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My forebears migrated to South Australia in the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s. All of them were literate but, because they moved about South Australia looking for work, family papers have become scat- tered and I am left with a few fragments. Some years ago I was intrigued to find among my fath- er's books a frontispiece in an old Anglican Book of Lessons. As can be seen Joseph, a mining smith, was also a Freemason. Thus my interest was aroused. I know some- thing of modern day mining communities in South Australia and wondered what they were like 100 or more years ago.

Jan 1, 1987

By Kuipers A. J

Aberfoyle has been applying computer methods to mine geology in small to medium-sized underground mines since the early 1980's. Recently, the installation of DATAMINE software at the Hellyer Mine in Tasmania has allowed development of computerised applications which assist both mine geologists and mine planning engineers on a daily basis.Comprehensive data is entered into a database prior to survey coordinating to produce a processed database which can be accessed for construction of a variety of plots. The folded and faulted nature of the orebody contacts at Hellyer has necessitated the use of the structure contour method to provide a complete 3-D spatial interpretation. Computer-generated contact intersection points are hand-contoured before digitising and wireframing as a digital terrain model. This wireframe model can be sectioned in any plane for mine planning.

Jan 1, 1990

By M Stewart, J Vann, A Bu, D Frederickson

The Golden Gift is a recently discovered deep deposit below the main operating areas of the Stawell Gold Mine. At an early stage of the project, diamond drilling was used to define the mineralisation on sections approximately 100 - 150 m apart. The project economics were sensitive to both grade and tonnage. There were consequently two significant risks on resource quantification: risk on tonnage (ægeological riskÆ); and risk on grade (ægrade riskÆ). The degrees of freedom inherent in the geological model were considered to be potentially high because of wide drill spacing and likely structural complexity. To quantify geological risk three geologists familiar with Stawell mineralisation independently interpreted the deposit. This generated three plausible, different geological volume models. Conditional simulation was then used to quantify grade risk. Conditional simulation requires the user to define input statistics (histogram and variogram model) and a geological envelope. Based on global mean grade of an ordered set of simulations, æpessimisticÆ, æmedianÆ and æoptimisticÆ simulation cases were defined. The result was a 3 x 3 risk matrix with geological risk (the three interpretations) on one axis and grade risk (also three cases) on the other axis. An interesting result was that geological and grade risks were of a similar order of magnitude. Therefore a risk analysis of grade by geostatistical methods within a fixed geological model is of limited value, especially if the drill spacing is wide. After completion of this study, with additional drilling, the geological degrees of freedom at Golden Gift reduced substantially. A second Golden Gift risk study used a refined geological model to build a set of simulations to be used in preliminary mine design. A third simulation study in the deeper parts of the Magdala ore deposit, a well-drilled part of the mine with production history, demonstrates that the geostatistical simulation method used at Golden Gift is a robust and useful tool to quantify grade risk.

Jan 1, 2003

There is no other effective way for study ing firedamp and coaldust explosions than to produce controlled explosions in a pre-monitor- ed environment - either mine openings kept for the purpose, or special surface galleries. Such explosion testing facilities have been employed historically at Buxton in U.K., with lesser known installations at Bruceton, U.S.A., Tremonia, West Germany, Katowice-Mikolow, Poland and elsewhere. Both firedamp and coal dust explosions are studied. Normally coal dust explosions are initiated by somewhat standardised methane air mixtures, by explosives, or purely by coal dust. Various structures and suppression installations are installed in roadways and galleries prior to explosion to simulate destruction and suppression, and the results of such tests form the basis of suppression installations, especially stone dust barriers and water barriers. Other data collected from these experiments include rev- ersals of explosion waves, pressures and temperatures and duration of explosion waves, analyses of aftergases etc. Other uses of explosion testing galleries include testing of explosives, electrical equipment and frictional . sparking.

Jan 1, 1981

By P Dare-Bryan

Many mines have an interest in improving fragmentation at their sublevel caving operations in order to produce better ore recovery, lower dilution and less overbreak. The primary requirement for the extraction phase is to understand and optimise the flow of the fragmented rock in the rings including interactions with the caved material. Rock fragment formation is critically controlled by the blasting phase and can potentially be improved by optimising the dynamic energy distribution throughout the ring through the crafting of explosive charging, priming position and initiation timing. The modelling of fragmentation and damage due to explosive loading of complete rings is inherently and irrevocably a three dimensional problem that is difficult to address. We have therefore initially utilised an analytical code to predict vector peak particle velocities and energies that are restricted to the plane of a ring. Dynamic energy distributions based on common timing and priming practice have been compared with other possibilities using conventional pyrotechnic detonators as well as initiation designs based on accurate electronic detonators. The energy distribution can be quite subtly tailored to increase energy in appropriate regions or to decrease energy in the brow region for example to potentially reduce instability and the probability of misfires. We have also recently developed the capability to efficiently model particle flow using four-sided polygonal elements. Despite the 2D limitations of such a model this results in more realistic fragment interaction and stacking than can be achieved using conventional rigid circular elements. Modelling of a typical sublevel caving ring utilising these elements activated by the correct dynamics offers considerable potential for understanding the influence of the blasting energetics and timing on the complex flow and extraction process.

Jan 1, 2005

By Stewart WJ

Australia's first offshsore well was spudded in on 27th December 1964 and resulted in the discovery of the Barracouta gas field. Further exploratory drilling led to the discovery of the Marlin gas field in December 1965, the Kingfish oil field in April 1967 and the Hblibut oil field in June. 1967. In September 1968, a small oil reservoir was found in a sand below the main Barracouta'gas reservoir. The Snapper gas field was discovered in May, 1968 Information on exploration activities associated with the discovery of oil and gas in the Bass Strait area may be found in the paper, "Exploration in the Gippsland, Bass and Otway Basins, Australia" by B. M. Hopkins. _ Development of the commercial fields is being undertaken on an equal participation basis by Hematite Petroleum Pty. Ltd. and Esso Exploration and Production Australia Inc. Esso Standard Oil (Australia) Ltd. is responsible for the design, construction and operation of the production facilities.

Jan 1, 1970

There is a difference in design aspects between steel linings and rubber linings for grinding mills. The basic design rules for rub- ber are described as well as the liner designs for different applications.

Jan 1, 1978

By Wright R, Stock E. C

The Windarra nickel deposits known to date comprise two sulphide orebodies located at Mount Windarra and South Windarra. These orebodies, which are 15 km apart, lie within an ultramafic complex at or near its footwall contact with a banded iron formation. The Windarra deposits are 270 km north-northeast of Kalgoorlie in West- ern Australia which was the centre of a major nickel exploration programme fol- lowing the discovery of nickel deposits at Kambalda in 1966. Surface indications of the Mount Windarra orebody were discovered in 1969 by Mr. Ken Shirley while prospect- ing the Laverton area for Poseidon Ltd. (then NL). The mineralisation was loc- ated by systematic prospecting for goss- anous material associated with aero-mag- netic anomalies and ultramafic rocks. The South Windarra deposit was dis- covered in 1971 by the Union-Hanna- Homestake Joint Venture, by exploring along the strike extension of the mount Windarra ultramafic-banded iron format- ion contact. A detailed ground magnet 1. Acting Operations Superintendent, Windarra Nickel Project, Windarra, W.A. 2. Senior Geologist, Windarra Nickel Project, Windarra, W.A. 3. Mine Geologist, Windarra Nickel Project, Windarra, W.A.

Jan 1, 1973

By Gole MJ

The Goodyear nickel prospect is located 45 km southeast of Kalgoorlie (31.04¦S, 121.80¦E) near the eastern boundary of Hampton Area - East Location 45 (Figure 1). Nickel mineralisation was discovered on the Goodyear prospect in March 1996 when a reverse circulation drillhole (GYC5), initially drilled in December 1995, was deepened to meet a minimum footwall penetration requirement of 20 in that had been set for the drill program. Approximately 3 in of sulphides averaging 4.9 per cent nickel was intersected from 296 metres down-hole, this being within 2 in of the first end-of-hole. Hole GYC5 was part of an eight hole drilling program undertaken by Titan Resources in late-1995. This program was designed to test whether nickel mineralisation in the Dunlop prospect, discovered by the Western Mining Corporation - BHP Camylia Joint Venture immediately east of the East Location 45 boundary, continued across the tenement boundary. The area targeted by the initial drill program had been explored by Western Mining Corporation in the mid-1980s using extensive surface sampling and a drilling program that included 17 RAB and percussion drillholes. None of these holes intersected nickel Mineralisation.\

Jan 1, 1996

By Walker E. R

IN the early age of steel it was made hy what is known as the cementation proeess, in which wrought iron was embedded in charcoal and heated in a mufflc furnace to a tcmperature of approximately 1100° C. for varying lengths of time, the length of time depending upon the amount of carbon (or better known in thosedays as the degree of hardness) required in the finished product.By this process the resultant product obtained was not of uniform quality, and because of this uncertainty of quality Huntsman was induced, in the year 1740, to introduee what is known as the crucible process.This process consisted of cutting into small pieces the product of the cementation process, placing these pieces in a crucible, and melting them down with the aid of a eoke-fired furnace, after which the molten metal was cast into suitahly shaped ingots, from which could be hammered any desired shape.A section of crucible furnace is shown in Fig. 1. By this means a product, very uniform in character, was produced.The process is still in use, but, owing to its high operating cost, it is mostly eonfined to the production of very high-grade carhon and alloy steels. Its position to-day as a producer of these high-grade steels is, however, being very seriously challenged by the electric process.It was owing to the excessive cost of crucible steels and the need of producing a steel in commercial quantities and at a reasonable cost, that led Sir Henry Bessemer to introduce what is known as the Bessemer process.

Jan 1, 1930

By Jeffery RI, Pollard CA, Fear NJ

The paper describes the detailed hydrogeological studies carried out prior to the sinking of twin shafts at British Coal's new mine at Asfordby, Leicestershire, UK. The test methods for assessing potential groundwater inflows to the shafts are discussed and details are given of the ground freezing scheme employed through the major aquifer zone in the Sherwood Sandstone at a depth of 375 metres. During shaft sinking pressure recovery tests were carried out to further assess potential inflows and the results are compared with those from the surface tests prior to sinking.

Jan 1, 1988

By Kuganathan V

The processing of black coal in Australia segregates waste in the form of coarse reject and fine tailings. The coarse reject is relatively easy to handle, while the tailings can be problematic. Conventionally, the two waste materials are disposed of separately, the coarse reject in dumps, and the tailings in man-made containments. Aqueous tailings slurry is pumped to a 'wet' tailings storage, where the fine particle size of the tailings limits dewatering. Their low bearing capacity and high compressibility result in tailings deposits being difficult to rehabilitate. Disposing of the waste streams separately moves away from the heterogeneous mixture in the undisturbed ground, and concentrates potential problems with each waste stream. The feasibility and desirability of the co-disposal of tailings and coarse reject by combined pumping is demonstrated. This technique is in operation at Jeebropilly Mine and is proposed for a number of other coal mines.

Jan 1, 1992

By Wilson R. G

The Bulli and Wongawilli Seams, the two principal sources of coking coal for the Port KKembla steelworks of Australian Iron and Steel Pty. Ltd., vary in rank and in type over the Southern and -South Western Coalfields. The Bulli Seam, ranging widely in type, produces coke varying from weak to strong. The Wongawilli Seam, more consistent in type, produces coke of more consistent strength, but considerably less strong than that from the best Bulli Seam coal. Plans of seam variation show the regional trends in rank and type for each sear. The strongest coke is derived from coal containing between 45 and 55 per cent vitrinite, m.m.f. This is obtainable from the Bulli Sean in a zone embracing Bulli and Appin Colleries.

Jan 1, 1969

By Bennet A. G

An overall review of the selection of rock strength and deformation characteris- tics for the design of the Melbourne Under- qround Rail Loop (MIJRL) rock tunnels is presented. Particular emphasis is placed on aspects of in-situ testing, including large diameter plate bearing tests. Material on the interpretation of test results for use in the design of the tunnel linings and openings is included, with a brief discus- sion of desiqn methods.

Jan 1, 1981

Legislation up to the early 1950s prevented the mechanical extraction of pillars. The mines operating at that time had formed extensive areas of pillars. When permission for the mechanical extraction was gazetted, conventional equipment was employed for pillar extraction and generally using hand mining systems. The mid-fifty's saw the of continuous miners. These machines eliminated the disadvantages of conventional equipment and the necessity for multiple working places. Some new layouts for panels emerged; however, actual extraction methods of pillars still followed closely that of hand mining. During the early sixty's the extraction of standing or new formed pillars was undertaken by the "open-end lift" or a "split and lift" method.

Jan 1, 1974

By Selischop F, Tredoux M

The distribution of platinum-group elements (pGEs) has been investigated in matte and slag samples from Waterval Smelter (Rustenburg Platinum Mines). The study showed that a strong preference of PGEs for alloy phases in matte represents a concentration mechanism that commenced in the furnace but can be considered a continuum from natural processes. Metal losses to fayalite (converter) slag occur by matte entrainment due to the mechanical capture of liquid sulphide droplets from the matte layer, and the exsolution of dissolved metal sulphide resulting from changes in the oxidation state of the slag. The latter is comparable to immiscible sulphide in basic magmas. However, the observed distribution of PGEs shows enrichment in metal phases of the matte. A mechanism is proposed whereby naked PGEs in silicate melts coalesce to form clusters which are stabilised by surface attachment of sulphur atoms. This envelope acts to 'draw the cluster into sulphide melts. Small particle melting effects permit PGE clusters to remain as liquids at magmatic and smelter temperatures.

Jan 1, 1994

By Nichol R

- PART A The Hoppers Crossing Pumping Station is one of the principal components of the Western Trunk Sewer Project which replaces the 90 year old Main Outfall Sewer and will convey 60% of Melbourne's sewage flow from Brooklyn to the Board's Farm at

Jan 1, 1987

The paper, one of two papers on the Queensland Railways Brunswick Street tunnels presented at the VIII Australian Tunnelling conference, describes documentation, tendering and construction aspects.Tender documents were written to reduce the risk taken by the contractor. Details of tenders received are analysed and the changing industrial situation at that time described.Construction aspects covered include mobilisation, major equipment, tunnelling equipment and manning. Program and progress are reported including industrial relations and advance rates for Mitsui-Miike S-200 and S-65 roadheaders. Cycle times and performance in terms of cutting rate and pick wear are provided for the roadheaders.

Jan 1, 1993

The difficulty in creating and obtaining a competitive edge in the mineral industry is rapidly increasing. The Kiruna Iron Ore Mine in the far north of Sweden is currently thriving on the world market through firm managerial strategy. LKAB believes in upgrading its raw material to produce a high quality iron ore product for sale to steelworks throughout the world. It is vital that this product is also of uniform quality and quantity to provide quality assurance to customers. The first link in meeting these product requirements starts in the underground workings. Mining methods and operations are of large-scale. Automation and continuous production streamline operations and reduce operating costs. These factors have built Kiruna Iron Ore Mine into the world's biggest, most modern, underground iron ore mine. To remain competitive on the world market, LKAB relies heavily on research and development. The mine is currently in a phase of upgrading its operations. A 25-tonne Toro electric loader is being tested to improve the rate of output of ore from the mine. Long hole drills are being improved to increase accuracy and efficiency. An electronic detonating system will improve detonator delay precision. Projects are underway to better understand ore flow mechanisms from a caving orebody. Benefits include improved ore recovery along with better rock quality control at the caving front. The continued updating of mining operations at Kiruna will enable LKAB to continue to maintain its competitive advantage on the world market in the production of high quality iron ore products.

Jan 1, 1997

By S Robson, T G. Blenkinsop, S C. Dominy

Golden Pig mine is in the central part of the Southern Cross greenstone belt within the Archaean Yilgarn craton. The mine has produced approximately 2.5 Mt of ore at 5.7 g/t Au to yield approximately 450 000 oz. The majority of gold mineralisation is hosted within extensively deformed and quartz-veined BIFÆs. In addition to the BIF-hosted mineralisation, an increasingly important part of the resource lies in the Taurus Lode, which is a N-NNW-trending amphibolite facies shear zone. The Taurus Lode lies within a continuous shear-zone that has a moderate to steeply WSW dipping foliation, and a mineral lineation of biotite, amphibole and pyrrhotite plunging consistently 10¦ S. Drive faces, subperpendicular to the foliation and lineation, consistently show evidence for syn-mineralisation reverse shear. Exposures parallel to the mineral lineation and perpendicular to the foliation reveal both sinistral and dextral asymmetries. These characteristics suggest that the vorticity axis of the Taurus Shear Zone is parallel to the mineral lineation, and that the simple shear sense is reverse. This geometry can arise when there is a major component of flattening across the shear zone, which may be due to interference between two adjacent granite domes. The BIF-hosted lodes plunge consistently 15¦ NNW coincident with the intersection of the axial planar cleavage of the regional folds and the Taurus Shear Zone. However, where the penetrative shear characteristics control the orientation and geometry of the mineralisation, oreshoots plunge SSW, parallel to the stretching and mineral lineations within the shear. The SSW plunge of strike extensive and laterally confined high-grade, economic ore shoots within the Taurus shear is fundamental to defining the economic mineralisation within this lode. Identifying the zones of maximum continuity and establishing the optimal position for future development will maximise ore extraction.

Jan 1, 2003