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By G. Richards

Research shows that having more women in the top mining jobs can bring bottom-line benefits. Mining companies are starting to embrace the need for greater gender diversity at board and senior management levels, figures and examples are given.

Jul 1, 2015

By R. G. Jones

Many novel projects suffer delays, cost overruns or failure because of inadequately qualified technologies. A new qualification to measure the quality of innovation is discussed.

Jul 1, 2015

By M. Schwartz

Mining in Argentina is diverse in terms of the number of minerals extracted from the country, but also in terms of the varied approaches and attitudes of mining investors and their trust in the country's individual provinces. Laws are discussed, investment attractiveness and taxation.

Jun 1, 2015

By G. Richards

Mines are facing fresh challenges over how they deal with the huge quantities of water consumed. industry analyst Frost and Sullivan, demand for treatment equipment and services alone is expected to be worth US$3.6bn by 2016, while a report by consultancy Bluefield Research estimates that the total mine water market - which includes water infrastructure such as reservoirs, pipelines and dewatering systems as well as the equipment and services - will be worth US$17bn by the end of 2019. Methods of water decontamination are described.

May 1, 2015

By G. Richards

Application of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies - the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing internet infrastructure - to the mining industry is discussed. IoT technologies are aimed at making projects safer, better optimised and more economic and are applicable to current or new underground or open-pit mines, regardless of size. Two examples are presented of successful implementation of IoT technologies, the Chelopech gold, copper and silver mine in Bulgaria, where production has increased from 500 000 to 2 000 000 tonnes/y and communication costs have been reduced by US $2 500 000 over 2 y, and the Pilbara project in Western Australia, where remotely controlled wirelessly connected autonomous trucks have covered ca. 3 000 000 miles and hauled almost 250 000 000 t of ore since 2008

Apr 1, 2015

By Schwartz M.

Respect for mining in Botswana is long-standing. This article looks at Africa's most transparent mining regime and some of its ambitious plans. Botswana's mining industry value is forecast to average 5.2% growth from 2014-2018 with solid growth for the diamond sector and acceleration of coal production. Respect for the country's mining regime is maintained in the Fraser Institute 2014 annual survey where Botswana occupies the 26th position of 122 administrations. Botswana's transparency is illustrated by Mupane gold mine near Francistown, Ghaghoo diamond mine in the Gope area and the Morupule coal mine

Mar 1, 2015

By Mike O'Shea

Industrial minerals are extremely important to downstream industries and in our everyday lives. Their ontribution to the UK economy and to society as a whole is greatly underestimated. The industrial minerals sector is lacing increased pressures - environmental and competitive - both at home and abroad. These pressures are likely to increase. The Government, working in conjunction with the industry, can help the industry to meet these challenges. The role of Government is to establish a dialogue w ith the industry, to find out what its concerns are.and to ensure that these are taken into account in the draw ing up of policies that affect it. There is also a role for it in exploring, with industry, the linkages between environmental improvement and competitive advantage, and giving, w herever possible, early warning about regulatory developments. In order to maximise the effectiveness of links, industry needs to be coherently organised and represented both in the UK and in the European Union (EU).

Jan 12, 1997

By E R. Hassall

Discussiong the importance of minerals and mining, impacts on the environment and remediation, and the need to foster interest in science among young people.

Jan 8, 1997

By P Shead, M A. Tuck

Both climate and methane control have been a prime concern in the development of the workings within the Deep Soft seam at Harworth Colliery. This paper describes the numerous methods employed over the past 15 years to effect control over these two major environmental pollutants at Harworth and describes a future method of working which will enable the output levels required to be achieved, whilst effecting the required level of both climatic and methane control. Firstly, the paper gives a broad historical overview of the steps taken since 1981, when production started in the Deep Soft seam at Harworth Colliery, to effect control over the main environmental pollutants in the seam. Secondly, the paper details the results of planning exercises undertaken to assess the various options with respect to panel layout, to achieve environmental control in future production districts. Finally, the recommended method of panel design to achieve the levels of production required is detailed.

Jan 7, 1997

By C R. Ferrari

Residual subsidence is generally accepted as being about 5% of the total subsidence occurring within 12 months of all mining finishing. This paper looks at five case studies from different parts of the country, in various mining settings within a depth range of 430m to 760m. From a single seam single panel working to working the eleventh seam, all are within the concealed coalfield, similar to today's mining. The monitoring of subsidence continued for many years once the mining had finished and the results obtained are at considerable variance from the accepted norm. Subsidence has been found to carry on for up to eleven years after mining has ended, within a range of 8% to 45% of total subsidence. A highly significant factor was that subsidence, as a whole, was generally much more than predicted. The residual subsidence aspect has to he viewed in this context and in order to debate the subject at length, the causes of residual subsidence have to be balanced against the apparent inability to accurately predict subsidence. The results from the case studies were similar, even though the mining settings differed considerably. Subsidence of around 10% to 20% continued for several years after mining had ceased.

Jan 7, 1997

By J R. Leeming

The paper describes a technique that has been developed by the Health and Safety Executive (USE) to make an assessment of the effectiveness of Health and Safety (H and S) management at complex sites. The paper then describes how the technique was adapted and used for the first time at a large coal mine. The results highlighted certain deficiencies in the safety management system, allowing directed advice to he given to management.

Jan 4, 1997

By P J. Borrington

Offering 1000 hour salt spray protection, the KEYCOAT 1000 coating presents no chipping, cracking or deformation when hammered or flexed through 90 degrees or more. This cost-effective metal protection system features lubrication performance equal to molybdenum disulphide and Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE) grease providing complete anti-seize protection whilst aiding assembly and disassembly. In addition, the coating is impervious to acids, alkalis, solvents and attack by oils and all fuels. KEYCOAT 1000 has been exhaustively tested in three main industry sectors - automotive, heavy earthinoving vehicles and chemical - where it lias been proven to outperform conventional systems in all respects and as the film formed is less than one thousandth of an inch thick (typically 20 microns), it rarely presents the engineer with any tolerance difficulties. KEYCOAT 1000 is one of a w ide family of products which offer protection and lubrication to a wide industry base, from aerospace to food and with temperatures ranging from minus 190 C to plus 30 C.

Jan 4, 1997

By R. A. Halatchev

A risk model for assessment of the uncertainty in the forecasts of the planned profit is developed. It is based on the selling price of the metal recovered from the ore and the production per shift of the excavators. These two critical variables characterise the economic and technical aspects of the mining venture. Time-series methodology is used to describe the behaviour of the economic variable, which improves the adequacy of the modelling. A hypothetical open-pit gold mine is used to illustrate the application of the model. Results obtained show that the model is a good alternative to sensitivity analysis in taking account of the stochastic character of the price of the metal recovered from the excavated ore and the production per shift of the excavators used. The model can be extended by the inclusion of new variables that have a probabilistic nature

Dec 1, 1996

By P. A. Rossouw, G. A. Fourie

Several attempts have been made over the latter half of the twentieth century to devise a system for the classification of underground mining methods. None of these are found to be totally successful. A revised classification is suggested with three main categories being identified by reference to fill requirements, steep stopes and stratified geological environments. Methods always needing lasting mass or structure fill include methods with timber-structured stopes and those with mass-filled (or cut-and-fill) stopes. Methods associated with steep stopes are subdivided into steep-stope-specific caving and steep-stope-specific non-caving (or self-supporting) methods. Methods not in the first two categories, often used in stratified geological situations, are not necessarily restricted to stratified environments and include caving as well as non-caving varieties. This category is further divided into room-and-pillar mining, longwall and shortwall coal mining and the type of open stoping found in gold or platinum reefs comprising overhand, underhand and breast-stoping variations

Dec 1, 1996

By T. Serradj

A study has been carried out to: develop a method for routine characterisation of rock strength and drillability through the particle-size distribution of crushed or drilled rock products, defined by the Protodyakonov index; establish correlations between the Protodyakonov index, uniformity coefficient and the constant grading equations; and propose an alternative rock characterisation index to classify rock strength and drillability for the northeast region of Algeria

Dec 1, 1996

By A. Berckmans

The key variables in the financial analysis of a mining project include the metal price and the quantities of ore and metal. In general, if the metal price drops, the cutoff grade is increased so as to increase the average grade. This causes recovered tonnages of ore and metal to drop. Discussion is presented of the development of a new method to evaluate the relationship between the cutoff grade, z, the ore tonnage above cutoff, T, and the metal quantity above cutoff, Q. Detailed information is provided on the QTz curves for lognormal and inverse gaussian (Sichel's) distributions. Both these distributions are used as models for the grades in different types of ore bodies, and they are both T-symmetric. The geometry of the QTz curves is simplified, making it easier to work out the impact of minor variation in the parameter values for each distribution

Dec 1, 1996

Errors in ore reserve estimation can occur during drilling and sampling, sample preparation and analysis, geological logging and modelling, database construction, statistical or geostatistical evaluation, selection of economic parameters, selection of ore reserve method and assessment of mining constraints. Core sample recovery can be a major source of error, and it is proposed that the modelling of grade, metal accumulation and thickness should be accompanied by the modelling of core recovery (or core loss) so that for each ore block a weighted block recovery factor is obtained. This gives a good indicator of the reliability of a reserve estimate. It is suggested that a resource reliability rating (RRR) system be established to quantify what is meant by geological assurance and to combine this with an estimate of the precision of estimation as gained by geostatistical analysis. Proven and probable minable reserves would be those with an RRR better than 50% and a precision of estimation better than 20%

Dec 1, 1996

By V. Krupa, E. Lazarova

A method is proposed for the continuous calulation of a rock mass in real time while tunnelling with a TBM. Rock properties are investigated through models of the fracture stress under the disc cutters, the quasi-shear stress between the disc cutters and the specific energy of cutting under the disc cutters. Comparison of theoretical and monitored data of cutting specific energy can be used to determine theoretically the prevailing shape and size of the bulk debris. The shape and size of the chips from a given rock vary with the boring parameters. Introducing shape and volume corrections into the models of the evaluated stresses suppresses the influence of the boring regime and allows the rock properties to become dominant

Dec 1, 1996

By A. H. G. Mitchell

Most, if not all, of the six recognised post-Cretaceous, predominantly andesitic mineralised belts in the region are now thought to be subduction-related magmatic arcs. The Inner Carpathian arc and the Eastern Bosnia or Drina-Rhodope arc host numerous vein and replacement deposits with epithermal features and Zn-Pb+/-Ag as the predominant economic minerals. In contrast, the south Apuseni Mountains have produced over 1 600 t Au from epithermal veins but very little Zn-Pb. Recent age determinations and geophysical data from the Baia Mare district of the Inner Carpathians suggest that mineralisation succeeded volcanism by 1-2 m.y. and accompanied crustal extension and the cooling of a large, mushroom-shaped pluton whose boundaries define the mineral district. In the south Apuseni district, mineralisation can be explained by mixing of meteoric with low-salinity metamorphic water expelled during intrusion of mafic rocks into the middle or lower crust. The more continental or cratonic crust in the Drina-Rhodope and Inner Carpathian arcs precluded the input of low-salinity, Au-bearing metamorphic water; the Zn-Pb deposits formed where convecting meteoric water mixed with saline water, possibly introduced through carbonate rocks in the basement

Aug 1, 1996

By S. L. R. Lenharo, H. Kahn, H. Born

Different ore types result from the irregular spatial distribution of the associated alkaline/carbonatite rocks and the zoned alteration profile within which apatite may have undergone reprecipitation. Different flotation responses are caused by their mineralogy, iron oxide impregnation and grain-size characteristics. Samples from seven deposits were crushed, screened and separated before being studied by chemical analysis, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, cathodoluminescence and scanning electron microscopy. Two main apatite varieties with peculiar crystal morphology were identified: hydroxy-fluorapatite as the primary phase and carbonate-fluorapatite as the reprecipitated phase. The former occurs as prismatic or ovoid grains and the latter as polycrystalline aggregates or crusts on the primary grains; both are associated with iron oxide coatings (primary) or intergrowths (secondary). Microflotation tests showed variations in flotability for particular apatite associations as well as intensity of iron oxide coatings. The differences in flotation behaviour can be related to morphological properties and chemical substitution in the apatite structure

Aug 1, 1996