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By S. Dessureault, M. Yildirim

More mining companies are now investing in IT, including updating one of the traditional IT process control tools used in the mining industry: real time in-pit truck allocation control and monitoring systems, or fleet management systems (FMS). These systems have been used to maximize the overall mine production by improving equipment utilization and reducing production costs. Most modern operations monitor the in-pit operations using GPS and wireless communications to produce data. Improvements in bandwidth, sensors, and computing power are causing modern systems to become more complex and generate more data. However, human analysis by simple regression or table generation in spreadsheets of the data is becoming impossible. Data mining solves this data management problem. Data mining finds patterns and relationships in very large data sets. This paper describes the application of modern data mining techniques on truck dispatching systems in a real open pit hard-rock copper mine. The analyses conducted included determining how the trucks performed under particular conditions and allocation systems. The long-term benefits of this work are to identify strengths and improvement opportunities in truck assignment systems and establish the skill sets and IT infrastructure needed in undertaking more complex datadriven technology such as a truck dispatcher trainer.

Jan 1, 2007

By Z. Pilecki

This work concerns the identification of weak zones in the structure of a rock mass endangered by outburst of gases and rocks in the Rudna copper ore mine at greater depths (approximately 1200 m). A special methodology has been undertaken for the recognition of that threat in the wake of an outburst in the mine in 2009. No similar phenomena have been previously recorded in KGHM Polska Miedz copper ore mines. The research described in this paper was carried out in the new part of the deposit prepared for mining. Geophysical methods were used: seismic tomography and borehole ground penetrating radar (BGPR), along with particular identifications using geological engineering methods. In the researched area, Permian layers of sandstone and shale clay (Weissliegendes formation) and of Zechstein dolomite (top of Rotliegend formation) and anhydrite occur in the copper ore deposit. The rock layers are characterized by variable thickness and intensity of mineralization, varying internal structure, and local fracturing containing different gases and water. It is assumed that accumulation of gases occurs in the tectonically fractured dolomite. The study was focused on the recognition of the structure and properties of the dolomite layer lying directly within the roof of excavations. The first tests were performed with seismic tomography for the recognition of anomalous changes in the elastic properties of the rock mass. The results of these studies were used to design a control borehole for a detailed geological engineering assessment and BGPR surveys with 100MHz antennas. Seismic tomography enabled the identification of changes in Pwave and S-wave velocity, the Vp/Vs ratio, dynamic Poisson's ratio and dynamic Young's modulus. It was clear that seismic anomalies required verification by other methods. The BGPR survey was performed in a specially designed borehole, passing through the selected seismic anomalies. While the borehole was being drilled, the outflow of gases was identified, with varying amounts of CH4, CO2, and H2S detected, as well as water outflow. The results of BGPR confirmed the location of a reservoir of water and gases, about 30 m in length, found in layer of dolomite. The direct cause of the BGPR anomaly was assumed to be intensive fracturing, a greater content of clay material in the dolomite, and the presence of water in the fractured zone. The BGPR image was correlated with information on lithology, fracturing based on the RQD index and additional information acquired during drilling about water and gases surveys and other symptoms. The achieved results also showed a very strong correlation between the location of the zone containing gases and water and the anomalous S-wave velocity and field of dynamic Poisson?s ratio, and to a lesser extent other seismic parameters. It was found that the other measured seismic anomalies may be of the same nature as those identified in the control borehole and accordingly will require the implementation of detailed identification. The performed tests have also shown the usefulness of geophysical methods to identify geodynamic hazards under the geological and mining conditions of the copper ore deposit in the Rudna mine.

Aug 1, 2013

By J. A. Rogers

"The Arthur W. White Mine (formerly Dickenson Mine) is a structurally controlled, hydrothermal gold deposit. A gold producer since 1948, it has, to December 31, 1990, processed 6.9 million (m) tons (T) of ore grading 0.45 ounces per ton gold (oz/T Au). As of December 31, 1991, Proven and Probable Ore Reserves were 3.2 m. T. at 0.32 oz/T Au. The mine is located just east ofPlacer Dome Inc. 's Campbell Mine, within the Cochenour-Gull.rock Lake deformation zone. It is situated on the hanging-wall side of a southeast-plunging anticline in a sequence of metamorphosed Archean volcanic, sedimentary and plutonic rocks of the Red Lake greenstone belt. Ore-bearing structures, found mainly within basaltic rocks, are brittle within greenschist-facies rocks to the northwest, but become more ductile toward the southeast, in amphibolite-facies rocks. Within and proximal to these structures, carbonate and arsenopyrite alteration decreases, whereas biotite, actinolite, pyrite and pyrrh otite all increase to the southeast.Ore and shear structures occur symmetrically about the northwest-trending, steeply southwest-dipping, flattening foliation . The three most common ore trends are on average: (A) northwest trending with a 55 degree to 85 degree dip to the southwest; (B) north-trending with a 40 degree to 50 degree dip to the west; and (C) due east-west-trending with a vertical dip. In general, the dominant direction of economic gold concentrations are explained and thus predicted by considering deformation style (brittle or ductile), rock anisotropies such as bedding and lithological contacts, and direction/magnitude of relative block movement. Direction ""A"" can be found adjacent to both right- and left-handed faults. Direction ""B "" occurs with dominantly right-handed systems and direction ""C"" is found with predominantly left-handed movement. Major faults active prior to, during, and after ore formation can have offsets in the order of 2500 feet. Movements along these faults were transpressive while their conjugate breaks were dilatant, thus creating zones for alteration and ore solution emplacement. A series of faults , each with offsets up to 30 feet were established under lower temperature brittle conditions during late- to post-ore formation. In more complex zones, formed during more ductile deformation, these faults controlled the localized geometry and, thereby, the depletion and enrichment of ore shoots, causing a high nugget effect.Although an important aspect of production planning and monitoring, grade control is also very important within a complex ore zone so that the nuggets are not missed. Detailed observation of structure at the hand-sample scale and detailed mapping at the stope scale give valuable clues to interpreting the structures on a mine-wide scale. Determining the relative movement along fault structures is very important so that using an action-reaction- type logic, potential dilatant areas can be predicted and targeted for development and diamond drilling."

Jan 1, 1992

By B. Garitte, O. K. Mahabadi, P. Marschall, A. Lisjak, H. R. Müller, T. Vietor, G. Grasselli

Numerous research studies have shown that clay rock formations exhibit favourable characteristics for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. However, one main concern is that the favourable long-term isolation properties of the intact rock mass could be negatively affected by the formation of an excavation damaged zone (EDZ) around the underground openings. The goal of this paper is to present new rock mechanics insights into the phenomena involved in the EDZ formation and evolution processes in Opalinus Clay, a clay shale currently being assessed as a potential host rock for an underground repository in Northern Switzerland. More specifically, discontinuum-based computer simulations, using a hybrid finite-discrete element method (FDEM) approach, were applied to two case studies considering circular excavations in an anisotropic Opalinus Clay formation. In the first case study, numerical modelling was applied to the HG-A experiment, a long-term in-situ test carried out at the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory to investigate the hydro-mechanical response of a backfilled and sealed microtunnel. A mechanistic analysis of the fracturing processes involved in the EDZ formation was carried out. In the second case study, the long-term effect of the bentonite backfill swelling on the EDZ around an emplacement was numerically analyzed. Overall, the simulation results highlight short-term distinctive rock failure kinematics due to the bedded rock structure, as well as a long-term reduction of the excavation-induced fracture porosity in response to mechanical loading.

Jan 1, 2015

By Yun-Jie Wei

Seismic areas were in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plain, whose structures were complicated, mainly composed of Maowen fault, Yingxiu fault and Pengxian-guanxian fault. The rapid rise of the Qinghai-Tibet plain led the crustal material of the eastern edge to move to the southeast along the faults on a large scale since the late Cenozoic; Minshan block structure and Long Men Mountain tectonic zone represented the strong nappe thrust movement as the east boundary of Chuanqing slip block; the stress was accumulating when squeezed, which to a certain extent resulted in breakdown of the crust, and earthquakes. The shock speed, high-energy accumulation, and the reversed dextrorotation of the earthquake fault characteristics et al. happened, which caused the development of secondary geological disastersts. According to on-site investigation, the typical geological disasters had thrust rock collapse, the instability deposit, the revival of potential debris flow et al. whose genetic model had been analysed.

May 1, 2009

By Bryan A. Bartley

"Jim Macdonald was promoted from Waterworks Engineer to Streetworks Engineer for the Wellington City Council. He thus took over the City quarry and responsibility for its performance. The crushing plant needed upgrading and he thought it would not be difficult to make a crusher to overcome a problem. If he had a longer association with the quarry industry he would have used conventional methods and equipment, so his invention arose from a fresh view of crushing.He invented the Barmac Rotopactor after observing a wear resistant chute with a lining of dead stone trapped above a piece of angle. This idea led to a rotor lined with trapped stone, rotating on a vertical spindle. In trying - a model rotor he observed the impact against a circular rill of stone in half an oil drum and thus was started a very fertile new area of developement in comminution. The writer helped in the developement and shares in the patents. Jim died in January 1982, just as the machine was becoming known and some 200 were in use in various countries. Most were working in hard rock quarries et that time but recent uses have carried the machine into the mining and mineral processing field. This paper is directed at that industry."

Jan 1, 1985

By Laxman M. Amaratunga, Glen G. Hein

"Most mining operations utilize the tailings coarse fraction for backfilling while the fines have been traditionally disposed on surface in tailings ponds. Recently, paste fill has been developed which uses a fraction of the fine tailings (10-30% w/w of <45 µm) in the fill (Brummer and Moss, 1991). This development allows a mining company to use a portion of the fines for backfill, but still requires surface impoundment of the unused tailings. Reactive tailings have the added problem of generating acid after being oxidized in the presence of air and water. Treating acid mine drainage (AMO) from these ponds has proven to be a costly environmental problem and a long term liability.One practical method to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the tailings pond is to modify the physical and chemical prope1ties of the fine tailings so that they can be utilized in an environmentally safe manner. This was accomplished by agglomerating the tailings into pellets and using theses pellets as a coarse aggregate in a total tailings paste fill. This technology does not require any supplemental sand or gravel to be added to the fill.This paper presents the ongoing research into utilizing these tailings agglomerates as a coarse aggregate fraction, in order to create a total tailings paste fill which has supe1ior strength characteristics.IntroductionThe Canadian mining industry produces more than 500 million tonnes of tailings and waste rock annually. The waste rock is usually returned underground for use as rock fill in underground support with the tailings remaining to be disposed of in tailings ponds. Tailings consist of a coarse and fine fraction, and can be either reactive (acid generating) or non-reactive. In an effort to minimize tailings disposal, the coarse fraction has been used underground in backfill along with alluvial sands. This diversion of the coarse fraction, however still requires that the fine fraction be disposed of in tailings ponds. This disposal creates the potential for acid mine drainage (AMO), since in the presence of air and water, reactive sulphide tailings can generate acid. It is therefore an important goal in the mining industry to minimize the disposal of fine tailings into tailings ponds since the treatment of AMO is a costly and long-te1m environmental liability."

Jan 1, 1997

By S. H. Logan

The present discussions throughout the civilized world on the subject of gold for monetary purposes may seem due to general economic conditions during the past year. But for some years previously a small group of authorities had warned the world against the continued disregard of an equitable distribution of existing gold reserves, and had urged the necessity of keeping the supply of new gold equal to the monetary demand, which, according to world production and trade figures, increases on the average about 3 per cent per annum. In 1927, Sir John Aird, the President of The Canadian Bank of Commerce, stated that the United States could spare a billion dollars of the supply it then held, 4 ½ billion dollars. About a year and a half ago the Professor of Banking and Currency in the University of London, Mr. T. E. Gregory, said, "If the world finds it impossible to modify its habits so far as to make an organized effort to economize gold seem less Utopian, it must be prepared to pay for its bad habits, in this and other respects, by a possible loss of material welfare." These clear-cut statements were not heeded, perhaps for one reason because most countries were in the flush of prosperity, and making such great demands upon the mining fraternity for industrial materials as to distract attention, at least to some degree, from gold mining. Now the world knows it faces serious problems, first, of making? fully effective its present monetary reserves, which, although badly distributed, are as a whole ample for the needs of the present, and secondly, of preventing a shortage in the supply of new gold, one that may come within the next few years if the present sources of supply are not enlarged, and if there is no marked change in the technique of gold production.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. D. Templeton

A petroleum well that is not in use because it has ceased to produce oil/gas economically and dry holes are referred to as abandoned wells. Once a well is abandoned it is plugged with cement and can take anywhere from two days up to a week to cure depending on the number of plugs in the well. Since plugging a well costs capital, most wells are abandoned at the lowest possible cost and with the minimum obligations set by regulation agencies. These wells can present an enduring liability to petroleum companies. However, the depth and abundance of abandoned petroleum wells makes them an economically attractive source of geothermal energy. Geothermal energy harvested from an oil/gas well is a renewable energy source as long as it is extracted in a sustainable manner. The energy can be used to generate electricity, used directly for heating, incorporated into a water desalination process, or used by a heat pump for heating/cooling applications. In this paper we examine the possibility of extracting geothermal energy from abandoned oil/gas wells by studying the heat transfer in underground geothermal heat exchangers installed in these wells. The design configurations for the geothermal heat exchangers embedded inside a petroleum borehole can be a u-tube design or a shell and tube design (i.e. double pipe). Using in-situ gathered information from some representative petroleum boreholes, the effects of key parameters such as geothermal gradient, ground temperature values, and the flow inside of the tubes are evaluated. In order to provide a constant power production the inlet temperature can be adjusted to keep the difference between outlet and inlet temperatures equivalent. Higher differences between inflow and outflow temperatures will result in a less sustainable load put on the in-situ geothermal energy. Adding insulation to certain sections of the designs can minimize the transfer of thermal energy from the fluid to the surroundings. Insulation can also limit the thermal loss between the inflow and outflow tubes in the shell and tube design. Minimizing the energy loss of these designs leads to an increase in the outlet temperature, meaning a higher grade of heat. The sustainability of long term geothermal heat extraction is a balance between the rate at which geothermal energy is extracted and the rate at which the ground formation can replace this heat. Higher outlet temperatures can lead to a larger amount of power generation, and a higher coefficient of performance for heat pump applications.

Aug 1, 2013

By P. Tukkaraja, K. Katzenstein

"Block caving is one of the most economical and efficient underground mining methods and has gained popularity around the world especially for extracting low grade and massive ore bodies. However, during the extraction of ore from the draw bells, gases trapped inside the cave could emit into the working areas; hence, ventilation plays a key role in operating block cave mines successfully where gas emission is a concern. To design an effective ventilation system for a block caving mine, given the dynamic nature of the caving process, it is necessary to develop airflow characteristic curves (P-Q) for a given cave. This study uses a 1:100 scale physical model with an exhaust fan system, and a Computational Fluid Dynamics model of a block cave to investigate the airflow behavior through the cave filled with broken rock material. From this study, it was observed that the cave airflow resistance increases with the decrease in cave porosity and the particle size.INTRODUCTIONThe block cave mining method is gaining popularity owing to its low cost and high productivity. This study considered a case where this bulk mining method is used for the extraction of an orebody that contains uranium mineralization. During the extraction of broken ore from the draw bells, radioactive gases trapped in the cave zone could be released into the production drifts and could create unsafe working conditions in the mine. Mine ventilation systems play an important role in regulating the migration of radon in working areas. One of the strategies to control radon migration in a block cave mine is to exert negative pressure on the cave zone by using an exhaust fan above the cave zone. In order to select an appropriate exhaust fan system, it is necessary to study the airflow resistance of the cave zone (Loring & Nelson, 2006).Extraction of broken ore via drawpoints creates a void volume inside the cave called the air gap. Air gaps with larger heights can lead to air blasts in a block cave mine should the cave collapse. Besides that, the air gap can also lead to decrease in ventilation system efficiency due to recirculation of air flow and associated shock losses. Air gap height can also have a profound effect on the variation of cave airflow resistance (Erogul et al., 2015, 2017). The knowledge of cave airflow resistance is also important for predicting the intensity of an air blast. Cave airflow resistance is a function of cave properties such as broken rock size, air gap, and porosity inside the cave zone (Baysal et al., 2017). Initially, a scaled experimental model with a forcing system was developed to investigate the airflow behavior through the cave, however, this model couldn’t provide an observable change in the airflow resistance when the cave properties were changed (cave porosity, and airgap) This was attributed to the difficulties associated with forcing system in terms of achieving lower porosity values with the available material (lightweight shipping boxes) for simulating broken rock inside the cave zones, and controlling air leakage from the model (Ajitha et al., 2018)."

Jan 1, 2019

By Deng Yang-wu, Zhang Yan, Chen Chun-fei, Luo Xian-ping, Luo Cai-gui

This paper summarizes the ecological imbalance status of abandoned rare-earth element (REE) mines in southern China. These include large areas of vegetation damage, serious water and soil erosion, landslides, mudslides, heavy metal pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, and fluorine pollution. The causes which lead to the ecological imbalances at abandoned rare-earth mines are analyzed, such as: the inadequacies of using vat leaching, heap leaching, and in-situ leaching processes to extract REE resources; low mineral thickness and low grade of REE ore; and low utilization rates of the resource. Southern ionic REE resources are not fully integrated, with limited access and ineffective supervision of REE mining by relevant departments. The ecological recovery research for ionic-type REE mines is lagging behind, and there is no deployable ecological restoration method for REE wasteland. In the end, the following suggestions are made to improve the ecological imbalance status of rare-earth mine in southern China: develop new rare-earth extraction processes, accelerate the integration pace of REE resources, increase investment in ecological restoration research in rare-earth wasteland, and so on.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. Mcdonald

"An X-Met Analyzer was purchased from Outokumpu in late 1983for use in the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting smelter. Its first use was in the fuming plant to give zinc assays of each charge of slag tapped from the fuming furnaces. This quickly told the operators exactly when each charge had reached its economic tap-out point, and gave supervision a fool-proof method of identifying good operation. These and other factors led to major improvements in coal utilization in the fumers and to major increases in zinc oxide production. A second unit was later purchased for the reverberatory furnace to give silica and iron assays of the slag, and these were used to make adjustments in the feed composition to maintain the desired SiO2:Fe ratio in the slag. Since purchasing the units for the furnace, the oil consumption and copper content of the slag have dropped significantly. IntroductionSmelters have lagged far behind concentrators in process control by mean s of rapid product analysis. The on-stream X-ray analyzer was developed about seventeen years ago, and soon concentrators around the world were getting assays of the incoming ore, .concentrates and tailings every fifteen minutes, and using these to control reagent additions and other process variables. Almost always, the concentrate grade and recovery improved.In smelters, product streams are solids or molten materials, not the more easily handled slurries, and until seven years ago no inexpensive equipment was available to provide rapid analysis of this type of material. In approximately 1980, several companies developed instruments based on irradiating solid samples with low-intensity gamma rays from radio-isotope sources, and measuring the secondary X-rays emitted from different elements in the sample to provide an analysis of the elements desired.The smelter staff had a close look at what was needed and listed the following points as being critical:1. ability to provide Zn assays of a sample of slag within 15 minutes of taking it, in order to achieve optimum fuming times (zinc fuming , being a batch process, had the greatest potential benefit from rapid slag analysis);2. ability to give Cu and Fe assays on the slag, and on other smelter products, such as matte and converter slag;3. ability to give Si02 assays since the SiO2 content of the slag has a strong effect on fuming rate; and4. ability to stand up to an industrial atmosphere such as exists in the fuming plant."

Jan 1, 1987

By Matthew Violot

Vale Canada?s Birchtree Mine, located in Thompson Manitoba, has been experiencing problems with hanging wall / footwall dilution, as well as sloughing off of adjacent stopes and temporary stope block backs. Birchtree Mine is interested in determining how time affects the stability of their open stope blocks. Many factors simultaneously influence open stope stability (rock mass quality, joint condition, stress condition). This makes it challenging to determine the influence of a single parameter such as exposure time or stand-up time. This study focuses on determining the effect of exposure time on open stope dilution and combines stress analysis and empirical based approaches.

Jun 1, 2012

By Jean Vavrek

What is CIM?s role on a planet-wide scale? That question has been coming back to the forefront of many discussions regularly in the months since we came on board as Executive Director and Vice-President International. CIM, by its name and by the nature of its history and make up, has mainly been a Canadian entity. It has been created by an act of Canadian Parliament and it is set up to work within the Canadian federal and provincial framework.

Feb 1, 2004

By D. J. Parker, G. B. Tupper, I. Govender

Positron-Emission-Particle-Tracking (PEPT) has enabled the non-invasive observation of charge and slurry transport in model mills under operational conditions. We use high quality PEPT data to infer that the charge motion can be effectively described by a non-Newtonian granular fluid. An improved theory for slurry transport, including inertial effects, is presented.

Jan 1, 2012

By Walter K. (Cory) Conrad

Two pumping tests in the Chilson Member of the lower Lakota Formation were completed at nearly the same location in 1979 and 2008. The 1979 test consisted of a pumping well and several surrounding observation wells penetrating the full 55-m thickness of the aquifer. The 2008 test consisted of a pumping well and three surrounding observation wells screened over 10 m in one of the known uranium ore horizons in the lower portion of the Lakota penetrated only about 3 meters of the more than 55-m thick lower Lakota aquifer. The average transmissivity and storativity values determined from the 1979 tests were 17.6 m2/day and 1.8 x 10-4, respectively. Comparing median transmissivity of 13.9 m2/day and storativity of 1.2 x 10-4 determined in the 2008 test to the 1979 test, the new aquifer parameters for the lower Lakota are respectively about 80 and 70 percent of the 1979 results. Because transmissivity and storativity depend on aquifer thickness, comparing the results suggests that there may be some scaling effect between the tests due to the differing lengths of screened intervals. However, the effect cannot be predicted by calculations such as relative screen lengths or open intervals to the formation, or sandstone versus shale thicknesses on geophysical logs. The scaling effect is attributed to partial disconnection between the lower and upper portions of the Lakota Formation aquifer by locally continuous shale interbeds. Suggestions to resolve this scaling issue are presented.

Aug 1, 2010

By Greg Rasmussen

"Huckleberry Mines Ltd is an open pit porphyry copper-molybdenum mining operation located 120 km south of Houston, British Columbia with a 18,000 tpd milling facility. Huckleberry Mines is owned 60% by Princeton Mining Corporation, the operator, and 40% by Japanese partners.The Huckleberry deposit is one of several porphyry systems located in the Tahts a district of the intermontane belt of British Columbia. The principal economic minerals are chalcopyrite and molybdenite. The ore deposit is split into two ore deposits, the Main Zone, consisting of24,241,000 tonnes of mineable reserves grading 0.484 %Cu and 0.013 %Mo, and the East Zone, consisting of 66, 131,500 tonnes of mineable reserves grading 0.523 %Cu and 0.014 %Mo.The milling begins with gyratory crushing. This sizes the product down to 100% passing 6 inches. This product is discharged onto a stockpile by a stationary conveyor. The stockpile was designed for a capacity of 144,000 tonnes with a live capacity of 20,000 tonnes. Two apron feeders draw the ore from the bottom of the stockpile and discharge onto a SAG mill feed conveyor which in turn feeds a grinding circuit consisting of one 32' x 15' SAG mill and two 30' x 16.5' ball mills. The grinding cyclone overflow feeds bulk flotation at 55 -65% minus 200 mesh.The bulk flotation uses conventional rougher and column flotation methods to float a bulk concentrate recovering 92.6% copper on the East Zone and 95% copper on the Main Zone with 75% recovery molybdenum on both zones. The bulk concentrate feeds the bulk thickener which produces a density of 60 %solids. This in turn feeds the molybdenum circuit, which separates the copper and molybdenum, by depressing the copper then using conventional rougher and column flotation produces a copper concentrate of 27 %Cu and 0.02 %Mo, and a molybdenum concentrate containing 1.5 %Cu and 54 %Mo at 67% recovery. These concentrates are separately thickened, filtered, dried, and shipped to the smelter for processing."

Jan 1, 1998

By R. Bonnar, R. J. McH. Clark

"The Cheminis gold mineralization zone is approximately 6.5 km west of the Kerr Addison Mine along the Larder Lake Shear Zone, in the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The zone is very similar in appearance to the flow ore at the Kerr Addison Mine and occurs at the same stratigraphic position. Drilling has demonstrated that the gold mineralization at Cheminis persists to a depth of over 3000 ft .The mineralization is hosted by a pyritic, tuffaceous sediment which occurs within a sequence of volcanics and sediments which have been pervasively carbonatized. The gold is largely enclosed within pyrite grains and the amount of gold in the layers of pyrite increases in the layers closest to a graphitic f ault zone.It is suggested that the gold mineralization may be primarily related to the syngenetic sulphide concentrations formed during fumarolic activity on the seafloor along the Larder Lake Shear Zone. At a later stage a hydrothermal event associated with alkalic volcanism may have resulted in regional carbonatization and further concentration of the gold in the vicinity of fault zones."

Jan 1, 1987

By G. R. Cope, J. S. Getsinger, K. D. Lund, T. Neale

"Mineral exploration in the Sicker Group, a belt of Paleozoic volcano-sedimentary rocks on Vancouver Island, has traditionally centred on auriferous polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits such as those currently mined by Westmin Resources Ltd. near Buttle Lake. Recently, however, the focus of exploration in the Sicker Group has shifted toward targets of structurally controlled gold concentrations, with notable success. Major north and northwesterly-trending structural features such as the Cowichan-Horne Lake break (one of several regional high-angle thrust fault s active throughout a long period of geological time) and related fault systems have contributed to localization of gold mineralization.Using the extensive information database compiled by MPH Consulting Limited during numerous exploration projects in the Sicker Group, two cross sections through areas with significant gold occurrences southeast of Port Alberni are presented. The cross sections combine geological, geochemical and geophysical data in an attempt to emphasize the relationship between structural trends and gold mineralization. Examples from specific properties, including gold discoveries along the Mineral Creek fault zone, are used to illustrate this relationship."

Jan 1, 1990

By W. J. Kuit

"Complex facilities which provide for the collection, management and treatment of effluents emanating from the Sullivan mine and concentrator tailings were made operational in October 1979. Key features of the system are the use of upgraded tailings ponds for the storage of up to 800 million litres of metals-contaminated effluents, a treatment plant employing lime in a high-density sludge process and a sludge-impoundment facility designed for maximum long-term environmental safety. The completed works are capable of satisfying a difficult range of operating requirements imposed by highly variable weather conditions, drainage flows and soluble metals loadings. Final capital expenditures for the project approached $10 million and annual operating costs are about $0.8 million.This paper discusses the Kimberley effluents treatment project and the major considerations in its development. The treatment process, major plant equipment and initial operating experience are also described.IntroductionCominco Ltd. has worked the Sullivan orebody at Kimberley, B.C. since 1909 and has operated a concentrator some 5 km distant from the mine since 1923. Over the last 70 years, in excess of 120million tonnes of ore have been mined, and production continues at an average rate of 6,500 tonnes per day. It is a well-known fact that the contribution of this operation to Canada&apos;s mining industry and, in particular, Cominco&apos;s development has been significant. However, this success has not been without some undesirable side effects.Unfortunately, the Sullivan is one of only a few major Western Canadian orebodies which may be classed as ""acidic"" in nature. That is, the primary economic minerals, galena and marrnatite, are enclosed in a siliceous host rock with abundant pyrrhotite, but with little or no accompanying alkaline gangue minerals such as calcite and dolomite. The unavoidable consequence of mining such an ore is that contact with air and water generates an acid mine drainage containing various soluble metals orginally present as minerals.This problem also arises in the concentrator&apos;s tailings ponds, which, in the case of the Sullivan, are two separate impoundments of different materials. The 1,100 tonnesl day of ""iron"" tailings are primarily pyrrhotite which is surplus to the requirements of a separate operation that produces sulphuric acid as an intermediate to phosphate fertilizers. Inert gangue minerals with only a minor sulphide content are the main constituents of the 1,200 tonnes/ day of siliceous tailings. Corresponding to the relative proportion of sulphides in the solids, the decant from the iron tailings is substantially more contaminated than that from the siliceous pond."

Jan 1, 1980