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By Trevor R. Ellis

"The valuation of mineral properties in the U.S. is only partially regulated. The regulations which have jurisdiction or impact appear to have such mainly as a consequence of unintended fallout, since the regulations were designed for other purposes. Court case history can also be important. The combined results are a mixture of bad and good, with important lessons to be learned.Since 1981, the Securities and Exchange Commission has prohibited U.S. listed companies from reporting quantitative estimates of mineralization and the value of mineralization, other than proven and probable reserves. This results in the minerals appraiser (valuator) working with a shortage of data in his everyday work, both on the subject property and in sales analysis.Between 1989 and 1995, all 50 states and essentially all Federal agencies adopted the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for real property appraisals (valuations). The major national appraisal societies also require their members to abide by USPAP. A significant portion of minerals appraisals must now follow these standards. This paper will discuss the content of USPAP. It provides a very good framework for the valuation of a minerals property or a mine, both as real property and as a business. However, the credentialing standards for real property appraisers are now prohibitive for minerals appraisers."

Jan 1, 2003

"Under the term ""paleogeomorphology"" are grouped together all geo-morphological phenomena which are recognizable in subsurface geology. Since geomorphology is the science of the earth's relief features, paleogeomorphology is the science of buried relief features. Such features are of importance to the petroleum geologist whenever they lead to the trapping of hydrocarbons. In areas where these features abound -and western Canada certainly is such an area -pale-ogeomorphology ranks in importance with stratigraphy and structural geology as a hydrocarbon-finding tool. Hydrocarbons may be trapped either directly or indirectly due to paleogeomorphological processes. Both types of traps may occur either below the morphological surface or above (against) it. Several examples of types of paleogeomorphological traps are given. A new classification of geomorphological .features is proposed, with a subdivision into two main groups: constructive and destructive geomorphic processes. Of the many geomorphic classifications, some are of greater interest to the petroleum geologist in western -Canada than others. In the present paper the morphology of reefs and of buried erosional land forms are discussed in greater detail. In dealing with the reefs of the Devonian Leduc formation in Alberta, it is found that several groups of reefs can be distinguished and that each group presents a separate set of morphological characteristics. The effects of erosion and weathering are exemplified mostly in the Devonian, Mississippian and Jurassic of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Hydrocarbon traps occur below the highs on the erosional surface as well as in sands laid down in the lows of that surface. The rules which govern the formation of ancient landscape forms are worked out, using an area in southeastern Saskatchewan as an example."

Jan 1, 1960

By Sherwin F. Kelly

"THE TITLE I have chosen is certainly not one of those self-explanatory ones. I shall endeavour to make its significance clear during my remarks but, in the hope of minimizing that inevitable exodus which follows a good lunch such as this, I am going to withhold the final key to its meaning until the very last sentence of this talk.Some explanation is due at the beginning, however, so for those of you unfamiliar with Spanish I will explain that casa means house, or home. The casa about which I am going to talk necessitates a wide .and generous interpretation of the word, because I am using it to indicate principally that portion of the North American continent which is the home, in the western hemisphere, of British and American ideals of justice and freedom, the dignity of the individual and his right to exercise private initiative .and engage in private enterprise. In a wider sense, I am including the entire western hemisphere, which may yet stand as the last bulwark of political and industrial democracy.As for the treasures of which I am about to speak, may I remind you that there are no• material treasures but those derived from the earth, and they are derived by one of two processes, -mining and farming. These two fundamental industries are the basis, and the sole material basis, of our welfare, our wealth, our very existence. From farming, whether it be farming of the land. or farming of the sea, we obtain the food to keep us alive, healthy and able to work."

Jan 1, 1955

By Thomas G. Madgwick

Introduction Development of oil and gas is still centred in the Province of Alberta, much as it was when C. C. Ross read a paper on this subject three years ago at the Annual General Meeting in Montreal; but so far as gas is concerned, its early production in Saskatchewan seems now assured. The three years that have elapsed since Mr. Ross' paper have witnessed a growth in the world's production of oil that has created a potential supply out of all proportion to the demand for petroleum products, and one that has resisted the most energetic efforts of the industry entirely to control. The natural result has been very much to retard the active prospecting of new structures in the Prairie Provinces with any immediate view to oil production, although the same factor has not hindered the search for gas to the same extent. One consequence has been to divert the attention of organized oil operators from wildcat drilling to more detailed geological investigation than had hitherto been customary, sometimes accompanied by test drilling with a view to the elucidation of geological structure rather than to the immediate development of production which at the present is not needed. Nevertheless, in spite of the growth of this phase of oil prospecting - which the writer would be the last not to welcome as a very real blessing and of far greater value than indiscriminate wildcat drilling in either the complex structures of the foothills or the simpler but largely concealed formations of the plains- it is most satisfactory to have to record that in these three years the growth of production both of naphtha and the heavier crude-oil has kept pace with the by no means inconsiderable growth in the production and utilization of natural gas.

Jan 1, 1929

By B. Meddings, O. J. I. Evans

"This paper is mainly concerned with the present and probable future role of hydrometallurgy in the production of base metals.The economic and technological bases of the hydro-metallurgical plants built and operative in the mid-fifties are compared to those in production in the mid-sixties. The trends observed are extrapolated and some estimates made concerning the probable size and type of hydrometallurgical plants which will be operative in the mid-seventies.The impact of emerging socio-economic factors such as pollution control and the market demand for specialized metal products which favour hydrometallurgical recovery processes are also discussed."

Jan 1, 1971

By J. Postle, Deborah McCombe

"This is the third in a series of articles about the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO). The first article was an interview with Niall Weatherstone, Chairman of CRIRSCO (CIM Magazine, February 2008) the second described the background and goals of CRIRSCO (CIM Magazine, March/April 2008). In 2007, CRIRSCO was adopted as the Reserves and Resources Task Force of the International Council on Mining and Metals. This decision by ICMM has resulted in an increased level of funding for CRIRSCO and the ability to advance its objectives. In mid-October 2007, CRIRSCO members met in London England to discuss the status of each of the member countries’ reporting codes and the progress of various CRIRSCO projects. Update on national reporting codes Australia: The last update of the Australian JORC Code was in 2004. While there are ongoing discussions about issues that arise from the application of the latest version of the Code, there are no plans to update JORC in the near future. Canada: The Canadian Securities Administrators revised National Instrument 43-101 in December 2005. At the same time, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum published updated Resource and Reserve Definitions that are incorporated by reference in NI 43-101. CIM is continuing work on developing Best Practice Guidelines to assist practitioners in the estimation of Mineral Resources and Reserves. South Africa: The South African Mineral Reserve Committee is currently awaiting an update of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Limited Listing Rules, which will incorporate both SAMREC and SAMVAL (South African valuation guidelines). The official launch of both codes is expected in 2008. Europe: The Pan-European Reserves Reporting Committee expects to release a consultation draft in 2008. Emphasis is being placed on industrial minerals and aggregates, which constitute a very large industry in Europe. Chile: The Chilean Certification Code was approved in early 2008. As part of the Code, a National Commission is being established to screen and review reports on a random or specific basis. United States: The Society of Mining Engineers updated the SME Reporting Guidelines in 2007. The Securities and Exchange Commission has not accepted these more up-to-date definitions and guidelines. The SME committee will continue to discuss the incorporation of these Reporting Guidelines with SEC. SME has also established a class of membership, a Registered Member, which includes disciplinary measures for non-compliance with the SME guidelines."

Jan 1, 2003

By Finlay Campbell

Nickel laterite pressure acid leach plants and reduction roast plants have had a checkered history in their engineering, construction, startup and operational reliability. Many potential projects have been the subject of detailed studies over the last thirty to forty years but relatively few have advanced to commercial production. Four reduction roast plants are currently operating, an additional one was partially constructed but never completed, and another was started up in 1974 and shut down after 12 years operation. Three acid leach plants have been built and commissioned in the last five years, trying to follow the example of the Moa Nickel plant in Cuba. An additional acid leach plant project is currently on hold, following limited construction work, its future subject to review by the owner because of potential cost over-runs. This paper attempts to discuss difficulties that may be encountered as a project is developed and will address factors which may affect production ramp-up schedule, long term production performance and overall production success. Comparisons are made with ramp-up performance at other large metallurgical plants that employ some comparable unit operations. Keywords: Caron, PAL, nickel laterite ore, ramp-up, reliability, process development, equipment design, step-out, commissioning, startup.

Jan 1, 2004

By T. G. Carter

"Tremendous progress has been made in recent years towards developing computational tools that allow ready solution of most common rock engineering problems, with amongst the most advanced of the tools focusing on evaluating engineered openings within Synthetic Rock Masses. These new codes have the potential to allow much more realistic design, but they must not be used without careful calibration – prior to – during and – post completion of any modelling. This paper explores some of the pitfalls of inadequate data collection and suggests more emphasis be given to calibration. Guidelines for minimum levels of parameter data are suggested for improving application of basic to sophisticated modelling codes.INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUNDTremendous progress has been made in recent years towards developing computational tools that allow ready solution of most common rock engineering problems. The degree of sophistication now possible with some of the available codes allows one to tackle extremely complex problems that were not thought tractable even a decade ago. Indeed, generation of synthetic numerical rock masses, based on discrete fracture network representations that closely mimic actual rock mass conditions, such as are shown in Figure 1, is today relatively straightforward, and not as user-challenging as employing state-of-the-art codes of even a few decades ago. This is largely because major improvements in computer graphics and in availability of ready-made user-friendly input-output interfaces have paralleled development of these new codes, now in some cases outpacing actual new analytical/procedure developments. This is something of a reversal from the first few decades of DOS-based rock engineering computational experience, when only rudimentary graphics were available and user-friendly input-output interfaces were virtually non-existent."

Jan 1, 2015

By S. T. Johansen, B. T. Løvfall, T. Rodriguez Duran, J. Zoric

A methodology for building pragmatic physics-based models is here adapted to predict the erosion of ladle linings in the steel industry, in order to support operators when deciding whether the lining can be used safely for another heat. A defective lining may allow 140 t of molten steel to spill, with disastrous consequences for workers and plant. The adopted work flow for the development, challenges faced, and some model results are presented. One key learning outcome is that model development should allow time for maturing the process understanding, as well as for many iterations by ‘questions-responses and actions’ at various stages in the model development. Good interaction between the development team and industry case owner is an important success factor. Combining or extending the model with the use of machine learning and cognition-related methods, such as knowledge graphs and self-adaptive algorithms, is discussed.

Apr 16, 2024

By J. Hadjigeorgiou, T. R. Stacey

This paper introduces the Quantified Value-created Process (QVP), a decision-making process for use in mine design and operation. The implementation of the QVP is founded on a ten-step rock engineering design process and a ten-step strategic planning process. The potential of this approach is demonstrated by examples of value created as a result of good research, design, and planning. The QVP is divided into two parts, namely, a ‘planning the process’ section and an ‘implementing the process’ section, and can be considered to be an extension of the risk approach. All costs, direct and indirect, associated with a significant mining decision (design, operational, investment) must be quantified in advance of committing to that decision, to determine the value that will be created in the short, medium, and long terms. Ethical values, associated with health, safety, the environment, public perception, and social aspects, may be difficult to quantify in economic terms, but must nevertheless also be considered. In contrast with a traditional risk approach, the QVP will identify the upside, and allow executives to make more informed strategic decisions. In this context it is essential to actively engage upper management in the decision process.

Feb 2, 2022

By R. L. Grayson

For the years 1990 and 1991, West Virginia's underground coal small-mine fatality rate « 20 employees) was approximately ten times higher than the national coal industry rate. Although the total number of fatalities decreased to 17 in 1992 (from 22 in 1991), West Virginia still led ,the nation in coal mining fatals. A team of mining and safety professionals from West Virginia University studied the problem over the past year, interfacing with the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training. A clear path for 'formal intervention was determined and is presented here.

Jan 1, 1994

By Dodd SF

Valuation of mining companies and their underlying assets prepared by brokers' analysts are, by necessity, approximations. The reliability of the valuations is entirely proportional to the quality of available data, the reliability of forecasts and the nature of underlying commodity price assumptions. The latter is perhaps the greatest single cause of gross variations in company and asset earnings estimates and- valuations. Assumptions are often necessary regarding commodity price achievement based on commodity hedge positions. Public disclosure from listed companies provides a sound base from which to project earnings, cashflows and balance sheets. The uncommon disclosure of projected production and cost schedules often reduces the reliability of future estimates. The application of reserve and resource estimates is contentious with practitioners applying differing weightings to importance of resources in estimating mine lives (and therefore cashflow streams). Valuation methods applied in equity markets usually focus on relative value and the identification of pricing anomalies. The commonest ""rules of thumb"" applied in the valuation of mining companies (and therefore their underlying assets) is with the use of year specific price/earnings (P/E) and price/cashflow (P/CF) ratios, with low multiples suggesting undervalued assets, high multiples overvalued situations (but these rules can often be clouded by market expectations of underlying commodity price movements). Another simply applied valuation tool is to examine the examine the value placed on reserves and resources by the market. Inexpensive gold in the ground (expressed as $ of market capitalisation per ounce of reserves or resources) might indicate a buying opportunity, but the market does discount the value of gold in the ground prior to mine development and where development risk is perceived.

Jan 1, 1994

By H Jalalifar, N Aziz

In the ten years since the University of NSW proposed a pillar design methodology for bord and pillar operations, the Australian coal mining industry has changed substantially. What was primarily a bord and pillar design approach is now being applied to chain pillar design in longwall mines where the requirements are substantially different. The dimensions of chain pillars can impact on tailgate conditions (roof, rib and floor), seal performance, and surface subsidence. The status of chain pillar design practice in Australia is reviewed, with a focus on defining pillar strength, chain pillar loading, and assessing the performance of the roof/pillar/system. A new pillar strength equation is proposed for Australian coal that applies for all width/height ratios. An alternative analysis of probability of failure of chain pillars is presented.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. F. Sharpe

THE Bullion mine, in the famous Cariboo district of British Columbia, is situated on the left bank of the South fork of the Quesnel river, approximately three miles below the outlet of Quesnel lake. A good road leads 63 miles northeast to the property from Williams lake, the railhead on the Pacific Great Eastern railway. The mine may also be reached over good roads from Vancouver via the Fraser canyon, Ashcroft, Clinton, and the 150-mile house, a total distance of 407 miles. In the early days of placer mining on the South fork of the Quesnel, several rich bars were found. The 'pay' on one of these at the mouth of Dancing Bill gulch was followed up the gulch by a Chinese company, who proved to be the discoverers of the present Bullion mine. This Chinese company commenced working in 1884, in what was then referred to as the China pit. Although working under very primitive conditions, it is reported that, during the ten years they operated the property, they recovered in excess of $900,000 in gold. This somewhat large recovery was due to a local concentration, the result of Dancing Bill creek having meandered down that portion of the channel and washed off the overburden. In 1894, a syndicate composed largely of the Canadian Pacific Railway directorate of that time, with J. B. Hobson as their field manager, acquired the property, as the apparent magnitude of the operation was too great for the resources of the Chinese company. Mr. Hobson, during the first ten years of his regime, developed the mine into a large-scale hydraulic operation, and during that period, from 1894 to 1905, recovered approximately $1,234,000 in gold. In 1906, the property was sold to the Guggenheim Exploration Company, who retained Mr. Hobson as Manager and embarked on an extensive programme to bring in additional water. This project was never completed, however, work being suddenly abandoned in 1907 and the mine closed down. Shortly afterwards, the property was purchased by a small operator on what is believed to have been largely borrowed capital. This venture resulted in no production, but in much litigation, which eventually reached the Privy Council in 1920.

Jan 1, 1939

By J Johansson

The aim of this paper is to discuss how to form work and organisations in the mines of the future. The Kiruna underground iron ore mine in the far north of Sweden is used as an example on how technical development affects organisational issues like skills, work identity and gender. Over a period of 50 years one can see a transformation of work from manual underground work to automation and remote control from surface level. What characterised the old underground workface was the close relation between man and the hard rock and with arduous physical work under dangerous conditions. Today, the face miners are located on the seventh level of an office building close to the mine. There is also an emerging, and in many aspects already evident, knowledge transformation û from the old and obsolete physical and tacit knowledge and skills (for example the ability to æread the rockÆ) to something new, which can be described as abstract æhigh-techÆ knowledge and skills. The modern technology has created a new type of work û new in terms of competencies and knowledge as well as workload and organisation. At the same time the mining company are recruiting more women and promoting the former pure male work as attractive workplaces for both women and men. All this has effects on how individuals and company create and recreate skills, identity and gender. To some extent the technological development predestines these changes, but there are some choices to be done when forming good work and organisations for the mines of the future. The traditional mining workplace culture and behaviours and the old type of masculinity, the æmachoÆ style, will be challenged by the new æhigh-techÆ work and new competency demands. The changes risk meeting restoring responses, which can have negative impact on the performance of the organisation, for example making it inflexible and perhaps ælaggingÆ behind the technological development. These questions need to be handled when planning future mining.

Jan 1, 2008

By W. M. Williams

The Canadian steel industry is now in many ways a mature one, having achieved many technical successes during its hundred-year history. It is interesting to look back over this period, to learn something of the histories of the different producers and of the people and forces that shaped their development. The following article provides a thumbnail sketch of the Canadian steel industry as it exists today. It is intended for the general reader, not for the specialist who will want to consult the several books and theses written on the development of the industry during the last hundred years. The famous Les Forges du Saint-Maurice, an important iron producer for a century and a half, provides a natural historical starting point for a look at the four major players - Dosco, Algoma, Stelco and Dofasco - who have provided most of the hundreds of millions of tonnes of steel, in every form from horseshoes to tinplate, needed in the twentieth century. The smaller companies which have sprung up in the last 20 or 30 years are dealt with briefly - but only because their history is so recent. Not so long ago the mini-mill, based on scrap rather than on the blast furnace, was thought to be specially suited to the economies of the smaller developing countries of the Third World. However, recent history has made it evident that the small plant, specializing in a few basic products (e.g. reinforcing bar) or taking advantage of special circumstances, can successfully compete with the large blast furnace/primary steel producers.

Jan 1, 1999

By Gilberto Álvares da Silva

New elements have been inserted in NiTi lately, resulting in ternary alloys with specific characteristics beyond Shape Memory Effect and Superelasticity. Among all others alloying elements, the Ag additions itself gives potential antibacterial activity to that smart material. So on, the elaboration procedures of ternary NiTiAg alloys was studied in order to obtain a melting procedure to ensure further studies on this alloy. Microstructural and thermal analyses were used to evaluate the VAR-remelting production of NiTiAg with 4.0% wt silver content. The microstructure is composed by a NiTi matrix, pure Ag precipitates, and, scarcely, TiC inclusions. Heat treatments at high temperature could not dilute those Ag particles, but could lead to the precipitation of new ones. The silver element reduces the temperature of the martensitic transformation, yielding a material with superelastic behavior, beyond induces the R-phase on cooling stage of this alloy.

Aug 8, 2018

By J. G. MacGregor

At this, the opening meeting of the Western Quebec Branch of the Institute, it seems fitting that the first paper presented should embrace a survey of the known mineral deposits occurring in the area, and also a review of ?the exploration methods that have brought about their discovery. And since the study of geological structures must always be the guiding principle of an intelligent exploration campaign, it also seems to be the appropriate occasion to review the geological situation from the economic angle, in an attempt to arrive at a re-statement of the known facts governing the deposition of the mineral bodies . . It is not my intention to confine my remarks entirely to the geological problems involved, but rather to pass under review the exploratory methods that have been employed in the past and that are presently being used, and to offer a forecast of the type of exploration campaign that will be largely adopted in the future search for ore.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. L. Miller

"Why should we care about diesel quality amidst the complexity of mining for minerals? Mining companies use a large amount of diesel fuel in their worldwide operations, both for moving ore from the mine to the processing mills or transportation hubs, and to generate power for onsite processing. This creates a large carbon footprint and poses both environmental risk with the production of emissions, and public perception of how those companies do their business as stewards of the environment while incurring a huge fuel expenditure. To improve diesel quality and create incremental value and greater environmental stewardship, the opportunity is broken down into several segments: 1. Mining industry diesel consumption 2. Fuel quality issues 3. Impacts on operations, economics, and emissions 4. Potential solutions 5. How improved fuel quality saves fuel expenditures 6. Economics of improved fuel quality 7. Recommended testing process 8. Fuel quality analysis checklist MINING INDUSTRY DIESEL CONSUMPTION The average grade of mined Australian ore bodies has halved, while the waste removed to access the minerals has more than doubled over the last 30 years, thus increasing energy consumption by 70%, (http://eex.gov.au/industry-sectors/mining/). Energy consumption and intensity in mining and mineral processing is rising at around 6% per annum. The mining industry is a huge consumer of diesel fuel worldwide, and the SRS Rocco Report of 4 August 2014 gives a better picture of recent trends. To better understand the reasons to reduce both fuel costs and consumption, we need to compare metrics on the amount of diesel consumed per each ounce of gold produced over the last decade. The rate of diesel consumption in gallons per each ounce of gold produced for the top five worldwide gold producers has doubled in the last 8 years from 12.7 gallons per ounce in 2005 to 25.8 in 2013 as shown in Figure 1 below.This is caused by 1) lower ore grades requiring more hauls to get same amount of finished gold product, and 2) haul trucks moving ore from deeper sources in open pit and underground mines. For one large multi-national gold mining company, the 2005 waste rock / production ratio was 52 metric tons/gold ounce; by 2013 that ratio had grown to 113 metric tons/gold ounce per the same SRSrocco 4 August 2014 report. Using the metrics above, the top 5 gold miners used over 591 million gallons of diesel fuel in 2013. The cost of diesel in dollars per ounce of gold has increased from $30.48 in 2005 to $101.14 in 2013, an annual appreciation of 16.2% as shown in Figure 2 below."

Jan 1, 2017

By P F. Hodkiewicz

"Our understanding of mineral resources relies on three basic steps: data capture data interpretation model construction. Until recently, all three of these steps required significant time and manual effort to produce a single resource model for mine planning, typically taking more than a year to progress from drilling to the final block model. Over the past several years, BHP Billiton has been developing innovative workflows in rapid resource modelling projects to significantly reduce these time constraints and make the process more productive by replacing manual activities with automated ones. Rapid resource modelling is the process of combining recently developed off-the-shelf technology with internal technology developments to fundamentally change the way we collect, interpret, model and evaluate geoscience data. Initiatives include automated systems and standardised workflows to make it safer, faster and cheaper to continuously update multidiscipline resource models. Specifically, rapid resource modelling workflows combine: real-time analysis of drill holes and drill samples with downhole tools and hyperspectral scanning systemsautomated interpretation of drill hole intervals based on pattern-recognition algorithmscontinuous modelling workflows using implicit modelling software. This paper outlines technology developments and workflows that provide a more thorough understanding of mineral resources to support faster and more informed strategic, planning and production decisions.CITATION:Hodkiewicz, P F, 2014. Rapid resource modelling – a vision for faster and better mining decisions, in Proceedings Ninth International Mining Geology Conference 2014 , pp 183–188 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Aug 18, 2014