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By Engineering Staff

In 1958, the Iron Ore Company of Canada decided to proceed with the Carol Project. The ore deposits in the area are part of the highly metamorphosed southern zone of the Labrador Trough. They lie along the shore of W a bush lake, in the western part of Newfoundland-Labrador, 190 miles north of Sept-Iles. The project is designed to mine, by open-pit methods, 17,200,000 long tons of crude ore, grading 37 per cent iron, per year. This ore will be beneficiated to produce 7,000,000 long tons of concentrate, grading 66 per cent iron, of which 5,500,000 long tons will be pelletized. Production is scheduled to commence this summer. Initially, ore will be taken from 45-foot benches in the Smallwood mine, using jet-piercing production drills and large-scale blasting with "slurry" explosives. Four 13-yard electric shovels will muck the broken ore into 100-ton trailer trucks. The trailers will be hauled to two 2,000-ton loading pockets, which feed the ore into 100-ton railcars. Four ore trains, each comprised

Jan 1, 1962

By F. E. Turton

THE town of Rancagua, at the junction of the state and Braden Copper Co. railroads, is located 82 km south of Santiago, the capital of Chile. From Rancagua 70 km to the east, situated in the Andes at an elevation of 7000 ft, is the town of Sewell, the location of a millsite. Two and one half km east of Sewell by underground railroad at an elevation of 7500 to 10,000 ft is the Teniente orbody. The history of El Teniente dates from the eighteenth century, when according to legend a Spanish lieutenant, or teniente, a fugitive from justice, escaped to the Andes and camped at what afterwards became known as the Mineral El Teniente. This man reputedly discovered a vein of high grade copper ore. The first official records date from 1819, when some exploitation was begun, and continue until 1870. The orebody was large and of relatively low grade and was beyond the capabilities of the small groups attempting to operate it. No effort was made to erect a concentrator until William Braden became interested in the property. In 1901 Mr. Braden promoted the necessary capital for the first practical exploitation of the orebody. Barton Sewell and E. W. Nash, both of the

Jan 1, 1952

By H. T. Hildage

ALTHOUGH Greater New York does not bear any resemblance to a great mining district, the mining operations that are being conducted in and about the city are both extensive and interesting in character. With regard to the extent, it may be mentioned that, at. present, there is more dynamite used in New York than in any mining district in the United States; that there are under construction about 38 miles of tunnel, and that 66 miles more are projected, most of which must be constructed in the near future ; that since 1902 at least 2,000,000 tons of earth has been removed in underground work, in addition to about 3,500,000 tons that has been removed in, open-cut in connection with tunnel-work, and many times this quantity that has been removed in excavating foundations for buildings not connected with tunnel-work; and that there are to-day probably more than 5,000 men engaged in mining-work in and about New York City. These undertakings include almost every operation connected with underground work, from exploration by means of trench and boring, to the sinking of large shafts and the driving of large tunnels through every kind of ground from hard rock to soft, semi-fluid silt and quicksand. It is proposed in this paper to give a general description of some of the methods and appliances used in the opening-up ,of a "mine" in a large city, and a brief description of some of the "mines" now being developed in New York, connecting as far as possible the methods described with the particular work for which they were designed, in order to give a general idea of the

May 1, 1907

By L. R. MURPHY

This paper gives a general description of mining operations at the Rosebery Mine and a brief account of the older Hercules Mine. The more unusual aspects of the operations, such as the sinking of the inclined shaft, blast-hole experiments, diamond drilling practice, and proposed future developments are described in detail.The following main heads are used:Roseberry- General production Data.General Description of Ore-body, and Characteristics of Ore and Country Rock.Layout of MineMining Methods, Filling, etc.Blast Hole Stoping.Sinking Main Inclined Shaft.Mining Timber. Contract System.Diamond Drilling and Sampling.Surveying.Labour Force.New Developments, Sand Filling and Pumping.Hercules-Situation of Mine.Transport-Haulage and Aerial.Ore Bodies.Stoping Methods.Ore Handling.

Jan 1, 1949

By Geoffrey Gilbert

THE Montana Phosphate Products Co., subsidiary of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, operates three phosphate properties north and northeast of Garrison, Powell County, Mont. Production of all three is from the same phosphate bed, a 3 to 4-ft. member of the Phosphoria formation, whose outcrop is traceable across the mountains of the Garnet Range in a series of southeasterly pitching folds. Because of topographical differences and of variations in the attitude of the bed, each property has its own mining methods and problems. Most of the phosphate rock produced since I930 has been shipped to the plant of the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. at Trail, B.C., where it is treated with sulphuric acid for conversion to phosphoric acid, which in turn is used to produce various fertilizers. HISTORY The occurrence of rock phosphate in Montana has been known. since 1910, and the Garrison area was mapped by the United States Geological Survey in 1913In the nineteen twenties William Anderson, owner of a ranch 8 miles north of Garrison, discovered phosphate on his land, and the Montana Phosphate Co., which later became the Montana Phosphate Products Co., was formed to work the deposit. Montana Phosphate Products Co. later obtained United States leases on two adjoining parcels of ground, and this combined property, known as the Anderson mine, has been the main source of Consolidated's phosphate rock. The mine now includes an adjoining parcel leased from Anaconda and mined from the Anderson workings. In 1940, the Graveley mine, a small privately owned property 6 miles east of the Anderson, was leased from the owner by Montana Phosphate Products Co., and a U. S. lease held by Graveley on some adjoining ground was subleased. In 1943 the Luke mine, on the Mineral Hill property, 1 ¾ miles south-southwest of the Graveley, a U. S. lease, which previously had produced a few thousand tons, was optioned from the lessees by Montana Phosphate Products Co., and is now being developed. At both these mines the rock is appreciably higher grade than at the Anderson mine. GEOLOGY The Phosphoria formation is the Permian member of an extensive sequence of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks. It is underlain by Pennsylvanian (Quadrant) quartzite and Mississippian limestone, and overlain without any marked unconformity by Jurassic (Ellis) shale and Cretaceous shale and sandstone. In the Garrison area, the Phosphoria itself consists mainly of about 50 ft. Of gray to yellow chert. Immediately below the chert is the phosphate, usually 3 to 4 ft. thick. Below the phosphate occur a few

Jan 1, 1945

By C Mroczek, B Mitchell

Perilya Broken Hill, from its inception, has budgeted for more than 2.0 million tonnes per year from the Southern Operations. This tonnage was planned to come from in excess of 100 stopes per year in a remnant mining environment with numerous mined voids and consequent mining challenges. To mine an average of two stopes per week requires patience, flexibility and detailed knowledge to best manage the potential risks and hazards. The evolution of the Perilya Broken Hill Mine Planning Process has necessitated the establishment of a process to identify and manage these risks during the planning stage in a reliable but efficient manner. This process is to ensure that vital steps for each stope are not missed, and that each personÆs work can be tracked by other members of the team. This paper outlines the planning process from resource to stope closure.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. B. Fuller, E. T. Casler

MANY changes were made in the methods and equipment used in the mining of pebble phosphate rock in the generation immediately preceding the present World War and it would be extremely interesting to note the improvements that will be made during the next generation. Literally, much water has gone over the dam since the days when we used local cordwood for generating steam and drying pebble phosphate rock. belt-driven centrifugal pumps operated by steam engines. and floating dipper or centrifugal dredges; when we removed overburden by small steam shovels and transported it by dinkey locomotives and six-yard cars; when washing machinery was installed on wooden structures the washers being replaced every four to six years. Those were the days when men were plentiful, and 47 different mining companies were selling their products, based on .decidedly meager information; and. like so many mining operations, little thought was given to conservation. As the importance of phosphate rock has become more prominent in the thoughts of our economists, a more intelligent approach has been made to mining problems. Vast improvements have been made in the technique and processing of the phosphate matrix and stripping of overburden, which, in turn, have brought developments in machines and equipment and a more

Jan 1, 1944

Recent accelerated exploration efforts in southwest China have progressively quantified the vast phosphate resources in the Yunnan Province. To date, according to Chinese geologists, potential reserves in the province may be on the order of 4 Gt, which would equal the entire US reserve base. Development of this vast reserve is underway at two sites located 60-70 km southwest of Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan. The first, the Kunyang open-pit phosphate mine, produces an estimated 1.5 Mt/a of 22-30% P20,5. The other project located north of Kunyang is the Haikou mine, which the Chinese consider a possible 2.0-Mt/a operation. Because average ore grades run 3% less than those of Kunyang, beneficiation will be necessary. While the latter project has been initiated on a small scale, it is basically still on the drawing board. Brown and Root and the US Bureau of Mines are assisting on the project. Both operations are under the direction a regional administration which reports to the Ministry of Chemical Industries in Beijing. Combined production from both mines could represent some 70% of China's future productive capacity. Ore reserves in the region are estimated at 400 Mt by local officials. Geology of the District The phosphates are considered Cambrian in age and rest on a Precambrian dolomite. The Indian Ocean, Chinese geologists say, may have been the original source. The line of deposition stretches on a trend from Vietnam in the southwest, through Yunnan, into Sichuan Province to the northeast. Because the area is considered very stable from a geologic viewpoint, large quantities of phosphate have been deposited and large outcrops are known to occur everywhere in the province, according to Chinese sources. The Kunyang and Haikou ore bodies are thought to be two wings of an anticline with the former the southern portion, and the latter the northern portion. Each ore body strikes on an east-west axis. While there are many localized phosphate operations throughout the province, the Kunyang mine is the premium producer. Kunyang's Mining Development The Kunyang open-pit mine was opened in 1966. During the early years, operations were considered somewhat disorganized. Systematic mine planning and normal operations were not initiated until just two years ago, according to mine management. In 1979, Kunyang finally reached its design capacity of 1.5 Mt/a. The ore body consists of two phosphate beds separated by a band of shale. The top layer of phosphate varies from 4 to 8 m, averaging 6 m. The middle shale layer is 2 in. The third layer, which is not as rich as the top, is approximately 4 m. To further complicate matters, the ore dips 15° to the south over a strike length that is currently undefined, but believed to be

Jan 3, 1980

By H. R. Quina

Phosphate is one of the most important minerals in our world today. It contains the life-giving element of phosphorus, which is essential to the growth of every living cell in plant, animal, and man. This vital mineral is found in twenty-three states of the United States; however, for more than 70 years, Florida has led the nation in phosphate-production and now produces 70% of the requirements of this country. Since the early 1880% when rich phosphate deposits were accidentally discovered in a river-bed in Central Florida, the industry has developed into a multi-million-dollar operation. Phosphate mining began in Florida in 1887 with very crude methods and equipment. The original process was necessarily slow and tedious, resulting in total production of 3000 tons in 1888. Progress was made in improved mining operations, and by 1894. Florida had grabbed the lead as the nation?s largest phosphate-producing area, and is still in the top position.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. B. De Hart

This paper has been confined to the consideration of the working of thick seams, from six feet to sixteen feet, which are pitching at about thirty degrees to the horizontal. The discussion has been limited to these set conditions because they are the ones of commonest occurrence in the Southern Alberta bituminous coal district, because, from the point of view of safety, thin seams are more easily worked, and because a discussion of all the possible combinations of thick and thin seams pitching at angles varying from zero to ninety degrees with the horizontal would involve a task impossible in the time available. It has been assumed that the mine makes gas freely and that the coal is friable and tends to make inflammable dust which is highly explosive. Since the problem requires the taking into account means of maintaining a high proportion of lump coal, it is further assumed that lump coal commands a price considerably higher than the price which can be obtained for run-of-mine or for slack coal. Figure 1, tabulating the various factors which must be considered and their relation to each other, indicates diagrammatically the complexity of the problem. Any method of working becomes divided into two distinct components, the active workings of the mine and the old abandoned workings. While these are in a measure distinct, they are nevertheless inter-related, as shown in the diagram.

Jan 1, 1930

By Chester B. White

ARGENTINA is a country that has never been properly prospected. This is my settled conclusion after reporting on mines in this country ever since 1914, crossing all the mining provinces from Chubut, in the South, to the territory of Los Andes, in the North, chiefly on muleback. It is difficult and costly to get from one district to another. Apart from petroleum, some mineral discoveries have been made but they have been the result of casual rather than systematic work. In Neuquen, Mendoza, San Juan, Cordoba, La Rioja, Catamarca, and Los Andes attempts at mine development have resulted in failures, involving in each instance several million pesos.

Jan 1, 1937

By Russell G. Haworth

Three companies, United States Potash Company, Potash Company of America, and International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, are now operating potash mines and refineries in the Carlsbad, New Mexico, area. The three mines are located approximately twenty miles east of Carlsbad. The deposits have been found ideal for mechanized mining methods. This summary has been compiled from information made available by the three operating companies.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. D. Gardner

IN 1947 the metal-mining industry . passed through a year of readjustment; catching up on development work has caused production to suffer. Skilled labor has been short in most mining districts, notwithstanding the highest wage rate paid in the history of the industry. The trend has continued toward increased mechanization and refinements in practices and methods to increase the tons produced per man-shift. Improvements in procedures, however, have not kept pace with rising labor rates; and, in general, labor costs per ton mined have steadily increased since the war years. Prices of base metals have been the highest in a generation, but most producing companies can afford to pay the high wages. Capital expenditures have been approved for improvements to increase the output per man, both to reduce unit labor costs and to increase output. Surveys indicate a continuing

Jan 1, 1948

By Philip B. Bucky

WITH the exhaustion of the sections of iron ore bodies amenable to opencut mining the iron ore miners raise the question: "How can we mine the extensions of these ore bodies in depth with the same costs as obtained in opencut work?" This question brings to the fore the relationship between mineral exploration and research on mining procedures. The iron miners must either find new de? posits amenable to their known methods of mining or develop new mining methods for deep deposits. It is understood that the oil companies will spend $30,000,000 next year in the search for new oil fields. How much the metal mining companies will spend in the search for new ore bodies is unknown, but without doubt the amount will run into several millions of dollars. If the mining companies that concern themselves with metals, nonmetallics, and fuels will set aside a substantial sum for fundamental and applied research in mining methods, they can not only lower their costs but increase their reserves thereby. Any increases in mining efficiency automatically result in increased ore reserves at no cost.

Jan 1, 1947

By Holt, Grover J.

PRIOR to :1937 any discussion of mining and transportation in the iron mines of Minnesota would have been limited largely to conventional methods which have been used for years in the iron ore industry. Today, however, an inspection trip to the crest of almost any open pit on the ranges will re- veal great progress underground mining and the transportation of underground ore have also developed rapidly and if and when underground mining of iron ore again becomes generally economically feasible; these mining methods will probably witness a transformation equal to that which has taken place in the open pits.

Jan 1, 1941

By Samuel M. Dunaway

INTRODUCTION ASARCO Incorporated purchased the East Tennessee Zinc Mines of the American Zinc Company and commenced operating on November 29, 1971. Presently, three mines are operating producing 6620 t/d (7300 stpd). The ore mined is sphalerite which occurs In lower Ordovician carbonates of the upper Knox Group and occurs in open space and fracture filling. Orebodies range from 3 to 46 m (10 to 150 ft) thick with dips from flat to 20º. The mining method is random room and pillar modified by shrinkage and bench stoping. Like other mining departments, the mining group at the Tennessee Mines Division is constantly looking for methods to improve productivity and safety and to reduce mining costs. This involves testing new equipment, trying new ore extraction ideas and making mining plant alterations to meet changes in operating conditions. The areas of change that will be described in this paper are longhole raising, jumbos and LHD loading, shaft sinking, conveyor transport of ore and sublevel haulage developments. LONGHOLED RAISES Raise driving has always been a hazardous occupation for miners and today it is becoming more difficult to get competent people for this kind of work. This problem has led us to seek an easier, safer way in which to excavate raises. The first longhole raises were excavated in the early 1970's using a Gardner-Denver air trac equipped with a PR-123 rock drill. The machine used 38 mm x 244 cm (1 ½ in x 8 ft) round rods with rope

Jan 1, 1977

By Samuel Shallcross

THE principal function of the Bell limestone mine, of the American Lime & Stone Co., at Bellefonte, Pa., is to supply raw material to the company's modern rotary kiln plant at Bellefonte. Because mining costs are naturally higher than many open quarries with more favorably lying strata, it cannot compete, except to a limited extent, in the markets for road material and fluxing stone. In the broad sense, mining does have an advantage over the average open quarry when the end products are designed for and controlled by process and final inspection for the exacting demands of the industrial and chemical markets. Approximately 80 per cent of the output of the Bell mine is sold in the industrial and chemical markets. And as higher standards are set each year for construction and agricultural work, the remainder of the mine output goes to these two classes. Mining produces more fines than open quarries, and these fines are difficult to market; on the other hand, owing to absence of contaminating clay and impure rock, a greater percentage of the output of a mine is marketable. Because of the great production of fines, rotary kilns for lime burning are necessary when the stone must be mined. In 1921 the American Lime & Stone Co. operated 19 quarries and 72 lime shaft kilns spread over an area of 40 miles between Bellefonte and Altoona, Pa. At that time the line-production capacity of the 72 kilns amounted to approximately 700 tons per day. After 15 years the company operates three rotary kilns and six shaft kilns, with a combined output of approximately 500 tons of lime per day, concentrated in its single Bellefonte plant (Fig. 1). Its only stone-producing plants are now the limestone mine at Bellefonte and a construction-stone open quarry at Union Furnace, near Tyrone, Pennsylvania.

Jan 1, 1936

By Samuel Shallcross

TO principal function of the Bell limestone mine, of the American Lime & Stone Co., at Bellefonte, Pa., is to supply raw material to the company's modern rotary kiln plant at Bellefonte. Because mining costs are naturally higher than many open quarries with more favorably lying strata, it cannot compete, except to a limited extent, in the markets for road material and fluxing stone. In the broad sense, mining does have an advantage over the average open quarry when the end products are designed for and controlled by process and final inspection for the exacting demands of the industrial and chemical markets. Approximately 80 per cent of the output of the Bell mine is sold in the industrial and chemical markets. And as higher standards are set each year for construction and agricultural work, the remainder of the mine output goes to these two classes. Mining produces more fines than open quarries, and these fines are difficult to market; on the other hand, owing to absence of contaminating clay and impure rock, a greater percentage of the output of a mine is marketable. Because of the great production of fines, rotary kilns for lime burning are necessary when the stone must be mined. In 1921 the American Lime & Stone Co. operated 19 quarries and 72 lime shaft kilns spread over an area of 40 miles between Bellefonte and Altoona, Pa. At that time the lime-production capacity of the 72 kilns amounted to approximately 700 tons per day. After 15 years the company operates three rotary kilns and six shaft kilns, with a combined output of approximately 500 tons of lime per day, concentrated in its single Bellefonte plant (Fig. 1). Its only stone-producing plants are now the limestone mine at Bellefonte and a construction-stone open quarry at Union Furnace, near Tyrone, Pennsylvania.

Jan 1, 1936

By M. G. Jones

AT the Edwards mine a 4 by 81/2-ft two-compartment shaft is used for men and supplies in the older workings down to the 900-ft level. All ore is hoisted through a 5 by 15-ft three-compartment vertical shaft which extends to the 1500-ft level. Ore pockets are on the 1300- and 1500-ft levels. The two-compartment countershaft used below the latter level is 6 by 12 ft inclined at 42°. Ore from the countershaft is hoisted to the 1350-ft level where it flows by gravity to the 1500-ft level ore pocket. One-ton skips are used in balance in the countershaft and two-ton skips, also in balance, from the 1500-It level to the surface. These skips are slung under the man cages. Each level has an ore pocket of 200 tons' capacity. Development at Edwards is similar to that at Balmat except that haulage drifts are only 7 by 7 ft. They are mucked with Eimco-Finlay No. 12 loaders. A drill carriage similar to that used at Balmat is being tried out on the new 2300-ft level, the present bottom of the mine. Drifts are driven below grade and later raised 6 in. and ballasted with waste leaving a ditch 6 by 12 in. at one side for drainage. All development is done on an incentive bonus system, the miner paying for his explosives.

Jan 1, 1947

By Mech B

This paper gives a general description of mining practice at The Zinc Corporation Ltd., Broken Hill, New South Wales.The basic mining methods are those which have been common in Broken Hill for many years and have been well described in previous Proceedings. The main object of this paper is to indicate developments which have occurred in recent years and to describe changes in layout, mining methods and equipment which are taking place at present.The following headings have been adopted: History Geology and general characteristics of the orebodies, Geology, The lead lode, The zinc lode, General characteristics, Ore reserves, General mining method, Exploration and diamond drilling, Shafts and shaft sinking, Main shaft, Old main shaft, Block 5 shaft, New upcast airway, Development, Level interval, Level layout, Driving and crosscutting, Winzing, Rising, and Stope preparation.

Jan 1, 1946