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By Robert J. Shanley

The computer program, HYBMODE, has been developed to meet the need for a fast and economical method for clustering data points on the sphere. The algorithm used in this development is an extension of D. Wishart's one-level mode analysis. The program can be used to cluster either vectorial or axial data; it is currently being used by the Bureau of Mines to cluster fracture orientations.

Jan 1, 1974

By J Bresnahan, D Kepert, R Murray, R Neroni

Stratigraphy of the Hamersley Province in Western Australia, featuring alternating units of banded iron formations and shales with contrasting electrical properties in a mostly gently undulating shallow-dipping layered geometry, is particularly favourable to airborne time-domain electromagnetic mapping techniques. Manipulated vertical cross-sections of modelled conductivity obtained from laterally constrained one-dimensional inversion of SkyTEM304 data enable the exploration geologist to interpret weathering profiles, shallow-dipping stratigraphy and steep structures, all of which are crucial aspects of bedded iron ore deposits genesis models.The Cobra Project is located 14 km east of the NNW-trending Menindee Fault Zone, which defines the western margin of the Hamersley Province, Western Australia. The region comprises an extensive plateau of Brockman Iron Formation cut by a series of horst and grabens with a regional dextral strike-slip component. The 150° striking horst and grabens and associated 060° striking conjugate faults have approximate frequencies of 400 and 2000 m, respectively, and control the bulk of the iron mineralisation. Syn to late 150° trending dykes in part intrude the faults.In the Cobra region, elucidating the structurally dislocated stratigraphy without closely spaced drilling is very challenging. Geological mapping is hindered by the paucity of mappable stratigraphic markers within the banded iron formations and kinematic indicators. Airborne magnetic and remote sensing data sets highlight the dense lineament network, but provide limited assistance in quantifying relatively small apparent displacements, or distinguishing faults from dykes with reasonable confidence.Interpretation of modelled conductivity cross-sections generated from laterally constrained one-dimensional inversion of airborne electromagnetic method (AEM) data offers invaluable insight where the quality of mapping or drilling is wanting. Subsequent targeted field checking and infill drilling validated the geological model interpreted from the integration of these data sets.The AEM technique alone cannot decipher the complex geological environments often present in the Hamersley Province but can facilitate effective iron ore exploration by focusing precious field time and assisting structural and stratigraphic interpretations in areas with sporadic and shallow geological data.CITATION:Murray, R, Neroni, R, Kepert, D and Bresnahan, J, 2017. Using airborne electromagnetics to solve a structurally complex geological puzzle in the Hamersley Province, Western Australia, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 269–276 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By Ed Billington, Mike Shields

The trail blaster is faced with a wide range of workrelated challenges, not the least being the work setting itself. It is usually remote, being anywhere from 5 to 30 or more miles (8 to 50 km) from any road. It may be in mountains, high rock desert, or coastal rain forest, and can range from sea level to over 12,000 feet (3700 m) in elevation. The blaster may be part of a 2-person clearing crew, a 4-person maintenance crew, or a 10-person construction crew. The crew will usually be mobile, moving and working up to 10 miles (16 km) or more per day, relying mostly on their own backpacks to move camp, tools and supplies from site to site. Periodic resupply may be by helicopter, aird rop, or even “sherpa” groups, but most often will be by packstrings of horses and mules. The crew goes into the backcountry a n y w h e re from two weeks to three months at a time, and while there, its members “live the job” 24 hours a day, enjoying baking heat, torrential rain or mid-July s n o w s t o rms along with the truly glorious weather that c o m p e n s a t e s . So who is this blaster? Well, “he” may be she, since some of the top trail blasters are women. He/she will also be more than a blaster: Crews are small, so experienced members must be capable of handling the full range of trail work. Thus this blaster is also a driller, and usually also a bucker, snag faller, rigger, dry-stone mason, log and timber carpenter, bridge builder, mule p a c k e r, small-engine mechanic and, not least, camp cook capable of putting out a hot meal from a campfire , in a downpour, in the dark. Being in remote locations, often without reliable communication to the outside world, trail crews enjoy a remarkable degree of independence from “supervision.” With that comes the responsibility to make sound decisions which expedite the work, while promoting crew safety and welfare .

Jan 1, 2004

Antimony ore samples (mean assay 18·7 per cent antimony) from Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds New Zealand, were tested for upgrading by flotation to a saleable product (60 per cent antimony).The effects of activating agents, collectors, frothers, pH, conditioning time, and particle size on the recovery and grade of a stibnite flotation concentrate were determined using HaIlimond tube and laboratory flotationcell test apparatus. Optimum flotation conditions for the ore were thereby established. A stibnite concentrate grading 63 per cent antimony and an overall recovery of 90 per cent is obtainable in a two-stage process.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. M. Williams, P. M. Green

Paper presented at Mineralisation in the Caledonides, the Mike Gallagher memorial meeting held in Edinburgh, 27-28 June 1996. The sediment geochemistry of streams draining Southern Uplands and Lake District turbidites was compared with lithogeochemical data for the source greywackes, using stratigraphically defined catchments. Several systematic trends in element abundance variation between source and stream sediment can probably be applied more widely to interpretation of drainage geochemistry. Pb and Zr increase markedly from source rock to sediment, by adsorption on clay and zircon grain concentration. Variation of feldspar-related elements Rb, Sr, K and Ba appears to be controlled by source grain size and compositional maturity. Ni shows surprisingly little change and Fe and Co are only slightly raised. Cr is particularly useful, with variations superimposed in anomalously high regional levels. Abrupt changes in Cr distribution in stream sediment coincide with stratigraphical boundaries, allowing drainage data to be used as a surrogate for whole-rock values

Jun 19, 1905

By John R. Bradley

The object of this paper is to survey and analyze the bearing of economic nationalism, competitive sources of energy, and technologic developments on international trade in coal with especial reference to the competitive position of the leading coal-exporting countries in the Italian market, the largest in the Mediterranean region, and the Brazilian market, the second largest in Latin America. The political, economic, and financial disturbances caused mainly by the World War have resulted in an amazing situation. Especially since 1930 have conditions been complicated.

Jan 1, 1936

Pressure for Better Safety Practices ? Increase Government Regulation ? Safety practices evolve from: ? Increased efficiency and performance ? More knowledgeable workforce ? Focus on decreasing risk to shareholder value In Order to achieve this ? Focus Points: ? Skill Development ? Best practices ? Situation-based decision making ? Enablers: ? Adoption of new technologies ? Transformed miner education ? Delivering on-demand information to the point of work Results: Miners empowered to improve mine safety

Aug 1, 2013

By Kevan J. R. Ford, Chris A. Fleming, Robert D. Henderson

"Kinross Gold Corporation’s Maricunga mine in Chile presents an ideal opportunity to apply the SART process to a heap leach operation. Given increasing levels of cyanide complexed copper in current pregnant solutions from Maricunga heaps (over 300 ppm Cu), there is a need to reduce these levels and decrease cyanide consumption and cost. Additionally, a means of disposing of this copper is required, preferably as a saleable product. The well published SART process applied to gold-copper cyanide solutions was selected as it allows rapid precipitation of cyanide soluble copper as a relatively pure copper sulphide. The process also allows effective recovery and recycle of cyanide back to the heap leach operation.This paper reviews the SART process chemistry and presents a summary of SART bench-scale and pilot plant testwork completed by Kinross. Key design parameters and engineering aspects of the proposed plant at Maricunga are discussed. SART plant operating costs and net revenue analysis are included and illustrate the compelling economics of installing a SART process plant. INTRODUCTIONMaricunga OperationCompañia Minera Maricunga (CMM), fully owned by Kinross Gold Corporation, operates the Maricunga mine (formerly Refugio) which is located 120 km due east of the city of Copiapó at an elevation of 4,200m above sea level in the Andes mountains of northern Chile. Figure 1 shows a map of the location of the Refugio mine relative to other gold and copper mines in the region."

Jan 1, 2008

By Louis W. Cope

Since its discovery, Cuba has been called the “Pearl of the Antilles.” The country remains that, albeit a little tarnished these days. In Havana, many of the buildings are being refurbished, while some new ones are under construction. Since 1991, the laws have been relaxed so that Cuba is developing a mixed economy of central control with free market. Joint venture agreements have been signed with businesses from many countries. This does not include the United States due to its embargo. But even these regulations have been relaxed some.

Jan 1, 2003

By S. Garcia, J. Gebhardt, D. McBride, A. Hernandez, A. Esplín, M. Cross

The Minera Yanacocha operation consists of several heaps interconnected with ponds and gold recovery plants and presents various operating challenges. A comprehensive process model has been developed in order to better understand the effects of certain operating parameters and inventory issues. An integral component of the process water/mass balance is a model of each heap that describes heap behavior based on the individual characteristics of the heap. The heap models are linked to a mass balancing program in order to track flows and concentrations throughout the circuit. A case study of the process heap model is presented for the La Quinua heap, including results for the normal base line operation and several operational problems such as loss of solution flow to the heap (i.e., pump failure), increased flow to a section of the heap (i.e., pond volume control), effect of significant rain events, and impact of a change in material properties (i.e., change in ore type). The impact on heap operating efficiency is discussed with regard to effects on recovery and gold solution grades.

Jan 1, 2007

By Renier Pereira Oliveira

Compostos orgânicos adicionados em soluções eletrolíticas podem influenciar na eficiência do eletrodepósito, no aspecto visual do material, nas fases formadas, na topografia e na dureza do revestimento. Para analisar esses parâmetros, um aço baixo carbono foi revestido com ligas Zn-Ni, a partir de três banhos distintos contendo os seguintes compostos orgânicos, além de outros reagentes: sacarina, trietilamina e ácido p-toluenossulfônico, a fim de compará-los entre si e com o banho sem composto orgânico. Para isso, utilizou-se microscópio eletrônico de varredura, espectroscopia de dispersão de raios-x e microscópio óptico confocal para análise da superfície, além de ultra-microdurômetro para determinação da dureza dinâmica do revestimento. Os resultados mostraram que os compostos orgânicos alteraram as características do depósito. Conclui-se que ocorreram alterações na eficiência catódica, na porcentagem dos elementos de Zn e Ni no revestimento, nas características de rugosidade, porosidade e dureza.

Aug 16, 2017

By E. L. Rawlins

The development of commercial natural-gas reserves in the Michigan stray sandstone horizon of central Michigan during the past few years has resulted in expansion of the natural-gas industry in that State. The location of the natural-gas reserves of Michigan in the general vicinity of domestic and industrial markets is of economic importance, and in supplying these markets with natural gas a reasonable knowledge of, the extent and availability of the reserves is needed in formulating regulations for drilling gas wells and producing natural gas in analyzing the feasibility of projects to construct natural-gas transmission lines, in promoting and developing markets for the domestic and industrial consumption of natural gas, and in solving many engineering and economic problems common to the natural-gas industry. The development of the natural-gas industry in Michigan has been related closely to the development of oil production. The potential oil production of Michigan is comparable with that in most of the eastern oil-producing States. The development of oil production probably will continue, especially in the central Michigan Basin area; and as wells are drilled to deep horizons in the search for oil, more knowledge will be obtained of the gas reserves in formations above the oil-bearing horizons.

Jan 1, 1936

By Oliver C. Ralston, and others

"INTRODUCTION Investigations of the Nonmetals Division are now conducted at College Park, Md.; Tuscaloosa. Ala.; Seattle, Wash.; and. Norris, Tenn. The last of these was acquired, this year by arrangement with the Tennessee Valley Authority and is engaged in electrothermel research, using power generated by the T.V.A. and. raw materials from that region. In general, the work of the division is concerned with dressing nonmetallic minerals end utilizing the products there-from. Coal, salts, and waters are investigated, and the suitability of apparatus and equipment is studied.As the Metallurgical. Division of the Bureau of Mines makes routine tests of certain nonmetallic ores under prescribed conditions for the public if they are of general interest, the published reports of that division should be read and thus, with the reports of tile Nonmetals Division, the whole field may be covered."

Oct 1, 1939

By Gibbs R

The objective of this paper is to provide a broad qualitative perspective of the needs and costs of infrastructure associated with typical mining projects. Infrastructure may be defined as anything necessary for the development and operation of a project, which is peripheral to the basic extraction, handling and processing of material. As depicted in Figure 1, infrastructure acts as the link between the technological heart of a project and the outside world.

Jan 1, 1990

By Scott Martin

This paper will discuss the challenges currently facing the mining industry. By sharing experiences gained in the CIM Leading in Mining Course, I will highlight what’s working, what’s not, what are the challenges, what are the concerns, what are the opportunities, what needs to happen. Specifically, I will discuss what is currently happening with leadership and leadership development in members’ own organizations, what skill sets are important to develop in different hierarchical groups and how comprehensive leadership courses like the leading in Mining course can help improve leadership within individuals and the industry. Leadership development is a process not an event.

Jan 1, 2014

By Roland C. Walker

Traditional headed rebar has existed in the mining industry as a ground support product for many years. The head of a rebar bolt is most commonly produced by hot upset die forging. Upset die forging produces a rugged, simple head that performs well. Certain elements of the head must comply with regulatory standards, such as ASTM F432-95, which offers a standard test procedure to ensure quality of the product. The head style produced by all major manufacturers has been optimized to reduce manufacturing costs, provide greater miner safety and provide an excellent performing product. Observations were made in some mines of heads failing under in-situ loading. These observations could not be replicated according to the ASTM testing method. This paper highlights the problem and how a solution was developed. The development includes pictures of in-situ failures from the underground operations, laboratory replication tests indicating how this loading occurs, and then the use of this calibrated test method to validate the new design created.

Jan 1, 2009

By B. Xu

Keywords: Magnetic damping, g-jitter, Hot-film anemometry Results from an experimental study on natural convection induced by temperature gradient in molten gallium contained inside a rectangular container. The damping effect of the convective flow from an externally applied static magnetic field is investigated. Induced velocity and temperature fields are mapped using a standard constant temperature hot-film anemometry and a thermocouple with and without the applied magnetic field, respectively. Detailed experimental setup and procedure are depicted in the present paper. Obtained velocity and temperature profiles are examined against previous numerical simulations and reasonably good agreement has been achieved. Obvious damping effect can be observed in both the temperature and the velocity profiles when the external magnetic field presents.

Jan 1, 2005

By S. G. Tsimas, A. K. Moutsatsou, G. K. Parissakis, M. A. Komiotou

For Greek kaolin producers, a considerable proportion of whose output is from deposits containing more than 4 wt% Fe2O3, the colouring resulting from iron oxide impurity represents a serious problem that necessitates upgrading of the ore to meet commercial specifications. Autoclave leaching with oxalic acid for 1 h at 120 degrees C and 5-6 bar was shown to reduce Fe2O3 by up to 90% without affecting the structure of the kaolin, which maintained its physicochemical properties. The iron oxalate product can either be removed from solution or precipitated as iron hydroxide with recycling of the oxalic acid

Aug 1, 1995

By G. Stokreef, B. R. Davis, M. Kadiyski, Alvear Montenegro, H-P. Loock, V. Montenegro

An optical probe for burner monitoring in copper flash smelting, first developed at the University of Concepcion, is being industrially tested in a collaboration between Kingston Process Metallurgy, Aurubis AG, and Queen’s University. The sensor uses fibre-optics and optical emission spectroscopy to analyze the light emitted from combusting particles in the furnace reaction shaft. Information that can be extracted from the emission spectrum includes the temperature and brightness of the flame, as well as emission lines or bands from excited atomic and/or molecular species. Laboratory proof of concept testing of the sensor was first completed in a continuously fed drop tube reactor using O2/S stoichiometric ratios between 0.8–4.0. These O2/S stoichiometries capture the industrial operating condition, which is typically less than 1. The results from lab testing justified a plant trial of the optical probe, which was done in the Aurubis Hamburg flash furnace in September 2018. From this trial, approximately 31 hours of spectral data were collected and synchronized with furnace operating data. The results from both drop tower test work and the plant trial are discussed with implications for process monitoring in the commercial furnace. INTRODUCTION Flash furnace smelting is a continuous feed, batch tap, pyrometallurgical process. It is used to treat copper sulphide concentrates and small amounts of secondary materials, such as dust generated by the process. O2 enriched air and the concentrate blend are fed into the furnace reaction shaft through the concentrate burner. As the particles fall through the reaction shaft, they heat up and ignite, causing rapid, exothermic reactions that oxidize the iron sulphide, some copper sulphide and impurities in the feed. Reacted particles fall into the settler of the furnace, melt and separate into a matte and slag, while the SO2 enriched off-gas is carried out of the furnace for heat recovery and H2SO4 production. Operation of the furnace is achieved by adjusting a limited number of control variables. The main variables are the blast feed rate, blast oxygen enrichment, SiO2 flux feed rate and CH4 combustion rate (CH4 is used when the chemical energy of the concentrate is low) all measured relative to a set feed throughput. (Davenport & Partelpoeg, 1987; Davenport, King, Schlesinger & Biswas, 2002) The batch tapping nature of flash furnaces makes operation difficult because these control variables impact each other, and product quality can only be measured when matte and slag are tapped from the furnace. This means that operation of a furnace is based on feedback control from matte and slag assays. Because of the time-delay associated with understanding product quality, there is interest in using technology to monitor the combustion reactions that happen in the furnace reaction shaft.

Jan 1, 2019

By Christian Neumann, Josef Arnold, Albin Reinhart

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) is the most significant railway infrastructure development project in the United Kingdom since the construction of the Channel Tunnel between France and England. The key element of this project is the 2-mile-long(3.2-km) North Downs Tunnel, which will be the largest and deepest twin-track railway tunnel ever constructed in the United Kingdom. This paper describes the contractual agreement, the design and construction (excavation and lining) of a twin-track rail tunnel with a 166-m 2 face excavated through chalk using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The importance of collaborating with a tunnel contractor/designer who not only is expert in the New Austrian Tunnelling Method, but who was also responsible for the design and installation of the primary lining, will be highlighted in this paper. This paper will also deal with the benefits of partnering in tunnel design and construction, as well as the resultant added values of mechanizing conventional tunnelling methods (Value Engineering).

Jan 1, 2001