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By Bruno Lafrance

Abstract - Quartz veins at the Mufferaw gold prospect and Komis gold deposit, northern Saskatchewan, are examples of oblique-extension veins that crystallized in shear and tensile fractures, which propagated and then opened oblique to their walls during a single continuous deformation event. The Mufferaw gold prospect consists of an interlinked mesh of conjugate shear fractures, tensile fractures, and veins. Oblique-extension veins crystallized in conjugate shear fractures, which opened during dilation of intersecting tensile fractures under the same far-field stress system. At the Komis gold mine, tensile and dextral shear fractures cut across granodiorite dikes. The tensile fractures formed perpendicular to the dike margins during stress transfer from the less-competent country rocks to the more-competent dikes. During extension of the dikes oblique to the bulk extension direction in the country rocks, the tensile fractures were reactivated as sinistral shear fractures. The reactivated tensile fractures and dextral shear fractures opened oblique to their walls, parallel to the bulk extension direction, and were sealed by the deposition of oblique-extension veins during the same deformation event.

Jan 1, 2004

By D. D. Campbell

"The Port Radium mine of Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited lies on the western tip of a large peninsula midway up the east shore of McTavish Arm, Great Bear Lake, about 30 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The mine is serviced by air, 950 miles from Edmonton, and by water, 1,380 miles from Waterways, Alberta.The veins were found, and the copper and cobalt minerals in them reported, by J. MacJntosh Bell of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1899. The veins were investigated by Gilbert Labine and E. C. St. Paul in 1930, and as a result of their work the Eldorado mine was brought into production in 1934. It produced silver and radium ores until 1940, at which time, as the silver orebodies had been mined out and the market for radium was negligible, it closed down. Early in World War II the need for uranium for the Manhattan Project was emphasized, and the mine was reopened in 1942. As a security measure Eldorado Mining and Refining was created a Crown company in 1944. The Port Radium mine has continued to be one of Canada's principal producers of pitchblende concentrates, and to date has about 25 miles of underground workings developed on fourteen levels.Regional GeologyThe general geology of the McTavish Arm area was mapped by D. F. Kidd in 1932 on a scale of one inch to four miles. A great deal of more detailed work has since been done by geologists of the Geological Survey and of Eldorado. The entire area at the end of McTavish Arm lies within the Precambrian Shield immediately east of its western margin. Most of the area is underlain by granitic masses which have intruded a sequence of late Precambrian sediments, volcanics, and hypabyssal intrusives. The pre-granite rocks now occur in extensive, irregular patches and pendants within the granite. Pitchblende deposits have been found in the district in all rock types, but the most favourable host rocks are the cherty sediments of the lower Echo Bay group."

Jan 1, 1949

By Gary M. Poxleitner

Skip/Hoist ?Vertical Advantage of Hoist ?High capital ?High operating cost Trucks Trucks ?Flexibility of ramp ?Low capital ?High operating cost Conveyor Inclined High capital ?Low Cost to run ?Continuous Production ?High Capacity ?Transfer pointsMax Grade: +32%

Feb 1, 2008

By Brad E. Melanson

Because mine haul trucks consume considerable quantities of fuel, they are ideal candidates for the adoption of cleaner and cheaper fuels like natural gas. Impressive fuel cost savings will be realized in regions where liquefied natural gas (LNG) has cost advantage to diesel fuel, while also providing significant reductions of air contaminants and greenhouse gases. High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) of natural gas utilizes the diesel cycle combustion process and therefore retains the diesel engine?s high performance and efficiency characteristics. HPDI has been demonstrated in on-road Class 8 trucks since 2001 accumulating almost 10 million kilometres to date. The supply of LNG fuel will be an essential parallel aspect in the introduction of HPDI to mining. LNG can be transported to site as diesel is today, or may be produced on or near mine operations that have access to methane sources or pipelines.

May 1, 2006

By John R. Hawley

"This paper is intended as a review of the progress that has been made in the Province of Ontario in the field of acid drainage waste treatment technology.Three years ago, at the Third Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mineral Processors, we presented a paper entitled ""The Problem of Acid Mine Drainage in Ontario"". At that time I was working for the Ontario Water Resources Commission. The paper turned out to be the very beginning of the Commission's acid mine drainage control program. In the intervening three years, the Ontario Water Resources Commission has been amalgamated with other government groups and has evolved into the present Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Today the Ministry is involved in running one of the most advanced acid mine waste control programs in the world.As a part of its mining program, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment has published three major reports which deal directly and specifically with the industrial waste disposal problems that may arise at a mining operation. In order of publication, these reports are as follows:(1) ""The Problem of Acid Mine Drainage in the Province of Ontario"".This 338-page report covers all aspects of the problem of acid mine drainage and includes detailed sections on acid flow detection, acid flow chemistry and acid flow treatment.(2) ""The Use, Characteristics and Toxicity of Mine-Mill Reagents in the Province of Ontario"".This report, 244 pages in length, gives the chemistry and toxicity of nearly all of the chemicals that find common use in the Canadian mining industry. Most of the toxicity figures quoted are the result of a comprehensive bioassay program that was initiated by the Ministry."

Jan 1, 1974

By Peter Heine

Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI) has treated systems development as an integral part of the construction project when it built Canada?s second diamond mine. Fully aware that the proper collection and processing of operational data is needed to drive business decisions during production and planning, key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were defined to effectively manage operations when the mine went into production. The Production Information Management System (PIMS) allows KPIs to be measured, reported, and transferred to other systems in a reliable and convenient manner. PIMS provides a mechanism to collect real time production data from the various control systems around the site and acts as a tool to ?drill-down? and establish the important cause-effect relationships that impact the value of a KPI. Thus PIMS provides a data collection, storage, management, and an environment in which cause-effect relationships can be analysed and statistically verified. This understanding of the real cause-effect relationships, close to the source of the data and in the context of the operation, can be used to improve both operations and maintenance performance. The PIMS includes the PI Database implementation, its associated external interfaces with the various Control Systems, Cleaning Packaging Weighing System, Environmental System, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) System, and Diamond Tracking System (DTS), as well as laboratory data collection, custom applications (downtime tracking, data reconciliation) and user clients. The interface with the EAM system provides material flow quantities and equipment availability on which the plant performance reports are based. The transfer of equipment usage to the EAM system is fed into the maintenance notifications and work orders functionality in the EAM. The environmental system interface provides the mechanism for capturing water consumption data required to generate the various regulatory reports. The interface to the cleaning-packaging-weighing system provides the mechanism for capturing batch data for transfer to the DTS for diamond product tracking at the production splitting facility in Yellowknife. The PIMS lab application provides a means of getting sample data into the system for critical metallurgical metrics, and the data reconciliation application provides a means of manually verifying the data before it is published or passed onto other systems.

May 1, 2003

This paper generalizes open stopes into elliptical cross sections and applies the results of calculations based on the mathematical theory of elasticity to indicate stress distribution on the boundaries of such stopes. These show both compressive and tensile stresses and provide an ex-planation for the development of excessive dilution in shrinkage toping. Introduction T HE stress pattern around shrinkage stopes is identical with that around other stopes under the same physical conditions. However, a shrinkage stope ends as an unsupported open stope, and the method i limited to the stress range within which the rock is generally self-supporting. If it is acceptable to generalize the outline of a shrinkage stope into an elliptical cross section, then the graphs of Geldart & Udd (1) (see also Panek (2) and Denkhaus (3)) provide a good base for approximating the stress distribution as mining progresses. However, with failure conditions in the walls, the axis ratio, as cut

Jan 1, 1964

Leadership "Organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal" Paradigms ? Rush to produce or cut costs. ? The most important thing after safety is production. ? We?ll take care of ??this?? once in production. ? I know what to do, 30 years of experience in mining. ? I want a 100% reliable operation.

Aug 1, 2013

By K. E. Haque

"This paper is a brief overview of the role of oxygen in cyanide leaching of gold feeds (e.g. ore, concentrate). As the majority of gold occurs in the elemental state (Au °), its oxidation is of vital importance for dissolution in the cyanide lixiviant. The cyanidetion at high pH is favourable for the oxidation of Au° with a mild oxidant such as air or oxygen. Beside oxidation of gold, deleterious effects of soluble sulphides, arsenates, antimonates on cyanidation of gold can be alleviated by preaerating the leach slurry with air or oxygen (i.e. preaeration process).If gold is refractory due to its occlusion in sulphides, silicates, tellurides, etc. then gold liberation is possible by roasting in the presence of oxygen or by leaching under oxygen pressure. The data in the recent literature indicate that reactive oxygen supplied by H202, Na202, Ca02 or 03 during cyanidation can accelerate considerably gold oxidation-cyanidation and yield high gold recovery in much shorter leach time. The information compiled in this review leads to the conclusion that oxygen plays a vital role in the dissolution of gold in cyanide lixiviant."

Jan 1, 1992

By P. L. Lehoux, R. F. Lopes

"Unanticipated low recovery or extraction of gold from heap leachable are can often be attributed 10 phenomena such as non-uniform percolation (channelling) of solution through heaps, excessively slow percolation rates due to densification of ore during stacking on the pads and parasitic or competing reactions of the cyanide solution with undesirable elements or geochemical ""impurities"" in the ore. The nature and causes of these phenomena are discussed in this paper, and it is suggested that geotechnical and geochemical expertise can contribute significantly to a better understanding of the relationship between laboratory results and actual field performance of the leaching process. Recommendations are made for bench-scale metallurgical testing to be complemented by geochemical and geotechnical laboratory evaluations, to ensure more successful heap leach projects. IntroductionHeap leaching is a simple, low-cost method of recovering metals from low grade ores which has now come into widespread application particularly for gold and silver metals in the United States.The heap leach process involves percolating a lixiviant (leaching agent) solution through broken or crushed ore (Chamberlain and Pojar, 1984). In the case of gold a dilute sodium cyanide solution is used and crushed ore is ""heaped"" on specially prepared impervious pads.The potential for use of heaping leaching methods for northwestern Ontario gold deposits was discussed by Beard (1983), who suggested that the use of this extraction technique in Canada should grow significantly for low grade ores as well as for small high grade deposits which cannot justify the installation of a new mill or the use of remote custom milling facilities. Two other potential situations for lise of a heap leaching extraction method are : as a low capital cost cash generator in the opening phase of a larger new project, and as a low cost output augmenter to complement a milling operation."

Jan 1, 1989

By P. Maltais

Over the last 10 years, Computer Aided Design, Finite Elements Analysis and field testing of prototypes have enabled the cycling industry to grow and to significantly improve its products. However, today's cyclists have become more and more demanding, making these classical design approaches almost obsolete. Devinci understood that problem four years ago and fully revisited its design approach; to offer bicycle frames better suited to real life riding, one must fully know those real life conditions. In partnership with the University de Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, Devinci then developed a bicycle enabling them to measure the actual load applied on a bicycle frame in real-time for real riding conditions: the instrumented bike. Today, Devinci uses its instrumented road and mountain bikes, combined with virtual prototyping and laboratory testing capabilities to develop better bicycles, faster.

Jan 1, 2006

By E. J. Sun

The ADS system was developed to reduce accidents related to haul trucks operating under low visibility conditions in surface mining and construction sites, which is based on the GPS, mesh-wireless networks, and the Google-Earth 3D graphic engine as the graphic interface and mine-mapping server. This system has the capability to pin-point and track vehicles in real time using a 3D interface, which is based on user-based AutoCAD mine maps using the Google-Earth graphics interface. All equipped vehicles are shown in a 3D mine map stored in a local server through a wireless network. When low visibility conditions are present, the system indicates available exit/escape routes for driver safety. The research results indicate that the ADS system potentially increases reliability and reduces uncertainty in open pit mining operations by customizing the local 3D digital mining map, constructing the truck 3D models, tracking vehicles in real time using a 3D interface and indicating available escape routes for driver safety.

Oct 1, 2009

By J. Molgaard, J. Masounave, J. Prinsen, P. Beaulieu, G. Huard

"A study carried out on behalf of the National Research Council (NRC) indicates that economic losses due to wear in the Canadian mining industry are in excess of $700 million annually. Severe wear, mainly by abrasion, was identified as the most important wear mechanism in terms of possible savings. One way to reduce losses would be the proper use of databases. A joint project of The Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM) and NRC (Tribology laboratories at IMRI) has been initiated to create a factual database containing all relevant experience in the area of wear in the Canadian mining industry. As a first step, a prototype covering slurry pumps is being built. This should help to answer many questions, such as the number of people involved, interest from industry, cost vs benefits, etc.IntroductionTribology is concerned with the understanding of the mechanisms of friction, wear, and lubrication.Tribology is concerned with the correct use of materials for interacting solid surfaces, with the interaction of those surfaces with lubricants, with the chemistry, physics and use of lubricants and their additives. It is concerned with the reduction of friction and wear (or, in the case of belts, brakes, clutch plates, and similar devices, in achieving optimum friction with minimum wear) and is concerned with the avoidance of associated failures in machinery.Lubrication is usually the solution to a problem of friction and wear. Yet far from all the problems of friction and wear are solved by lubrication. The wear of grinding rods or shovel track pads can hardly be solved by lubrication, to name just two examples with which mining engineers will be familiar. There are indeed many situations of wear and friction where the surfaces in contact are unlubricated.In part, tribology is a matter of design. A major aspect, however, has to do with the choice of materials, to satisfy external constraints upon the component design or choice. The operating conditions for much industrial equipment, particularly in mining are, often very severe. The development of wear resistant materials, including materials which are applied as coatings, is clearly an important technology from the point of view of tribology."

Jan 1, 1987

By T. G. Hawkins, T. M. Naciuk

"The Katie Cu-Au deposit is situated in southeastern British Columbia, 425 km east of Vancouver. The deposit is a member of the alkaline group of porphyry Cu-Au deposits associated with potassically and propylitically altered andesitic volcanic rocks.The Katie porphyry system occurs in mafic to intermediate alkaline volcanic rocks of the Lower Jurassic Elise Formation of the Ross/and Group. Host metavolcanic rocks include andesitic to basaltic flows, flow breccia, massive fine tuff and crystal tuff Gabbroic intrusions alternate with the volcanic rocks in drill core. The lack of chilled margins and shear contacts, as well as their similar composition to the volcanic rocks, suggest that the gabbro was synvolcanic.Alteration exhibits a zonal pattern spatially related to zoned porphyry-style mineralization. Propylitic alteration is common and assemblages consist of epidote, chlorite, sericite and calcite. Potassic alteration zones are accompanied by elevated copper-gold grades and are composed of K-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, biotite and chlorite. Narrow drillhole intervals of secondary magnetite, generally less than 2 m across, occur above the potassic alteration zones. A thick oxidized cap lies above the mineralized zones, although only local supergene enrichment has been identified. The lack of supergene enrichment is perhaps due to intense near-surface fracturing and leaching from a high energy groundwater environment.Sulphide mineralization consists mainly of pyrite within the propylitic halo, and pyrite and chalcopyrite with trace pyrrhotite, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, bornite and molybdenite within the potassic alteration core. Malachite, azurite and traces of chalcocite occur within the oxidized cap.Discovery and exploration techniques have included airborne geophysics, regional stream sediment sampling, prospecting, geological mapping, ground geophysical surveys, soil sampling surveys, and diamond drilling. Two primary targets of porphyry copper-gold mineralization have been identified by exploration. The Main zone strikes northwest, has an apparent true thickness ranging from 70 m to 135 m, and is a minimum of 500 m in length. The 17 zone strikes northwest, has an apparent true thickness of 90 m, and is a minimum of 300 m in length. The two zones are defined by grades that generally exceed 0.2% Cu and 0.25 g/t Au. Both zones are open along strike and to depth."

Jan 1, 1995

By J. A. Eisele, D. L. Pool

"The Bureau of Mines has developed a particle agglomeration technique to improve the flow of leaching solution through heaps of low-grade gold-silver ores which contain clays. Benchscale experiments and industrial practice have shown that the percolation rate of cyanide leaching solution is greatly enhanced by mixing the ore with Portland cement as a binder, moistening the mixture, mechanically tumbling to form agglomerates, and aging before heap building and leaching. A slight modification ofthe technique allows its application to precious-metal-bearing tailings, which cannot normally be treated by heap leaching because they are too fine. IntroductionMany low-grade gold and silver deposits and tailing materials from former mining operations in the western United States are potential sources for precious metals. These sources are too low grade or too small to support the capital cost of a conventional cyanidation plant but have stimulated the development of lowcost procedures, such as extraction of the precious metals by heap leaching with cyanide. The Bureau of Mines has investigated methods to improve the recovery ofgold and silver by heap leaching these low-grade materials.For heap leaching to be successful, the crushed and stacked ore must have good permeability so that uniform distribution of the cyanide leaching solution through the heaps can be achieved. Some of the most difficult gold and silver ores to treat by heap leaching are those containing excessive amounts of clays, or fines generated during crushing. Excessive amounts of slimes, generally minus 50-micrometre or 270-mesh Tyler sieve size particles, in the heap feed will slow the percolation of the leaching solution, cause channelling, or produce dormant or unleached areas within the heap, resulting in long leaching periods and low extractions. In extreme cases, the clays or slimes can seal the heap and cause the leaching solution to run off the sides of the heap rather than through it."

Jan 1, 1987

By Jean Descarreaux

"The Rexspar uranium deposits are located near Birch Island in central British Columbia. The property lies within the Omineca crystalline belt of the Cordilleran Orogen. Gneiss, schist, tuffaceous and porphyritic trachyte are the main rock types encountered on the property. These rocks are of pre-Late Triassic or probable Mississippian age.Lenticular bodies of mica and pyrite-rich rock are the host of three closely spaced uranium deposits and are found close to a fluorite deposit. The altered trachytic rock as well as the fluorite and uranium deposits are found in the upper part of the trachyte unit. The latest tonnage estimates are 1,441,820 tonnes averaging 23.46% CaF, for the fluorite deposit, 490,966 tonnes of 0.084% U10afor the 'W' deposit, 164,290 tonnes of 0.074% UP8 for the ""B"" deposit and 459,124 tonnes of 0. 071 o/o UP8 for the ""BD"" deposit.A hydrothermal replacement origin was first proposed for the fluorite and uranium deposits. The mineralizing and altering solutions would have been genetically related to a felsic batholith outcropping a few kilometres south of the property. Another hypothesis has been proposed more recently. A volcanic centre has been tentatively identified in the upper part of the trachyte unit, close to the mineral deposits. The fluorite and uranium deposits could possibly be volcanogenic, rather than related to the Cretaceous felsic batholith.IntroductionFluorite and uranium mineralization occur on the property of Consolidated Rexspar Minerals and Chemicals Ltd. in central British Columbia. The exploration and development works executed over the years are summarized in this paper. The deposits and their geological environment are described but the origin of the mineralization has not been definitely established."

Jan 1, 1986

By M. J. Davie, D. S. Ross

"The successful design of a new mine water pumping system is in part dependent upon the accuracy with which the operating conditions can be forecast. This paper outlines the data which should be obtained on water quantity and quality. Methods of modifying the quality are also discussed. Some pumping systems for disposal of sludge are described, citing operating examples. The various types of mine dewatering pumps are described in terms of design characteristics as they affect operating efficiency and installation and maintenance costs. Piping system parameters are outlined. Finally, a hypothetical case study of pumping from a depth of 3,000 ft is assessed, with particular reference to capital costs.IntroductionMany mine operators would agree that the pumping system usually receives a low engineering priority during the design stage, and as a consequence causes some of the most frustrating problems during production. For a ""dry"" mine (up to 200 gpm), design of the pumping system may indeed be simple, but outside of the potash industry such mines are not common. For ""wet"" mines, the pumping system is important because it significantly affects the initial capital and on-going energy costs of the mine and, in the area of sludge disposal, the working conditions and production costs. Indeed, a failure in the pumping system usually has serious, and sometimes disastrous, consequences.The intent of this paper is to outline the factors which should be considered in the design of a pumping system and to describe the types of pumps used in mine dewatering and relate them to practical operating systems."

Jan 1, 1980

By P. A. Riveros

This paper describes the leaching of the common copper minerals tennantite (Cu12As4S13), tetrahedrite (Cu12Sb4S13) and enargite (Cu3AsS4) in acidic media using Fe(SO4)1.5, FeC13 or 02 as oxidizing agents. At temperatures <100°C, tennantite dissolves slowly in Fe(SO4)1.5-H2SO4 media, and the rate is directly proportional to the area of the sized tennantite. The rate increases sharply with increasing temperature and the apparent activation energy is 69 kJ/mol. Increasing Fe(SO4)1.5 concentrations slightly increase the tennantite leaching rate. The kinetics of dissolution of disks of synthetic iron-bearing tetrahedrite in Fe(SO4)1.5-H2SO4 media are linear; the leaching rates are slow but increase significantly with increasing temperature, with an apparent activation energy of 120 kJ/mol. The dissolution of sized particles of natural Ag-bearing tetrahedrite in FeC13- HC1 solutions proceeds according to the shrinking core model, and both Cu and Ag dissolve at about the same rate, provided that the total chloride concentration of the solution is sufficiently high to solubilize the AgC1 reaction product. The leaching rates are slow, and the apparent activation energy is 116 kJ/mol. The addition of sulphate ions to the FeC13-HC1 system reduces the tetrahedrite leaching rate to values similar to those realized in the Fe(SO4)1.5-H2SO4 system. At <100°C, enargite dissolves slowly in either Fe(SO4)1.5 or FeC13 media, and the dissolution rate obeys the shrinking core model. The rate increases with increasing temperature and the apparent activation energies are 50-64 kJ/mol. The rate increases slightly with increasing FeC13 concentrations in 0.3 M HC1 media. The leaching of enargite at elevated temperatures and pressures was also investigated. Potentially useful leaching rates are achieved above 170°C, at which temperature sulphate, rather than sulphur, is produced. Lower temperatures (130-160°C) lead to fast initial leaching rates, but the dissolution of the enargite is incomplete because of the coating of the enargite particles by elemental sulphur.

Jan 1, 2007

By R. Lanthier, A. Broussaud, J. C. Guillaneau, D. Hodouin

This study presents a method for upgrading the information extracted from the measurements given by the sensors of a pilot grinding circuit. For that purpose raw signals are combined to process models for extracting, through filters, the best information on the process state. Two different filters are used; one is based on steady-state mass balance constraints and the other one uses dynamic mass balance equations allowing for material accumulation in the equipment. The filters are designed and tuned with the help of a grinding circuit dynamic simulator and are then implemented in the pilot plant. Their performances and usefulness are discussed.

Jan 1, 1989

By Son Hye Jin

Abstract ? KHNP is participating in the construction of Nuclear Power Plant both in Korea and UAE. ? We want to improve our construction project management process. ? So we are now developing the process model on nuclear power plant construction management. ? For the effective adoption of this process, we are planning to develop IT system. ? For the first step, we were established the Information Strategy Plan

Aug 1, 2013