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By J. D. Goodrich

Success of The Carter Mining Company's safety program can be primarily attributed to "total immersion" of all operating and staff personnel in program design and implementation. Currently, the Company operates two surface coal mines in Campbell County, Wyoming. Total employment is about 440 and current annual production is about 15 million tons. The safety program has evolved from one which was administered primarily by staff personnel (the Safety Department) to one which requires active participation by line management and operating personnel. Lost time accident frequencies have declined from a high of 1.86 per 200K hours worked in 1978 to zero in 1982. Reportable accident frequencies have declined from slightly over 5 to slightly over 2 during the same period. Analysis of program results indicates that the most important achievement by the company has been to gain strong commitment to safe operation by all employees. It is important that program format and content be frequently changed and modified so that: 1) The requirement for safe job performance is communicated well and often, 2) The safe job performance message is trans- mitted in new and interesting ways, and 3) Operating personnel participate in design and implementation of the program.

Jan 1, 1983

By Douglas M. Smith

The town of Tayoltita, Durango is located at the bottom of the 2000 m. deep Rio Piaxtla canyon on the axis of the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. Throughout most of the year access to the town is restricted to travel by mule or STOL aircraft. Silver and gold have been produced from epithermal veins in the north side of the canyon since 1757. During the last seventy-three years more than 4,588,000 kg. of silver and 76,322 kg. of gold have been produced from approximately 6,000,000 metric tons of ore. The Tayoltita mine is developed within a fault block bounded by normal faults which strike north-northwest and have opposing dips. A thickness of at least 1300 meters of late Cretaceous or early Tertiary volcanic rocks is exposed in the mine. These range in composition from andesite to rhyolite. Andesite predominates in the upper 750 meters of the section. The volcanic rocks were passively intruded by quartz-monzonite and andesite stocks during middle (?) Tertiary time. Mineralization spatially and temporally (?) related to the stocks occurs along the east boundary fault and in intersecting footwall fissures which strike east-west and northeast. Ore was deposited over a vertical range of up to 600 m. prior to tilting of the volcanic rocks 35 to 45° to the east. With few exceptions, the ore bodies are found within the lower 400 to 500 m. of the andesite. Argentite (acanthite), stromeyerite, jalpaite, electrum and native silver are the principal ore minerals. They occur in gangue composed of one or more of the following: quartz, calcite, bustamite, adularia, chlorite, and albite. Base-metal sulfides make up less than 1.5 percent by weight of the ore.

Jan 1, 1974

By S. K. Sharma

The Bureau of Mines' Tuscaloosa Research Center is conducting research to develop a basic understanding of solid-liquid separation in order to improve the dewatering of fine particle slurries. In the present investigation capillary suction time (CST) of kaolin slurries was determined. The average specific resistance of the cake was also determined by fitting the CST data to the theoretical equations used in this paper. The experimental data were analyzed by a powerful computer-based method, chemometrics, that uses statistical techniques to remove error and to find the number of physically significant factors contributing to the data. Results showed that two significant factors explain the CST data.

Jan 1, 1991

By John S. Livermore

I feel very privileged to be added to the distinguished group that has received this award since the first recipient, Reno Sales, received it in 1954. If my research is correct, the last geologist to be honored was Bill Callahan in 1982. Perhaps the Awards Committee decided it was about time to select a geologist, and I became the beneficiary. Regarding the discovery of the Carlin ore body, it was the culmination of several studies - one going back as far as 1939 when a US Bureau of Mines engineer named W.O. Vanderberg recognized an unusual type of gold mineralization in sediments in northern Nevada. What was unusual was the fact that the gold was so fine that it would not concentrate in a pan. This, plus the study of the Roberts Mountain thrust by Ralph Roberts (1960) and conversations with Harry Bishop, manager of the Gold Acres Mine, pointed Alan Coope and me in the direction of the Lynn Window and, eventually, the Carlin discovery. There has been a great deal written about this discovery. I thought it would be interesting to discuss the evolution of Carlin gold exploration in Nevada since this time and to discuss the changes in perception of this unique type of mineralization. The method used by Coope and me in following up on Roberts' work was to map geologically the Roberts Mountain thrust and conduct geochemical sampling of favorable outcrops and float. Coope was highly experienced in geochemical exploration, as he had graduated from the Royal School of Mines in London, studying under John S. Webb, one of the pioneers of geochemistry as applied to mineral exploration. We first considered using pathfinder elements, but finally concentrated on gold analyses alone, even though the sensitivity of fire assays used at that time was only about one-half part per million. According to the spatial relationship of the mineralization to the Roberts Mountain thrust, as pointed out by Roberts (1960), we were looking for mineralization within the thrust itself. Our models were the known Gold Acres and Getchell mines, which contained reserves on the order of 0.9 to 1.8 mt (1 to 2 million st). These were not of substantial size, but I had hoped we might find more than one of these tributary to a mill that would justify an operation for our employer, Newmont Mining Corp. What we ended up with was the type of deposit we were looking for - an open pit deposit of micron gold, which the old timers had missed because the gold was not capable of being panned. But never in our wildest dreams did we think there was a chance of finding a body containing 10 mt (11 million st) of ore at 0.30 oz/st (10.3 g/t).The deposit was not in the thrust proper but was found in a favorable horizon of Roberts Mountain siltstone that was below the thrust. This is the first example of how a model should not be followed blindly. Newmont was successful in keeping this discovery quiet for some time. After a considerable amount of drilling, a rumor circulated that they had discovered a large low-grade ore body of around 1.7 to 2.1 g/t (0.05 to 0.06 oz/st), which of course would not have been economic with gold at $1.13/g ($35/oz), which was the fixed price at that time. The company, for obvious reasons, did not discourage the rumor. When, however, the true results came out there was a lot of feverish activity. Because of this new type of so-called "invisible gold," which could have been missed by the old timers, the thought was that other deposits would be discovered very soon. The Carlin and other smaller deposits, including Bootstrap, Blue Star and Gold Quarry, were in windows where the lower plate of the Roberts Mountain formation (below the thrust) had been exposed by erosion. This then became the new

Jan 1, 1997

By S. Phillipson

The Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Roof Control Division (RCD) evaluated the use of Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data to identify fracture traces on Earth’s surface. Results were compared to the analysis method employed by RCD for 30 years, which relies on LANDSAT-TM Band 4. SRTM elevation models are expected to provide a direct representation of bedrock surface, while LANDSAT-TM Band 4 represents reflected near-infrared radiation as an indication of moisture content and is only a proxy for possible structures. Three areas in southwestern Pennsylvania were chosen for ground-truthing lineaments derived from both methods, following a series of desktop comparisons in six areas of the contiguous U.S. Field studies that identified numerous instances in which SRTM lineaments corresponded with joints at the projected location, and were oriented within 10° of joint strike, indicating that those SRTM lineaments represented the structural grain of the area. In some cases, lineaments were associated with individual joint zones. Photo-lineaments derived from the existing LANDSAT-TM methodology appear to offer a higher coincidence with expected trends of joints on a regional scale when performing the desktop comparisons, while field observations indicated that SRTM-derived lineaments had a higher association with individual geologic structures in the case study field area. It appears that both methods can identify the structural grain of an area, and that both tend to identify linear segments of valleys where erosion has preferentially occurred along joint zones or other structures.

Jul 1, 2023

By F. S. Knoll

The high tension process which separates materials based on relative differences in surface conductivity has been very successful in recovering non-ferrous metals from municipal waste. Aluminum is by far the largest constitutent of the total non-ferrous metal fraction; accounting for >95% in most localities. Wire and insulation mixtures from industrial wastes have been treated commercially for several years by a high tension process initially developed for use in the iron ore industry. The wire and insulation application was a forerunner of municipal waste dry treatment technology. In the past eighteen months the rotating-drum-type electrostatic separator has undergone extensive testing and development in order that the process might be efficiently adapted to the recovery of aluminum from municipal waste.

Jan 1, 1974

By T. M. Gurr

In response to concerns voiced by local, state, and federal agencies and various environmental groups, the Central Florida Phosphate Industry and various governmental agencies have been investigating methods to accelerate the consolidation of waste clays generated during phosphate washing and beneficiation processes. The objectives of research efforts have been to reduce the storage volumes required for clay waste, accelerate reclamation and to return the land to approximate pre-mining topography. Government and industry research to accelerate waste clay consolidation has evolved two general methods: gravity thickening and chemical flocculation. Gardinier, Inc. one of the phosphate mining companies, evaluated the use of synthetic (polyacrylamide) flocculants as an alternate waste clay thickening method in response to mining conditions encountered at their Fort Meade Mine and the proposed North Hardee County extension of the Fort Meade mine (Figure 1). After considerable research and evaluation, the Alsthom-Atlantic Clariflux Super-flocculation method was chosen by Gardinier, Inc. as a method to seriously consider for use at their Fort Meade mine.

Jan 1, 1986

By G. Jim Cardwell

The question "what constituents should be determined?" is one that defies a simple answer, because earth scientist being what you are, the rock and mineral analyst will eventually be called upon to determine about three quarters of the elements in the periodic table. The concentrations of these analyses will range from as low as 1 ppb to 100% of the material being analyzed. The most important thing to remember about a quantitative analytical result is that it can only be an estimate of the concentration of the analyte present. A measure of the reliability of that estimate is given by statistically derived statements of the precision and accuracy of the measurement. When evaluating your data an understanding of precision and accuracy are of paramount importance. Precision is the measure of agreement between replicate values while the accuracy of a determination is the concordance between it and the true value. There is no quarantee, however, that a precise answer is an accurate one. The numerical difference between the two values is the error. When evaluating your data, the repeats analyzed with your samples will identify the precision and control standards of U.S.G.S. or Canadian Certified Materials quality will identify the accuracy. The main problem is this data is routinely withheld from the report, or was it ever included in the analysis of your samples?

Jan 1, 1983

By Simon W. Houlding

This paper summarizes recent developments in computer modelling and estimation technology. Significant improvements in computational and modelling efficiencies have advanced technical computing to the stage where, for the first time, it can be realistically applied to short-term mine planning and production control. Real-time interactive grade estimation of complex shapes, volumes and grade distributions, based on immediate turn-around of production sample grades, is now possible. An added benefit is the ability to produce complete geostatistical estimates which include confidence limits. These can be incorporated into the decision making and risk assessment processes of production control. Why the need for new technology? What is wrong with the conventional methods which have sufficed for the last thirty years? The response is manyfold. They suffer from inefficient computational processes and conflicts with geostatistical theory. They are responsible for constricting the flow of information between the disciplines involved in the mine production process. Finally, it is illogical to approximate irregular geological and mining volumes with orthogonal sets of rectangular blocks. Geological materials do not occur in block formation; and mining methods which excavate rectangular blocks have yet to be developed. Other computer based technologies have evolved out of the dark ages of rectangular approximations and have successfully dealt with irregular three-dimensional geometries. It is time for computing in the mining industry to follow this example and take full advantage of available technology. To provide the necessary background, consider the basic requirements for successful implementation of technical computing within the mine production process.

Jan 1, 1992

By Connor Meinke, Shaihroz Khan, Kevin Erwin, Rajiv Chandramohan, Muhammad Usman Siddiqui

High-quality sample selection for metallurgical test work is essential to a geometallurgy study, but the large multidimensional dataset makes sample selection a daunting task, as classifying the dataset while respecting its heterogeneity is difficult. This paper presents a streamlined approach for sample selection, utilizing custom-built tools in Python to standardize the methodology, saving time and costs. This approach uses the cumulative sum method, principal component analysis, and k-means clustering method to elegantly cluster the data and select representative samples. A case study is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the methodology by selecting 40 samples for flotation test work.

Feb 1, 2024

By Ming-yi Zhang, Zhong-nian Yang, Xiao-ming Guan, Quan-wei Liu

"In slurry balanced shield tunneling, how to ensure the safety of construction and to reduce the influence on the environment has arisen wide attention of scholars both at home and abroad. But now it is still in the stage of experience as to the instability mechanism of the slurry shield tunneling excavation and its stability analysis. Based on the large-diameter model tests and FLAC 3D, the effect of the different waterhead (non-water, 0.9m and 1.1m) on stability of excavation face of slurry balanced shield is investigated, and the stability mechanics is proposed. The results show that: waterhead heights play an important role on excavation face instability features of slurry balanced shield in sandy stratum, Regarding the different waterhead heights, the development mode of the excavation face instability features can be divided into non-water mode, lower-waterhead mode and higher-waterhead mode; soil arching is existed in the process of excavation face instability, the settlement of ground lags behind excavation face failure, the soil arching will block or eliminate the effects of ground settlement; excess pore water pressure need to be considered besides earth pressure and hydrostatic pressure when the supporting force is calculated. INTRODUCTION With the development of the society, for the cities all over the world, the exploitation of underground space has become an important measure to solve the problems about population, resources and environment and an important way to heal the city syndrome and implement the sustainable development strategy of city. Constructing shield tunnel with large diameter is the major trend for development of tunnel construction (Yin, 1999). Instability of excavation face caused by relief of shield soil stress is still one problem that needs to be solved (Xiang, 2001). How to reduce the effects of construction on surrounding environment? How to accurately determine the instability of shield excavation face and to effectively and reasonably select the supporting force? These are the crucial problems which need to be solved during shield construction."

Jan 1, 2016

By H. S. Duzgun, N. Demirel

Estimating productivity of a walking dragline is of paramount concern to mining engineers and mine planners. Risk based evaluation of the dragline productivity is a valuable tool to estimate the dragline’s long-term availability, to develop preventive maintenance plans and to make future projections about the dragline’s performance. This paper aims to provide mining professionals with an overview of risk assessment methodology for productivity of two walking draglines, Page 736 and Marion 7820, which have been operating in the Tunçbilek openpit coal mine of Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKI) in Turkey. The study encompasses three main stages: (i) acquiring of monthly maintenance records, operating hours, mechanical and electrical failure hours between 1998 and 2009; (ii) reliability modeling using mean time between failure data and (iii) determining hazard rate and consequences to compute risk associated with dragline productivity. The results showed that that Page 736 (15.29 m3) seemed to be more reliable and less likely to fail when compared with Marion 7820 (30.58 m3). The operating hours without failure range from 41 to 51 hours with 50% reliability.

Jan 1, 2011

By Vinton A. Garbesi

The construction involved in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Contract No. lK0011 (K-1), encompassed some 2,621 meters of single track parallel tube rapid transit tunnels, 335 meters of cut-cover subway station and appurtenant ventilation structures at each end, and a fan shaft at approximately the mid point of the tunnels. The construction contract was awarded June 7, 1974 to a Joint Venture consisting of Intercounty Construction Corporation, Hyattsville, Maryland, and S $ M Constructors, Inc., Solon, Ohio. The former being responsible for performing the cut and cover construction, and the latter being charged with constructing the running tunnels and fan shaft at their mid point. (See Fig. 1) The problems of mining and supporting, the 183 meters of twin tunnels just east of Court House Square Station, by unique mixed face and soft ground mining methods is the main subject of this report, although a general review of the tunnels in their entirety, as well as the geology encountered in the excavations, is presented to give a better overall setting for the problems encountered. GEOLOGIC SETTING The tunnels for the K-1 contract are located in three general types of material; the first being fractured and metamorphosed ignious rock (quartz-hornblende-biotite gneiss), the transition zone between weathered and competent rock, and in ground consisting of the weathered

Jan 1, 1979

By R. C. Freas

The physical and chemical properties of mica are unique relative to most other industrial minerals. As such, mica is suitable for a variety of functional applications in new and emerging markets. This paper examines some of these applications and particularly the contribution mica makes in end product performance.

Jan 1, 1997

By R. M. Campoy

Mexico's mineral wealth has long been recognised and indeed has played a historically significant role on a world scale. The dynamics of the Mexican mineral industry have experienced a dramatic transformation especially over the last two decades. This transformation has mainly been instigated by the high growth rates and industrialisation of the Mexican economy since the 1960's. This paper focuses on the base metals sector of the industry which represents one of the major contributors to this transformation. The objective is to present a brief base metals review and to discuss some recent occurrences which pertain to this sector of the industry. This is followed by a discussion of mining's relevance in the current economic situation in Mexico. With this overview as background, the investment climate, primarily from a domestic investor's perspective and secondly in terms of foreign investment, is discussed. Finally, some recent government initiatives, including tax and accounting changes, are outlined. Any one of the sections of this paper can easily be developed into an extensive and indepth analysis; however, the intention of this paper is to provide the reader with a broad overview of the topics discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By D. L. Moellenberg

Under various state laws enacted mostly within the last 20 years, reclamation requirements and standards for hard-rock mining operations have been established virtually everywhere in the western United States. Unlike the uniform and detailed coal mine reclamation requirements under the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act ( "SMCRA" ) and state programs mode led after SMCRA, the various state law hard-rock mine reclamation requirements are based upon a variety of objectives, and therefore are subject to varying standards from state to state. While the diversity of reclamation requirements complicates the determination of what reclamation measures will be required at any particular mine, there are valid reasons for this diversity. There are dozens of different commodities mined in the United States, and mining methods are different for each commodity. Local natural conditions such as climate, precipitation, geology, hydrology, and biology vary widely across the county. Site-specific conditions also affect mining and reclamation methods. Also, factors such as economics, land use, and environmental protection issues receive different priorities in different states and communities within those states. State reclamation requirements in general provide the flexibility to consider site-specific circumstances, allowing operators to design and engineer the best reclamation measures for each mining site. To the mine developer or manager, reclamation requirements must be translated into design, operational, and closure measures for mine planning. Each of these measures must then be assigned additional costs to be factored into the economic decisions for a particular mining operation. On a broader level, reclamation costs must be factored into decisions such as where to invest in exploration and mine development. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the state non-coal mine reclamation requirements in twelve western states. This summary comparison may be useful as a starting point in considering how local reclamation requirements will impact potential mining costs.

Jan 1, 1994

The Colorado Joint Review Process (JRP), a bold step to expedite energy and mineral projects, is off and running. Blazing the trail is Amax Inc., which serve as guinea pig in JRP's development and is now test-flying the process at its Mt. Emmons molybdenum property in Gunnison County, CO. Although JRP is still in its infancy, the new permitting review process has drawn enthusiastic applause from across the resource spectrum: William K. Reilly, president of the Conservation Foundation, said JRP is "one of the most interesting projects I've seen" and called on environmentalists to monitor its progress "because it appears worthwhile." Stan Dempsey, vice president of Amax Inc., noted that of all the locales in which Amax operates, Colorado is "the only place where the complicated mine permitting scheme appears to work"-an achievement he attributes to JRP. Lynda Lee Brothers, the federal Energy Department's assistant deputy secretary of environment, reported that an extensive DOE search has not turned up "another single mechanism in all of government and private industry as good as JRP as a model for the proposed federal Energy Mobilization Board."

Jan 7, 1980

By N. Dahmen

The Robbins Mobile miner has been in development for more than ten years. Two machines have been trialed in mining environments. While day to day performance to date has fallen short of the levels anticipated, instantaneous performance has been impressive for given rock conditions and continues to encourage further development. The Pasminco mobile miner has been committed for a 1.8km main decline extension at Broken Hill. M.I.M. Holdings, parent company of Mount Isa Mines, owner of the first mobile miner, are considering a new machine for McArthur River. Robbins, Pasminco, and The Centre for Mining Technology and Construction have, joined forces to accelerate development of .mechanical rock cutting techniques in general, and of the Mobile Miner in particular.

Jan 1, 1995

By D. H. Lynch

Prompted by the need to conserve energy and reduce operating costs, Agrico Mining Company has made two significant improvements in the transportation of phosphate ore from the mine to the beneficiation plant. One improvement involves a change in a slurry pipeline system which substantially reduced pumping energy, and the other improvement is a major innovation for the phosphate mining industry which involves the transportation of the ore by railroad. This paper briefly describes these two projects.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. A. Augenstein

Operators of coal preparation plants use equipment such as large-capacity dump trucks and bulldozers to haul, spread and compact refuse material to conform to federal and state regulations governing the disposal of solid waste. For example, federal regulations require that refuse be spread and compacted in layers not more than two feet thick. If the refuse layers or piles have poor load-bearing characteristics, movement of equipment over them becomes extremely difficult. The increasing cost and limited space for the construction of settling ponds extensively used for fine refuse disposal are leading to the growing practice of dewatering the fine refuse by means of vacuum disc filters and combining the resulting filter cake with coarse refuse for waste bank disposal. However, this filter cake usually contains more than 25% moisture. Therefore, when it is combined with coarse refuse, the moisture level of the total refuse may become high enough to impair the load-bearing strength of the refuse. Precisely this problem and the attendant difficulties of moving heavy equipment arose when vacuum disc filters were installed at a preparation plant in West Virginia. Combining the moist filter cake with the coarse refuse generally results in a 12% moisture level for the total refuse at this plant. At this moisture level, the refuse can still be handled with some difficulty by the equipment. However, the problem has frequently been compouned after rains.

Jan 1, 1977