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By M. R. Babcock

"The Rabbit Lake story began in the late sixties and will continue well into the twenty-first century. It is a story of success, of multiple ore body discoveries, of unique systems, and new methods made possible through innovative and state-of-the-art design. Two quite different geological systems host the five ore bodies mined, or slated to be mined. These two systems have yielded two distinct ore types, each with characteristic mineralogical properties and each requiring its own specific mill circuit.Emphasis on communications and our unique systems have led to a satisfactory and fulfilling work environment resulting in the historically low employee turnover which has contributed to the operation success.A comprehensive environmental study after twelve years of operation has given the Rabbit Lake Operation a completely clean bill of health. INTRODUCTIONRabbit Lake can be described as Saskatchewan's first highgrade uranium mining operation, which set the stage for the province's current role as the leader in uranium mining throughout the western world. The importance of the Rabbit Lake operations - past, present and future.LocationThe Rabbit Lake operation is located in northeastern Saskatchewan (Fig. 1)- 805 km north of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and 814 km northeast of Edmonton, Alberta. OwnershipGulf Minerals Canada Limited discovered the Rabbit Lake deposit in 1968. Mining operations began in 1975and were operated by Gulf until purchased by Eldorado Nuclear Limited in 1982. In 1988, Eldorado merged with Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation (SMDC) to form Cameco-A Canadian Mining &. Energy Corporation. The new corporation is one of the world 's largest uranium companies.Cameco's $1.5 billion in assets include the Rabbit Lake uranium mine (Cameco 100010); the Key Lake uranium mine (Cameco 66.67%; Uranerz Exploration and Mining Limited 33.33%); the Cluff Lake uranium mine (Cameco 20%; Amok Ltd. 80%); the Fuel Services Division at Blind River and Port Hope, Ontario (Cameco 100%); and a 100%); and a 48.75% interest in the Cigar Lake uranium deposit which is now at the test mining stage (Cogema Canada Ltd . 32.625% ; Idemitsu Uranium Exploration Canada Limited 12.875%; Corono Grande 3.75%; Korea Electric Power Corporation 2%). In addition, Cameco is involved in a number of base and precious metal explor ation projects."

Jan 1, 1989

By G Munro

he Melbourne City Link project will complete a missing link between two existing major freeways in the Melbourne road network, providing a much needed bypass of the Central Business District for through traffic. The project, which is being financed under a BOOT arrangement with the Victorian State Government, involves the upgrading of significant stretches of existing freeway and the construction of new sections involving viaducts and tunnels. The tunnel sections, which are the focus of this paper, are beneath residential and business areas, the Yarra River, the Royal Botanic Gardens and significant sporting facilities where surface construction would be either impossible or unacceptable (reference Figure 1). The shorter, 1.62 km west bound Domain tunnel comprises two cut and cover sections through Olympic Park then the Yarra River, the driven section of 0.68 km length and exits through a common cut and cover section with the east bound tunnel under St Kilda Road and Sturt Street. The longer 3.76 km east bound tunnel commences at the common portal, through cut and cover under St Kilda Road then 2.86 km of driven section before exiting at a cut and cover section at Burnley. The longer Burnley tunnel has an access and ventilation shaft at approximately its mid point.

Jan 1, 1999

By G. Sciocchetti, G. F. Clemente, F. Scacco

INTRODUCTION Radon, thoron and their airborne daughter products may result in a significant biological hazard when they are concentrated in enclosed places such as mines, houses and caves. High concentrations of radon and its particulate daughter have long, been known to be a causative agent for lung cancer to uranium miner: (Archer 1973). More recently increasing concern has been expressed on the possible health hazards associated with long term exposures over large population groups to low levels of radon daughters (Cohen 1980, Stranden 1980). Due to its peculiar geological features, Italy has various natural environments where the content of uranium and thorium in the soil may increase underground radioactivity. The presence in Italy of many underground waters rich in radon may be considered a further important source of radon in underground mines. A preliminary survey of the radon and radon daughter air concentrations in italian underground mines was started in 1971 (Bottino 1973). Furthermore many studies (Sciocchetti 1978, Sciocchetti 1980, Clemente 1980) have been performed during the last ten year to characterize the natural radiation environment in Italy. It has been also demonstrated that 21OPb/21OPo skeletal burden in spa workers and non-uranium miners can be heavily increased by the exposure (short or/and prolonged) to high levels of radon daughter air concentration (Clemente 1980). All these studies have been of great help to put in the right prospective the radiation hazards linked to the underground working activity in non-uranium italian mines. Two main actions have been prosecuted from 1971 until today in order to evaluate in greater detail such radiation hazards and then, when needed, to obtain their reduction to levels which may be considered acceptable. The two actions may schematically described as the following: - Measurement of the radon and daughter (and thoron and daughter when needed) concentrations in most of the italian non-uranium mines. The assessment of the radiation hazards linked to both the annual average lung exposure and the 210 Pb - 210 Po annual average dose to the skeleton is then performed for each considered mine by taking into account the main parameters characteristic of the mine. - Set up of a national regulatory recommendation on the permissible limits for the radiation exposure of workers due to underground mining activity. Such recommendation have been established in 1978 and have been designed in order to implement a national radiation protection practice during the underground mining activity. In this paper a summary description of the results obtained during the execution of these two actions will be given. MATERIAL AND METHODS Measurement of Radon, Thoron and their Daughter Products The excution of the planned survey requires the availability of specific techniques and instruments for measuring the different parameters characterizing the radon, thoron and their daughter exposure in mines. A reference laboratory was set up for the development and the standardization of the measurement procedures. Measurements of radon, thoron and daughter concentrations are performed by various methods: instanteneous or grab sampling methods and continuous read out monitors. The radon concentration is usually measured by a modified version of the two filter method. Mine air is drawn into a polyethylene bag and the sample is there after injected into a two filter tube; after sampling the exit filter is counted by the alpha spectrometric technique. The measurements is completed in a total time of less than 25 minutes at a sensitivity level as low as 3.7 Bq/m3 for a tube volume of 15 1. The measurement of radon and thoron daughter concentration and of the relevant potential alpha energy concentration is performed by means of a portable spectrometric apparatus which was developed at our laboratory (Sciocchetti 1981). The device allows multiple operating modes: instantaneous or brief sampling period and automatic cycles; computer data processing is then provided. The instruments that measure continuously radon concentration over long periods of time are of two types: a continuous scintillation monitor and an automated two filter

Jan 1, 1981

By Voermans F. M, Hoyle M. W H

The Archean geological sequence in the West Pilbara region (Fig 1), a deformed greenstone volcano-sedimentary succession regionally intruded by layered mafic/ultramafic lopoliths, batholithic granites, granite stocks and transected by swarms of dolerite dykes, has prompted several companies to search for a variety of base metals and and platinoids (Fig 2). In the first instance, detailed aeromagnetic surveying was completed, producing patterns of marked magnetic anomalism which proved substantially successful in the demarcation of areas warranting geological reconnaissance and detailed follow-up. Revelant to this paper were the obvious magnetic features overlying outcropping and buried mafic/ultramafic bodies which ultimately were proven to be host to Ni-Cu sulphides, pgm, Ti, V, Cr and, more recently, Ag and Au mineralisation. Routine stream sediment, soil sampling and ground geophysical techniques of the day appear, in most cases, to have been adequate in the detection of mineralisation, except in the case of Radio Hill massive sulphides where the Turam E.M. (1972) signal essentially failed to detect the blind conductor (Peters, de Angelis 1987).

Jan 1, 1988

By Rodger Fry

All coal deposits contain anomalous geologic conditions which have an impact on roof control, Run-Of--Mine (ROM) coal quality and production costs. To remain competitive in today's coal market and provide a safe working atmosphere, mine operators need to know in advance of mining the geologic conditions which prevail in the coal deposit. In order to identify geologic anomalies within a coal seam and surrounding roof rock in advance of mining, the Radio Imaging Method (RIM) survey procedure has been developed. This paper describes the RIM procedure and how it is used to predict various geologic conditions within a coal deposit. Figure 1 illustrates the RIM in-mine and surface surveys which can be used in an underground mine. [ ] RIM is an electromagnetic (EM} wave process which consists of in-mine and surface survey techniques. Both techniques are used in underground coal mines to detect faults, interbedding, sandstone channels, and thinning coal. Thesurface survey can also be used to determine seam correlation and continuity in strip and underground mining. In-mine and surface surveys work by propagating EM waves along straight paths through the coal. As the RIM signal travels along a ray path, it interacts with the seam material and surrounding rock. This interaction causes the signal to lose energy thereby decreasing its strength along the path. The amount of energy loss per unit path length depends upon the coal seam height and type of surrounding roof and floor rock. A reading of the signal level is taken at the end of the ray path at the receiver location. This reading is used to determine the loss (attenuation) rate of the signal along the path. The signal level data is compiled and analyzed through computerized algorithms which construct images of any anomaly present. This graphical depiction of the coal provides a basis for further geologic interpretation. By comparing the images reconstructed by the RIM analysis to in-mine geologic mappings made while mining through RIM study zones, it has been confirmed that RIM can help detect the following; Rapidly Thinning Coal Incompetent Roof Rock Poor Floor Lithology

Jan 1, 1984

By L. S. Pratt

IN 1910 the author was engaged in a qualitative study of the radio-activity of several chemical substances and a few minerals. In the course of the work he studied the mineral allanite (obtained from granite ledges at Topsham, Maine), and found it to be appreciably radio-active. Recently the fact was brought to his attention that the radio-activity of allanite is not well known, although Hon. R. J. Strutt in 1905 published a list of radio-active minerals with their analyses, including allanite from Amherst County, Virginia. In the work done, a standard ,type of electroscope was used, and the readings were made with a telescope, fitted with a scale, by means of which the rate of discharge could be readily determined. The natural "leak" of the instrument was carefully determined, and all results corrected accordingly. The method of study was as follows: The material to be tested was finely powdered, and spread over the bottom of a small, inactive pan. The electroscope was then charged, and the pan placed in position. The door of the instrument was closed, and the rate. of discharge carefully determined. All results were reduced to common form to permit of comparison. It is to be noted that the materials tested were not used in strictly comparable quantities, such as if 1 g. of. each had been used, but about the same quantity of powder was used (in the cases of the solid substances), so that the results are qualitatively accurate.

Jan 5, 1916

By L. A. Kaufman

"AbstractThe Bureau of Mines, Ottawa, in conjunction with Eldorado Mining and Refining (1944), Limited, has developed an automatic concentrator for uranium ores.A brief review of radioactivity is given which shows the present limitations for obtaining •good results by electronic concentration. The ores after being mined, or at any other stage of a concentrating process, can be analysed for the uranium dissemination and from these results the possibility of an economical concentration can be estimated.The electronic and mechanical parts of the equipment are described. Difficulties in the operation's, and means by which they have •been and are •being overcome, are discussed. The capacity of the units, the results obtained, the man-power required, and other pertinent data are presented. Simple control analysis on the percent U3O8 has been developed.Research is continuing along lines to develop a more completely automatic unit using a scintillation detector, and applying a few new ideas and some devices that have been developed in colour sorting.IntroductionIt is well known how important the Geiger counter is in the field of exploration for uranium. It was in late 1946 that Dr. C. Lapointe, of the Bureau of Mines, Ottawa, first started work on an automatic picking unit to concentrate uranium ores. He used the principle that if a number of pieces of unknown ore, some of which contained uranium, were individually brought up close to a Geiger-Müller tube, then the pieces containing uranium could •be easily picked out due to their activity. Since then a good deal of work has been done by the Bureau of Mines in conjunction with Eldorado Mining and • Refining (1944), Limited, to develop an electronic concentrator."

Jan 1, 1950

By C. J. Dungey

INTRODUCTION The County of Cornwall is situated in the South Western extremity of England, see Fig. 1, and has for hundreds of years been an historical centre of mining activity. In the last century many thousands of Cornish miners emigrated to Canada, U.S.A., Australia and numerous other countries throughout the world to form the nucleii of mining industries in those lands. At present there are four active underground mines within the county, all mining tin, together with a relatively large china clay industry. All the operations are directly or indirectly associated with the three main granite intrusions, namely the Land's End Granite, the Carnmenellis Granite and the Bodmin Moor Granite. The report which follows relates to two mines, owned by the South Crafty Group of Companies, namely the South Crofty Mine itself and its smaller subsidiary, Wheal Pendarves. Both these mines are adjacent to the Carn Brea Granite ridge, see Fig. 2, which is an off-shoot of the main Carnmenellis Granite mass. The Carn Brea Granite has provided one of the most intensive areas of copper and tin mineralisation anywhere in the world. Many of the mines worked during the last two centuries and the early part of this century were situated close to the metamorphic aureole surrounding the granite intrusion. Both South Crofty and Wheal Pendarves have their shafts collared in the overlying slate, locally known as killas, but the major part of their workings are in the granite beneath. The ore bodies, or lodes, of both mines are generally steeply dipping and approximately one to four metres in width. They have been, and continue to be, worked by either back or under-hand stoping with the major level interval being approximately 37 metres. A feature of both stoping systems is that they require no back filling and in many cases the completed working areas have remained open for many years due to the competent wall rock conditions. The stoping operation necessitates having box-holes or draw points at regular intervals along the strike length at 4 to 7 metres centres; thus a stope some 50 metres long may typically have ten box-holes or draw points through which air can percolate into the empty stopes above. The granite country rock contains traces of uranium minerals, namely pitchblende or uraninite, and it is the decay of this uranium mineral which leads to the formation of the mobile radon gas which, together with its short lived daughters, may create a hazard. The presence of uranium minerals has long been known, but the quantities being so minute, it was not appreciated until some ten to fifteen years ago that these might present a hazard. The Mines and Quarries Inspectorate approached Management approximately ten years ago with a view to taking samples in areas of the mine that they felt might contain the highest concentrations of radon. Samples were thus taken in several areas of both mines, normally well away from working areas and where there was no through ventilation. The results of these initial tests were published by the National Radiological Protection Board in a paper entitled "Radon and Its Daughters in Various British Mines". The results of the initial surveys made it apparent that improved ventilation was the most important factor in reducing radon daughter concentrations within the mine atmosphere, with increased flow rates having three beneficial functions, viz. (1) To dilute radon daughter concentrations. (2) To prevent radon and its daughters reaching a state of equilibrium. It is not uncommon for radon and its daughters to have a disequilibrium factor of 1,000 in some uranium mines.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. W. Colpitts

To me, as to many other students of railroad needs, the necessity for reducing the dead weight in railroad rolling stock, both passenger and freight, has been apparent for, many years. The problem of weight reduction of passenger cars is so entirely different from that of freight cars, is so much more to the fore at the present moment and would seem to be so much nearer solution, that I shall confine myself in these remarks to the former. On the surface of things there would appear to be no close association of thought between the decline in traffic on the railroads, which is largely responsible for their present deplorable financial condition, and new metal alloys. It sounds like a trick riddle a school boy might propound to his parents. But that there is a relationship between the two, and one that bids fair to be of great mutual benefit to the railroads and the makers of .high-strength metal alloys, I hope I shall be able to show before I have finished. To make the situation understandable to those who are not entirely familiar with the problems of railroad management, and, who feel that the railroads have not moved as rapidly as they should in the direction of greater use of newer materials and newer appliances, I shall have to review briefly the course of recent railroad history. If in this part of my talk I seem to the professional man to be a little off key I feel sure my remarks will be fully appreciated by the business man who cannot understand why he is not making better headway in selling things to the railroads. To do this I shall have to go back to war times for a moment.

Jan 1, 1936

By D. W. McDonald

Coal mining and railway transportation are so closely en-twined and so dependent one upon the other that the failure of one would mean the total collapse of the other. With this indisputable fact in mind, there is no doubt that the operator of each is deeply interested in the other's success. Railway transportation began at the mouth of a coal mine. The first railway car was the English coal-wagon, a crude box on four wooden trowlets, running on wooden rails and holding 1,600 pounds. This was operated by gravity or horse-power in England to convey coal from the mines to the rivers. The first coal-cars used on Nova Scotia railways were of 4 tons capacity with side doors and "V" shaped centres. Then followed flat-bottom, 4-ton cars that operated on tipples, the car bei.ng held in tipple by a chain passing over the top and fastened on either side. Next came the 6-ton car with drop-bottoms, then the 10, 15, 30-ton cars, and now the modern 50 and 100-ton steel cars, equipped with automatic couplers, brakes, and rachet dumping device. Contrast the first coal-car with a modern luxurious pull-man or a I 00-ton coal and ore car, and you have a record of progress in railway transportation. The development of the steam locomotive was no doubt the greatest factor in this progress, but let us not forget that the foundation of all industrial development was and is coal. and that development in mining and railway transportation should keep abreast.

Jan 1, 1924

By F Hancock

A rainfall simulator was developed to assist with hydrogeomorphic research into the stability of engineered landforms associated with rehabilitated uranium mines in the Top End of Australia. It can be used in rough terrain with slope gradients up to 30o. The rainfall simulator is modular, utilises upward jetting nozzles, has a multiple head arrangement and is capable of delivering rainfall intensities between 60 and 300 mmh-1 over areas up to 1000 m2 and could be easily modified for larger areas. Rainfall uniformity is commonly in excess of 80 per cent and the kinetic energy approaches that of natural rainfall (The modular design utilises an equilateral triangular array of rainfall stands, constructed from galvanised steel water pipes and flexible plastic hoses. Total construction costs are low. The water supply reservoir is mobile and easily constructed. An example of its use at Ranger Uranium Mine, investigating the effect of cover on rainsplash and rainwash dominated processes shows that vegetation cover is likely to reduce the erosion rate by these processes by at least four times below that experienced on bare areas.

Jan 1, 1997

The word `environment' may have many different meanings but, for the purposes of this paper, I have assumed the definition included in the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (Western Australia). This Act defines `environment' as `... living things, their physical, biological and social surroundings, and interactions between all of these'. The Act further defines the `social surroundings of man' as `... his aesthetic, cultural, economic and social surroundings to the extent that those surroundings directly affect or are affected by his physical or biological surroundings'. This gives a very broad meaning to the idea of environment and environmental issues, and it is therefore understandable that the influence that environmental issues have on mining activity can vary so much from state to state, and even within states, and why the degree of influence can change so much with time.

Jan 1, 1990

By E. C. Roper

THE Britannia Mining & Smelting Company, Limited, have been operating their property at Britannia Beach, B.C., continuously for nearly forty years and have mined over 33,000,000 tons of ore from orebodies within a belt of highly sheared rocks, five miles long by 2,000 feet wide. The property is in the Coast Range mountains, about twenty miles due north of Vancouver. The mountains rise abruptly from sea level to elevations of 4, 500 feet within a horizontal distance of 7,000 feet. The topography has enabled the orebodies to be developed by adit tunnels. The active mining levels are connected to the adits by incline and vertical service shafts. The main service adits are the 2200, 2700, and 4100 levels (see Figure 1). The mine surface shops, three bunk-houses, and over one hundred dwellings form the townsite camp at the portal of the 2200 level adit. A small camp of one bunk-house and a few dwellings is situated at the 2700 level portal. The beach surface shops and camp, adjacent to the 4100 level adit, service the mill, foundry, and other beach installations as well as the mining from the 4100 level. The ore mined from the various orebodies is delivered to the 4100 main haulage level through a system of rock raises and intermediate tramming levels and is hauled on the 4100 level to the mill.

Jan 1, 1945

Ranger Uranium Mines Pty. Ltd. operates an open pit mine and ore treatment plant in the Northern Territory designed to produce 3 000 tonne/yr of U308 in yellowcake from 3 500 tonne/day of mill feed. The construction of this project was completed in 1981, 12 years after the discovery of the orebody. Wright-Davy, a Joint Venture of Wright Engineers and Davy McKee Pacific, were the Project Managers and Designers of the $270 million ore treatment plant and associated infrastructure. The project was designed in Sydney in -an office integrated with the Client, staffed by 35 key personnel drawn from Wright Engineers and Davy McKee, supplemented by personnel hired for the project. The peak Wright-Davy workforce in Sydney of 200 contained 113 design staff. The design principle of using the best practicable proven technology resulted in a plant which easily produces its design output using ore types outside the design criteria. The structuring of the project systems and industrial relations policies contributed to construction being completed within time and under budget. The plant was built without any major industrial dispute occurring and no dispute arose due to the uranium issue.

Jan 1, 1983

By Grantham DL

ABS'TRACT For a number of years research efforts have been directed towards improving the efficiency of sampling and analysing coal mine roadway dusts. In the past decade the practicality of rapid, on site analysis of the incombustible content of these dusts using a radioactive technique has been receiving close attention both in Australia and overseas. Accurate measurement of the total incombustibles present is only possible by time consuming chemical methods. As the densities of the solid incombustible materials are greater than that of coal, they absorb a higher proportion of incident low energy gamma radiation than does coal. The amount of such radiation "back scattered" from mine dust samples is therefore inversely related to their average densities, and hence to their incombustible contents. This phenomenon can be used as a measure of incombustible content by employing an appropriately designed and calibrated instrument.

Jan 1, 1981

By Belcher C. B

A simple gravimetric procedure was developed for the rapid determination of carbon dioxide in coal mine roadway dust samples and the result is used for the subsequent calculation of incombustible matter contentaccording to the requirements of the Queensland Coal Mining Act. The carbon dioxide is determined through loss of mass by a semi-enclosed apparatus, following room-temper.ature hydrochloric acid attack on the sample.With a sample containing 36 per cent carbon dioxide, the achieved standard deviation (ls) of 0·3 per cent CO. is adequate for coal mine roadway dust analysis.This simple procedure enables relatively unskilled labour in mine laboratories, to analyze coal mine roadway dust samples in accordance with the Act. Some 50 analyses can be achieved per day compared with 8 by the Australian Standard Method for coal.

Jan 1, 1976

By Belcher C. B

A procedure was required for the rapid determination of silicon in low-alloy irons and a suitable method used the formation and reduction of silicomolybdic acid at 50°C. The procedure gives results for elemental silicon and this enables the correct computation of oxidation requirements in basic oxygen steelmaking. The method could be useful in iron foundries which have not installed direct reading spectrometers.INTRODUCTIONOxygen steelmaking experiments required rapid determinations of 0,5-1,6 per cent silicon in iron (3-4 per cent C) within 10 min of sampling; a reproducibility better than ±0.03 per cent Si was desired. Only elemental silicon (Si°) is of interest as a fuel in basic oxygen steelmaking technology, and the proposed procedure determines exclusively this form of silicon. The method is described as it may prove useful to other workers although the interference study would be incomplete for some applications.The analysis of silicon in iron is frequently obtained using direct reading spectrometers, but for the proposed experiments the spectrometers could not be used because of the prohibitive distance from the furnace. It should be noted that spectrometers determine both the elemental silicon and that present as silicon dioxide in occluded slag and inclusions.The silicon content of iron and steel is determined in this laboratory by spectrophotometric measurement of a "molybdenum blue" colour. The reactions involved have been extensively investigated; Strickland (1952) showed that a...

Jan 1, 1965

By Buttrose RB

The Pine Creek gold mining development consists of a 1000000 tonne/yr open cut mine, a carbon-in-pulp processing plant and support facilities. The operation is located at Pine Creek, 230 km south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The mine was officially opened in late October 1985, having been designed and constructed in less than twelve months, despite front end expenditure constraints and unseasonal cyclonic rains shortly after commencement of site activity. Non-traditional methods and attitudes were required to be adopted by both Engineer and Owner to successfully bring the project from preliminary design through construction and commissioning in a minimum time. Those areas which differ from the more traditional approaches to Project Management are examined together with a review of the advantages and penalties of these methods.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. von Bonsdorff

Electrochemical and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) methods were used to investigate the dissolution rate of gold in a solution similar to those utilized by the Outokumpu HydroCopper® process. The measurements were conducted in an electrolyte solution where [NaCl] = 2.8-280 g/L, pH = 1-2.5, [Cu2+] = 0-30 g/L and T = 70-95°C. According to these measurements, the solution flow has the greatest impact on the dissolution rate of gold in the HydroCopper® process. Under adequately acidic conditions (pH < 3), the dissolution rate of gold increases with increasing cupric concentration, increasing chloride concentration and increasing temperature. The results and trends observed compared well with the literature.

Jan 1, 2007

By H. B. Oblad

Coal/pyrite fines were froth floated in a laboratory cell to examine the rate of pyrite recovery during conventional coal flotation. The effects of collector, particle size and carbon to total sulfur ratio on the kinetics of recovery were investigated. These data coupled with microscopic examination suggest that miniscule amounts of coal that remain attached to the pyrite surface affect the rate of flotation of pyrite.

Jan 1, 1985