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By A A. Latscha, D O’Connor

Increasing orebody complexity, restrictions in ground access, and longer lead times for disturbance approvals, have generated the need for the Resource Development Team within Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO), to explore optimised drill design techniques that deliver resource conversion value while maximising program outcomes. In response to this challenge, the Team initiated a case study to produce an AI assisted/designed drill program using a non-machine learning AI. The case study involved the assessment and implementation of an AI generated drill program at one of RTIO’s Pilbara iron ore deposits, located in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia. The Mineral Resource is currently classified as 100 per cent Inferred. Access constraints inherent to topography, and the presence of exclusions zones have prevented adequate drilling coverage, resulting in lower resource confidence and a poor definition of the orebody extents and geometry. The drill campaign, planned in Q1 2023, needs to consider access constraints, complex topology and the limitations related to additional ground clearance, while addressing the requirement of improving orebody knowledge. The drill plan had to address two objectives. The first and main aim of drilling was to upgrade the Resource Classification to allow for possible conversion to Ore Reserve. The input for this objective was a volumetric representation of the areas currently not meeting pre-defined quantitative Resource Classification upgrade criteria. The second objective was to better define the orebody extents and geometry. For the second objective, the input to the drilling optimiser was a volumetric representation (blocks) of the areas of high uncertainty in the mineralisation/waste boundary, which were defined using an indicator conditional simulation technique. The drilling optimiser output was a range of compliant drill plans. A set of KPIs based on economic and orebody knowledge criteria were used to assess the plans and to select the most optimal drill design to be drilled in 2023. The geology and management teams were able to make better informed, objective decisions using the trade-off between cost and orebody knowledge gained. As part of the assessment, the AI generated plans were compared to our current planning practises. The AI assisted plans, when gauged against the project KPIs, showed clear and measurable improvements in both meeting project objectives and in managing operational risk.

May 24, 2023

By A Keddie

Standard microeconomic theory suggests that the behaviour of mineral extraction and processing firms with respect to their demand for water can be modelled and a market demand for water subsequently derived. Such a model, although an abstraction of the real world, should be able to predict the responsiveness of quantity of water demanded to change in price, and, change in demand to a range of factors including: expectations about reliability of supply, changed commodity prices for mineral production, and change in water technology and storage at mine site. This paper demonstrates that the price of water is particularly responsive to changes in demand and that although price increases would result in some additional supplies, physical constraints on supply suggest that the industry will be paying considerably higher prices for water in the future. It is recommended that the mining industry undertakes quantification of possible price increases to position itself to minimise the impact on their operating costs as well as to make responsible capital investment decisions to facilitate future expansion or commissioning of new mines. Substantial investment is required to commission a new mining venture with expected rates of return subject to risk and uncertainty due to fluctuations in world commodity markets as well as reliability of secure supplies of inputs. If a reliable supply of water was subject to uncertainty and water was a critical input for production, then the initial mine design would typically consider a range of production decisions contingent on levels of uncertainty with respect to water supply. These states or sets of water supply, will affect production decisions and future water demand. Modelling production decisions contingent on different states of nature, termed the state-contingent approach, provides a number of insights about producer behaviour under uncertainty. This paper investigates the assumptions underlying the derivation of the market demand for water by the mineral resource industry and identifies the drivers of demand and the responsiveness of the industry to change in price and supply, particularly in relation to capital investment in water-use technologies. The usefulness of these models to the mining industry is considered by reference to the increasing demand for water by the industry in Queensland, in a climate of water shortages.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. Shahabpour

"Many porphyry copper deposits of the Kerman copper province in central Iran are associated with a consistent structurally con-trolled main drainage pattern, which is shown in this paper to be a useful regional prospecting tool in the search for new deposits. The main drainage trends also generally allow the distiction of high-grade (>0.2% Cu) from low-grade (<0.2% Cu) deposits. Topographic maps1:50 000 or geologic maps 1:100 000 have been found suitable for identification of promising drainages.IntroductionTrends of the main drainage systems transecting the high-grade porphyry copper deposits of the Kerman Region in Iran coincide with Quaternary age regional faults and fractures. Observation of such drainage trends can expedite regional evaluation prior to field examination. Thirty deposits located in the Kerman Region (Fig. 1) have been studied to identify common features that can be used for exploration purposes, especially for the first stage of regional exploration. A variety of field criteria are available for subsequent rapid field checking prior to trenching and more costly methods such as drilling, etc.Characteristic geomorphic features have been considered as aids in mineral exploration by many authors (e.g., Faniran, 1971; Piotrovski and Lubkashov, 1976; Verstappen, 1983). Clark et al. (1967) indicated the relationship between geomorphology and the supergene enrichment of copper in Atacama Desert, Chile, and correlated three periods of supergene enrichment with three periods of pediment disection. Seeland (1978) used fluvial drainage patterns for uranium and hydrocarbon exploration in the Wind River basin, Wyoming. Postolenko and Konopleva (1973) used the reconstruction of ancient valley systems for exploration of gold placers"

Jan 1, 1996

At Appin colliery, geological structural analyses and investigations of roof conditions suggest roof failure may be attributed to vectorial stresses acting on underground openings, and inducing movement along inherent discontinuities in the surrounding rocks. Certain complex joint and fracture patterns tend to exhibit the effect of this movement resulting often in local deterioration in natural support.The following conclusions are drawn.1. Roof failure is related to the inherent nature of the roof rocks, the presence of mechanical discontinuities, and the vectorial stresses imposed upon it.2. Roof failure is not necessarily related to the statistically most prominent jointing.3. Colliery development approximately parallel to the direction of the statistically most prominent jointing sometimes results in favourable roof conditions.4. The maximum principal stress is the resultant of those vectorial stresses acting upon a mine opening and may be inferred from roof adjustments to those stresses after mining.5. Statistical analyses of jointing in the mine workings can provide clues to the tectonic force or forces which have been regionally or locally influential.6. There is a probable relationship between mining induced fracturing, jointing, and micro-fractures in quartz grains, within the sediments of the mine roof.

Jan 1, 1970

By McIntosh A. H, Torlach J. A

Since the last paper on mining methods was presented to the Annual Conference of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in 1:960, numerous advances have been made in drilling and blasting techniques at Mount Morgan. This paper describes the drilling and blasting methods being employed in the open cut. The change over to track mounted percussion drills for all types of primary drilling is almost complete and new techniques such as detergent drilling and pressure loading of ANFO are being applied successfully.

Jan 1, 1965

By Xiong Houjin

In the excavation works of some deep foundation pits within the boundaries of Guang­dong Province of China, though some measures, such as steel sheet piles, diaphragm walls, etc. were taken to protect the walls, the construction of the excavation works was often accompanied by damage of buildings and public facilities, surface settelment. sand boil and collapse of piles. When these happened, only chemical grouting could be used as the most efficient measure for rushing to deal with or rescue the emergencies. Besides, the application of chemical grouting protection wall technique also palys a very important role under the geologic conditions of the coastal areas of Guangdong Province, when applied in the mucky oystershell layer wealthy in water and the deep mud layer, it can not only achieve good results, but also reduce the cost significantly. In this paper, we discuss the water-tight and earth retaining functions of chemical grouting protection wall in weak formation, and introduce the applicable ranges of chemical grouting protection wall in the excavation of deep foundation pits. Some technological principles and design considerations of the construction of chemical grouting protection wall are presented. Different types of protection wall are also introduced.

Jan 1, 1991

By Jhon Silva

"Signature Hole and Waveform Superposition techniques used to predict and control mine blast ground vibrations require a clearly defined information collection configuration. The collection of this information determines the scope and success of the ground vibration prediction. Application of the Improved Signature Hole technique using the Silva-Lusk equation requires the collection of at least two informational elements from any specific production shot. The first required element is a signature waveform, and the second element is the overall production blast waveform. The signature waveform depends on detonated charge variables such as the amount of explosive in use, use of decking, the possible detonation of several holes at the same delay, and many others. The production blast waveform is beneficial to the Improved Signature Hole methodology when used to calibrate the model, and toobtain accurate vibration predictions for different timing configurations."

Jan 1, 2017

The Curtin University Gold Technology Group has been involved in surveying, modelling and optimisation of batch centrifugal concentrator type gravity circuits and CIP/CIL circuits for nearly two decades. The most commonly asked question regarding gravity recovery is, “What is the benefit of a gravity circuit”, which can be hard, if not impossible, to quantify. With the help of the AMIRA P420 Project’s Integrated Liberation Leach Model (ILLM) it is now possible to evaluate the effect of gravity recovery on total gold recovery when changes are made to the grind size, gravity and/or leach/adsorption circuits. This paper demonstrates how the ILLM can be used to determine the net benefit of introducing or modifying a gravity circuit and assess the effect of operating conditions (grind size, coarse gold size distribution, leach residence time, carbon activity, etc.) on plant performance.

Jan 1, 2017

By D. Conklin

Annual fish monitoring of the Red River, NM from the town of Red River to downstream of Questa, NM has been conducted since 1997. This long-term dataset, sponsored by the Chevron Mining Inc. Questa Mine provides an opportunity to evaluate the fish community response to natural phenomena, such as landslides and drought. Hydrothermal scars are present on drainages to the Red River, which can contribute large quantities of sediment to the Red River during localized storm events. Sediment inputs from the hydrothermal scars result in decreased habitat and water quality conditions within the Red River. Landslides from the hydrothermal scars contributed large amounts of sediment to the Red River in the summers of 2002 and 2007. Resident trout populations in the Red River after summer 2002 were depressed at sites adjacent to and downstream of the hydrothermal scars. Resident trout populations had begun to recover by 2005 and 2006; however, after the summer 2007 landslide, the resident trout population was again drastically reduced. In fall 2007, 13 resident trout were collected from 11 sites in the approximately 23 km reach of the river, compared to 691 from the same 11 sites in fall 2006. Resident trout density and biomass has gradually increased since fall 2007, and flows have removed sediment from the study reach. A combination of increased sedimentation and decreased water quality were likely responsible for the decreased resident trout populations in the Red River. Drought and the lack of flushing flows appeared to exacerbate the problem of high sedimentation levels from 2001 to 2004. Climate models predict prolonged periods of drought and increased intensity of storm events, potentially resulting in less favorable conditions for the resident trout population of the Red River in this area.

Jan 1, 2011

By Y Pan

The recycling of steel is a crucial aspect of the shift toward a sustainable metals industry. The emphasis on steel recycling through the introduction of the scrap based mini-mill concept is also matched with a desire for greater product quality and reduced environmental impact, which, in turn, has generated important innovations. There have been significant advances in the technology for recycling steel over the last 20 years and this paper will provide an overview of these developments and discuss future directions in steel recycling including scrap management, control of tramp elements, electric arc furnace technology and ladle metallurgy.

Jan 1, 2004

By Mark P. Meyer

This U.S. Bureau of Mines publication presents salient information in abstract form on 247 coal deposits in Alaska. Coverage includes currently producing deposits and deposits that appear to have commercial production potential. Data arc taken from coal properties identified by the U.S. Bureau of Mines minerals availability program and by a literature search. Infrastructural and institutional factors affecting coal development in Alaska are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1987

By A. B. Stickney

UPWARDS of 200,000 engineers in this country are sufficiently interested in engineering as a profession to have joined a society, but not over 10% of them belong to any one society. There is a widely-felt need of an over-all organization of all the societies to act as spokesman for all engineers on matters of common concern. On a local basis, over 100,000 engineers in 35 metropolitan areas have organized themselves into local councils, and are doing an effective job of intersocietal co-operation within their sphere of activity. In the last few years much has been said and written about a similar organization on a national scale. Everybody wants iteverybody is talking about it-it&apos;s in the air-it&apos;s coming-it&apos;s inevitable. Although it is no longer necessary to talk about why or whether there should be such an organization, there is no such unanimity about what it should be like. This paper outlines a proposed organization by answering four questions-who, how, what, and who will pay for it.

Jan 1, 1946

By D Craw, D Wilson, D Chappell

Gold is extracted by cyanidation of a sulphide-rich concentrate at Macraes mine, and after cyanidation, the concentrate is discharged to tailings impoundments. The concentrate tailings were discharged to a dedicated concentrate impoundment from 1989 to 1993, afterwhich they were blended with the flotation tailings. Since mid-1998, concentrate tailings have been redirected to the dedicated concentrate impoundment. The concentrate tailings contain up to 1 ppm gold, and will be reprocessed in the future. However, it is a regulatory requirement that a contingency plan be in place to rehabilitate the concentrate tailings should the mine operation cease for any reason. Initial predictions suggested that the sulphide-rich tailings would oxidise and acidify, creating a potential long term environmental problem. Investigations of the state of the tailings after 4 years show that these predictions were overly conservative. Only minor oxidation has occurred in the upper 2 metres of the tailings where the pH has locally dropped from 10 (discharge condition) to between 7 and 8. Below 2 metres, the tailings are essentially unchanged from their deposition state. The low rate of change in the tailings is due to their very low permeability which in turn is a consequence of the fine grain size (ca. 15 ¦m). Dewatering is extremely slow, and incursion of oxygenated water is negligible. Calculations suggest that water movement over 30 m will take at least 100 years and possibly 1000 years. The contingency plan is to capitalise on the very low permeability and keep the tailings from drying with a semipermeable cap. A layer of limestone will be added to the top of the tailings, beneath the cap, to enhance alkalinity of any percolating water. If acidification does occur, contrary to expectations, any acid produced will be neutralised by underlying calcite-bearing schist, schist in the concentrate impoundment wall, and the flotation tailings immediately downstream. In addition, dilution by alkaline ground and surface waters would further ameliorate any acidic discharge.

Jan 1, 1998

By J. O. Marsden

This paper presents an overview of the innovative methods for gold and silver extraction that have been put into actual practice in North America since 1987. It is an update of a paper of the same title which was presented by Sass and Mansanti at the AMC conference in San Francisco in 1987. New practices, new equipment and variations of older practices that have been introduced in the last five years are discussed in each of the following categories: process selection trends, comminution, gravity concentration, flotation, oxidation, agitated and vat leaching, heap leaching, solution concentration and purification, zinc precipitation, electrowinning, tailings disposal detoxification, and reclamation.

Jan 1, 1993

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 John M. Bolger, Keith E. McMaster

Excessive salt fines are undesirable in underground salt mining as they are considered a costly waste byproduct. This paper describes an extensive explosive application program conducted at The Canadian Salt Company Ltd, located in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada. The prime objective of the program was to reduce the quantity of fines generated from this company’s underground production blasts. The program was known as the “The Fines Reduction Program”.

Jan 1, 1996

By B Vernon, M Whiteley, T Robinson

The Western Australian gold industry has approximately 100 operating plahts, mainly CIP/CIL. The nature of the State&apos;s rapidly expanding gold industry gave rise to concerns over management of the &nbsp;cyanide hazard, in that most plants are remote from major population centres, have a workforce with a high tum over and use highly saline process water. Approximately 4500 workers in the industry have the potential to be exposed to cyanide in the course of their normal work. &nbsp; This paper outlines the risk management strategy developed by Government and industry to monitor atmospheric HCN gas in the work environment and the role of continuing education and training along with regular site inspections by Department of Mines Inspectors.

Jan 1, 1990

By John F. Kearney

Labrador Iron Mines (?LIM?) Schefferville Projects consist of 20 major DSO deposits lying along a 120 km strike length in both the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and in Quebec. The town of Schefferville, Quebec lies close to the middle of this 120 km strike. LIM?s various properties comprise twenty different iron ore deposits which were part of the original Iron Ore Company of Canada (?IOC?) direct shipping Schefferville operations conducted from 1954 to 1982 and formed part of the 250 million tons of historical reserves and resources previously identified by IOC. LIM intends to develop all these resources in five separate stages. The first four stages will see the various deposits treated in three beneficiation plants, to be built adjacent to several of the deposits that comprise the Central, South Central and North Central Zones. The final stage is not yet planned but will likely involve a fourth plant. A Feasibility Study has not been completed on any of these Projects. LIM plans the development and mining of the various deposits in separate Stages. It should be noted that only the James and Redmond deposits have been permitted. All other deposits require environmental assessment and permitting. Only the James and Redmond deposits have been subject to detailed mine design. The Houston deposit has had preliminary mine design carried out. All other deposits will require detailed mine design when further geological data is collected and compiled. Detailed metallurgical testwork has been carried out on blue ore from James, Houston, Redmond and Knob deposits and to a more limited extent on yellow and red ores from these deposits. Only limited review work has been carried out on the high-silica blue ores. All of this work will be needed to be complete to confirm the final process routes. Additionally some metallurgical work will be required to be conducted on each of the other deposits to characterize their metallurgical response and to confirm expected recovery levels. Detailed mine design and metallurgical testwork has been carried out on those deposits that will form the basis of production for the initial years but further exploration, testwork and design is required for all the remaining resources. The first plant at Silver Yards and mine construction at James are now complete and initial production is expected in the spring of 2011. Metallurgical testing of the first stage deposits has established that the ore can be successfully upgraded to marketable standards. Based on the current testwork, a program of plant enhancement on the Silver Yards plant is now planned with the objective to increase both the plant throughput and recovery. Production of direct shipping lump ore and sinter fines is forecast at around 1.5 million tonnes in 2011 and, based on current and historical resources, growing to approximately 5 million tonnes in 2015 and thereafter. Production from the first four stages is expected to continue at about this rate through to about 2028.

May 1, 2011

By D. Harrington

The greatly extended use of the underground trolley-locomotive system for hauling coal without doubt was one of the most important factors in the rapid progress of coal mining and the increased production of coal in American coal mines during the period 1910-20. Much of the superior efficiency of production of our underground coal and metal lines should also be credited to the trolley locomotive system. The trend to mechanization of mines during the past 15 years, mere particularly the past 5 years, with higher production per man employed and greatly accelerated advancement of working places, has required increased use of trolley locomotives, necessitating larger equipment, higher speeds, and more &apos;frequent turn over of pit cars. This is re¬flected in increased size of locomotives and the use of larger mine ears (some with a capacity up to or over 10 tons); moreover, heavier rails and larger-size trolley wires have boon or ought to have boon installed. Trolley-locomotive haulage has proved to be rapid; economical, efficient, and productive; nevertheless; in spite of these advantages, so-many hazardous features and, unsafe conditions are involved and the price paid in life and property is so high as to justify the statement that the system should be scrapped if it cannot be operated under reasonably safe conditions. Since bare trolloy wires were introduced into underground mines, they have boon responsible for the death of hundreds of diners, property damage totaling millions of dollars, an indeterminate loss of tonnage through the abandonment of mines or parts of mines, and loss of time after disasters caused by fires or explosions originated by the trolley haulage system.

Jan 1, 1945

By Sanjay Kumar Singh

The mechanics of load transfer in bord-and-pillar mining is not well understood despite the evolution of the art of pillar extraction over the last 20 years via trial and error (empirical) or Rock Mass Rating (RMR), simple monitoring and pillar extraction experiences at neighboring mines. Variations in geologic conditions and pillar extraction methods, along with a lack of comprehensive instrumentation programs for monitoring ground behavior during pillar recovery, are among the factors that make it difficult to predict how strata will respond to pillar extraction. Efficient and safe use of roof supports depends on the interaction between the designed support and coal strata. Of particular interest in this study is the mechanics of strata deformation as influenced by geologic conditions, pillar extraction methods and optimum support with load-bearing capabilities in strata control during mass exploitation of underground coal deposits required detailed investigation,?. To provide a better understanding of the mechanics of strata deformation, as researchers, we have collected data and reviewed measurements of convergence and stress in one mine of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (S.E.C.L.), i. e., in North Chirimiri Pondary Hills (NCPH) and have completed numerical modeling with FLAC software for (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua modeling, Itasca India Consulting Pvt. Ltd.) for two typical pillar extraction plans. Stress distribution in the mine roof above pairs of roof supports was calculated to demonstrate how Resin roof bolt support installed support contributed to roof block movement control. It was shown that overall stress and roof-floor convergence patterns were most influenced by the stiffness of coal measure rocks and by pillar extraction sequences and layouts. Also, resin roof bolts and other support systems play a critical role in controlling stability of both the immediate roof and the main roof for a distance of up to 18 meters (i.e., working coal seam height X three times) above the seam. Installed supports provide unique strata control advantages over other types of secondary support by significantly reducing the time between mining and installation of the secondary support. Although resin roof bolts are similar to posts in stiffness and capacity, they are more effective than posts under static loads because they can yield and still maintain loads at nearpeak capacity(Singh, et al., 2006), whereas posts fail and lose their ability to limit mine roof deformation.

Jan 1, 2012