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By Simon Hanner

November 2005 Memorial University Newfoundland and Labrador Mines and Energy Review of Activities Exploration and Mining New Brunswick ?Université du Québec a Montréal McGill University 2005 Manitoba Mining and Minerals Convention Université Laval Quebec Exploration 2005 Saskatchewan Open House December 2005 University of Calgary University of Alberta 'Laurentian University 'Queen's University 'University of Toronto 'Ontario Prospectors Association January 2006 Mineral Exploration Roundup, BC March 2006 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention April 2006 University of Ottawa Carleton University

May 1, 2006

By Chris Cross

A working group from Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata reviewed supply and demand for graduates from mining education departments in countries where they normally recruit: Australia, Canada, Chile, Western Europe, South Africa and USA. Departments are typically small and increasingly unsustainable, resulting in a steady rate of closure. Supply and demand for graduates in the minerals industry is cyclical, with supply lagging behind demand and trending downwards. Currently, supply is tight and the industry is trying to expand with an ageing workforce. Greater collaboration between universities and within the industry is recommended to address these issues.

May 1, 2006

By Douglas Macaulay

"The Work contains the personal views and opinions of the Author and in no manner should it be construed as reflecting the official position of Export Development Canada. The Author makes no representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of the Work and specifically disclaims any implied warranties, merchantability or fitness of use for a particular purpose". Export Development Canada ?Canada?s official export credit agency, established 1944 ?Mandate to support export and foreign investment ?Financially self-sustaining, AAA rated borrower ?Services include: Financing (FIN), Political Risk Insurance (PRI), Contract Insurance & Bonding (CIB), Accounts Receivable Insurance (ARI) ?A trusted partner in troubled times

May 1, 2010

By Andrew R. Marchbank

The application of biologically assisted methods for metal extraction in the mining industry has a long history, but development of modern techniques has been relatively slow. There is, however, a resurgence of interest in the industry with the recent development of methods to successfully treat base metals concentrates. Two major pilot plant programs for treatment of chalcopyrite concentrates have been initiated in the past year and results from one are beginning to be released. This paper provides an overview of methods that have been applied in the past; from the earliest deliberate applications of the technology, through the copper and uranium heap and dump leach applications, the more highly engineered agitated tank leach gold applications and the developments currently taking place in the industry.

May 1, 2002

By C. R. Edwards

"Equity Silver Mines Limited, Canada's largest silver mine, has designed, built and operated a leach plant to reduce the levels of antimony and arsenic in its silver-gold-copper flotation concentrate. The orebody contained deleterious antimony and arsenic minerals in such proportions that the economic long-term sales contracts necessary to obtain project financing could not be procured. Construction of the leach plant therefore allowed development of the mine to proceed. Although the plant took some time to reach design throughput and product specifications, due to the complex and unique nature of the operation, these goals were successfully met and surpassed. This paper describes the physical plant and/or process technology modifications made to mold the main processes-concentrate leaching and filtering, autoclaving and filtration of by-products, and crystallization of salt cake-into an effective, economic operation.IntroductionEquity Silver Mines Limited, a member of the Placer Development Group, owns and operates an open-pit silver mine and related facilities located 37 kilometres southeast of Houston in north-central British Columbia. The mine occupies a 44 I-hectare (1089 acre) site at an elevation of 1300 metres (4265 feet) on the Nechako Plateau. Producing a copper concentrate containing high values of silver and gold, it is the largest silver mine in Canada and one of the largest in the western world. Equity stresses open communications, positive motivation, and production with safety, and achieved the best mine safety record in western Canada in 1984."

Jan 1, 1985

By P. W. A Severin

"The Sturgeon Lake deposit, a partly eroded lens of massive sulphides with an underlying sulphide stringer zone, is one of five orebodies that occur in the Sturgeon Lake area of northwestern Ontario within volcaniclastic rocks of the Archean Wabigoon Subprovince in the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield.The Sturgeon Lake Cu-Zn-Pb-A g-Au deposit was discovered in October 1970 as a result of an I.P. survey. Production from this open-pit mine began in March 1974 and continued until the ore was exhausted in March 1980.The Sturgeon Lake property is underlain by basaltic volcanics, minor amounts of mafic lapilli tuff and rhyolite volcaniclastics. A quartz crystal-bearing rhyolite occurs at the top of the felsic volcaniclastics and is ""capped"" by the Sturgeon Lake massive sulphide deposit. The felsic volcanics have been intruded by a crudely layered sill-like, carbonatized mafic intrusion. Recent work suggests that the felsic rocks that underlie the Sturgeon Lake deposit are lateral equivalents of those in the vicinity of the Mattabi Mine and are not correlative with the dacitic volcaniclastics that underlie the Lyon Lake and Creek Zone deposits. Hydrothermal processes that resulted in the formation of the Sturgeon Lake orebody have resulted in a depletion of Na2O, CaO and FeO and an increase in MgO, K2O, copper and zinc. In the vicinity of the sulphide stringer zone, the rhyolites are ""bleached"" due to silicification and sericitization. The rocks lying immediately below the massive sulphides are locally strongly chloritic.The Sturgeon Lake deposit may have formed on a top ographic high which prevented mafic flows and dacitic volcaniclastics that underlie the Lyon Lake and Creek Zone deposits from inundating the Sturgeon Lake fumarolic vent from the west. Continued or resurgent activity from the Sturgeon Lake fumarole may have resulted in the formation of the Lyon Lake and Creek Zones as more ""distal "" deposits in topographic lows. The Sturgeon Lake, Lyon Lake and Creek Zone deposits were subsequently overlain by mafic tuffs and flows."

Jan 1, 1982

The theory and practice of sampling of particulate material have been the focus of a continued attention on the part of the mining industry worldwide for almost a century now, because of its critical importance at all phases of a mining project, from exploration (bulk sampling, assaying) to production (grade control) and marketing (quality control). A powerful, complete theory was put together by P. Oy (1968 to i982), but its applications to gold ores have met with limited success to date, due to the inadequacy of its sampling variance and minimum sample mass determination formulae to the challenging case of gold ores. This paper presents a research project completed at Inco Exploration and Technical Services Inc., using a geostatistical approach, to shed light on the results of P.Gy's theory, and adapt them to the case of particulate gold ores. After a reminder of Gy's formulae and a simplified demonstration of the generic form of Gy's and more traditional formulae, an empirical approach, based on sampling experiments from four gold deposits, shows how Gy's formulae must be corrected to adjust to the case of gold ores. The generality of the results formula is then substantiated with a geostatistical analysis of the problem. A parameterized formula results, and indications are given on how to fit its parameters to experimental data. Application guidelines and charts to fit any case and budget are presented, along with a detailed practical example.

Jan 1, 1991

By David H. Searle

This paper will discuss the common trends existing in various Canadian jurisdictions for the closure and reclamation of mines. Included will be a discussion of the requirement to post security as well as its form and how security is calculated and refunded. Reclamation can no longer be left to the end of mine life. Progressive reclamation must occur throughout mine life and must be part of the mine plan from the beginning.

May 1, 2006

By L. Lariviere, M. Grenier, R. Khalili, D. Shook

A mineral processing facility near Montreal, CEZinc, Noranda Inc., has recently implemented a leading-edge intranet solution for monitoring the performance of plant operations, and providing condition-based maintenance. This innovative multi-faceted software implementation incorporates: web-delivered plant information systems; area-wide control loop performance assessment (using sophisticated algorithms to evaluate poorly performing controllers); and integrated alarm management functions.The system has enabled a project to improve plant operations through better process control. Maintenance technicians, engineers, supervisors and managers all can see the performance of the controllers, and the performance of the plant itself, through webdelivered graphics and reports. Information is combined from many sources, real-time, historical, relational and analytical, to provide a complete picture of plant operation.The web-based solution centralizes the administration of user access, and simplifies the deployment of several different kinds of information to many desktops. It is an extensible system that allows users to create and share their own web pages and data views.The paper will discuss the solution architecture and the improvements the IT, operations, maintenance, and engineering groups have experienced, and overall benefits to the facility.

Jan 1, 2003

By Dianne M. Lapierre

Mining firms in Canada are increasingly incorporating the social and environmental interests of their stakeholders into their projects in an effort to become more sustainable. Such initiatives have included negotiating Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) directly with would-be impacted, often aboriginal, communities near resource developments in the Canadian north. Why does a mining firm take on this extra time-and cost-intensive initiative when governments and regulatory measures are in place to address social and environmental issues? Past research has paid little attention to the corporate rationales for IBAs. Based on document review and interviews with mining executives, this study investigates the rationales of mining firms that ?over-comply? with legislative requirements by negotiating IBAs or similar types of agreements with communities. The results indicate that mining firms increasingly recognize IBAs as an intrinsic part of the permitting process. When queried, executives regularly identified the negotiation of agreements as ?the right thing to do?. While this response could be read in ethical terms, a commercial rationale is also clearly present. By building strong relationships with nearby communities, addressing community concerns, and directing benefits to local people, all of which are explicitly achieved with an IBA, mining firms are maintaining their long-term financial viability, thus their sustainability, within an evolving industry.

May 1, 2008

By Steve Lalancette

Centre Jardin Lac Pelletier (CJLP) has been a leading actor in the revitalisation of closed mining sites in northern Québec for over 20 years. Over that period, CJLP developed a cost-efficient technique that transforms sterile mining residue into a substrate able to support a resilient ecosystem. Using a unique mix of organic matter, fertilisers and selected plant species, this technique rapidly builds a microorganic fauna and a layer of humus that will sustain the creation of vegetation coverage. The coverage is composed of over 13 different plant species, each having a unique role in the development of a resilient ecosystem, from soil stabilisation to nitrogen fixing. Considerably less expensive than traditional methods using civil engineering techniques, it does not require the use of heavy machinery or the spread of topsoil. This technique has been successfully used to restore over 20 sites in Québec such as Joutel, Yvan Vézina and Louvicourt. It is a proven technique that has passed the test of actual implementation. The presentation will review the biological, production and economic aspects of the technique through the revitalisation of the Joutel site.

May 1, 2011

By Pierre Gauthier

Is the hydrogen economy of the future just another fish story? Absolutely not! There have been many changes affecting the energy equation over the last 10 years and conditions have changed. In this presentation, we will examine the reasons why, in the very near future, hydrogen production and distribution will be increasingly visible on many industries? radar screens.

May 1, 2007

By M. G. Lipsett

"The Mining Information Technology User Group considers information to be a strategic enabler to improved business performance in mining. This ad hoc group has been meeting since 2000 to share knowledge and leverage their efforts in effectively using IT in mining. In this paper, core issues to mining IT are reviewed, along with initiatives to engage industry professionals and decision-makers in the potential for improved use of information in their operations. Relevance of IT to Canadian MiningMining operations always drive to improve their performance, and so far they have succeeded by using different technologies. While economies of scale have come in fragmentation and material handling, and energy usage has improved through conservation and design of integrated mineral processing plants, these systems have the net result of tightening operational constraints, through reduced excess capacity. There are higher opportunity costs of lost production when integrated, large-scale systems are operating in a sub-optimal way.The problem is that it is profoundly difficult to run a mine in an optimal way. Optimization requires a defined objective function (e.g., profit), which is hard to pose, let alone solve, because so many inter-related aspects of an operation affect the bottom line. Even for a small, well-defined process state, it is difficult to measure all the pertinent information with sufficient accuracy to ensure that the system is performing well in real time.The art of mining remains making good decisions with uncertainty: in the orebody delineation; in the allocation of resources; in the efficiency of the operation; in the reliability of components and systems; and in responding to the downstream market. As well, individual decision-makers need to know how their decisions affect other processes and systems, so that improvements in one part of an operation do not result in such degraded performance in the rest of the plant that overall profitability goes down."

Jan 1, 2003

By P. R. Goad

"Kidd Creek is a large volcanogenic base metal sulphide deposit, located near the west end of the Abitibi greenstone belt, 27 km north of Timmins, Ontario. The rhyolite geology is characterized by a NNE-striking and steeply east-dipping package of rhyolite volcaniclastics upon which has been imposed a strong ESE-striking and north-dipping structural fabric . Massive rhyolite units with grey-black. chloritic cores and yellow, sericitic margins intrude as dykes into the stratigraphic footwall and as sills higher in the stratigraphy. Massive rhyolite units positioned near the top of the felsic pile exhibit an extensive marginal development of hydraulic fracturing and are termed crackle-brecciated rhyolite.The stringer sulphide zone is positioned in a lobate blanket of crackle-brecciated rhyolite at the top of the felsic pile. The stringer sulphide zone is characterized by a mature chemical alteration, being specifically depleted in alkalis and enriched in iron-rich chlorite. with accompanying silica, sericite and carbonate alteration. A suite of trace elements characterizes this mature alteration. The massive rhyolite units, which intrude lower in the rhyolite volcaniclastics, exhibit a core of weak chlorite alteration and strong marginal sericite alteration. Tight or unfractured massive rhyolite units are essentially devoid of sulphide mineralization and exhibit a suite of trace elements characteristic of this immature alteration. It is interpreted that the massive rhyolite units intruded into an already evolving system and ""choked-off"" active conduits carrying hydrothermal fluids and subsequently acquired an immature alteration signature. Rhyolite units positioned higher in the pile developed intense hydraulic fracturing and a mature alteration coincident with the formation of the stringer sulphide zone. In summary, a model, based strictly upon the rhyolite geology, is reviewed to assist in the exploration for volcanogenic base metal sulphide deposits."

Jan 1, 1985

By B. Tiryaki, M. Ayhan, O. Z. Hekimoglu

"This paper discusses the aspects of tracking cutters related to the computer-aided design of shearer drums. A comprehensive computer analysis of drum dynamic parameters for multi-tracking tool arrangement is not presently available, as the current computer programs mainly consider the aspects of single tracking. Despite the fact that the single-tracking arrangement is recommended for efficient cutting, some major drum manufacturers have been seen to persistently adhere to multi-tracking, probably due to a lack of information. Further studies in this field are believed to contribute greatly to the current understanding of the computer-aided design of shearer drums.A number of laboratory simulation trials and long-term underground investigations were carried out in detail on tracking cutter arrangement, and an equation required for a computer program was derived. The results obtained from computer assessment of dynamic parameters for drums with multi-tracking arrangement were found to be in accordance with those of the underground trials, indicating the validity of the equations. The procedure adopted for the computer appraisal of the shearer drums designed with a multi-tracking concept, as described in this study, is therefore recommended to be considered in the currently employed computer programs."

Jan 1, 2003

By V. W. Shtenko, B. J. Ennis, P. H. Bridge

"The northeastern region of British Columbia contains large quantities of high-quality metallurgical coal. To market the coal, it was necessary to provide the required infrastructure which included rail access. This paper presents the role of the British Columbia Railway in the northeast coal development.In 1976, B.C. Railway undertook to study two main routes, one originating at Chetwynd and the other at Anzac, both located on the main line, north of Prince George. The routes studied are briefly described, detailing the methodology and engineering analysis carried out to permit the selection of a single route that would be the most cost effective, taking into consideration the construction, maintenance and operating costs. The operating parameters, track and grade standards, anticipated tonnage, construction costs and the final route selected are also presented.Pre-engineering analysis and studies of the route selected originating at Anzac, known as Tumbler Ridge Branch Line, and which commenced in 1977, were concluded in 1978. New mapping was developed to a scale of 1:2000 with good vertical and horizontal control. Based on the mapping data, terrain analysis, and designs developed, an estimate of construction costs and schedule of work was developed.Authority to proceed with the final design and construction was provided in December 1980, with the first shipment scheduled for December I, 1983. Final designs of all structures are discussed, including schedules, cost to completion, and control systems utilized. The decision to electrify the Tumbler Ridge Branch Line and related topics are discussed, with a brief description of train operations. The present status of the project is also presented."

Jan 1, 1983

By John E. Callahan

"A stream sediment geochemical survey covering an area of 13.000 sq. km near Churchill Falls. Labrador. was conducted for Brinex (British Newfoundland Explorations Ltd.) prior to partial flooding by the Churchill Falls power project. Stream sediments (minus 80-mesh) were analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Ag, Mo. U and Mn, and the heavy mineral, nonmagnetic fraction (minus 60-mesh) for Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Ag, Mo, Ba and Mn. A binocular examination of the concentrates for sulphides and pyrope garnet was done on the heavy mineral concentrates. The concentrates were also examined for fluorescent minerals.Two distinct areas with high trace-element values indicate the need for follow-up studies. The first is in an area of gabbro erratics containing massive and disseminated sulphides (pyrrhotite, pyrite and minor chalcopyrite) on the western edge of the survey area along the Esker Road. The second, largest area (several hundred square kilometres) is anomalous in U and Mo and associated with felsic intrusives (Red Wine Complex?), syenites. granite gneiss and sedimentary rocks (Seal Lake Group?).The binocular study showed that almost 15% of the heavy mineral concentrates contained pyrite and no other sulphides. This indicates that this technique may be worthwhile in determining the presence of sulphide minerals in stream sediments from glaciated environments. The only fluorescent mineral observed in the study was zircon."

Jan 1, 1981

By Warwick D. Bullen

Gold mining in the Yellowknife area of the Northwest Territories started long before the concept of sustainability entered the academic literature and by the time the term enjoyed widespread public acceptance, the Yellowknife gold mining industry was in its sunset years. Nevertheless, the city of Yellowknife will long outlive the gold mines that it was founded on, demonstrating that not only can mining build sustainable communities, but that sustainable mining as a concept is an entirely valid precept. To this effect, the authors examine the complex economic and social aspects of the gold mining industry in the Yellowknife area over the last 70 years.

May 1, 2004

By Michel Gauthier, Pierre Marcoux, Gaétan Morin

"The recent opening of Muscocho's gold mine at Montauban, as weil as the discovery of several new copper-gold showings of a similar nature near the confluence of the Saguenay and St , Lawrence has revealed the existence of a new metallogenic gold province which is located within supercrustal units of Helikian age within the Grenville Province. Three metalliferous belts have been identified, each one of which is related to a series of SW-NE trending faults. The first is located in southeastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. The second extends from the Balmat-Pierrepont mining district of New York State up to the Lac St. Jean region of Quebec, and includes the Montauban camp. The third follows the St. Lawrence river in Charlevoix County and along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.The gold mineralization which is present in the central portion of the Grenville Province is of two types: either stratiform or vein. Deposits of the first type, of which the Muscocho is the type locality, are economically the more interesting of the two. Not only is this mineralization stratiform, but also shows a distinct affinity to AI-rich, Mg-rich or calc-silicate-rich bands. As is the case with the Bousquet and Hemlo regions of the Superior Province, they are associated with layers which are rich in sillimanite and occasionally staurolite. A second parallel between the Bousquet and Montauban deposits might be the presence of manganesian gamets, which have been recognized at the two localities. Some of the mineralization in the central Grenville Province is located within thin bands of iron formation which are rich in arsenic.The stratiform gold deposits of the central Grenville Province are of exhalative origin and are located within a volcano-sedimentary terrane. It is probable that a part of the gold present in these Helikian deposits have been derived by remobilization of Archean mineralization. The vein showings form as a consequence of the remobilization of the Helikian strata during the Grenville metamorphism,"

Jan 1, 1985

By D. C. Carter, J. P. Anderle

"Exploration drilling of evaporite sequences in eastern Canada has undergone significant changes in equipment, techniques and philosophy since the early 1970s. The result has been the recovery of full-size cores from properly conditioned and stabilized holes, high quality open hole geophysical logs, and high quality metallurgical samples. The majority of modifications have resulted from the necessity to preserve the integrity of the evaporite deposit, and thus ensure the potential development, combined with the need for cost-effective high quality information. This is particularly evident in the priority placed on the development of non-erosive drilling fluids, casing and cementing procedures. The results are applicable to diamond drilling exploration of evaporite deposits anywhere in the world.IntroductionThe majority of current technical and scientific literature and expertise available on such subjects as drilling fluids or cementing procedures is applicable to large diameter, deep (several thousand metres) oil-field type drilling . The differences between oil-field drilling and wire-line core diamond-drilling are dramatic: large diameter, deep holes drilled with a low rpm tricone bit using large volumes of fluid pumped through a large annulus versus small diameter, shallow (less than 600 m) holes drilled with a high rpm diamond-set core bit using small volumes of fluid pumped through a small annulus. Exploration drilling of evaporite sequences in eastern Canada in the early I970s was conducted using oil-field equipment and techniques to complete holes of moderate (1000 m to 1500 m) depth . The prohibitive cost of these operations has necessitated that subsequent exploration drilling employs modified diamond-drilling equipment and techniques developed as part of a transition away from oilfield methodology. The result has been full size core, recovery approaching 1000/0 and the ability to run open hole geophysical logs; a combination of factors enhancing the collection of high quality information (Carter, I989a)."

Jan 1, 1990