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By WILLIAM SLOAN

B RITISH COLUMBIA in its mining activities is going ahead by leaps and bounds both in development and production. Mineral production for 1925 was $61,492,242 in value as compared to $48,704,- 604 in 1924, or an increase of about 26.2 per cent. This is a new record. It is the first time in the history of mining in British Columbia that we have gone over the fifty million mark. But we have got in the habit of making new records. The year 1924, with its mineral production of almost forty-nine million was a new record. And I am confident that when the mining history of 1926 is written it will be found that we have established yet another new record and that we can report another 25 per cent increase over 1925. What is the explanation? It is not only that the world is settling down, and settling up, after the war. It is not only that in the rebuilding, the refashioning in which all nations are busily engaged, the metals that come from our mines are needed. More than anything else, at least as far as we are concerned, it is because British Columbia has the resources and the fact that the province has been fortunate in recent years in finding men with the enterprise and the vision required to push ahead the labor of their development. From the ranks of our own people in Canada we have prospectors who have faith, energy and requisite knowledge. They are combing our hills season after season and they are of the type of manhood that does not know the meaning of the word quit. More and more these men are learning the importance of the guidance furnished by geological reports, and to an ever increasing extent such reports, thanks to the valuable work of the Canadian Geological Survey, covering areas little known to man, are made available to them-but it is recognized that in the opening up of our Province, containing within itself 372,000 square miles, it is essential that we should have the cooperation of our cousins on this side of the line as well as of our fellow citizens of the Dominion and of the Mother Country.

Jan 1, 1926

By William R. Rumbold

WHEN I was in South Africa during the latter part of 1904, there were three known tin-fields, which may be called the Cape Town, the Bushveld and the Swaziland fields. THE. CAPE TOWN TIN-FIELD. This district is situated near Kuils river, 20 miles west of Cape Town, and 5 miles from Kuils River station on the Cape Town & Stellenbosch Railway. The deposits are in granite, intrusive in the Malmesbury beds, which are supposed to be of Silurian or Cambrian age. The granite, resisting denudation better than the surrounding shales,, has formed low-lying hills, the highest of which, the Bottlelary Berg, is 1,510 ft. above sea-level. , The rock consists of quartz, orthoclase feldspar and biotite mica; tourmaline is also present. The feldspar occurs in large crystals. The rock is generally decomposed on the surface, and the decomposition sometimes extends as deep as 100 ft. This formation-granite intrusive in Silurian shales-extends for many miles to the northeast, but so far as I know the Kuils River deposits are the only ones now known to occur in it, though probably further prospecting will reveal other deposits. This particular discovery was accidental;. alluvial tin being found in the course of boring for oil. The Kuils River Deposit. This comprises both lode and alluvial tin. The lode strikes N. and S., and dips about 30° E. into the hill. It is 5 ft. wide, and composed of dense white quartz, in which pinkish-gray cassiterite is distributed in large crystals. The vein also contains considerable quantities of wolfram. Fig. 1 is a rough plan of the relative positions of the lode and the alluvial deposit, the latter, as shown, following the course of a stream, while the lode crops out on the hillside

Jan 7, 1908

By S. Mansfield, A. Sharma

At a large open cut copper mine, in pit crushing and conveying is used to shorten haul routes and minimise stockpiling of ore. This strategy decreases capital expenditure by reducing the number of haul trucks and excavators required and reduces the need to rehandle ore from stockpiles with a secondary load and haul fleet, with an overall goal of lowering operating costs and carbon emissions. As the mine has developed and expanded, it was necessary to extend the conveying network and install a fourth, semi-mobile crusher to increase the output of the operation, while maintaining the operational efficiencies. This required the blasting of a new tipping bench and pocket for the installation of one of the largest and most powerful semi-mobile, crushing plants. Fed by 360 tonne (396 ton) ultra-heavy class haul trucks, the KB 63-130 Pro gyratory crusher is the highest capacity available in the market. This paper describes the holistic process that was applied to model, design and execute the blasts required to create the pocket for the semi-mobile crusher, the surrounding tipping bench, plus the conveyor corridor and access ramp used by the ultra-heavy class trucks.

Jan 1, 2024

By M. Holuzko, Y. R. Zhang, J. Alexander

The use of dual-energy X-ray transmission (DE-XRT) technology in the mining industry has been developing rapidly in the past decade. In many projects, DE-XRT images are analysed to classify ore and waste in sulphide deposits where the sulphides and non-sulphides have distinct characteristics in density. In the current practice of DE-XRT image processing, every pixel in the image gets classified into two categories, depending on the intensity of the pixel from both low and high energy X-ray response. If the pixel’s intensity is above the threshold curve generated in the high-energy and lowenergy scatter plot, it is classified as “higher density” material, and the remaining pixels are classified as “lower density” material. This paper elaborates on an alternative approach to DE-XRT image processing for in-depth characterisation of samples from a lead-zinc sulphide deposit. The detailed characterisation is achieved by providing density distribution of individual rock using DE-XRT laboratory sorting unit (COMEX) located at the University of British Columbia. Instead of classifying the X-ray images into two different classes from one threshold curve, multiple density classes are created between two threshold curves to generate the density distribution. By manipulating the two threshold curves, we can analyse images of samples obtained at different resolutions of density distribution. If the two threshold curves become infinitely close to each other, it will create a single-threshold scenario similar to the current methods being used in the industry. This method provides the ability to change the threshold curves, hence providing more flexibility on material characterisation based on the needs of the operation. Furthermore, the DE-XRT images from individual rock specimens are compared to the test results from hand-held X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser as well as assays of various elements for the same set of samples. The data analysis will provide information regarding ore characteristics and also the theoretical performance of the sensor-based sorting. Keywords: Dual-energy X-ray Transmission (DE-XRT), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), ore characterisation, density distribution

Jan 1, 2020

By E Philippa, J Vitanza, C Hawtin, B Miller

B Miller , E Philippa , C Hawtin and J Vitanza

Mar 22, 2022

By Irwan Halim, Bhoshaga Mitrran Ravi Chandran, Kevin Huynh

Tunnel segmental lining design constitutes a significant iterative process where modeling and numerical analysis are factors in deciding the number of segments, their dimensions, gasket placements, as well as the locations of dowels and bolts. Consequently, these modifications lead to revisions in the final drawing details. However, the current tunnel engineering practices lack systematic solutions that effectively bridge the gap between the iterative design process and efficient visualization of completed drawings due to the time- consuming nature of redrawing. This paper presents a pioneering application of AI-driven solutions including using Autodesk's API, for the Northside Interceptor Tunnel (NSIT) Project. It showcases the automation of drawing design and the real-time visualization of modifications, thereby streamlining the drawing process.

Jun 23, 2024

By Charles R. Keyes

Discussion of the paper of Charles R. Keyes, Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 19, January, 1908, pp. 1 to 31. BERNARD MACDONALD, Guanajuato, Mexico (communication to the Secretary*) :-Mr. Keyes's paper is very interesting to me because of my personal experience with the development of the ore-deposits of Lake Valley. Seeing that many of the important facts connected with the early history of the development of these mines are either now unknown, or have become more or less distorted, and thinking that it would be interesting as well as valuable to have these recorded as a historical supplement to Mr. Keyes's elaborate paper, I present the following narrative: In February, 1881, soon after the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé railroad made connection with the Southern Pacific at Denting, N. M., the Lake Valley properties were brought to the attention of New York and Philadelphia capitalists by John A. Miller, of Silver City, N. M. At that time silver was $1.10 all ounce and silver-mining was very attractive. Vast fortunes were being made in Leadville and other Colorado camps, and Tombstone was pouring out its millions. Lake Valley, like all' other mining-camps in their early history, had its drawbacks, but the railroad, then passing within 14 miles of it, mitigated many of these. The camp lay in the foot-hills of the Black range, in which the Apaches had their stronghold, and raided, when it suited their convenience, the surrounding country, killing the prospectors and pioneer settlers and stealing their cattle. This band of Indians was joined by the outlaws and desperadoes from the frontiers of Texas, Arizona, and Mexico, who collectively defied the United States soldiers, restrained, as the latter were, by the mollycoddles from the East. The brutality of the Indian raids through Arizona and New Mexico in those days would scarcely be believed now, but they stain in deep

Feb 1, 1909

By Richard Stone, Rouzbeh Afsharhasani, Moses Karakouzian

"Caliche, a hardened sedimentary deposit of calcium carbonate that occurs worldwide, generally in arid or semiarid regions, is frequently encountered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The presence of a caliche layer in a soil profile affects the response of deep foundations to axial load. This paper studies the stiffening effect of caliche layers on the elastic settlement of a pile foundation. In order to evaluate the response in a layered soil-caliche profile, finite element analyses were performed on a typical-sized single pile and a pile group, both having constant diameter and length of the pile. The results indicate that the stiffening effect from the caliche is noteworthy, and a layer with a relative thickness of at least one pile width, regardless of its location, reduces the pile settlement for both single piles and group of piles systems by at least 50%.IntroductionThe presence of cemented materials in the soil profile influences the settlement response of foundations. One type of cemented material that can be found in arid places around the world is a sedimentary deposit of calcium carbonate called caliche. Caliche, a hardened sedimentary deposit of calcium carbonate, is common in arid and semi-arid urban areas, such as Las Vegas, Nevada (Wyman, et al. 1993).Caliche is mostly observed in lacustrine, river, and alluvial fan deposits (Jr.C.C 1970). It is also found in Central and Western Australia, the Kalahari Desert, the High Plains of the Western U.S., and the Sonoran Desert of the U.S. and Mexico.Some conditions required for the formation of caliche are that country or basement rocks must be a carbonate type, carbonate must be present in the soil zone of the area, climate regime is semi-arid to arid, there exists widespread capillary activity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) is present in the environment. As a result, caliche occurs as a product of the carbonization process (Atabey, Atabey and Kara 1998). In such areas where foundations are constructed on thin rock layers (caliche), special geotechnical design conditions should be considered, particularly if the supporting rock layer is underlain by a weaker material."

Jan 1, 2015

By G. Song, X. Liu

The global coal industry has changed significantly in recent years. In this paper we analyse the coal production and consumption, imports and exports, and coal prices in China and other major coal-producing countries during the past four decades. The analysis shows that global coal production and consumption have declined over the last three years, in striking contrast to the continuous growth for most of the past 35 years. Australia, Indonesia, and Russia have become the world’s major coal providers, while China, India, and the USA, and Germany are the major coal consumers. The world’s, and China‘s, coal industry can be classified into four stages of development: the stable growth phase, stable phase, rapid growth phase, and high-quality phase. Coal prices rose in the world’s four major coal markets in 2016 after four consecutive years of falling prices. The elimination of overcapacity and production-optimizing operations in China could assist in achieving a demand and supply balance.

Aug 8, 2024

By Abdallah Khair, Nathalie Risso, Arie Herrera, Victor Tenorio

This study introduces a machine learning strategy to optimize icy regolith extraction from the Shackleton-de Gerlache Ridge using autonomous mining equipment. The model incorporates key parameters—distance, road gradient, vehicle load, speed, recharge logistics, and regolith water content—into a cost framework for excavation, hauling, and dumping. Regression models estimate energy and time requirements; classification predicts terrain navigability; clustering groups craters for efficiency; and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) determines optimal routing and scheduling. The system adapts to a six-month daylight cycle to maximize productivity and minimize costs, enabling intelligent planning for sustained lunar resource extraction under extreme environmental and logistical constraints.

Feb 22, 2026

Reverse Cationic Flotation of Iron Ores - Floatability of Amphiboles at Depression of Iron Oxides by Starch

Sep 13, 2010

By R. Katzenbach, M. Vogler, U. Adamietz

Abstract The design of deep excavation pits in rock mass is dependent as well on the mechanical properties of the rock mass as for example the orientation and the type of discontinuities like bedding planes, joints and fissures, the length of the discontinuities (persistence), the grade of weathering, the strength of rock mass, and the shear strength in the discontinuities, etc., and also on the respective boundary conditions specific for the project, and here especially the geometrical boundary conditions. The basic mutual influences and interactions between these boundary conditions are explained and exemplary presented at an excavation pit with a depth of 18,5 m, situated at a slope with a surface near groundwater table. Résumé La planification des excavations profondes dépend aussi bien de la qualité mécanique du roc, par exemple la location de la texture de la surface de moindre résistance, le degré de rupture, le degré de décomposition, la dureté du roc et la résistance limitée au cisaillement de la texture de la surface de moindre résistance que des conditions limitées spécifiques pour le projet, ici en particulier des conditions limitées géométriques. Les influences et interactions essentielles et mutuelles entre les conditions limitées isolées seront expliquées et présentées à l’aide d’une excavation 18,5 m de profondeur, située sur une pente où le niveau des eaux souterraines est près de la surface. Kurzfassung Die Planung tiefer Baugruben im Fels hängt sowohl von den mechanischen Eigenschaften des Fels wie z.B. der räumlichen Lage des Trennflächengefüges, dem Durchtrennungsgrad, dem Verwitterungsgrad, der Gesteinsfestigkeit sowie der Scherfestigkeit des Trennflächengefüges als auch von den projektspezifischen Randbedingungen hier insbesondere von den geometrischen Randbedingungen ab. Die wesentlichen gegenseitigen Einflüsse und Interaktionen zwischen den einzelnen Randbedingungen werden aufgezeigt und an einer 18,5 m tiefen Baugrube in Hanglage mit oberflächennahem Grundwasser vorgestellt.

Jan 1, 2003

By Y X. Xue, J Pan, D Q. Zhu

In order to reveal the correlation between the fundamental sintering characteristics of iron ores and their real sintering behaviours, a comprehensive evaluation index is proposed based on the measurement of four high temperature indexes, ie assimilation temperature, liquid phase bonding strength, liquid fluidity and calcium ferrite formation percentage, and the sintering pot tests of single ore fines and their blends. The results show that both the lowest assimilation temperature and liquid fluidity of ore blends appear to be the linear superposition of those of single iron ores except for the liquid phase bonding strength and calcium ferrite formation percentage. Furthermore, the tumble index of the sinter product obtained from blended iron ores also corresponds to a linear superposition of that of single ores, but not for the solid fuel rate and productivity. The comprehensive strength index YT exhibits a credible linear positive correlation with the four high temperature reactivity indexes, whereas the comprehensive productivity index YP possesses a lower correlation with the four high temperature reactivity indexes. The comprehensive strength index YT developed can predict the tumble index of the sinter product quite well, but the comprehensive productivity index YP cannot be used to evaluate the productivity effectively.CITATION:Zhu, D Q, Xue, Y X, Pan, J and Shi, B J, 2017. Correlation between high temperature sintering characteristics and sintering behaviours of iron ore fines, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 123–132 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By Merle L. Bowser

The Bureau of Mines has developed a portable recording methanometer that utilizes the Bureau's methane sensor. The methanometer can operate continuously for at least 30 hours on small, sealed, rechargeable lead-acid batteries.

Jan 1, 1969

By J. Allen Hennessy

INTRODUCTION The increasing price of gold and silver over the past 10 years has caused increasing activity in the exploration, evaluation and development of precious metals projects. Many of these deposits are relatively low grade and short lived which makes them economically sensitive to the major project variables such as metal price, capital cost, operating cost and of course, tonnage and grade. These deposits often have a high variability (a coefficient of variation -- o/u -- of 2 to 5) and an intermixing of ore and waste, making ac- curate ore reserve estimation difficult, especially when using traditional estimation techniques. Often, the estimation errors are not the 10-20% that we see in base metal deposits, but the errors in grade and tonnage can be as high as 50%, which can obviously have a very substantial impact on project Recent developments in geostatistics when coupled with a sound geologic under- standing of the deposit can significantly improve reserve estimates of these variable precious metals deposits. Examples will be given of actual deposits where the traditional estimates were significantly different from the mining reality. An attempt will be made to explain the applicable geostatistical tools with a minimum of geostatistical jargon and without complicated formulas. The key to improving the reserve estimates is a clear understanding of the deposit geology and especially the structural controls, the use of local estimation techniques that recognize the intermixing of ore and waste and the effect of selective mining on recoverable reserves, and the use of a global reserve estimation technique to check the results of local estimation. Geologic Controls The vast majority of gold and silver deposits being mined or developed in the western United States would be classified as epithermal deposits. These are formed by hydrothermal fluids (hot water) flowing upward through the rocks and depositing the precious metals as the fluids cool or reach areas of lower pressure or favorable chemical sites. These environments are similar to present day hot springs-type environments with some deposits being clearly associated with surface hot springs such as the Homestake McLaughlin deposit in northern California. These hydrothermal deposits can occur in sedimentary rocks resulting in deposits such as those of the Carlin district or the Jerritt Canyon deposit or the hydrothermal systems can occur in volcanic rocks forming deposits such as Round Mountain, Manhattan or Paradise Peak. The mechanisms of formation were similar in either case with the solution flow controlled by geologic structure and precious metals deposited when the conditions of temperataure, pressure and chemical environment were favorable. The gold and silver hearing solutions travel through permeable faults and fracture systems depositing the metals along these channels. The grades are often highest in the central parts of these conduits (veins) with lower grades in the surrounding rocks. An understanding of the nature, distribution and orientation of these plumbing systems is important to a realistic reserve estimate. The point to be emphasized here is that, good, sound geology in the form of geologic mapping, logging of rotary chip samples and a few carefully logged core holes can signifi- cantly improve an ore reserve estimate.

Jan 1, 1987

By Frank Julian

The determination of manganese by precipitation with potassium chlorate from a solution in concentrated nitric acid, filtration through asbestos, and solution in a reducing agent whose excess is estimated, is open to the objections that the filtration and subsequent solution of the binoxide are apt to be very slow, and that the asbestos may (according to Troilius), unless perfectly purified, affect the titration. In the following modification, filtration is avoided. I give the method as I use it for Bessemer steel. In an 8-ounce Griffen beaker dissolve 1 gramme drillings in 15 c.c. nitric acid (1.2 sp. gr.). Evaporate to 5 c.c.; add 20 c.c. concentrated nitric acid and precipitate with chlorate as usual, avoiding a large excess; then add about 60 c.c. warm water, and 10 c.c. of the oxalic solution; stir until of a clear light yellow color, and titrate with permanganate while the solution is at about 80' C. The binoxide should dissolve immediately when the oxalate isadded. The titration is rapid, and the end-reaction, though transient, easily caught after a little practice. The standard solutions used are: 15 grammes crystallized ammonium oxalate to a liter, and 1.6 grarnmes potassium permanganate to a liter. For standardizing the permanganate, to 10 c.c. of the oxalic solution is added 50 c.c. of hot water, and a solution of 1 gratnme of steel in concentrated nitric acid, from which the manganese has been removed by potassium chlorate and filtration through asbestos. I have made a large number of determinations in steel, pig-iron,

Jan 1, 1888

By Thomas Barkley

Mining tradition holds that a parallel round underground can not be any deeper than it’s smallest face dimension. ln other words, a mine using a 12’ (3.7 m) high by 24’ (7.3 m) wide room and pillar mine, the deepest pull that can be achieved is plus or minus 12’ (3.7 m). After experience with decking of rounds in a 12’ (3.7 m) diameter shaft to achieve more than 12’ (3.7 m) advance per round, the concept of deepening the pull on horizontal parallel rounds seemed to be a feasible concept. Tests were conducted in a conventional room and pillar metal mine with a round size of 12’ (3.7 m) high by 24’(7.3 m) wide. Standard rounds were drilled with a 16’ (4.9 m) steel as parallel rounds to an average depth of 14.5’ (4.4 m). The average depth of pull on these rounds was about 13’ (4.0 m). Using the available drilling equipment, 20’ (6.1 m) drill steel was used to drill holes to an average depth of 18’ (5.5 m). Five rounds were drilled and shot with a resulting aven$e pull of 16.2’ (4.9 m) or 90 % of drilled depth. Rounds were designed with decked bum cuts to maximize depth of pull in the cut area An innovative method of de&mining drilling accuraq was used to estimate it’s effect on depth of pull in the rounds. This method used a standard automatic 35-mm camera and scaling to determine the average drill deviation for many of the holes in the rounds.

Jan 1, 2000

Experience, it is said, is the best teacher. Some experiences, however, should be shared so that no one else will ever have to live through them again. The fire at the Sunshine Mine is one such experience. ?Hard-rock mines don?t burn.? The Sunshine Mine near Kellogg, ID, was the nation?s premier silver producer for many years. In 1972, the mine was nearly 6,000 feet deep, contained hundreds of miles of worked-out areas, and employed nearly 500 people. Because of its depth and the type of host rock for the silver (unburnable quartzite), the general thinking of the day was that fires in mines such as the Sunshine were impossible, because ?hard-rock mines don?t burn.? What wasn?t really considered was that timber supports, foam insulation, and mining equipment do burn and that the carbon monoxide gas produced by burning is far more deadly than fire itself. Thus, no one was prepared when, on May 2, 1972, a fire of un-known origin broke out below the 3100 level of the mine. Before long, 173 miners on the day shift were trapped by thick, black smoke. By the time the fire was out, 91 miners had died, and the Sunshine Mine Fire became known as one of the worst mine disasters of the 20th century. It became the catalyst for passage of the Metal/Nonmetal Health and Safety Act of 1977, which applied the same federal safety standards to hard-rock mines as those regulating coal. Mandated safety training, mine inspections, and equipment standards were brought into force.

Aug 1, 2002

The history of black coal as a fuel dates back in Europe more than 2,300 years, and possibly longer in China. Originally the mining of coal was done by underprivileged people, but with the industrial revolution and the dawn of mechanisation, the status of the coal miner improved. The improvement continued to the present day. Coal miners now take an important role in industrialised countries and enjoy a high standard of living. The miner is amongst the highest paid and best technologically served in any industrial activity. The abundance of coal relative to alternative fuels and its widespread occurrence, brings with it a prosperity much valued in those countries with significant resources such as Australia. Coal will play a major role in easing the world energy shortage. In addition to the conventional usage, throughout the world coal gasification plants are in various stages of development. Coal liquefaction plants are beyond the drawing board stage. Slurry pipelines to supply coal for direct burning in electric generating and other plants are planned. In the current atmosphere of environment consciousness, Australia has to contend with people with only marginal interest trying to influence coal mining activities to the detriment of the overall prosperity of Australia. Fortunately enlightened legislation is the greatest protector of the environment and in many instances great improvement to the environment ensues after mining has passed. With its vast resources of black coal Australia can look forward to a significant role in future supply of fuel. As a result of the trade and industry involved, Australia can become an even more influential country in world politics, trade, and the setting of high living standards.

Jan 1, 1975

By Ron Robinson

Booster fans have been in regular use in British coal mines since the first half of this century, but a large increase in their use did not take place until after the Nationalization of coal mines in 1947. From that time the need was identified to improve standards of ventilation in general and mining engineers specializing in ventilation were appointed at all levels in the mining industry. A comprehensive approach to ventilation surveys and planning, together with the realisation of the benefits of booster fans, led to their more rapid introduction. Many coal mines in the U.K. are at moderate depth and have virgin strata temperatures of 30°C or less. The ability to control climatic conditions by increased ventilation rather than resort to cooling systems has led to the introduction of booster fans and recirculation systems in these mines. Large makes of methane and high levels of coal dust production due to increased mechanization have also required enhanced ventilation standards. This paper deals with the reasons for selecting booster fans and the specific safety considerations involved in their use. Numbers, types and sizes of booster fans in the U.K. are outlined, together with notes on installation and performance. Remote monitoring and control from the surface is dealt with, and current legislation. The evolution of controlled recirculation is also covered starting with auxiliary fan systems in 1970 and leading to very large district schemes in the late 1980s. The research at Newcastle upon Tyne University and other establishments in the climatic conditions associated with recirculation is summarised and its use in assisting existing and proposed conventional and recirculation systems is indicated.

Jan 1, 1989