults within the Mojave Block are high angle faults which trend northwest. They are considered part of the San Andreas fault system and are a result of the right- lateral movement characteristic of this system. The east-trending faults are also high angle faults, along which movement has displaced rock units vertically. Manix fault is the only mapped fault that shows evidence of left slip which is characteristic of the Garlock sys tem to the North.

Jan 1, 1986

By I. Edgar Odom

Hectorite is a rare magnesium-lithium clay mineral that occurs at many places in the McDermitt caldera of Nevada-Oregon. Commercial development of several high purity deposits began in 1986. The hectorite that was precipitated in a lake environment formed after the collapse of the McDermitt caldera. Hectorite beds and lenses are associated with volcanic sediments, limestones, dolomites, zeolites and locally sandy bentonites. The high purity deposits appear to be associated with hydrothermal areas. The hectorite consists of extremely small, flake-shaped crystals. Calcium (Ca) is the predominant exchangeable ion. Its color ranges from white to light green. Commercial uses include high-brightness, magnesium-aluminum-silicate (MAS) products, organophilic clays, pulp retention and ceramics. The MAS is used as a suspending agent, binder, stabilizer and thixotrope in aqueous solutions for cosmetics, household cleaners, pharmaceuticals and miscellaneous industrial applications. Hectorite-based organophilic clays are used in printing inks and paints. The McDermitt caldera complex is located astride the Nevada-Oregon boundary west of the town of McDermitt, NV (Fig. 1). The structural complex is elliptical in shape, extending about 43 km (27 miles) north-south and 34 km (21 miles) east-west. This area was the site of extensive volcanism during the Miocene (24 to 18 million years). The complex consists of five overlapping calderas with the oldest at the south end of the complex (Rytuba et al., 1979). Each of the vent areas collapsed and is marked by a ring fracture zone. The ring fractures around the outer boundary of the caldera complex are shown in [Fig.1].

Jan 1, 1992

By I. E. Odom

The rare magnesium-lithium clay mineral hectorite occurs at many places in the McDermitt caldera of Nevada-Oregon. Commercial development of several high purity deposits began in 1986. The hectorite was precipitated in a lake environment formed after collapse of the McDermitt caldera. Hectorite beds and lenses are associated with volcaniclastic sediments, limestones, dolomites, zeolites and locally sandy bentonites. The high purity deposits appear to be associated with hydrothermal areas. The hectorite consists of extremely small flake-shaped crystals, and Ca is the predominant exchangeable ion. Its color ranges from white to light green. Commercial uses developed to date include high brightness magnesium aluminum silicate products, organophilic clays, pulp retention, and ceramics. The MAS is used as a suspending agent, binder, stabilizer and thixotrope in aqueous solutions for cosmetics, household cleaners, pharmaceuticals and miscellaneous industrial applications. Organoclays are used in printing inks and paints.

Jan 1, 1992

By Malcolm Wills

Hedges Gold Pty. Ltd. mines and processes a lateritic gold orebody approximately 120 km south east of Perth in the Darling plateau. The operation is approximately 26 km from the town of Boddington and 31 km from the town of Dwellingup. Hedges operates under The Western Australian Environmental Protection Act, Licence Number 3183. Presently, nine Limitations and Conditions are applicable to the tailings dam. These conditions apply to maximum discharge/disposal quantity permitted. Hedges mine is located in state Forest within the eastern, low rainfall section of the Darling Range and within the waler catchment area of the Murray River. Ore is carted by 120 tonne haulpacks to the plant. The plant and tailings dam is on private farm land some six kms from the mine.

Jan 1, 1992

South Africa remains the largest global producer of gold, accounting for 11.3 per cent of total world mine production, which amounted to 2520.2 t in 2005. The benefits and disadvantages associated with hedging practices in general, and among South African gold producers is examined. The wide variety and unique nature of risks faced by the mining industries provide a strong case for hedging. Only the principles of hedging, such as selling ounces of gold in the ground at a pre-agreed price for delivery at a future date as a cost-effective mechanism for price risk management, is discussed. Progressive and cumulative increases in the volume of forward sales in the major producing countries are considered by many to be the cause of the declining gold price over the past decade. In spite of negative publicity, forward selling continued as an industry-wide practice until recently (2002) when the global hedge book contracted by 352 t; contraction amounted to 158.6 t in first quarter of 2006. The objectives and benefits of hedging include continuity and stability of cash flows, stability in price achieved, reduction of frictional costs, and creating an effective management tool. The importance of a defined hedging strategy in reducing uncertainty about the hedging objectives is essential to a successful hedging policy. Historical patterns in hedging revenues at an industry level indicate five distinct periods during which the fortunes of hedgers have fluctuated. Finally, since 2001 the rising gold price and reduced price volatility through the consolidation in the global price means that the need to stabilize revenue flows is less urgent. This has meant that hedging is becoming progressively less important for the mining industry at large.

Jan 1, 2007

By C. M. Young

THE safety lamp is the most common and convenient apparatus for detecting inflammable gases in mines, the presence of gas being shown by a blue flame, called the cap, if the wick has been lowered to suppress the luminous flame. The height of the cap increases with the proportion of gas and with the temperature of the lamp flame. Lamps of the Wolf type, the fuel of which is benzine, have a hotter flame than lamps in which vegetable oils are used, such as the Davy, and the Clanny, and are more sensitive than the latter and their many modifications. The Piehler alcohol lamp gives a still higher cap while the Clowes hydrogen lamp is most sensitive of all. While the effect of the temperature of the source of ignition is well known, the writer knows of no previous attempt to correlate the change of this temperature with change of the height of the cap produced. In order to determine the height of the cap at various temperatures, it was necessary to have a source of ignition the temperature of which could he accurately controlled over a considerable range. This condition was met by a coil of wire of high fusing point heated by an electric current controlled by a variable resistance. The use of a coil offered the further advantage of freedom from complications due to the flame of a burning fuel. Such a flame, being itself of variable height, would to some extent raise or lower the elevation of the base of the cap and therefore add to the difficulty of determining the height of the cap. Besides this, the presence of a small cap from the lamp fuel, commonly known as the "fuel cap, " would interfere with the observation of small gas caps. After some experiment, a coil was made of platinum wire, No. 26, diameter 0.016 in. The coil was 17/64 in. (6.746 mm.) in outside diameter and had eight full turns in a length of ½ in. (12.69 mm.). This was connected to an electric circuit through an adjustable resistance, as shown in

Jan 8, 1919

E. B. WILSON, Scranton, Pa. (written 'discussion *).-Prof. Young's paper shows another application of electricity in solving problems in coal mining, and suggests that it may be possible to utilize the data he has collected in developing an electric firedamp detector. If electric lamps are to be adopted in gassy coal mines, the use of an electric firedamp detector becomes almost imperative, for safety lamps and electric lamps in the same mine are not always conducive to safety, and Liveings electric firedamp detector, is too cumbersome to meet with general approval. Three well understood facts are verified in a new way by Prof. Young's experiments: - 1. The temperature at which methane ignites. 2. The more inflammable gas present in an atmosphere, the hotter will be the flame, and the longer the cap in a safety lamp. 3. As the temperature at the source of ignition varies, the length of the gas-cap flame varies. Prof. H. B. Dixon collaborating with Mr. H. F. Coward, some years ago, made experiments on the ignition of various gases to find the tem-perature of their kindling points.1 From the results of their experiments, the writer has culled the ignition temperatures of some hydrocarbon gases, and has tabulated them with other data, in Table 1.

Jan 10, 1919

H. G. DAVIS, * Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (written discussion ? ).-The only practical method of testing mine air for gas, until recent years, was by the effect of the gas on the flame of the ordinary Davey Lamp, and it is quite surprising how nearly the correct percentage of gas can be deter-mined by many men by observing the behavior of the safety-lamp flame in the different mixtures. Mine foremen frequently guess the percentage of gas to within 0.1 per cent., making certain allowances to cover the dust-laden atmosphere, in which the test was made. It is not meant by this that anthracite dust is explosive, but that its properties increase the length of a fuel cap on an ordinary oil-burning lamp, which, as Prof. -Young contends, increases in height with the proportion of gas and in-creased temperature. Naphtha or benzine-burning lamps have a hotter flame, and, there-fore, are more sensitive so that a smaller percentage of gas can be detected. Some of the fire bosses in this region some years ago preferred the Koehler lamp, while others did not care to use it in their morning examinations. In 1911, when the experimental mine of the Bureau of Mines at Bruce-ton, Pa., was being prepared to be exploded, a large number of mining men went through it to examine the entries, which were lighted by electricity. While so doing, they saw in the face-return-airway a Koehler or Wolfe lamp, that seemed to he burning with difficulty. An investigation showed that the lamp had been filled to overflowing with naphtha and was generating this surplus gas. This shows how easily we can be

Jan 11, 1919

By Heinrich Oscar Hofman

IN THE death of Professor Hofman who was born on Aug. 13, 1852 and died on April 28, 1924, the world has lost a great metallurgist and a great author of metallurgical literature. Measured in time his life was not quite seventy-two years, but measured in work accomplished it was much longer than this. It is not surprising that Dr. Hofman became a great scholar for his father, Karl Hofman, was on the faculty of Heidelberg University, and his early days were spent in these surroundings. He studied in the University under such men as Kirchoff and Bunsen and often spoke of the intimate relations he had with them. Following his course at Heidelberg, he studied at the Clausthal Mining Academy where he graduated with honors, receiving the degrees of Mining Engineer and Metallurgical Engineer in 1877.

Jan 1, 1924

By Jennifer L. Bell, PATRICK L. YORIO, Emily J. Haas, Susan M. Moore, Lee A. Greenawald

Although researchers have struggled to replicate Heinrich’s safety triangle findings (Heinrich 1931) for various reasons (e.g., no access to his original database and it is unclear if the database was of a single establishment/operation or for an entire industry), the occupational safety community has continued to adopt and expand the applications of this theory (e.g., McSween 2003). Within the mining industry, the potential exists for operations and companies to use concepts from the safety triangle as a way to inform or challenge the practices employed within their health and safety management systems (HSMS) to prevent incidents (Backlund 2016). This paper considers data obtained from the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s databases and demonstrates the validity of applying the safety triangle theory at the mine level. The results support the use of this theory and demonstrate that lower severity incidents can predict fatalities in a subsequent year where significant nuances and caveats to applying the theory are identified and discussed.

Jul 25, 2020

By J MacDiarmid

Atlas Copco is a leading provider of industrial productivity solutions (Atlas Copco, 2007) and one of the worldÆs largest suppliers of rock drilling equipment. The business division of Atlas Copco Construction and Mining Technique is based in +rebro, Sweden with the majority of their equipment produced in a number of facilities within the area. As part of the 2006 AusIMM/Atlas Copco Scholarship I was fortunate enough to visit these facilities to experience first hand this truly unique global company. Through numerous presentations on the various divisions and products manufactured by the company, I saw the broad range of products and services offered by the company and came to realise it is much more than just selling drills. Other highlights included a brief love affair, a tour of EuropeÆs largest underground mine (or factory depending who you ask), a drink at the ice bar at the ice hotel in JukkasjSrvi, and a number of dinners of reindeer. Overall this it was a truly amazing experience with all involved with the program going out of their way to ensure I got the most out of the trip. More importantly, through no effort at all, everyone naturally conveyed their passion for the industry and the company which is a great credit to the æAtlas Copco WayÆ thereby creating a company æcommitted to your superior productivity through interaction and innovationÆ.

Jan 1, 2007

By AIME AIME

MONDAY, Feb. 21, evokes memories of the Silver Corridor at the Waldorf to be recalled and reflected upon for time to come when thoughts drift to the Annual Meeting of 1944. Crowded though it was, on occasion there lurked in the mind's eye a vision of what might have been had the 2886 persons who put in an appearance at one time or another milled around in the lobby of 29 West 39th Street. Some confusion resulted from difficulty in locating meeting rooms, but for the most part everyone found what he wanted. The usual bulletin board of members registered was missing this year and rumor has it that tile Waldorf didn't approve. Registration broke all previous records with many a busy engineer realizing that the program had something to offer that would be of use in his particular job. It might be noted here that "Arpad" co-operated nicely, previewing spring days on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; Tuesday was a bit damp.

Jan 1, 1944