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FREQUENTLY the Survey Department is caIled upon to estimate the quantity of material in various dumps, dams piles, etc... and in the carrying out of this work various methods may be employed.The method used will vary according to the particular case in hand, and factors such as accessibility of the top of the dump, steepness of its sides, height, and the condition of the material to be estimated. A certain amount of "give and take" must be adopted in the treatment of small local cavities and mounds.In all cases it is desirable that the surveys made should be tied on to the lease surveys for the purpose of location, and that all levels should be reduced to the mine datum. It is also desirable to obtain levels of the original surface before deposition of the material to be estimated. If these have not been obtained beforehand, levels and transfers round the top will be the next best. If space is availabIe, flat surface is chosen as a site for the dump, etc. This is of the utmost importance in those cases where the material will have to be...

Jan 1, 1925

This paper gives a description of the methods of mining employed at North Broken Hill Limited, Broken Hill, N.S.W.GEOLOGICAL NOTESThe main Broken Hill lode occurs as a replacement of tightly folded pre-Cambrian sediments. Replacement has followed certain stratigraphical horizons and the main bulk of the ore is found where these have been packed into the noses of anticlinal and synclinal folds.Throughout the mine the ore-bearing folds pitch north fairly consistently at 45 degrees, as a result of which two favourable horizons in the same fold appear in plan as separate orebodies and these are referred to as the "Southern Orebody" and the "Northern Orebody" respectively.The general dip of the orebodies to the west is about 60 degrees. A typical sill is shown in the plan of the 1,400-ft level (Fig. 1).Both the hanging wall and footwall rocks throughout the mine are weak and, as a result, it is necessary that the hanging wall must be well supported after ore extraction, to prevent subsidence. The weakness in the footwall is confined to a narrow zone, approximately 60 feet in width. This weaknes.q is a source of trouble in the development headings which pass through it, It is sufficiently crushed to transmit weight from the overlying wall to the gangways below.Another feature causing ground instability is the presence of many faults. Although their effect on the shape and character of the orebody is relatively small their...

Jan 1, 1940

By S Norman

The Water Delivery Alliance (WDA) was established to design, construct and commission the pump station and desalinated water delivery pipeline to link the desalination plant on the Kurnell Peninsula (constructed by others) with the existing distribution network at Erskineville, Sydney, Australia. The WDA consisted of McConnell Dowell Corporation Ltd (Macdow), Bovis Lend Lease Pty Ltd (BLL), Kellogg Brown and Root Pty Ltd (KBR), Worleyparsons Ltd (WOR), Environmental Resources Management Group Inc (ERM) and Sydney Water Corporation (SWC).Sydney’s Desalination Project is one of the initiatives to secure Sydney’s water supply against the effects of climate change, population growth and drought. The desalination plant, 100 per cent powered by renewable energy, can supply up to 250 million litres of water per day (mld), which is up to 15 per cent of Sydney’s water needs. The project involved the construction of an 18 km pipeline with an ultimate capacity of 500 mld to accommodate any future increase in the output of the desalination plant.The Alliance procured three full-face tunnel boring machines (TBM) from Herrenknecht AG to construct the 6.5 km of tunnel that would provide a conduit for the DN1800 welded mild steel cement mortar lined (MSCL) pipeline at a number of locations along the route. Nineteen shafts and 16 tunnels were required to complete this work.Crucially one of the TBM drives involved construction of a tunnel into Botany Bay under protected marine life habitats; enabling the connection of the MSCL water carrier pipeline into the dredged section of pipeline underwater, approximately 800 m off-shore in Botany Bay.This paper details the retrieval of the 17.4 m long TBM from the ocean floor upon completion of the Botany Bay tunnel allowing for subsequent use on the Project. Elements covered in the paper include the 835 m tunnel, design and construction techniques for the tunnel and recovery, and details of the methods used to install the DN1800 water carrier pipeline.

Mar 8, 2011

By L Lorenzen, H Muller

"Every year a large number of projects are evaluated by small listed and unlisted mining companies that are hoping to find the ideal project, which will catapult them from a mining junior status to that of a mid-tier mining company. Usually this includes finding the æidealÆ or ærightÆ orebody and then developing a process which will allow cost-effective recovery of the valuable metals and the production of a saleable product. These dreams are seldom realised and there are a number of good and obvious reasons for this. Issues that are generally high up on the agenda for the smaller companies are: cost of developing a project before the feasibility study stage finding a suitable, or optimum processing technology financing of the project dealing with risk.The most expensive part of the development process for the small miner is often the exploration side of the business and finding the æidealÆ orebody. However, finding the right orebody will not be discussed in this paper. The æidealÆ orebody does not necessarily solve the problems of the mining junior, as much of the uncertainty lies in the process required to recover and produce the final metal product. Once a mineralised deposit has been identified and the grade at least reasonably qualified, the development of a suitable process becomes the driver to convert the deposit into an orebody. This paper proposes that a small exploration company has a very limited opportunity to succeed if it does not do sufficient homework before it identifies the æidealÆ orebody. The risk profile for the small mining company, by its very nature, has to be different to that of a major company and as a result the opportunities often lie in managing different and often new process options, which may be the key to bring such projects on line successfully.CITATION:Muller, H and Lorenzen, L, 2012. Project selection and process development for mining juniors, in Proceedings Project Evaluation 2012, pp 149-158 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

May 24, 2012

By T Ladinig

Raise caving is a novel cave mining method, which has been proposed for mass mining at increasing mining depths in LKAB operations. The method makes use of the raise mining technology and an active stress management approach. For the implementation the method is split into two phases, namely a de-stressing phase and a production phase. In the de-stressing phase, a slot-pillar system is established. The purpose of slots is to provide stress shadows and the purpose of the large pillars is to control stress and seismicity. The production phase follows after the de-stressing phase. Required infrastructure in the production phase is developed delayed in stress shadows and bulk extraction takes place in de-stressed zones. Eventually the pillars crush and they are extracted in the production phase. A comprehensive research and development program has been launched to develop the raise caving method towards implementation. As part of this program a full-scale test site of raise caving will be conducted as well as raise caving operations are planned for depth extensions in LKAB mines. This paper discusses the design of raise caving operations in practice at the LKAB mines. In particular, the purpose of the paper is to focus on requirements for the development and design of a raise caving operation. The development of raise caving is discussed from a systems engineering perspective as well as from a management perspective. The functional requirements in the destressing and production phase are outlined and discussed in the paper. The discussion is on basis of the main elements of the raise caving system, such as slots, stopes, pillars and infrastructure. Critical rock engineering design requirements in the de-stressing and production phase are highlighted and dependencies between individual main elements are identified. The analyses show that pillars are especially important for the success of the mining method. Overall, the analyses show that raise caving is a complex system and that its development demands a multidisciplinary approach.

Mar 29, 2023

By E Rubio, N Morales

A common practice in the mining industry is to decompose the planning process into different tasks, so the overall process and specific schedules can be constructed easily. Nevertheless, currently there are some adverse effects, such as not capturing the real value of a project by not taking into account the construction of several underground drifts and general infrastructure. Then the common practice is to compute mining sequence and cut-off grade profiles over the life of the mine without constitutively integrating the development schedule as a means to measure the constructability of a given mine design and sequence. Thus, the investigation summarised in this paper shows a novel, integrative way of treating an underground mine sequence and production schedule while considering drift development scheduling. Moreover, it is thought that, because of this original model, the whole underground production scheduling exercise must concentrate on combining the development and the production scheduling to compute a robust and a feasible production schedule.In order to quantify the effect of the conventional way of viewing the planning, the concept of the building information model (BIM) needs to be used, which was postulated by Charles Eastman and has been used extensively since the late 1970s. BIM takes other aspects of a project into account, considering at the same time the spatial relationships, quantities and properties of building components, but especially some kind of model visualisation, which is the advantage to be incorporated. This paper presents the basis for an optimisation model that allows for defining the sequence of the mining development so that the production plan can be achieved. For this, the model considers the space dimensions, time, pattern or strategy, cost or benefit, precedence and resources available. Tests were performed considering a block caving and sublevel open stoping method. Finally these tests showed the main conclusion, that production sequence changes when the building capacity is considered.

Sep 26, 2011

By A Mackay

As a result of the explosion in the 512 panel at the Moura No 2 mine in 1994 the role of the ventilation officer (VO) to submit sealing plans (on behalf of the operator/underground mine manager) has become one of the key duties of the VO of an underground coal mine in Australia. The intent of a sealing plan is to document the controls used to manage the build up of flammable concentrations of gases, and for these controls to be reviewed by the industry regulators. These sealing plans have brought a large amount of focus onto the sealing process and served the industry well. The legislation does not define sealing, or when it begins, but throughout the industry typically sealing plans are submitted 30 days prior to the last seal being constructed. This practice appears to have originated from the Moura 512 panel being a standing bord and pillar panel and where the explosive gas mixture could only occur after it was sealed. However, since the Moura disaster the industry has become dominated by goafing style longwall mining. Goafing panels differ from standing bord and pillar panels in that they typically have an unventilated goaf that can potentially contain an explosive mixture from start-up. This was recently highlighted by the explosion and fire on Longwall No 1 Tailgate at the Blakefield South Mine in 2011. The author ponders whether the industry should revisit sealing plans to focus on the core hazard and define that sealing begins when flammable concentrations of gases are created. Although defining when mine sealing begins is the key outcome of this paper, the main point is that VOs and industry regulators need to clearly understand what can occur in the atmosphere of underground coal mines. CITATION:Mackay, A, 2013. A case for change - Defining mine sealing and understanding flammable mixtures during sealing, in Proceedings The Australian Mine Ventilation Conference , pp 307-310 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 1, 2013

By S H. Li, H Z. Gu, A Huang

High aluminium steel is a promising advanced steel known for its exception properties and holds significant economic and strategic importance. However, the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 based slag with high alumina content reacts vigorously with alumina refractories during the smelting process at high temperature, seriously affecting the safe and efficient production of furnaces and resulting in the formation of Al2O3-MgO non-metallic inclusions within the molten steel. This is a bottleneck problem for high-quality steel refining, and the key reaction path during the corrosion remains unclear. The dissolution reaction mechanism of alumina refractories in high alumina CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 slags under a weak static magnetic field was investigated in this work, using high temperature laser confocal microscopy and in situ radiation spectroscopy techniques. The results indicate that the interaction between the high alumina slags and the alumina refractories is governed by free radical reactions. The dissolution of alumina forms AlO and AlO2 radicals. The reaction rate increases with the C/S ratio of the slag due to its low polymerisation. The reaction between non-bridging oxygen and AlO2 free radicals accelerates the generation of AlO and O2ꞏ- radicals. The reaction layer composed of calcium aluminate is formed through the recombination of AlO, Caꞏ+ and O2ꞏ- radicals. The weak static magnetic field induces the Zeeman splitting of free radical pairs and intersystem crossing occurs, promoting the formation of triplet free radical pairs through the hyper-fine coupling effect. The reaction can be significantly inhibited as the triplet free radical pair does not meet Pauli’s incompatibility principle. This discovery perfects the structure theory of molten slags with radicals and provides supplement to the design of the highly slag-resistant refractories, and provides the theoretical basis for the development of external field protection technologies for high-quality steel refining.

Jun 19, 2024

By P York

The study commenced in October 2012, to understand the basic ecology of the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) and to confirm whether the species utilise previously mined land on the Mt Owen mine site that was rehabilitated in 1996 to 2011, as part of their home range. The spotted-tailed quoll is a widely distributed marsupial carnivore that is listed as rare or threatened in every state in which it occurs. The species is a forest-dependent marsupial carnivore that occupies a wide range of habitat types (Long and Nelson, 2004).The first part of the study involved trapping a spotted-tailed quoll and fitting the individual with a combined global positioning system / ultra high frequency (GPS/UHF) radio-transmitter collar (Telemetry Solution – Quantum 4000E). The benefit of the GPS/UHF collar is that it records locations (or fixes) at intervals programmed by the user. The UHF component allows the researcher to locate the individual at a frequent interval, and the Quantum 4000E also has a remote download function, enabling the GPS data stored in the collar to be wirelessly transmitted between the collar and researcher. The benefit of this new technology is that the animal does not need to be repeatedly captured to retrieve the GPS data.Daytime searches are also undertaken using the UHF receiver to locate the individual and locations of daytime denning and latrine sites. The location of each den site is recorded using a hand-held GPS. Data downloaded from the GPS collar is then imported and mapped using computer software program ARCGIS (geographic information system), to overlay the data points onto aerial photography.Results demonstrate that threatened species will utilise rehabilitation areas post mining. The data presented will be used to develop a greater understanding of threatened species ecology in and around rehabilitated areas, which will assist in the planning and design of native forest rehabilitation areas.CITATION:York, P, 2014. Mt Owen Mine spotted-tailed quoll study, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 591–596 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 16, 2014

The Callie Underground Mine is located in the Tanami Desert 560 km Northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and is currently operated by Newmont Australia Limited with all mining activities carried out by Henry Walker Eltin. Callie was discovered in the region in 1991 with the box cut portal commenced south of the pit in 1995 and underground ore production commenced in 1998, after completion of the profitable Callie Open Pit. Development is currently occurring at depths of over 700 m with the decline currently below the 640 Reduced Level (RL) level (surface RL of 1400) with production haulage from 600 m below the surface. The combination of auto compression, a moderate geothermal gradient of 2¦C/100 m and diesel heat transfer causes the wet bulb temperature of intake air at the bottom of the mine to be typically 5¦C higher than on the surface. Wet Bulb temperatures can be up 5¦C higher again in active areas under secondary ventilation. During the 2002/2003 wet season many activities in the lower levels of the mine were stopped due to miners experiencing adverse heat related symptoms or the temperatures exceeding the Underground Heat Management Procedure stop job criteria of 32¦C wet bulb. To improve the working environment, combat the heat related illness and improve operational efficiency, a temporary 1.8 MW refrigerated cooling plant consisting of three 600 kW modules were installed underground to provide bulk air cooling for the lower levels of the mine during the 2003/2004 wet season. Several studies have been conducted in relation to future ventilation demands at Callie and all came to the conclusion, that some mine cooling will be necessary for Callie to meet the high production and development demands. This paper will describe the ventilation network at the Callie Underground operation focusing on the installation, operation and effectiveness of the temporary underground refrigeration plant.

Jan 1, 2005

By N C. Steenkamp

The Northern Cape Province of South Africa is host to the Kalahari Manganese Field (KMF). The northern portion of the KMF hosts high-grade manganese referred to as Wessels’ type ore and is mined mostly from underground operations. WorleyParsons TWP is currently involved with the development of a ventilation shaft for one of these mines. The main challenge is to develop through the unconsolidated Kalahari material and weathered portion of the Karoo formation. These formations are preserved very erratically over short distances. A lack of understanding of the unique challenges presented for developing shafts in this area has resulted in the failed development of a shaft on an adjacent property and over-expended budgets on others.The renowned red sand of the Kalahari forms the top several tens of metres and overlies a horizon of gravels and calcrete that pose seasonally variable water ingress problems. A very stiff red clay horizon is then intersected. The Red Clay is prone to swellling during excavation and has been the main stumbling block on previous constructions. The standard approach has been to develop non-stop through this layer. The red clay is underlain by another horizon of calcrete, gravel and conglomerate that marks the bottom of the formation. The top of the Dwyka Tillite (Karoo Formation) is usually highly weathered and has a distinctive yellow colour. The weathered tillite is highly susceptible to drying and becomes friable. At reef-intersection, the combination of subhorizontal bedding and joints with the dominant subvertical faulting results in potential wedge failures in the manganese and ironstone units.This paper describes the geotechnical issues identified during the planning of the ventilation shaft and the risks associated with development through the Kalahari and weathered Karoo Formations. A new approach to developing ventilation shafts in overcoming these challenges is recommended.CITATION:Steenkamp, N C, 2014. Challenges of developing a ventilation shaft in Kalahari and Karoo formations, Northern Cape, South Africa, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 81–88 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Mar 24, 2014

By Dippenaar R, Evans T

Twin-roll continuous casting technology is rapidly approaching commercialisation. Fundamentally different than conventional continuous casting, heat transfer and hence solidification during twin-roll casting are governed by the interfacial melt/mould thermal resistance, as opposed to the resistance of the solidifying shell. Under these conditions the interface resistance is predominantly controlled by the melt/substrate wetting behaviour. The very early stages of melt/mould contact are characterised by highly transient heat transfer conditions. The overall melt cooling rates prior to the formation of the first solid are reported to be in the range of 1000 - 50000 K/s with melt undercoolings of up to 300 K. At the points of intimate melt/mould contact the thermal resistance is approaching zero, where cooling rates and undercooling much larger than those reported in the literature are probably occurring. Improved wetting will reduce the energy barrier for nucleation while at the same time increasing the cooling rate of the liquid. Since the overall nucleation rate is controlled both by the rate of cluster formation and the rate of atom transfer to the nucleus, a critical cooling rate will exist above which the nucleation rate is expected to be reduced. Under these conditions, it is possible that the first solid phase to form is a metastable glass which subsequently transforms into a crystalline phase. The implications on nucleation and early growth are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1999

By M Xu and, P F. Wells, A N. Kerr, Y Shields

Triethylene tetramine (TETA) has been used in combination with sodium sulfite (sulfite) for pyrrhotite depression at Clarabelle Mill since 1998. This combination has been highly successful at reducing pyrrhotite levels in the bulk (Ni/Cu) concentrate. Although highly effective, the roles of TETA and sulfite are not well understood. Treating bulk samples of the circuit feeds through the miniplant enabled the effects of circuit configuration on the performance of the pyrrhotite rejection circuits at Clarabelle to be determined. Reasons for the different performance of the non-magnetic pyrrhotite rejection circuit in the miniplant were investigated and tested in the laboratory. The effect of different grinding environments in the laboratory was examined to better understand the depressing mechanisms of TETA/sulfite. Modification of the grinding chemistry improved the selectivity of pentlandite over pyrrhotite in the presence of TETA/sulfite at current plant dosages.

Jan 1, 2005

By P Stoker

The need for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) in the sampling and assaying of minerals is fundamental to the reliability and confidence of a mineral resource estimate, reserve estimate and possibly profitability of a mine. In spite of this, QA/QC practices in the mining industry are commonly applied poorly, or misunderstood. As New Leaders, we should aim to correct the poor practices and become fully informed on appropriate procedures. This paper uses worked examples that show the usefulness and importance of best practice QA/QC procedures. Fundamentals of reviewing the performance of the laboratory by examining the results of client inserted standard reference material (standards), blank material and duplicate samples are discussed. To do this, three examples from Australian data sets have been used. For each example, simple and efficient plotting techniques are suggested with subsequent evaluations of each plot. The first case study compares the results of internal standards from a laboratory with blind standards (where the expected value is unknown to the laboratory) submitted by the client. It was demonstrated over time that the laboratory was unintentionally analysing the internal standards in a different manner to the remainder of the sample batch. In this example, not understanding the cause of a high negative laboratory bias could have led to poor understanding of the depositÆs grade and in the extreme a proposed mining operation may have reached operational stage with a subeconomic grade. The second case study discusses the quality of blank material submitted by a mining operation to monitor cross-contamination within the laboratory. The blank material contained background levels of the element under investigation. This created uncertainty in the assay results, which could have led to the need for additional assays and drilling programs. Finally, the third case study demonstrates the use of the relative paired differences (RPD) technique to cross-validate the results from duplicates and repeat analyses from two laboratories. The three examples given show either laboratory or operational error. If left undetected, each example could have had serious implications for the mineral resource estimate and ultimately, the mining operation. These examples are not isolated occurrences; poor QA/QC practices are an industry wide problem exacerbated by rapid staff turnover and increased contractor positions on-site. New Leaders must be equipped with a thorough grounding in QA/QC best practices to improve its application and confidence in the results of sample analysis.

Jan 1, 2009

By Brook W. H

The history of the reduction of iron from its ores is lost in antiquity. Archreologists state that man has practised it for over four thousand years. Until comparatively recent times charcoal was the principal reducing agent for making metallic iron from its various oxidised ores. Coke was first used by iron founders in England in 1619, and its use spread gradually throughout the civilised world from then onwards. Indeed, the destruction of forests to obtain the requisite charcoal made the iron founders, both in England and America, extremely unpopular, and this hampered the iron industry to a considerable extent, until coal provided the metallurgist with a new and better fuel--coke which is used by most pyro-metallurgists today. The transition from wood to coal products for iron smelting had a profound effect on the location of iron works. Particularly was this the case in America where, in the infancy of the industry, practically each of the early States had its own iron producers, but as coal and coke replaced charcoal, there came about a concentration of the iron and steel industry around the coking coal deposits, and so today there are huge steel plants clustered around the soft coal basins in Pennsylvania and Illinois.The development of the iron and steel industry in Australia, which is comparatively recent by world standards, has been cradled in the coal basins of New South Wales. The first steel works of any consequence in this country were built near Lithgow, close by the mines which produced the coal for coking.Incidentally, these works were rather unique in that the three essential materials for iron and steel manufacture-ore, coal, and limestone-were found virtually at the works' back door.When, in 1912, the location of the proposed steel works for The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. for smelting ore from Iron Knob in South Australia was considered, the site ultimately chosen was at Newcastle, almost on top of seams of satisfactory coking coal. One of the major factors which had determined the site of the steel works was the fact that, about 1912, three tons of coal were required to produce one ton of finished steel product, and the relative economics of ore and coal haulage were much in favour of bringing ore to the coal.

Jan 1, 1947

By Kramadibrata S

Over the years many attempts have been made to develop a means of assessing the excavatability of rock. Most of them are based on an empirical rating system while some authorities still propose the use of seismic velocity as a direct predictor of the rippability of a rock mass. On the other hand there are a number of classical models which have been developed to define the cutting force required at the pick or tooth of continuous miners.While these methods have been applied with various degrees of success to the design of excavation systems there is no generally acceptable method of defining the excavatability or cuttability of a rock mass in terms of the machine power required to generate a particular rate of production.The authors have attempted to overcome this deficiency by recording the intact and rock mass properties at a number of surface mines where continuous miners were in use and to use this data to examine the relationships between the relevant dimensionless groups developed from a dimensional analysis of the problem.The results obtained are encouraging and it appears that this new approach to the problem could lead to civil and mining engineers having a means of predicting the cutting power required to excavate rock at a given rate at any site.While this paper does not include a review of past work it refers to a number of key publications which will give the reader an excellent introduction to the subject.It is important to point out that the research work reported in this paper is part of a doctoral research project at Curtin University of Technology on the Influence of Intact Rock and Rock Mass Properties on the Design of Surface Mines. One of the major objectives of this project is to explore the possibility of developing a technique for predicting the excavatability of rock in surface mines at the design stage.This paper therefore commences with a brief reference to the continuous surface miners in use at the test sites followed by some original work by the authors in applying Dimensional Analysis to analyse the macro-performance of mechanical excavators. Following an analysis of the experimental data the authors validate the wider use of the model by referring to its successful application in predicting the power required to excavate rock by continuous surface miners at other sites.

Jan 1, 1995

The mine manager is one of the oldest jobs in the world. Over many centuries the fundamentals of how this job was approached did not change much. However since the later part of the 1980s there has been a dramatic shift in the expectations and role of the mine manager as the pressures of globalisation and consolidation have increased the size of companies and the production levels of mining operations. The changes have been dramatic, with demanding requirements on mine managers to continually improve the skill levels of people, to apply and develop rapidly changing technologies and to consider far broader business issues that need to be managed in a truly globally connected world. This paper will attempt to outline some of the issues, the complexity surrounding them and some of the approaches that have been made to manage them. There is not a single correct answer or approach, but there are many key success factors that have led to some amazing levels of performance being achieved as we go deeper, broader and literally move mountains to meet the customerÆs needs for today and tomorrow. This contrasts with many mining operations in developing countries that still have a traditional approach to how they mine. Society is the river of life that continually flows and changes the environment that surrounds it. The pressures from the customers and world growth, shape and force alterations to be made in an industry that has to live with the far greater primal and uncompromising forces of the earth we mine. This has led to some paradigm shifts in how we accept what we manage. TodayÆs mine manager must manage a far broader range of issues, than just how do we get tonnage out of the mine and product out of the ore. These include but are not limited to technical, commercial, product quality and end use understanding, employee and community issues, environmental and the ever increasing complexities of sustainable development. Organisations will have to look at how they structure their management of the business to manage functions to meet the complexity of different stakeholders needs û the business, the employees, the customer and the broader community within an environment that is becoming more attuned to the harm impacts to the world in which we operate. The attraction and retention of skilled people that contribute to the value and worth of the corporation, will become critical to sustain a companyÆs growth. One of the fundamental elements of successfully doing this will always be the skills of the mine manager and his/her extended team with the continued development and support that they will need to meet these demands.

Jan 1, 2006

By Koppe J. C

This paper describes the methodology developed to establish a sequentia mining plan applied to a coal mine, using computers. Firstly, isocontou. maps were generated from the drill holes and outcrop description information, representing the thickness and depth of the rock formation: present in the mine site. The procedure relies on the repeated application of the cross validation techniques, until the standard deviation of thi estimation is reduced to a minimum.From this map the coal reserves of the two coal seams, the overburdet (separated in hard and soft material) and the interburden were calculated After that, the maps were transferred in digital files to AutoCAI software, where different mining plan simulations were performed. 7b ore evaluation in each case was done automatically, including tonnages volumes and stripping relations. The final mine configuration consider the economic aspects of the operation.

Jan 1, 1993

In recent decades the awareness of environmental issues by the general public has developed at an accelerat- ing rate. This is the result of a number of factors including more scientific knowledge of environments and of the impacts of modern society upon them, higher levels of education, the opportunity for people to travel more, and the success of the various communication media in bringing in- formation to the communities of the world about such environmental crises or threats as the smogs of Los Angeles and London, the Torrey Canyon and Santa Barbara oilspills, Minamata disease in Japan, the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish, the disposal of toxic industrial wastes into the Upper Rhine, the discovery of high mercury and zinc contents in marine foods in southern Australian waters, and the proposal to mine limestone at Precipitous Bluff in Tasmania.

Jan 1, 1975

Rifting and transfer faulting in the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary resulted in the formation of the Bundaberg Trough and Wallaville Basin and deflected the margin of the Maryborough Basin southwestward between the Kolan and Burnett Rivers. During the Cainozoic, three periods of volcanic activity occurred in the Bundaberg-Gin Gin area. The oldest of these periods, Paleocene to Early Eocene, resulted in the outpouring of tholeiitic lavas. During the Late Miocene to Pliocene, undersaturated alkali basalts generated at depths of from ca. 35 to 55 km were emplaced. These lavas were followed in the Pleistocene by the alkaline Hummock and Berrembea Basalts. The loci of eruption of all of these lavas were controlled by the intersection of the transfer fault system and pre-existing north to northwesterly trending faults in the Bundaberg-Gin Gin area.

Jan 1, 1990