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By Alan M. Bateman

Before World War II we proudly considered that we were the nation of all the world most richly endowed in mineral resources. We knew it was no accident that those countries abundantly supplied with mineral resources became the great manufacturing nations, and the politically and militarily strong ones; and that our own great industrial cities sprang up where coal and iron met. We all reallized, especially we of the mining profession, that the energy of fuels and the solidity of metals spelled industrial growth and in turn industrial might and that other nations came to regard mineral self-sufficiency as one of the chief goalsof economic nationalism.

Jan 1, 1949

By D P. Blair

The theme of this conference is blasting productivity. This article only considers the technology aspect of this theme, and in particular, the collection and analysis of experimental data. In many cases, field trials are set up to collect data on variables such as fragmentation and vibration with the aim of comparing different explosive products and/or blast designs. An important aspect of such trials is the collection of sufficient data to draw sound conclusions. In this regard, there is no doubt that the scatter in real data is the root cause of all problems of obtaining misleading results due to an insufficient number of trials. This article shows that the typical one-off trial has a high probability of producing misleading information, which could be considered to be worse than having no information at all. Assuming that sufficient data has been collected, this article also highlights the methods that can be used to make the most of that data. These methods include the application of appropriate statistics that are dependent on the nature of the scatter in the data, and the use of some of the more recent filtering and spectral approaches that can be used to reduce the noise in measured blast signals and increase the resolution of their spectral characteristics.

Nov 8, 2011

By K Ehrig

You are a geologist, geometallurgist, or metallurgist/process engineer and are fortunate enough to work for an organisation who asks you to design/execute a geometallurgy program. What seems like a simple request is actually not a trivial exercise. æRecipeÆ style manuals are not readily available. However, many æexpertsÆ are lurking around willing to deliver solutions which will solve all of your problems. Even though similar ore deposit styles (e.g. porphyry Cu, IOCG, Ni-laterites, calcrete hosted U, etc.) have many similar characteristics, each ore deposit is unique. Hence your geometallurgy program needs to be æfit-for-purposeÆ. This paper offers some insights gained via designing and executing geometallurgy programs from exploration through to production, and working at a mine where you are held accountable for your metallurgical performance predictors.CITATION:Ehrig, K, 2013. Geometallurgy - What do you really need to know from exploration through to production?, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 28-33 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013

By Robb L. Swenson

Construction of foundations for the Skyway Segment of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge required innovative techniques due to the mass of the structures being inserted and the unique subsurface of the Bay. Twenty of the pier structures required large sheet pile cofferdams. Eight other foundations were installed in open water without cofferdams at the deeper part of the Bay. This narrative will present the initial planning, as well as the stages of installation, for each type of foundation. The first section will discuss foundation constructability modifications made during the initial planning phases of the project. Considerable effort was expended by Caltrans, the owner, T.Y. Lin the designer, and KFM (Kiewit/FCI/Manson) the contractor in modifying the design to assure that required tolerance would be maintained during the installation of the foundations. The final section will describe the steps required for installation including: initial access dredging, installation of cofferdams, preparation required to install the footing boxes, footing box installation, foundation support pile installation, and pile to box connections.

Jan 1, 2013

WELL known member of the Institute, Henry Krumb, survived the Japanese earthquake and has written a most interesting description of his personal experience to a friend in New York, an extended excerpt from which we publish, by permission, below. Not having been written for publication it has increased value as a human document in its vivid description of personal impressions and sensations in the midst of such a catastrophe. The earthquake was the most terrible experience I have ever passed through. We arrived at Miyanoshita, Friday, Aug. 31, about 6 p.m., having left Yokohama about 2:30 that afternoon by automobile. It was a most beautiful ride, although rather warm, but not unusually so, as it has been uncomfortably hot ever since we arrived in Japan. The first part of this automobile trip was along the old highway from Kyoto to Tokyo, which is lined with fine old pine trees. There are 52 villages along this highway and we saw real Japanese country life: naked children, both boys and girls, and men wearing nothing but gee-strings. The country on either side was intensively cultivated, the green rice fields and lotus ponds making a most beautiful sight. The occasional hills were all re-forested with young pines. In places the road runs close to the ocean beaches. The last part of the trip was up a steep mountain road, cut out of the side of the mountain. On one side of the road, in the gulch below, was a roaring river. The road crosses this river several times. Miyanoshita is beautifully located on the side of a mountain about 400 ft. above this river at an altitude of 1400 ft. The grounds of the hotel are laid out in Japanese style, small lakes with fish, waterfalls and dwarf trees making a very pretty sight. On the morning of Sept. 1, after walking around the garden and the hotel, we went to our room and I started to write up a few notes. Mrs. Krumb was reading a guide book. A few minutes before noon she came over to the table where I was writing and said that it was about lunch time. Just at that moment hell broke loose. It was the first earthquake I have ever experienced and I did not immediately realize what was happening. The building was shaking as a mine office might shake when heavy blasting was going on near by. Mrs. Krumb, having experienced many earthquakes, stepped to the open door between our room and the bathroom and called to me to get out from under the chande-lier. The plaster was commencing to fall and a large wardrobe fell over. I then knew what was happening and ran to the win dow. Before I reached it a large chunk of plaster from the ceiling hit me on the head and cut my forehead and nose. Mrs. Krumb ran for the other window just as the marble mantelpiece and the dresser fell. Without any hesitation, she jumped out of the win-dow and I followed suit out of the other. Luckily neither of us sprained an ankle-we had jumped 8 ft. We started to runaway from the building but had not gone more than 25 ft. when a second shock or rather a continuation of the first became so violent and the ground under our feet was trembling so that it was almost impossible to stand up without holding on to a tree. The ground seemed to have become liquid and rocked violently, it seemed to me in a vertical direction. In some later shocks the movement was more horizontal. About this time Mrs. Krumb saw the blood on my face and commenced to break down, but only for a moment: As soon as she saw it was not serious she was all right and during the following days stood the experiences and hardships as well as the best of them:

Jan 11, 1923

By S. Kenzap, V. Kazakidis

Risk assessment is an essential component of mine feasibility studies. However, it is often challenging to identify the appropriate analysis and derive the required input data. The uniqueness of a mining project and the associated technical issues require customization of the risk assessment approach to meet both requirements and characteristics. The uncertainty driving the operating risk in mine feasibility studies and its assessment through Monte Carlo simulation as a component of a cash flow analysis are discussed in this paper. The paper introduces the use of the analytic hierarchy process for derivation of qualitative input and conducts quantification of the three main sources of operating performance delays, equipment, ground and schedule problems, in a cash flow simulation. A methodology for the assessment of operating risk in mine feasibility studies is presented.

Jan 1, 2011

By M. E. Buzon, M. E. Gunter

Talc has been the focus of recent civil litigation based on claims that asbestos minerals exist in talc deposits and therefore have caused asbestos-related diseases in those who have regularly used talc products. Such litigation, and ensuing confusion over the petrology and asbestos content of these deposits, challenges the talc mining industry in Montana and elsewhere in the world. The talc deposits in southwest Montana were formed by hydrothermal alteration of dolomitic marbles and are still actively mined. In general, talc formed by hydrothermal alteration of preexisting carbonate rocks is known to be nearly monomineralic and lacking in amphiboles. This paper includes data from analyses of representative ore samples from this mining region in southwest Montana. The results conclude that the presence of asbestos minerals — both amphiboles and chrysotile — is unlikely and that the ores are nearly monomineralic, as expected. Samples were characterized using a suite of analytical methods, namely, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and electron microprobe analyses, which allowed us to determine the minerals present and the formation process. Our data and interpretations suggest that previous identification of asbestos minerals in these deposits is not accurate.

Jan 1, 2018

By M. E. Buzon, M. E. Gunter

Talc has been the focus of recent civil litigation based on claims that asbestos minerals exist in talc deposits and therefore have caused asbestos-related diseases in those who have regularly used talc products. Such litigation, and ensuing confusion over the petrology and asbestos content of these deposits, challenges the talc mining industry in Montana and elsewhere in the world. The talc deposits in southwest Montana were formed by hydrothermal alteration of dolomitic marbles and are still actively mined. In general, talc formed by hydrothermal alteration of preexisting carbonate rocks is known to be nearly monomineralic and lacking in amphiboles. This paper includes data from analyses of representative ore samples from this mining region in southwest Montana. The results conclude that the presence of asbestos minerals — both amphiboles and chrysotile — is unlikely and that the ores are nearly monomineralic, as expected. Samples were characterized using a suite of analytical methods, namely, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and electron microprobe analyses, which allowed us to determine the minerals present and the formation process. Our data and interpretations suggest that previous identification of asbestos minerals in these deposits is not accurate.

Jan 1, 2017

By William Reisz

Managing the blast site at almost any operation can be a daunting task. There are so many details that must be observed, understood, and acted upon. It goes without saying that there are no two locations that have the exact same challenges and concerns. The level and the extent of these challenges can vary widely.

Jan 1, 2014

By Donald I. Bleiwas

The U.S. Bureau of nines evaluated the potential availability of tungsten from 57 tungsten mines and deposits in 19 market economy countries (1). The 38 properties that were producing at the time this study was performed contain approximately 375,000 tons1 of W03 (tungsten trioxide). The total estimated recoverable resource from all properties studied, both producers and nonproducers, was 1.2 million tons W03 (demonstrated level). Approximately 143,000 tons of W03 is recoverable from producing properties with costs at or below the January 1983 market prices. The study indicates that by 1990 production from currently operating mines in market economy countries will decrease as their demonstrated resources become exhausted. Some of this potential decline may be offset by lower than anticipated levels of market demand, discoveries of additional resources at producing mines, development of other known deposits, and/or discoveries of new deposits. Development of new tungsten resources in market economy countries will likely result in costs higher than exist at currently producing properties. The People's Republic of China has been steadily increasing production and export of tungsten in various form and currently supplies about 25 pct of U.S. imports. China's tungsten mines are large, high-grade operations capable of producing at relatively low cost. These factors, coupled with China's apparent need for foreign exchange, could lead to further expansions of production and exports from China, with a consequent increased dependence by market economy countries on China for tungsten requirements and a threat to the survival of the market economy countries' tungsten industries.

Jan 1, 1984

By Ralph H. Whaite

The Bureau of Mines program for microfilming maps of abandoned mines in the Pennsylvania anthracite region is described. A catalog of the maps that have been microfilmed in the Eastern Middle anthracite field--the first area to be covered in the program--is presented. Additional catalogs will be published as significant mining areas are completed.

Jan 1, 1965

By E. H. Bunce, E. C. Handwerk

The inherent difficulties of zinc smelting arise from the fact that metallic zinc is volatilized at the reducing temperature of zinc oxide and thus is liberated in the form of a vapor. This vapor must be subsequently condensed to obtain metallic zinc, first in molten and eventually in solid form. Zinc vapor is sensitive to oxidation not only by air but by combustion gases containing carbon dioxide. It is, therefore, necessary to carry out both the reduction and the condensation operations in a closed system consisting of an externally heated muffle with attached condenser from which extcrnal oxidizing agencies are excluded. However, the reoxidation of zinc vapor cannot be entirely prevented by excluding external sources of oxidation. Internal sources of oxidation are necessarily present when oxidic zinc ores are reduced by a carbonaceous reducing agent. The reduction reactions themselves involve, first, the production of carbon monoxide in an amount at least equal in volume to the zinc vapor produced in the reaction, and, second, the formation of carbon dioxide. Not all of the carbon dioxide is reduced again to carbon monoxide by the excess carbon in the time available, and the slightly oxidizing condition, which results, seriously affects the efficiency of the condensation of the zinc vapor to the metallic state. In the past the difficulties arising from these causes have limited practical zinc smelting on an industrial scale to the use of small retorts equipped with small condensers. The retorts had to be small, because a closed refractory container capable of excluding oxidizing gases from the heating chamber surrounding the retort could not be built in large dimensions. The size was also limited because ordinary refractories when thin enough to conduct heat readily are not capable of sustaining a heavy load of charge at high temperature. Moreover, a loose charge of zinc ore and carbonaceous reducing material such as fine anthracite coal or coke breeze is a poor conductor of heat, thus limiting the cross section of the retort. The operation of these small retorts requires arduous

Jan 1, 1937

By D. M. Collingwood

The year 1928 has been marked by scattered but considerable wildcat drilling considering the overproduction prevalent in the oil industry. This wildcatting has resulted in the discovery of oil in one interior salt dome, several small fields producing from serpentine, Taylor marl, and Austin chalk, and two new fields producing from the Edwards limestone, one of which in the Bruner or Salt Flat area of Caldwell County promises to be of major importance if not quite as large as the Luling field. Fig. 1 shows production by fields for 1928, compared in the case of the older fields, with that for 1927. New Production From Salt Domes Boggy Creek Dome This salt dome was discovered in 1927 by core drilling and deep tests recommended on the evidence of surface geology. A large block of acreage controlled by the Humble Oil & Refining Co. covers the dome. Since the discovery of the deep-lying salt plug and oil on the flank of this dome in 1927, development has proceeded slowly. Since most of the acreage is controlled in a large block by one company there has been no intensive competitive drilling. Approximately 8 producers and 16 dry holes have been drilled. Production is from the eastern equivalent of the Woodbine and Eagleford horizons of the Mexia district, and has been found extending in a northeast-southnlest direction across the River Neches on the southeast flank of the dome. One of the best wells, the T. H. Jones No. 2, had an initial production of 90 bbl. per hr., and others have made from 100 bbl. per day to 50 bbl. per hr., but production of the better wells has either been shut in or choked down to less than 2000 bbl. per day. At the end of the year the daily average, production was about 2500 bbl. from 8 wells. Considerable gas pressure is present and one well, the Elliot Clark No. 2, drilled in 1927, was shut in with an estimated wet gas production of over 5,000,000 cubic feet.

Jan 1, 1929

By P. Dauphin

"CANMET’s Mining and Mineral Sciences Laboratories have developed the Canadian Mining Technology Network (CMT-Net), a website to provide industry with up to date information on technologies in several areas. This paper gives background on the Mineral and Metal Processing sector, describes the steps leading to the development of the websites strategy and gives a tour of CMT-Net. IntroductionThe government of Canada is developing a strategy aimed at fostering the development of value-added activities in the area of mineral and metal processing (MMP). Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Industry Canada will partner in delivering on this strategy. Instrumental in defining the main thrusts of the value-added strategy was a series of consultations held across Canada with representatives of companies and organizations active in the sector. The objective of the consultations was to identify barriers to the development of activities which add value in the sector, as well as point to positive factors.Following the consultations, a discussion paper was produced, “From Mineral Resources to Manufactured Products: Towards a Value- Added Mineral and Metal Strategy for Canada” (Natural Resources Canada, 1998). The paper reviews the sector’s structure and main statistical information, lists some of the positive factors and barriers to value-added activities and defines a new partnership between industry and government that will lead to more valueadded activities. The main objective of the paper is to serve as a discussion document between stakeholders during the development of the strategy."

Jan 1, 1999

By J. Espí

The mineral price assigned in mining project design is critical to determining the economic feasibility of a project. Nevertheless, although it is not difficult to find literature about market metal prices, it is much more complicated to achieve a specific methodology for calculating the value or which justifications are appropriate to include. This study presents an analysis of various methods for selecting metal prices and investigates the mechanisms and motives underlying price selections. The results describe various attitudes adopted by the designers of mining investment projects, and how the price can be determined not just by means of forecasting but also by consideration of other relevant parameters.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. G. Darnley

"IntroductionTHE PURPOSE of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to drawn attention to recommendations which have been accepted by the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning radiometric reporting methods and calibration in uranium exploration, and secondly to emphasize the benefits that- will stem from adopting them. These recommendations are contained in an IAEA Technical Report, No. 174, which has been prepared with the intention of serving as a general guide to the subject. The existence of this specialized report is likely to be unknown to most of those who can benefit unless it is given some publicity by an organization such as the CIM. The recommendations were prepared by a small international committee consisting of Dr, P. H. Dodd , U.S .A. , Dr. R. L. Grasty. Canada, Dr. L. Levborg, Denmark, Dr. M. Matolin, Czechoslovakia , Dr. S. D. Simov, Bulgaria, and the writer.The fact that there are standard scientific units of mass, distance and time is taken for granted, It is also accepted that the type of instrumentation used to measure one of these parameters is irrelevant to the way the measurement is reported. Geophysical parameters such as magnetic field strength and gravity have generally accepted units, the gamma and milligal, which are defined in SI terms. These units are employed irrespective of the operating principle, or manufacturer or organization involved in the measurement."

Jan 1, 1977

By James J. Dowd

The investigation to evaluate the reserves of coking coal in the United States suitable for the manufacture of metallurgical coke is being made by the Bureau of Mines in three parts: (1) To estimate known (measured plus indicated) recoverable reserves of all coking coal; (2) to upgrade marginal coals through effective preparation; and (3) to study the carbonizing properties of coals and coal blends not now widely used for metallurgical coke making. This is the sixth of a series of reports giving the results of studies by counties under part (1) of the investigation. (See appendix.) This report covers Fayette County, Pa., which comprises the Uniontown and parts of the Brownsville, Connellsville, Donegal, Waynesburg, Masontown, and Confluence, Pa., Morgantown and Bruceton, W. Va., and Accident, Md., quadrangles. (See fig. 1.) A short resume of the chemical and carbonizing properties of the coals ar.9 included. Data on the coal beds in this county were obtained from mining companies, land companies, individual landowners, and other sources of authentic information.

Jan 1, 1951

By Xiaoyan Luo, Congcong Dai, Gaipin Cai, Xin Liu, Lu Zong

To overcome the difficulty of accurately judging the load state of a wet ball mill during the grinding process, a method of mill load identification based on the singular value entropy of the modified ensemble empirical mode decomposition (MEEMD) and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifier is proposed. First, the MEEMD algorithm is used to decompose the vibration signals recorded under different load states to obtain the intrinsic mode components, and a correlation coefficient threshold is used to select the sensitive mode components that characterize the state of the original signal. Second, singular value decomposition is used to obtain the singular value entropy. Finally, the load state of the wet ball mill is judged based on the magnitude of the singular value entropy. A characteristic mill load vector is constructed from the singular value entropies of the cylinder vibration signals recorded under different load conditions and is used as the input to a PNN, which then outputs the predicted ball mill load state; in this way, a load state identification model is established. Grinding experiments are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, showing that the method can accurately identify the load state of a wet ball mill. ()

By D. J. A. Chambers, J. M. Wempen, K. D. Koper, M. K. McCarter, K. L. Pankow

"The EarthScope Transportable Array (TA) of broadband seismometers (www.usarray.org) was deployed across southwest Wyoming from November 2007 through May 2009. During this time period the Array Network Facility (ANF, anf.ucsd.edu) detected and located a total of six seismic events near the trona-mining district. This lack of seismicity is atypical compared to coal mines employing similar mining methods. In this study, eighteen months of continuous seismic data from several nearby TA stations are reexamined using conventional and correlation-based methods to detect seismic events. Waveform cluster analysis and epicentral locations are used to discriminate between mining induced seismicity (MIS) and seismic energy generated from surface blasts at nearby coal mines. The locations and magnitudes of the 143 newly detected MIS events are compared to regional subsidence as measured by Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR). INTRODUCTION An abundance of natural resources and a favorable political climate have made southwest Wyoming home to multiple large mining operations. Among these operations are five underground trona mines located approximately 50 km west of Rock Springs, Wyoming. The trona mines employ room and pillar, longwall, and solution mining methods over an area roughly 900 km2, and produce a sizable portion of the world’s soda ash (Brown 1995). Historically, in the Rock Springs mining district, several relatively large magnitude seismic events have occurred. These events are thought to have been related to mining activity and have caused notable subsidence (Case 1997). The largest event in the region recorded by seismometers, ML 5.1, has been confirmed as the 1995 Solvay Trona Mine collapse (Pechmann et al. 1995). In addition, blasting at surface coal mines near Rock Springs produces significant amounts of seismicity; approximately 50% of all daytime seismic events in the Mountain time zone from 2007 to 2009 locate near an active surface mine in this region (Astiz et al. 2014). Much of the current research related to surface subsidence and induced seismicity focuses on wastewater impoundment (Ellsworth 2013) and hydraulic fracturing. The observable seismicity in geological injection environments is widely variable and McGarr (2014) has argued that, in such environments, the maximum amount of seismic energy that can be released is proportional to the injected volumes. Like injection environments, in extraction (mining) environments seismicity is highly variable depending on many geological and operational variables (Boltz et al. 2012; Carnec and Delacourt 2000; Fritschen 2010; Iannacchione et al. 2005; Sen 2013) and does not always correlate well spatially with subsidence, a surface expression of extraction at depth."

Jan 1, 2015

By E Coffison, M Gibbs, C Bennett

The sustainable management of surface water associated with coal mining and coal seam gas projects is a considerable factor affecting the global competitiveness of these resource companies operating in Australia. Management of surface water can be costly, but effective water management and hence environmental stewardship enhances corporate social responsibility and the social license to operate. The surface water issues for the two industries are comparable, yet there is currently a lack of alignment between how Queensland, where the majority of AustraliaÆs coal seam gas projects are located, manages and regulates water on coal mine projects and coal seam gas projects.This paper provides a high level comparison of Queensland legislation and highlights the lack of alignment of this legislation regarding surface water management in these two industries. Through a case study, it looks at the surface water management process at a coal mine site based on the current legislation and principals of surface water management. QueenslandÆs lack of alignment in legislation regarding surface water management in these industries is understandable given the different development paths and time scales of the two industries. The coal mining industry has developed over a long period of time and the legislation has progressed in parallel, whereas, the coal seam gas industry is relatively new in Australia and the legislation has had to advance quickly. The lack of alignment between management of surface water for the two industries creates confusion among stakeholders and this adds complexity and additional transaction costs during the exploration, permitting and operational phases of projects, including landowners who may be affected.CITATION:Bennett, C, Coffison, E and Gibbs, M, 2013. Lack of alignment between regulation of surface water management in coal mining and coal seam gas, in Proceedings Water in Mining 2013 , pp 157-162 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 26, 2013