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By Y Zha, J L. Walshe, A Ord, N J. Archibald

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of Geodynamic Modelling as an exploration tool and to provide a specific example, namely, the Century Zinc deposit in Northern Queensland. Geodynamic Modelling is an attempt to become more quantitative in the way we develop exploration models. It is a systems approach to ore genesis which examines the complete four-dimensional mineralising system of interest, rather than individual site specific ore deposits. The goal is to establish a predictive capability that enables the explorer to predict grade, tonnage, mineralogy, alteration patterns and precise location of a potential orebody given a particular exploration model. The process consists of two well-defined stages: firstly, a æsoftÆ modelling stage where all available data on lithospheric architecture, geodynamic history, fluid chemistries, fluid flow mechanisms and mechanisms of metal transport and deposition are collected; and secondly, a æhardÆ modelling stage where the system is modelled using fully coupled deformationûfluid flow-thermal transport-chemical reaction computer codes. In the case of the Century Zinc Deposit we point to its existence on the boundary between two fundamental blocks of Proterozoic mantle lithosphere. This boundary has controlled Pb/Zn mineralisation in Northern Australia from the Proterozoic through into the Paleozoic. Detailed thermal, chemical, fluid flow, deformation modelling of the Century System points to an origin involving mixing of crustal oxidised fluids bearing zinc, with reduced fluids bearing H2S and CO2 from the lower crust or mantle. We use this modelling to define critical exploration criteria for another Century type of deposit.

Jan 1, 2000

By D Giles

We present plate tectonic reconstructions, showing that porphyry-type ore deposits are spatially and temporally linked to ridge subduction. A reconstruction of the Peruvian subduction system reveals an immediate metallogenic response to the arrival of the Nazca Ridge at the subduction trench, followed by southward migration of the zone of metallogenic activity due to the lateral migration of the zone of ridge subduction. A similar pattern is recognised in central Chile , where the spatio-temporal distribution of giant ore deposits coincides with the arrival of the Juan Fernandez hotspot chain at the subduction zone. We conclude that there is a spatial and temporal link between ridge subduction and ore deposit formation, with high metal fluxes concentrated in zones of ridge subduction. Thus, the recognition of tectonic patterns associated with ridge subduction can provide insights into predictive mineral discovery by enhancing our ability to predict the position of large mineral deposits in other modern and ancient orogens. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

By Vitaly T. Borisovich

Mining economics courses have been taught in Europe for more than two centuries and in the United States for most of this century. They are the mineral industry's version of engineering economics offered by industrial engineering departments. In the 1930s, mineral economics first appeared in American mining schools. This subject goes beyond the deposit and the mine. It examines the economic aspects of mineral resources in general and the individual mineral industries in particular. In 1947, the first degrees in mineral economics were granted in the United States. There are mining and geological engineers who specialize in mining economics. But it has rarely become a separate degree program. Rather, in this country and several others, a graduate student in a mining department or school will include economics in his course work. Then the person writes a thesis or dissertation on a mining economics topic. One exception is found in Moscow at the Department of Geoeconomics of the Moscow Geological and Prospecting Institute (MGPI). To place this program in perspective, some background is needed on education in the Soviet Union.

Jan 1, 1991

By David V. Fitterman, David L. Campbell

We've used direct current resistivity (DC), electromagnetic (EM), induced polarization (IP), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) geoelectrical methods to study mine dumps. The results reflect lithology, pore water saturation, and dissolved solids in the pore water. If the pore water has a pH less than 5, conductivity maps can indicate acid generating potential. IP measurements can help distinguish mineralogy in mine dumps, especially concentrations of sulfide minerals. EM and DC can help locate acidic/high TDS groundwater associated with mine dumps. GPR methods failed at the sites we studied in the West. Our own conclusions are augmented by those from the recent literature.

Jan 1, 2000

By Haslam C. O, Los V. L, Abramson G. J

The technology applied by lonex Pty Ltd provides an important breakthrough in geochemical exploration, enabling the discovery of concealed mineral deposits to great depths below surface. Most mineral discoveries have been made in areas of outcrop or relatively shallow cover; deposits at greater depth have been beyond the range of conventional geophysical and geochemical methods. Quite apart from the need to explore to greater depths in regions of major current or past production, most continents have vast areas where prospective host rocks are concealed by more recent material. There are numerous case studies where Ionex methods have located deeply-buried metal deposits, up to 500 m below surface, beneath thick younger sedimentary, volcanic, or transported cover. Research leading to the development of this technology was initiated by Dr I S Goldberg at the Rudgeofizika Institute in St Petersburg (CIS), and the methods have been employed there - and in other countries - for many years. Ionex technology became available in Australia in 1993. It comprises: ò geochemical and geoelectrochemical sampling and ultra-high-sensitivity analysis for mobile and weakly-bonded elements (I S Goldberg); ò the delineation and interpretation of regional zones of enrichment and depletion of the prime elements within geoelectrochemical systems (GES) (I S Goldberg); ò the investigation and interpretation of the three-dimensional geochemical zoning within geochemical anomalies (G J Abramson); and ò multi-variate computer modelling of the geochemical fields and systems (V L Los). lonex technology has been adapted to the environmental conditions in Australia with the participation of C 0 Haslam.

Jan 1, 1997

By Charles N. Alpers, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Robert R. II Seal, Nora K. Foley

Geoenvironmental models are compilations of geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic information that describe both the pre- and post-mining environmental signatures of mineral deposits. The environmental behavior of seafloor massive sulfide deposits varies according to deposit type. This study has divided massive sulfide deposits into six categories: (1) Noranda-type, (2) Kuroko-type, (3) Cyprus- type, (4) Bathurst-type, (5) Besshi-type, and (6) sedimentary-exhalative deposits. In addition to Fe and Al, the heavy metals most commonly associated with drainage from these deposits are Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and As. Metal ratios of mine drainage and natural background waters tend to reflect the primary character of the ores. Variations in pyrite and pyrrhotite contents are reflected in lower pH values associated with pyrite-rich deposit types.

Jan 1, 2000

By Jon Kellar, Samuel Kessinger, Prasoon Diwakar

Tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb) are extracted from many different ore types. The major economic orebody mined for tantalum and niobium consists of tantalite ((FeMn)Ta2O5) and columbite ((FeMnNb2O5)) in a solid-solution mineral commonly referred to as “coltan.” The largest supplying region, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is unfortunately also the most ethically compromised source for this critical mineral. Officially, the U.S. government has deemed coltan ore from the DRC a “conflict mineral” [1]. The lack of pragmatic and effective local mining regulation in Central Africa, when coupled with high levels of violence and corruption, has spawned a widespread, illegal, unethical and, most importantly, unsafe economy. This illicit economy is centered around first, illegally mining these valuable conflict minerals and second, smuggling these minerals into the global supply chain. Handheld spectroscopy devices could provide further transparency to these opaque supply chains, giving miners, traders and refiners the ability to authenticate the provenance of the minerals they encounter, and allowing companies to prove compliance with the regulatory agencies attempting to curtail illicit mining.

Mar 1, 2025

El presente artículo señala los métodos para la exploración geofísica del subsuelo como los gravimétricos y los dinámicos (reflexión y refracción) -en tanto son los más aplicados para la búsqueda de los yacimientos de petróleo. En este sentido, los métodos eléctricos de investigación geofísicas suministran las posibles indicaciones sobre la tectónica y la petrografía de la costa terrestre, analizando las variaciones de la conductibilidad de esta última; conductibilidad que puede ser metálica o electrólitica. Otros métodos eléctricos se sirven de las medidas de los campos electromagnéticos artificialmente provocados.

May 1, 1953

By I. C. White

ONLY two factors appear to be directly responsible for the geographic distribution of sulfur in the coal fields of West Virginia, these, are the FIG. 1. stratigraphic position of the coals in question., and the eastward or westward location of the deposits. There appears to be a progressive increase in the sulfur content of West Virginia coals from the oldest Pennsylvanian deposits in the Pocahontas, New River, and Kanawha Groups of the Pottsville Series up through the Allegheny, Conemaugh, and

Jan 9, 1919

By John W. Frey

[Minerals, generally of great geological age, are to a very large extent the material basis of what we know as modern civilization. In most of the so-called civilized world the use f minerals has become such a commonplace that it is easy to se sight of their importance. It was the use of minerals, obably more than anything else, that made it possible for e American people to expand from the Atlantic seaboard the Pacific in a little over one hundred years. As the 1 to use the natural wealth at hand constitutes a funda¬ental element in American life, there seems to be justification for the thought that American geography is largely mineral geography. Of all American environmental reactions, the most striking are those which have come about through the use of the metals and the power fuels. If we turn to the ancient industry of agriculture, we find very little that is unique in North America except those developments which have come about through the use of machinery and transportation, both of which are contingent upon the use of minerals. Practically every crop now grown n North America was grown in some part of Europe before merica was discovered. One can point out exceptions to statement but in general it is true. Analysis of the es of North American agriculture shows that the outstand¬ characteristics are: regional specialization (i.e., the Economic Geographer; Chief, Petroleum Section, Minerals Division, u of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.]

Jan 1, 1932

By M. J. Price

The usage of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is increasing rapidly throughout the Mining Industry, especially in the Industrial Minerals sector. GIS provides an efficient and robust link between spatial (often CADD) and tabular (database/spreadsheet) components. Mineral economists and corporate planners employ GIS to perform market analyses, to source raw materials, and to schedule and monitor deliveries to customers. Exploration and acquisition groups apply spatial analysis to identify high quality resources that meet economic guidelines. Mining regulators and environmental affairs departments expedite and monitor permitting, environmental compliance, and best management practices reclamation through GIS data management and Electronic Permitting. Operations staffs monitor overburden removal, material extraction, quality control, and stockpile volumes with GIS. This paper summarizes the many aspects of GIS in Industrial Minerals. It also introduces and addresses issues and concerns commonly encountered during a mining GIS implementation.

Jan 1, 2001

By A B. Bell

The health and in some cases survival of mineral exploration and mining companies is, in today's markets, more dependant than ever on the effective use of information technology. The need for speedy collection, organisation, maintenance and distribution of corporate and project information is a phenomenon that will continue to strengthen with market thirst.Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide a medium for storage, maintenance and retrieval of data, and Internet Mapping adds a technology for effective distribution of that data. Combining these technologies can return benefits both fiscally and technically by reducing costs of ownership in IT infrastructure and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of both internal and external information delivery.GIS and Internet Mapping technologies have reached a practical stanza in their evolution and will continue to develop as a key business tool in the natural resources sector.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. R. Piper

“Old Borate,” located in the Calico Mountains east of Barstow, California, lead domestic colemanite production from 1884 through 1907. Mineral exploration at “Old Borate” in the early 1980's, examined borate mineralization in Tertiary lacustrine strata. Surface sample and drill hole locations, geology and structure, were hand-drafted on paper maps. To re-evaluate this data, the information was digitized using Geographic Information Systems software. Digital Elevation Model based terrain modeling integrated surficial samples with drill hole data to locate favorable drilling targets. Structural relationships were used to identify hypothetical resources formed by the leaching of boron from surface exposures, redeposited at depth.

Jan 1, 2001

By Robert N. Eli

The application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to support the planning, design and analysis of coal mines is discussed. Traditional two-dimensional GIS structures are modified to produce a three- dimensional GIS system that combines the efficient topologic description of a cubic grid cell skeletal structure with the precision surface representation of a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN). The surface terrain and any subsurface strata, such as a coal seam, are represented by separate TIN'S. Any attribute data to be assigned to the TIN'S are stored in polygon overlays. Any remaining spatial data are stored as link strings or nodes in a global data set. The most valuable application of the system is the production of map products. Both projections and cross-sections of surface or subsurface structures are possible, in either horizontal or vertical planes. Engineering data, including lengths, areas, or volumes, can be calculated.

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert Bachus, Jamey B. Rosen

"Abstract Large scale In Situ Barrier Wall Construction projects, specifically those related to earth dams, dikes, and levees, frequently require stringent quality control measures to ensure the success of the wall. This presentation discusses the applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to capture information from multiple data streams and provide geotechnical feedback, quality control, and project control feedback. Techniques used to geospatially analyze verticality data from secant piles and panels will be demonstrated. Examples will be presented from barrier wall installations at two sites owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE): the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, and Center Hill Dam in Tennessee.IntroductionDeep foundation installations require contractors to collect a substantial amount of information over the course of a project, both for internal quality control of construction progress and for demonstrating compliance with customer or owner specifications. Methods of collecting information are constantly improving, bringing with it the need for a systemic approach to managing the increasing amounts and types of data. Handling these diverse types of data presents challenges with both budget and schedule demands. This paper discusses some techniques for adding or increasing quality control in barrier wall constructions by consolidating, visualizing and analyzing data using relational database and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, collectively referred to as Information Management System (IMS) development. The IMS concept is designed to facilitate the collection, transfer and processing of data and provide an easy way to remotely access and visualize construction progress.The remainder of this paper presents the needs and objectives of an IMS applied to quality control in barrier wall construction, the components and data flows involved, the capabilities and user interfaces of the systems and the benefits for the end users. Examples are presented throughout from case study projects including: a pile barrier wall applied in the rehabilitation at the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky (under contract to the Treviicos-Soletanche Joint Venture), and a secant pile barrier wall currently under construction in the rehabilitation of the Center Hill Dam in Tennessee (under contract to Bauer Foundations Corporation) (both owned by the Nashville District of the USACE)."

Jan 1, 2014

By Michael Arnold, Robert Bachus, Michael Bracher, Jamey Rosen, Robert Roff

"For a high hazard USACE facility, the Center Hill Dam in Tennessee, several disparate streams of data were compiled into a single geospatial and relational enterprise data management system to store, analyze, visualize and distribute the data collected during installation of a deep cutoff wall. These data streams included historical drawings and pre-construction plans and grouting records; geological data from boreholes; attributes of barrier wall elements; element verticality data analyzed from multiple measurement methods; and concrete field and laboratory analytical data. A previously developed data management system developed by the authors, WallTracker, was extensively modified to also include manually collected and real-time measurements from several types of dam monitoring instruments. The system now uses enterprise database technologies with Geographical Information Systems capabilities to manage and relate these data streams into a common platform and allows access to the raw and interpreted data via web and desktop-based interactive tools, including interactive map and cross-sectional viewers and other graphical and tabular reporting tools. One of the primary benefits of this system is the neartransparent interaction that is possible with the Nashville District of USACE on the project. These techniques can now be effectively incorporated into systems that address the unique construction and data management tracking requirements for dams, dikes, and levees.IntroductionThe Center Hill Dam rehabilitation, as with other deep foundation installations, requires the contractor to collect a substantial amount of information over the course of the project, both for internal quality control of construction progress and methods, and for demonstrating compliance with owner specifications. This paper discusses techniques used at Center Hill Dam for consolidating, visualizing and analyzing construction and instrumentation data using relational database and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, collectively referred to as an Information Management System (IMS).The remainder of this paper presents the needs and objectives of the IMS, the components and data flows involved, the capabilities and user interfaces of the systems, and the benefits for the end users."

Jan 1, 2017

By Solomon S. Katz

As more and more computer software is written for geological mapping applications, the users of the software are discovering the problems of transferring data between the programs, maintaining correct data and integrating maps produced last week with those produced today. One way to deal with these situations is by using a geographic information system (GIs). Last September the USGS and National Academy of Science held a 5-day GIs symposium on integrating technology and geoscience applications (USGS, 1988). It was followed in October by GEOTECH '88 (Peters and Krajewski 1989) which had a session exclusively for GIs applications in the Geo-Sciences. Editorials in Geobyte (Leonard, 1986, 1988) suggested that geographic information systems will be the next major computer programs to be adopted by the mineral industries. As far- back is 1985, the Computer Oriented Geological Society (COGS) printed An Introduction to GIs in their newsletter (Katz, 1985). About 20 years ago, a revolutionary idea occurred in the world of business data processing. It was the idea that all related data be stored in a standard format, in a single place and that all related computer application programs would use the same data.

Jan 1, 1989

We often read and hear, especially in the United States, that we are running out of critical metals. These are vague forebodings of stagna- tion or winding down of our civilization. Our technological progress has been rapid in the last 50 years and is still advancing at an accelerated rate, and predictions of its long-term impact on consumption and production of metals are more hazardous than ever in the light of the great economic and political shifts that are bound to continue. There are many factors that will have a hardly predictable but profound effect on pro- duction and consumption of metals over a time span of, say, 25 years. Among such factors are recycling, substitution, availability of capital, direct involvement of governments in financing and production, and the capability of producing much lower grade ores at possibly much higher prices relative to costs in the event of scarcity. I must state at the outset that my discussion of this topic does not take into account the role that deep-sea nodules containing copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese may play, because I don't believe production from these deposits will be of much significance within the 25 year span I will be discussing.

Jan 1, 1978

By AIME AIME

MINERAL production of the United States is valued at over five billion dollars a year at present and the industry employs close to a million workmen, yet such maps as are available that might indicate the geographical distribution of this industry show only the location of coal and oil fields and of other mineral deposits. No recent map is available that shows this distribution in a quantitative way. The purpose of the maps and graphs here presented is twofold: (1) to give the mining engineer a clear conception of the relative value and the pattern of distribution of minerals in the United States; (2) to test the so-called block-pile (or grouped pillar) system of statistical mapping, which makes this presentation possible. (I discussed this method of mapping in an article which appeared in Economic Geology in 1939, Vol. 15, p. 185-188.)

Jan 1, 1941

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Jan 1, 1946