Review of Method Changes Shows Improvements at Eagle Mountain

Eagle Mountain mine of Kaiser Steel Corp. began production in 1947 when the direct shipping ore contained 51-56% Fe. The high grade, wide ore face and low stripping ratio ores were rapidly depleted and Eagle Mountain required processing plants for upgrading and more efficient mining equipment. During 1970-71 total annual pit tonnage averaged 56 million tons of material ranking the Eagle Mountain Mine as the fourth largest in the country. Ore production averaged 12.5 million tons requiring a stripping ratio of 3.5: 1. During this period mining activities were scheduled for a three-shift, seven-day operation. The present mining rate is about 30 million tpy on a two-shift, five-day schedule.