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The inauguration of a geological department for the mines of North Broken Hill Limited necessitated the provision of accurate plans and sections upon which geological facts and projections might be plotted.Unfortunately, the basic data were very inadequate. For the British Section, sill survey plans were available, but no regular stope plans. Filling surveys had been preserved for many stopes, but on innumerable pieces of tracing linen, without heights of any kind, and not altogether reliable (as indicated by the finding of very inconsistent duplicates). For the bulk of the old stopes no plans exist at all. The expenditure of much time and patience has resulted in the co-ordination of most of the existing stope data, but the British Section must for the rest of its life continue to have surprises in store, as has been the case for many years past. Manufacture and preservation of stope records has, of course, been on a sound footing during recent years. No reliable cross-sections of the British Section were available.The Marsh, Junction, and Junction North Sections have for the most part very poor data. In the North Section, level plans were fairly reliable, and cross sections of the lode made for ore reserve purposes have been preserved for quite a few years. No floor plans of stopes were kept, however, until a couple of years ago.Diamond Drill records vary in quality. Practically none exist for the Junction and Junction North Sections. Logs have been kept for the British Section drill holes, but are...

Jan 1, 1940

WITH the exception of the deposits of the Milburn Cement Co near Dunedin, Wilson's Portland Cement Co., on the Mahurangi River (a short distance north of Auckland), and those of the New Zealand Portland Cement Co., at Limestone Island, the cement. Tesources of New Zealand remain practically undeveloped. The Milburn Company utilizes a mixture of limestone and mud for the manufacture of cement, while Wilson's and the New Zealand Portland Cement companies both have the advantage of a natural cement stock which requires but small additions of highgrade limestone to give the mixture required. The plant and deposits of the New Zealand Portland Cement Co are located in Whangarei Harbour, some six miles from thetownship of Whangarei. The works and dwelling-houses are situated on Limestone Island, which, with an area of 92 acres, and rising to a height of 212 ft., supplies the bulk of the raw material required. In addition to the island, the company possesses a high-grade limestone area of, roughly, four acres, situated on the mainland, 11 miles to the south. A better location for a cement works could not well have been chosen. On the east side of the island there is a deep channel, which never shows less than 18 ft. of water alongside the company's...

Jan 1, 1911

An intensely sheared and mineralisedIzone occurs in the Quartz Dolerite Greenstone (or Younger Greenstone) mass on, the western limb of the Kalgoorlie Syncline. This zone comprises the western part of the Golden Mile and has produced the greater part of the 33,000,000 ounces of gold produced to date from the main mining belts. A study of.th e general geological and structural features gives rise to the expectation that the lode shear system,will continue southward on a pitch similar to that of the maln syncline whose axial plane may be referred to as the "Boulder Dyke". Although payable ore has recently been found further south than previously, the expectation of large quantities extending southward from the present mining areas is Problematical.'

Jan 1, 1964

By Partridge AC

In order to provide a'valid description of the performance of size classifying equipment it is necessary that a standard procedure be established for testing and for the subsequent expression of results. Such a standard would permit the valid comparison of alternative equipment and may provide a basis for the prediction of performance. An Australian Standard (AS 1634-1974) has been used as the starting point for an International Standards Organisation-(ISO) working group (of which the authors are members) charged with the preparation of an ISO Standard for the expression and presentation of the results of tests on coal size classifying equipment. The approach taken is applicable to all types of sizing equipment (cyclones, screens, dedusters, etc.) and should be suitable for adoption in the minerals industry as well as by coal preparation engineers. The background to the proposed Standard, is given,including a critical review of other frequently quoted performance measures, the procedures described in the draft are discussed, and an example given.

Jan 1, 1984

The distribution of p(~rphyt1 copper deposits, in time as well as place, is used to propose an occurrence model based on the genesis models of Sillitoe and Rona. A magmatic source of the metals is accepted. The characteristic metallogenic epoch and the migration of the mineralization event along an elongate metal province are explained as the result of subduction of an obliquely- oriented strip of mineral-enriched material on the oceanic plate. Two mineral-enriched trails emanate from a hot-spot source of high-intensity hydrothermal activity in an oceanic rift. Because the whole plate system moves relative to hot spots, the hydrothermal source appears to migrate along the rift, and the two trails are not parallel to transform faults, but form a broad "V" centred on the hotspot. Source loci are spaced at intervals of about 3000 km, resulting in the possible repetition of metallogenic epochs, in a subduction zone province, at about 100 m.y. intervals. The position of the mineral-enriched strip can be found graphically, given ages of a series of deposits in a province, and the plate convergence vectors. This knowledge provides an exploration tool at regional scale and, by reflection across the rift, the potential for exploration is extended across oceans. The model has implications for commodities and deposit types other than porphyry coppers.

Jan 1, 1987

EnergyAustralia is a state-owned corporation in the state of New South Wales, whose responsibility includes ownership and management of an electricity distribution network. Expansion of the high voltage distribution network in the Sydney central business district (CBD) includes the requirement to run an additional five 132 kV feeders over 1.7 km from south of the CBD to a new 132 kV substation in the northern section of the CBD. A driven tunnel is currently being excavated in Sydney sandstone beneath Darling Harbour to contain the new 132 kV feeders. Tunnel construction methods involve both roadheader and tunnel boring machine (TBM) excavation. This paper describes the design development of the cable tunnel, discusses the use of a geotechnical baseline report as an integral part of the contract documentation and provides an update of the current construction works.  

Jan 1, 2008

By M Vavro, V Slivka, J èterba

In the course of the last ten years the development of the mining industry in the Czech Republic has been influenced by the pushing through of economic and ecological criteria. Due to this coal mining was ended in the whole series of the underground coal mines. These mines become the source of ecological and safety risks û methane leakage, surface deformation, etc. The way of solving of these problems is by stowing of underground spaces, and also surface fault basins with the help of mixtures produced from industrial wastes. The presupposition of this procedure is knowledge of prescriptions for production of the mixtures, and of the economic advantageousness of carrying out these activities. This contribution pays attention to the utilisation of power-gypsum as a raw material in the production of mining-construction materials.

Jan 1, 2003

Conventionally, a combined system consist- ing of a dry or wet pulverizer and kneading mac- hine is applied to the pretreatment of fine mat- erials for agglomeration, especially for pellet- izing. However, treatment cannot be expected to be satisfactory owing to the complexities of the process. A new process was developed to over- come the defects inherent in the conventional process. This new process treats certain fine materials having a moisture content somewhat lower than that suitable for pelletizing in a ball or rod mill. The mill is of special de- sign in which grinding and strong kneading are performed to give an extremely homogeneous ball- ing material with appropriate size distribution and pelletizing characteristics. The most serious problem in this process is the choking of sticky materials in the mill. A specially designed rubber lining was installed in the mill to overcome this trouble. This paper presents actual results from our iron ore pelletizing plant relating to the pelletization of other fine materials.

Jan 1, 1974

The concentrated efforts now being directed towards the development and application of monitoring and control techniques have now resulted in their widespread use in UK mines together with evidence of benefits resulting from their application. There is little doubt that the longwall method of producing deep mined coal will continue but will be made more reliable and efficient with the aid of control technology. The major fields of research and development work are concerned with planning and design of mines and mining equipment; management and engineering information; and automation of coalface, tunnelling and transport systems. The principal achievements now in widespread use are: the standard computer system MINOS, widely applied to mine transport, coalfaces and mine environment; extensive use of machine condition monitoring leading to condition-based maintenance; underground automation of conveyor systems and guidance systems for ranging drum shearers and boom-type roadheaders are being widely introduced.

Jan 1, 1985

The application and development of monitoring and control techniques of coal mines in China is mainly described in the paper.The techniques of mine control and monitoring system have been developed as an important means of production dispatch, command and management with ever-increasing coal production and gradual raising of the level of mechanization and centralization of continuous mining. The continuous stage monitoring and control system in China coal mines has been developed from the initial single fixed plant monitoring, and the technique of computers has also been applied in the system for productive and environmental monitoring, featuring a new type of mine control and monitoring equipment of China.

Jan 1, 1985

By Jury C. G

A decade of expansion and high production targets have led to changes in the number and structure of the Mount Isa Mines Limited work- force. Falls in labour turnover and absenteeism are correlated with two demographic variables, improved selection and placement procedures and home purchase facilities. Some results of recent population surveys are presented and discussed in terms of future housing needs and potential employment problems encountered by school leavers.

Jan 1, 1974

By Jones BH

Discovery of the Vera-Nancy deposit in late-1995 followed 12 years of active exploration in and around the Pajingo Epithermal System, an andesite hosted veinfield covering an area of 150 square kilometres at the northern end of the Devono-Carboniferous Drummond Basin in North Queensland. Early exploration targeted open-pittable resources in the numerous auriferous veins and it was not until 1994 that exploration focus shifted to drilling to depths below about 100 metres from surface, which resulted in the Vera-Nancy discovery. That deeper drilling process is still at a very early stage of coverage of the epithermal system as a whole and substantial potential exists for additional discoveries.Drill-out of Vera-Nancy has to-date established a gold resource in excess of 1.4 million ounces. Mine development is proceeding via a twin decline system with first stoped production scheduled for August 1997.

Jan 1, 1997

The Inglewood Gold Project consists of several titles in and around the Inglewood and Wedderburn Goldfields which were purchased from Strata Mining Corporation (now Excalibur Mining Corporation). The Inglewood goldfield has a historical production of approximately 160 000 tonnes at 23 grams per tonne. The company has reopened and developed the Maxwells reef, picking up a high-grade shoot (Max Shoot) identified and worked by Goldquest et al up until 1994. Production ceased on a low gold price, rapidly reducing vein size and a requirement for further development. Greater Bendigo Gold Mines Ltd (GBM) has undertaken the development and encountered the mineralised vein in an increasing size setting with high grades and the existing mine development has access to a further shoot to the north (Max North Shoot). The Maxwells reef also contains the Woolf shoot south of the Maxwells shaft and an inferred resource of ~20 000 ounces is contained from 60 m below surface. Best intersection 2.9 m at 50 g/t. The Maxwells reef area produced approximately 20 per cent of the Inglewood goldfields production and GBM is preparing to increase its exploration efforts across the rest of the field. A processing plant has been constructed at the Maxwells mine site, which is capable of treating tailings, hard rock and alluvial material utilising gravity recovery. The existing Maxwells tailings have been excavated and treatment commenced. It is intended to produce a sand product from the tailings for resale and to reduce the storage requirements per tonne. Several large water dams constructed by Goldquest in the 1990s are being re-engineered to enable storage of significant tonnages of tailings. A level of surface and underground production is planned for 2008 and this is to be expanded into 2009 and beyond. The long-term future at Inglewood is envisaged as structural repeats at depth below the current workings and a project plan to gain deep access will be prepared on successful drilling results.

Jan 1, 2008

By Bertrand D. L

Although investigations into treatment of Mt. Keast (a hill of tailing) began as early as 1940, it was not until the Imperial Smelting Furnace (I.S.F.) was installed at Cockle Creek by Sulphide Corporation that its treatment became eooncmically feasible. Early investigations and milling operations which began in mid-1976, with their developments are described. Metal recovery involves sulphide flotation, oxide flotation and gravity techniques.

Jan 1, 1983

There are significant Mineral Resource and Reserve reporting challenges facing a mining company operating in the global arena. This paper specifically examines the Mineral Resource and Reserve reporting challenge facing BHP Billiton. The changing regulatory environment creates a significant challenge for global mining companies when reporting Mineral Resources and Reserves. The development and implementation of internal policies and standards for collecting and collating resource and reserve information is required for corporate governance, however the challenge is then to report this information publicly in such a way as to comply with the various codes and requirements in the many jurisdictions in which the company is required to report. The move to an International Code is not only desirable but is an essential requirement in todayÆs global market. The agreement to report using a single code internationally is however only the first step. A truly practical international reporting system must have common definitions and guidelines for interpretation as well as an international approach to the definition of a Competent Person, and even more importantly a common acceptance of that code by the relevant investment regulatory bodies. Without the universal acceptance of the concept of an international reporting code by the major regulatory bodies, implementation of such a code will be limited. With the major global mining companies seeking to raise capital in the USA, the worldÆs largest capital market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its approach to reserve reporting is becoming increasingly important. The development and implementation of an International Code must gain the support and acceptance of the SEC if it is to be successful.

Jan 1, 2002

The mineral resources of Hamersley Iron are structurally complex with fluctuations in mineral chemistry. Besides orebody charact- eristics, mineral recovery is also affected by stringent product quality demands from the competititve steel industry. Under such conditions, a geological ore reserve estimate has little meaning because it is unqualified and presupposes the defini- tion of ore. A system was developed in Hamersley - the Mine Planning Technique - to optimise recovery from available resources. This incremental planning method reduces a geological reserve statement into a simple, logical sequence of events. While there are limitations in the method used, the benefits are enormous. Among its' numerous applications, the schedule - the end product of the technique - plays an important role at Management level in decision making and policy formulation on all aspects of resource exploitation.

Jan 1, 1979

The earth is a planet limited in size and limited in total resources. For the forseeable future, it is the only available habitat for mankind. Therefore, it follows that the more we know about our planet the better we can utilize its space and its resources for our well-being now and in the future. But, to accomplish this, we need reliable basic information. Geosciences provide such information. Recently, Dr. M. King Hubbert took note of the important effect of the geosciences on society, on how we think, and how we live. In the first century of modern geology, 1780- 1880, the influence of geology was primarily on how we think, i.e. changing our concept of the earth from one with a short catastrophic history to one that developed gradually over enormous spans of time. In the second century, 1880-1980, the emphasis was on how we live, on expanding the knowledge base so that we could more easily find and utilize the earth's resources. Now, in the third century, i.e. from 1980 towards the year 2000 and beyond, we should concentrate on both how we think and how we live; i.e. how we can better estimate potential global' resources and how we can manage these resources for maximum benefit to mankind. Like other sciences, the geosciences build upon what has already been done. Progress is achieved by using the thoughts, measurements, and observations of past workers, adding to these the insights from new experiments and from new concepts. Geology has its own methodology and approaches; but more than most sciences, it calls also upon the tools of physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and biology to help solve its problems. Today's increasing population, increasing industrialization, and increasing complexity of modern society demand more detailed geoscience information so as to better use the land, reduce geological hazards, provide an inventory of resources, facilitate waste disposal, and prepare for long-term effects such as changes in climate and sea level.

Jan 1, 1986

To provide suitable backfill material for the cut and fill mining method being used to extract ore from the C.S.A. mine, flotation tailings are deslimed in single stage cyclones. The sand fraction is stored on the surface in unagitated storage bins before being pumped underground, while the slime portion is thickened and pumped to a residue dam. Design and operating details of the sand preparation and storage sections are given.The initial preparation of a stope for filling, consists of laying percolation and decantation drainage pipes on the sill floor. Preparation for fllling of subsequent lifts consists of rearing up the ventilation pipes at the ends of the stope, preparing the decantation system, and building a barricade or wall. The fill is carried to, and discharged into, the stope through 4 in. diameter pipes and filling of any section is carried out 24 hr/day normally without supervision. The fill is retieulated underground to the 1200 ft level through rubber lined pipe installed in the upcast shaft. Boreholes of 3 in. diameter drilled from the1200 ft level convey fill to the 1800 ft level. The mine drainage system is basically designed to handle the water associated with hydraulic filling. A system of primary and secondary sumps has been installed to handle the percolation and decantation drainage from stapes and to allow settling of fines before the water is fed to the main pump station.A programme of investigation into the properties of the emplaced fill is in progress. Results to date indicate that the fill as presently placed and drained, will not cause any problems in the mining of vertical orebodies by cut and fill methods for lifts in excess of 300 ft.

Jan 1, 1969

By P Alspach, R Buxton, C Morgan, C Ross

Mining companies worldwide have an increasing interest in restoring indigenous ecosystems following mining. Low levels of plant nutrients and organic matter, pH extremes, heavy metals, physically challenging media, and difficult climatic conditions all hinder revegetation of steep rockdump slopes. Our techniques use colonising pioneer plants to accelerate natural soil development and plant succession processes on minesites that are difficult to revegetate with locally sourced plants by traditional techniques. Suitable treatments and pioneer species must first be identified for each rocktype. Field trials at the Stockton Coal Mine in Buller have shown that successful acceleration of moss and pioneer plant establishment is possible. Best plots showed a mean of 15 per cent moss cover and 3.3 per cent vascular cover after 12 months compared with 0.1 per cent and nil respectively for controls. Techniques have been extended to field-scale trials, using hydroseeders and dryblowers. These techniques show potential for practical land rehabilitation, whilst conserving local biodiversity.

Jan 1, 2003

By Cecala AB

For 20 years the US Bureau of Mines has been researching strategies for improving the physical, social, and psychological work environment of the miner. The products of this program have shown that a consistent link exists between safety and productivity, and the key to this link is the use of effective human factors and management practices. There are specific research findings from the research projects of the Bureau on ergonomic design of mining equipment, redesign of tasks (especially materials handling) to minimize back injuries, human resource management techniques for increasing safety and productivity, and improved shift rotation schedules. Current research is continuing these themes with new applications to high technology mining systems, including computer assisted extraction devices and mine monitoring.

Jan 1, 1991