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By Roussos Dimitrakopoulos, Liam Findlay

Semimobile in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) systems can help reduce truck haulage in openpit mines by bringing the crusher closer to the excavation areas. Optimizing a production schedule with semimobile IPCC requires integrating extraction sequence, destination policy, crusher relocation, conveyor layout and truck fleet investment decisions. A mining complex with multiple mines and IPCC systems should be optimized simultaneously to find an optimal schedule for the entire value chain. An integrated stochastic optimization framework is proposed to produce long-term production schedules for mining complexes using multiple semimobile IPCC systems. The optimization model has flexibility to select the crusher locations and conveyor routes from anywhere inside the pits. The framework uses simulated orebody realizations to consider multielement grade uncertainty and manage associated risk. A hybrid metaheuristic solution approach based on simulated annealing and evolutionary algorithms is implemented. The method is demonstrated using an iron ore mining complex

Nov 1, 2024

By Percival T. J

Precious metal deposits containing fine-grained disseminated or dispersed gold-silver form by reactions between metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids and sedimentary host rocks. Host rock permeability and chemical composition exert a primary influence on the fluid movement necessary for any primary dispersion halos to form around ore bodies, and determine whether a disseminated style orebody itself will even form. Where the mineralized rocks are relatively unfractured the margins of the orebodies exhibit abrupt decreases in gold content, and strong corresponding decreases in the contents of other metals. Primary dispersion patterns of this type are difficult to recognize and commonly are only a few meters (or less) in width. If the host rocks were well shattered and broken before mineralization, remnant amounts of the hydrothermal fluids may be dissipated in fractures lateral to or above the ore zones. This causes geochemical anomalies to form with clays and silt- size silica within the fractures over distances of up to at least 30-50 meters away from the main orebodies. The tendency for large primary dispersion halos not to form around these deposits explains the disappointing results from so many drilling programs where no multi-gram gold-grade material was even found: if large areas and apparent large volumes of rock contain one gram or less gold that likely is the "orebody" and not a halo effect around high grade mineralization.

Jan 1, 1988

By G. R. Baiden

Introduction The introduction of teleremote systems to underground mining can provide a significant improvement in the performance of a mine when compared with conventional mining techniques. This paper presents the concepts of teleremote mining in a case study showing how the systems work and the competitive advantage autonomation of mining techniques will provide for underground metal mining operations into the future. This paper is divided into two sections: the Mining Automation Program and What is next? On January 1st 1996 Inco Limited, Tamrock Oy, DYNO Explosives Group and CANMET formed a consortium for the development of teleremote mining equipment called the ‘Mining Automation Program’ or MAP. This program included a five-year research and development agreement that combines the talents of the above organizations to create mining equipment and systems for autonomating mining. The projects are based on the communication system currently sold and marketed by Automated Mining Systems Limited. The main components of the program investigated the development of a positioning and navigation module, autonomated systems using teleremote techniques for development and stoping, and software systems to support the use of this equipment. The program included the establishment of a test mine, at Inco’s 175 Orebody near Copper Cliff North Mine. This facility was unique allowing collaboration of companies and research organizations inthe design and testing of techniques and equipment used to apply autonomation to mining. Since the inception of the project other research alliances have been added to enhance the program. These include the application of ground support (Meyco/ Master Builders), muck pile recognition, the broadening of telecommunications links (PRECARN Associates Inc.-MALTA project) and the collection and processing of drilling core through the automated diamond drilling project (J.K.S. Boyles). MAP began as an idea a number of years ago with the fundamental question ‘Can an ore-body be profitably mined through autonomation?’ The concept was to design mining equipment and systems that would allow the teleremote operation of a mine. Automation was only one componentof this much larger teleremote mining issue. To start with, it was essential to prove or disprove the feasibility of this concept. The fundamental requirements are: • Telecommunications • Positioning • Navigation • Equipment • Software • Electronics • Mining Engineering • Organization. Each of these had to be considered. Technically, the feasibility of the project hinged on the successful development of a high capacity communication network, an accurate underground positioning system, a navigation system and finally the electronics and software that could integrate these. Mining equipment that could perform all the mining functions was the next requirement, along with explosive supplies that could be delivered to the holes teleremotely. Whatever the systems developed, they must be able to work in both bulk and selective mining situations and in varying conditions within a mine. Finally, the organizational issues of a change from our current method of operation to teleremote mining had to be understood. After five years of research and development the answer to the question ‘Can an orebody be profitably mined using autonomation techniques?’ is YES! There are still hurdles to overcome, however, the basic premise has been proven. The development and production of underground tunnels and stopes has been done. There have been interesting outcomes in terms of reduced effort to accomplish mining and the total time to mine. Definitions •Automationis the process by which a machine or system is run continuously including the ability for the system to self-correct. •Autonomationis the same as automation except that the process does not self-correct. •Teleremote operation is the operation of mining equipment over a network from any location out of line-of-sight of the machine. •Equipment Automationis the addition of technology to a machine that allows for unmanned operation of a machine and thus enhances the productivity of the operator. For example, a guidance system that allows a load-haul-dump to drive by itself, thus freeing the operator for other tasks. •Teleremote mining describes a mine process that combines the use of teleremote operation (potentially with some automation), positioning and process engineering, monitoring and control. •Tamrock DataSoloTMis a computerized drilling rig as shown in Figure 1. •Tamrock DataMini™ is a computerized development drill rig used for drifting and construction tunneling as shown in Figure 2.•Tamrock Toro 450™ is a LHD (Figure 3).

Sep 1, 2001

The products of Lower Miocene calc- alkaline activity on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand are described and contrasted with coeval rocks of the northern North Island. These rocks, the Eastern Volcanic Belt (EVB), occur in four main centres aligned north-west to south east as either plutonic/hyabyssal bodies or as agglomeratic piles and dyke intrusions. Significantly the plutonic members always occur to the north-west of the volcanic members, probably indicative of differential uplift along faults (upthrown to the north) aligned perpendicular to the EVB. A full basalt-rhyolite (diorite-granodiorite/ adamellite) spectrum is represented, with a temporal progression towards the silica-rich endmembers indicated by cross-cutting field relationships. Modal mineralogy parallels this trend, consisting of two-pyroxene, hornblende, biotite, quartz/alkali feldspar modal assemblages, and with rare occurrences of olivine and garnet-bearing volcanic phases. Chemically the EVB is medium-K, calc-alkaline (with respect to AFM and total-Fe/MgO vs. Si02 indices) and quartz and hypersthene normative. The thirty two available K-Prisotope dates indicate that activity was largely confined to the Lower Miocene (24Ma-16Ma), with an apparent younging towards the south east. Initial B7Sr/e Sr ratios (0.70335- 0.70679) are indicative of a continental- arc-type setting, however it is unlikely that a straightforward tectonic reconstruction for this part, of the Pacific Margin is possible. Evidence from xenoliths, both petrologic and isotope, within EVB magmas and from regional geologic studies suggests that hypotheses pertaining to a volcanic arc sited over a subduction zone may hold little relevance in this case. The review concludes that the EVB developed from the partial melting of a geochemically evolved lower crust as indicated by xenolith evidence. This occurred in response to thickening initiated by a short-lived obductive event in the uppermost Oligocene, and controlled spatially by pre-existing basement structure. Intra-suite chemical and mineralogic variation reflects not only crustal variability, but localized differences in physico-chemical conditions best illustrated by the rare occurrences of olivine and garnet.

Jan 1, 1987

By L Abrahamsson

The aim with this paper is to discuss experiences from the ongoing research project ‘Attract: A roadmap to attractive, inclusive, and safe mining workplaces’. The project’s aim is to analyse possibilities, effects, and consequences of the green and digital transformation in the Swedish mining industry from workplace, socio-technical and gender equality perspectives. The research project (2022–2025) at Human Work Science at Luleå University of Technology is financed by the strategic innovation program Swedish Mining Innovation (a joint venture by the national research funds Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency). The project includes a multidisciplinary research group of five senior researchers and five PhDstudents and a broad repertoire of methods, eg literature reviews, qualitative interviews with both managers and workers, workplace observations, workshops, surveys, and project seminars where the researchers and the company representatives together analyse the results. One important part of the project is the applied approach where the researchers work together with two mining companies and one subcontractor company. The project has two parallel main subprojects.

Sep 1, 2024

By Anna Fonseca

The concept of alteration indicator minerals is presented to aid in identifying the ideal spectral sensor and processing for alteration vectoring. Exploration geologists commonly struggle to understand the technical specifications of remote sensing and field portable spectral systems. This often results in the selection of spectral systems that are inadequate for the metallogenic environment of interest, and in a myriad of processed imagery that rest uninteligible and unused.

May 1, 2008

By M. J. DeMarco

Beginning in late 1985 and continuing through 1987, Bureau of Mines personnel investigated longwall chain pillar and entry design in two-and three-entry gate-road systems at a deep underground coal mine located in central Utah. To evaluate their respective stability characteristics, four chain pillars and two longwall panels within the two separate entry systems were instrumented with Bureau of Mines hydraulic borehole pressure cells to continuously monitor vertical and horizontal pillar and panel stresses through adjacent panel retreat. In addition, supplemental entry closure information was obtained from sites located in the vicinity of the instrumented pillars. The findings presented in this report demonstrate the practicality of evaluating mine pillar stability using in situ methods and support three significant conclusions regarding ground control aspects of the investigated two-entry system: (1) Total areal entry loading was considerably less for the two-entry system, as opposed to the three-entry system, (2) a smaller percentage of opened ground in the two-entry system contributed to a marked reduction in roof falls, and (3) lower areal loading in the two-entry system suggests improved ground conditions when mining the underlying seam.

Jan 1, 1988

By R. C. Newell

The primary objective of this study was to establish the fate and distribution of material rejected during marine aggregate dredging, and the extent to which this is associated with spatial changes in biological community composition. Two actively dredged sites in the southern North Sea (Licence Areas 430 and 106) were selected in order to provide a comparison of impacts between sites subjected to different levels of dredging intensity and of contrasting environmental conditions. Dispersal of material rejected during the dredging process was monitored by means of acoustic doppler current profiling techniques (ADCP). Composition of the substratum and benthic invertebrate assemblages were investigated by the analysis of seabed grab samples. It was found that dredging in both areas had an impact on seabed bathymetry in the form of dredge furrows and also led to a reduction of the coarse gravel-sized components of the worked area. Sand sized particles were shown to increase in the surface deposits of both dredged areas. This is likely to reflect both the removal of coarse particles as cargo and the settlement of finer particles rejected during overboard screening. Dispersion and settlement profiles of material rejected by dredging vessels suggested that the majority of the suspended sediment load resulting from overboard screening settles to the seabed within 500 m. Some evidence of suspended sediment loads above background levels were noted at distances of up to 2 km from the working vessel. Analysis of the particle size composition of the deposits, along the axis of transport of material from the dredged sites, suggested that the impact on the sediment composition outside the boundaries of the dredged sites is dependent on the strength and direction of net sediment flux at the seabed. Benthic invertebrate communities within the dredged zones of both areas were found to differ significantly from communities in nearby undredged deposits. A major suppression of species richness and abundance was noted in the dredged sectors of both sites when compared to control locations. A ?footprint? of potential impact on the benthic fauna was noted in samples taken along the axis of sediment transport at distances of up to 1750m outside the boundaries of Area 430. In contrast, impacts on benthic community structure at Area 106 appeared to be confined to the immediate vicinity of the dredged zone itself. This apparent difference in impacts, beyond the boundaries of the dredged sectors between the two study sites, was thought to be a reflection of the smaller quantities of material rejected at Area 106 and the weak seabed sediment flux which is characteristic of this area. These findings, along with those of numerous dredging impacts studies, were then used to make generalised predictions of macrobenthic community recovery following marine aggregate extraction in a variety of seabed habitats.

Jan 1, 2004

By Abdulhadi H. M, Soliman S. A

The Western Desert of Egypt is a part of the arid Great Sahara of Africa which extends from the Nile Valley in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. It is covered by a sedimentary sequence of Mezozoic and Teriary rocks. Recently this part of the country (about 65% of its surface area) has attracted an increasing attention in the plan of finding new agricultural and industrial communities outside the crowded Nile Valley. The plan aims to reduce the high population density in the narrow Nile Valley and to cover a considerable part of the increasing food demands in the country of Egypt. Accordingly, the groundwater exploration work in the Western Desert has been remarkably increased in the last decade, however it is still limited compared with the vast area of the Desert. The present work is a part of the groundwater exploration in the 6th October City, a new community located at 40kms west of Cairo. The rock exposures belong to a sedimentary stratigraphic section starting from the Cretaceous in the east to the Pliocene in the west. The Cretaceous outcrops due east are attributed to an almost N-S uplift and forms a thick massive limestone plateau which separates the present area from the Nile Valley. The Teriary section in the west have alternations of different porous formations such as the sands and sandstones which may acquire a good potentiality of groundwater resources. The previous groundwater exploration work included combined geological and geophysical investigations followed by exploration drilling. Although the area lies directly to the west of the Nile Valley, the discovered groundwater is saline and located at deeper reserviores compared with the groundwater in the Nile Valley. This groundwater was described as marine fossile water by the oil companies working in the Western Desert. From the geological point of view, it is believed that the Cretacious massive limestone plateau, in the east, roots to a depth which far exceeds the groundwater levels in the Nile Valley and acts as an impervious barrier between the aquifers in the Nile Valley and the area under investigations.

Jan 1, 1988

By Klaydison Silva, Pedro Silva, Letícia Damet

The current situation of the global mining economy is increasingly focused on the utilization of materials previously discarded in the mining process. The waste from the past, through new processing routes, is gaining new contours for use as high-value-added products. The strategic mine planning process has consequently had to adapt to the new economic reality. In standard scenarios, the focus was primarily on mine sequencing aimed at the highest economic return, with all infrastructure allocated as a necessity of mining. This work aims, in strategic planning, to configure and select the best composition of mining structures. The entire Mine-Plant-Waste-Tailings-Products chain will be considered as a factor in the sequencing of a multimine complex, to achieve the most sustainable utilization of the current mines’ waste. The sequencing is based on concurrent flows of process configurations and capacities, structure sharing, and flexibility of feed types. These factors will guide the sequencing, which will be constrained by components such as waste and tailings disposal rates, lithology feed relationships, and especially product composition through market specifications, all while respecting product shipping capacities.

Feb 22, 2026

By Stephen Hall

Introduction Marine Autonomous Systems are making rapid progress from their early years as research tools for university departments & government institutes into having a growing number of real-world applications for industry, academia, statutory inspection, data acquisition and defence. Deep sea mining offers a distinct set of challenges that are very well suited to autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and to a lesser extent for autonomous surface vehicles. Deeper, smarter, more capable Global demand for rare earth metals and high-grade ore will inevitably lead to exploitation of deep ocean resources as terrestrial reserves become depleted or remain unavailable for political or environmental reasons. Winning production licenses from the international seabed authority and especially gaining public trust to undertake deep sea mining activities and licenses will depend upon high quality pre-exploitation scientific surveys of the sea floor ecosystem, and subsequent monitoring of the impact of mining activity and remediation work. The actual area covered by the seabed mining operation may be quite small in terms of square kilometres, but still larger than can be patrolled by tethered ‘eyeball’ class Remote Operated Vehicles, so multi-spectral inspection, assessment and monitoring will be more effective when carried out by untethered AUVs. By using seabed recharging stations and data upload points the AUV can stay in situ in the deep ocean, rather than be repeatedly brought back to the surface.

Jan 1, 2018

By John Hartlen

"The 19th century was an ""age of gold"" and Nova Scotia experienced its share of early gold rushes. Gold mining activity in the province was focussed into three ""rushes"" which occurred, approximately, in the 1860s, 1890s and 1930s; a total recovery of 1.1 million oz. Au has been recorded. The purpose of this note is simply to chronicle the technical development of gold mining and processing in the province and to comment briefly on the recently renewed interest in this precious metal. The first public discovery of gold in Nova Scotia was made by a farmer in 1860 at Old Tangier or Mooseland, and this find sparked the province's first gold rush. The mining and milling methods of the 1860s were ingenious. Initially, arrastras, crude stone-hewn grinding mills, drawn by men, mules or horses, were widely used. Nova Scotia's first conventional stamp mill was installed at Mooseland by 1862; it was comprised of four wooden stamps and is believed to have been imported from Scotland. One of the largest waterwheels of the 1860s, reportedly 16 feet in diameter and 8 feet wide with a SO-horsepower rating, was used in the Renfrew Gold District to drive gold stamps. Steam power was also employed, and many of the engines were of native construction, as was the unit at Waverley's Lake Major Company, which had a piston 1 foot in diameter by 12 feet long and was connected to a 16-ftdiameter flywheel."

Jan 1, 1999

By Gregory Beckstrom

"During a year of challenges in the mining industry, two groups collaborated Aug. 17- 20 for a joint conference on industrial minerals of the Upper Midwest. Hosted in Minneapolis, MN, the 4th Annual SME Twin Cities technical conference and the 51st Annual Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals (FGIM) drew attendees from throughout the United States and Canada.Highlights of the event included a one-day field trip on Aug. 17 to a crushed stone and gravel mining and processing operations near the Twin Cities, followed by a visit to a historic mine tunnel within the St. Peter sandstone formation. The latter was used as a speakeasy during America’s prohibition era. A two-day field trip on Aug. 19-20 made stops in central and northeastern Minnesota at a granite quarry and processing plant, a peat harvesting and packaging plant, an iron mine and taconite processing plant, and a silica sand storage and loading operation. In a nod to one of Minnesota’s celebrated luminaries, the group also stopped in Hibbing to visit the boyhood home of Robert Allen Zimmerman, better known to the rest of the world as Bob Dylan.A full-day technical program featuring talks on environmental impacts of silica sand mining, regulatory updates, mine land reclamation and methods for identifying construction material failures (alkali-silica reaction) was bookended by the two field trips.According to Minnesota state geologist Harvey Thorleifson, the keynote speaker of the technical program, “This joint SME and Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals conference is a reflection of the important role of the mining industry in society, of the important role that partnerships play, and of the prominence of industrial minerals on the Twin Cities region and iron ore on a national scale.” He added, “While this is a tough year for the mining industry in the region, we are confident in the strength of the profession and the industry in the medium term, as we anticipate a superb SME national conference in Minneapolis in 2018.”"

Jan 1, 2015

By DIONISSIOS T. HRISTOPULOS, JUAN DIAZ, Kray Luxbacher, Steven Schafrik, Zach Agioutantis

Explosions in underground mining due to methane gas have been the leading cause of incidents and fatalities in the mining industry. The main objective of this research is to develop a forecasting methodology for methane gas emissions based on time series analysis. Methane time series data were retrieved from atmospheric monitoring systems (AMS) of three underground coal mines in the United States. The AMS data were preprocessed and statistically evaluated to explore the potential autocorrelation of methane gas. It was concluded that the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time series model used in the one-step-ahead forecasting mode provides accurate estimates that match the increase or decrease of the methane gas emission data.

Feb 1, 2023

By William Gleason

There was a time, not too long ago, when the most daunting challenges facing those in the mining and mineral processing industries could be solved through better technologies and better practices. But now the challenges that come from the actual acts of mining and processing are just part of the bigger picture. SME?s Colorado Section of the Mineral Processing Division (MPD) hosted its 63rd annual meeting at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, April 25-27 and, while the conference had its fair share or mineralolgy and processing presentations that were heavy on the technical side of things, this year?s conference was also focused on the issues of permitting, regulation compliance and legislative issues. The so-called ?softer? issues, that, if not addressed, can lead to very real and very hard challenges. Under the theme ?Mine your own business - permits, startups, expansions and resources,? even the most dedicated metallurgists were drawn into the discussions of politics and legislation, and how those issues affect their business. Fittingly, Colorado Mining Association (CMA) president Stuart Sanderson was honored with the Arthur C. Daman Lifetime Achievement Award. Sanderson, an outspoken proponent for the mining industry in Colorado and beyond, also presented the keynote address to the lunch crowd where he spoke about framing public opinion toward mining and the efforts of the CMA to move the public opinion dial in a direction more favorable to mining. Sanderson explained that Colorado, once a Republican stronghold, turned after 2002 and now is controlled by Democrats who are traditionally less supportive of the mining industry. Sanderson said the deciding factor in the power shift was money, as supporters of Democrats outspent Republicans in the most recent election cycles. CMA has done its part to keep mining going in the state with a broad marketing campaign that was outlined by Sanderson.

Aug 1, 2013

By Chee Theng

"In 2013, Coeur Mining had more than $55 million in general and administrative (G&A) costs and less than $100 million in cash flow. This year, its G&A costs stand at $30 million, down by more than 40 percent, its all-in sustaining costs have shrunk by more than 30 percent, and its cash flow is above $200 million. To realize this, the company aggressively reduced both its corporate overhead cost and operating cost and repaid more than $300 million in debt.The more robust balance sheet meant the precious-metals producer was well positioned to reap the rewards of an upsurge in commodity prices in the early part of 2016. Its stock price soared from $1.75 in January to $15.98 in August. Although the stock price has since dropped to around $9 due to a stronger dollar and a more hawkish Federal Reserve that recently raised U.S. interest rates, shifting the opportunity-cost argument away from buying gold and silver, Coeur remains attractive to analysts in light of its prudent spending and improved fundamentals.Focus on balanced portfolioCoeur is the largest primary silver producer and one of the largest gold-producing companies in the United States and one of the largest silver companies in the world. Incorporated in 1928, the U.S.-listed company has a total of five operations: three in the United States, one in Mexico and one in Bolivia. About two-thirds of its revenue comes from the United States.The company is conscientious about having a balanced portfolio, so no single mine accounts for more than about 30 percent of its business. Being in three different jurisdictions provides further diversification, and its revenue split of about 60 percent from gold and 40 percent from silver gives it some metals mix. This year, it expects to produce about 466 t (15 million oz) of silver and 10.3 t (330,000 oz) of gold."

Feb 1, 2017

By Michael Murphy, Gamal Rashed, Brent Slaker

Many underground stone mines in the United States operate on multiple mining levels. The effects of interburden thickness, pillar offset between mining levels at various depths of cover, and in situ stress conditions are poorly understood. Pillar offset is the degree to which pillars are not columnized or stacked. In this study, calibrated numerical models are used to examine limestone pillar stability in these conditions. Also, the critical interburden thickness required to minimize the interaction between mining levels is explored. The model results show that there is interaction between numerous factors that control the stability of stone pillars in multiple-level conditions. The highest degree of local pillar instability occurs when pillar overlap ranges between 10 and 70 percent. The highest degree of stability occurs when pillars are stacked.

Jan 1, 2023

By M Clay, J Dunlop

Thermal and metallurgical coal mining in Queensland has resulted in mines which contain voids due to open cut mining. While there are several proposals for greenfield coalmines or expansions to existing operations, many existing open cut coalmines are reaching maturity and most will leave one or more residual voids in place. The rehabilitation of mine voids is challenging. Water held in voids will evaporate over time leaving solutes to concentrate. This is likely to lead to poor water quality with limited practical use. The most basic practices to rehabilitate voids have historically involved stabilising the high and low walls, bunding to provide flood protection, and preventing public access. Regulatory reforms for mine rehabilitation were introduced in Queensland as part of the Mineral and Energy Resources (Financial Provisioning) Act 2018, and aimed to strengthen progressive rehabilitation planning, limit risks to the environment and improve outcomes for local and regional communities. Under the reforms, the goal for rehabilitation of voids is to achieve a safe, stable, and non-polluting landform, which can sustain a post-mining land use (PMLU). The reforms also introduced a requirement to describe rehabilitation of mined land in Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure (PRC) plans, replacing the description of such plans in Environmental Authorities (EAs). The reforms are not retrospective and recognise historic approvals for voids, meaning established voids will remain in the landscape as non-use management areas (NUMAs). The objectives of this study were to outline historic void rehabilitation planning practices, describe water quality limitations of Queensland mine voids and identify possible opportunities for improved planning

Aug 2, 2023

By J Butler, N Patel, S Narendranathan, S Rastogi

The Yallourn Mine (YM) commenced mining of brown coal in the 1920s under operation by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV), prior to it becoming privatised in 1996. The present owners of the YM, Energy Australia Yallourn (EAY), acquired the site in 2000 and intend to continue operations until scheduled closure in 2028. Brown coal extracted from the YM is fed into the Yallourn Power Station which supplies approximately 22 per cent of Victoria’s electricity. Water within the YM is collected and stored in the Township Field Fire Service Pond. Water levels within the Fire Service Pond (FSP) may fluctuate considerably depending on the requirement for storage at the site. With due consideration to the stability performance of mine batters adjoining the FSP, the authors performed slope stability assessments to evaluate the risk and consequence of batter instability during the potential pond filling as it approaches the ‘critical pool’. The critical pond is defined as the level at which the driving forces (destabilising forces) are at their greatest and the resisting forces (lake forces, friction) are at their lowest. This assessment was undertaken using the Mine Geotechnical Risk Index (MGRI) approach.

Aug 2, 2023

By Michael MacMillan

AI is already changing how mining companies are seen, judged, and trusted. This paper discusses “reputation engineering,” a structured way to build trust in a world where AI systems summarize and evaluate everything a company says publicly. Using mining examples, emerging AI search trends, and real communication work, the paper explains why the next 12–18 months are a crucial window for action. It also provides a practical framework to help mining companies improve their visibility, accuracy, and consistency across both human and machine channels.

Feb 22, 2026