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By H. Sato, B. Thornton, K. Nishi, A. Usui

"Northwestern Pacific submarine seamounts are believed to be future marine mining areas of ferromanganese crusts, which contain hi-tech industrial metals, such as Co, Ni, Te, Ti, Pt, and REEs. The Takuyo No. 5 seamount is a member of the Cretaceous super-plume seamounts in the north Pacific, located within a Japanese EEZ (100 nm from the Minami- Torishima Is. or Marcus Is.), and only 300 nm away from the Japan’s Licensed area for exploration of Co-rich ferromanganese crusts under the ISA. This is an on-going program supported by independent academic communities but not a state-run program or managed by private funding.We have observed, sampled, measured, and analyzed the occurrences, distribution, physical properties, and microbiological environments at a selected flat topped seamount named Takuyo No.5 as a model area for scientific study of ferromanganese crusts within the Japanese EEZ. We then characterized crust structures, composition, age, and growth history, resulting in an understanding of the overall nature and distribution of these deposits from wide range of areas, water depths and geological environments. The study started with a ROV (Hyper-Dolphin 3K of JAMSTEC) exploration jointly with universities and national institutions (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Oil, Gas, and Metal Exploration Corporation, and Geological Survey of Japan) in 2009 using marine geology vessels, remotely-operated vehicle, an oceanbottom drill machine, deep-tow TV camera, as well as conventional dredges and corers. We have been studying the topography, geology, nature of the bottom material of the seamounts using delicate sampling devices and measurement tools, and characterized the distribution patterns of the metal-rich ferromanganese deposits from chemical, mineralogical, and microbiological points of view."

Sep 1, 2014

By J. A. Cooper, M. R. Petersen, P. O. Jackson, J. C. Langford

The organic, inorganic, and radiological characteristics of airborne aerosols have been measured as a function of particle size in controlled atmosphere test chambers and operating uranium mines. Concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene in two mines ranged from 26 to 57 ng/m3 of air. The carbon chain length of adsorbed n-alkanes was correlated with particle size. Normal mining activities produced an ore dust aerosol with mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) greater than 2 µm. The elements Na, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V, Fe, and U exhibited elemental ratios similar to bulk ore and had comparable MMAD's. The S, Zn, and Pb were higher in aerosols than bulk ore and were associated with smaller MMAD particulates. Radon daughter particle size distributions were influenced by the kinds of particulates

Jan 1, 1981

By Hisashi Takahasi, Hironobu Yamazaki

INTRODUCTION The slurry shield method was developed in Japan in 1963 and its experimental tunnelling work was performed in 1965. Although the history of this method is short compared with the conventional shield method in Japan, many companies such as Tekken Construction, Okumura Gumi, Nishimatsu Kensetsu, etc. are engaged at present in developing their own unique system of the slurry shield method. The ground of Japan is generally pervaded with ground water and a large number of districts are covered with soft ground, which is composed of fine sand, silt and clay, etc. Therefore, the conventional shield method has always used compressed air with various kinds of auxiliary methods. However, with this method there have been experienced numerous troubles such as ground settlements, lowering of ground water, oxygen shortage within the tunnel, and so forth. The slurry shield method has been developed with the above background. In recent years remarkable progress has been made from the engineering viewpoint in applying this method to driving various kinds of tunnels such as road tunnels, subways, water supply and sewer tunnels, and other tunnels. Apart from Japan, the slurry shield process using bentonite is carried out in England and Germany. OUTLINE OF SLURRY SHIELD METHOD (1) System of Slurry Shield Method Since the conventional shield method drives tunnels using com-

Jan 1, 1976

By Zephaniah Varley, Dominic Parmantier, Paul Schmall, Richard Martin, Red Robinson

Sequential excavation of the Beacon Hill Station has been accomplished in highly complex and inter-layered sand, silt, and clay soils with multiple perched groundwater tables. Successful excavation has required the installation of a deep dewatering well system used to depressurize sand layers above and within the excavated tunnel faces. In addition, the presence of sand layers in the crown of the Platform Tunnels required jet grouting at depths of up to 49m (160-ft). This paper discusses the design intent, construction, and effectiveness of the dewatering system and the selective jet grouting of sand horizons and shaft break outs for the successful construction of the deepest SEM station excavation ever completed in the United States.

Jan 1, 2007

By Steven R. Lowe

Construction of a pump station, consisting of an inlet chamber, wet well and pump chamber, required excavation to a depth of 9.7 m (32 ft) below ground surface and more than 7.6 m (25 ft) below the ground water table in a rural, but rapidly developing part of southern New Jersey. Private houses are located [ ] within a few hundred feet of the pump station that use shallow wells for water supply. The pump station design anticipated support of the entire pump station on shallow foundations bearing directly on the underlying natural soils. However, during construction, uncontrolled ground water flow caused ground loss and damage to the bearing qualities of foundation soils. As a result, remedial repairs were required including support of the pump station on drilled pile foundations and releveling of the pump chamber that had settled. This case study is an example of where a poor understanding of the significance of upward flowing ground water had a major impact on the cost of construction. Anticipated subsurface conditions The pump station layout is shown in Fig. 1 with the locations of two borings made prior to construction superimposed. One of the borings was located within the footprint of the deep wet well excavation. Generally, this is not advisable where a deep excavation is required below the ground water table. This is because there is a history of projects where ground water seepage, or pressure, has broken out into an excavation through an ungrouted borehole and compromised the integrity of foundation soils. Logs of the borings did not indicate that the borings [ ] were grouted upon completion.

Jan 1, 2011

By José Mirão, Pedro Madureira, v Costa, Patrícia Conceição

"The exploration of seamounts south of the Azores during the EMEPC/Açores/G3/2007 campaign allowed for the collection of 30 Fe-Mn crusts from the Atlantis, Great Meteor, Small Hyeres, Irving and Plato seamounts, as well as from the East Azores Fracture Zone. These were the first samples of Fe-Mn crusts studied from these seamounts. The Fe-Mn crusts were analyzed using multiple analytical methods.The crusts are fairly homogeneous, showing typical textures for this type of occurrences. The Fe/Mn ratio, patterns and concentrations in rare earth elements, and the great homogeneity of the crusts lead to the conclusion that they have a hydrogenetic origin, precipitating directly from seawater. Although the content in Fe and Mn of the crusts is consistent with data available for the Atlantic, the mean concentration of Co is comparable to the average values for the Pacific. Cu and Ni show lower values than the ones known for the Pacific."

Sep 1, 2014

By Les Gutzwiller

Fan applications in the mining industry have changed during the last 70 years. In 1922, J.R. Robinson authored a technical volume entitled Practical Mine Ventilation. At that time, atmospheric control had only recently shifted from natural to mechanical. The large, mechanical draft fans that were used then were centrifugal. The fans ran at low speeds, about300 rpm. Most were steam-engine driven. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, mines became larger, increasing the pressure and volume requirements of the fan equipment. Axial fans were designed to run at much higher speeds (710 to 880 rpm) and were driven by electric motors. They were also smaller and less expensive to install than the cumbersome centrifugal units. However, changes in mining have resulted in progressively higher static-pressure requirements. So centrifugal fans are once again proving to be a good choice.

Jan 1, 1999

By Wolfgang Gütter

India is targeting to boost its electrical capacity from 100 GW to 200 GW within the next 10 years. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has decided in2001 to take execution of the 800 MW Stage-II of the prestigious 2,051 MW Parbatihydrol electric project in Kulu district of the northern province Himachal Pradesh. Two parallel 30° inclined underground pressure shafts of 1.542m in length each will be excavated in different geological formations and lined with hexagonal concrete segments by a hard rock double shield TBM. That kind of heading will be a novelty to India and an innovative method for inclined pressure shafts. The 4.88m Mitsubishi DSTBM will be assembled underground on a swivelling steel platform especially designed for the launching as well as for the acceptance of the TBM in the upper cavern of each shaft. The hexagonal segmental lining system causes a significant higher job safety than an open TBM with conventional support. Each ring consists of four honeycomb segments with 20 cm thickness. After finalisation of the excavation a steel liner will be installed and concreted. The Joint Venture Jäger-Seli will perform the two pressure shafts as a sub-contractor for the Indian company Gammon India Ltd.

Jan 1, 2005

By Alfred Weiss

At the end of the first decade of digital computing in the minerals industry, geostatistics in North America was still in its infancy. This was in contrast with the rest of the world where the technique of kriging was already widely practiced. By the end of the 1970s, there was increasing awareness among practitioners of its potential. But it was not until the late 1980s that geostatistics was universally applied and accepted. This was due, in large measure, to contributors at Applications of Computers and Operations Research in the Minerals Industry (APCOM) symposia. Such an evolution in new computer methods could again be observed at APCOM 26.

Jan 1, 1996

By Craig Hartley

? A helper stands beside a continuous miner as the operator is at the controls. The operator means to push the stop button but hits the drum rotation start button by mistake. The drum begins to turn and the bits catch the helper's clothing. He is thrown violently to the ground and suffers multiple contusions. ? A farmer's wife helplessly watches her husband drawn into the claws of farm machinery while she frantically and unsucessfully searches for the control to stop the machine. ? A mechanic on the night shift replaces plugs in the lubrication systems of all three engines of an airliner following routine maintenance. In doing so', he fails to notice that "0" ring seals have not been mounted on the plugs. A few hours later, as the fully loaded airliner is cruising high over the ocean, oil pressure on one engine drops precipitously. The pilots quickly shut down the engine and turn for home. Almost immediately, the two remaining engines lose their oil and fail.

Jan 1, 1983

By Len Harris

Webster?s Dictionary describes culture as: ? The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human work and thought typical of a population or community at a given time. ? A style of social and artistic expression peculiar to a class or society. ? Intellectual and artistic activity. ? The art of developing the social, moral and intellectual facilities through education. The authors have nearly 100 years of combined experience in the mining industry working with and consulting to mining companies and companies engaged in the supply of goods and services to the mining industry worldwide. In this report, they present their experiences and ideas on the importance of cultural aspects in the successful development and implementation of mining ventures. Their suggestions on how to handle culture shock will be of interest to expatriate managers, operators, social workers, and engineering and construction personnel posted to overseas operations, as well as to nationals posted to other parts of their own country.

Jan 1, 2008

By Larry R. Powell

The Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund, is monitoring the response of two foundations to ground movements induced by subsidence from high extraction mining in southern Illinois. The objectives of the monitoring program are to study the inter- action between the ground surface and a foundation during a subsidence event and to determine the capability of the tiltmeter to detect and monitor subsidence movements. Tiltmeter data were obtained on two foundations constructed near Sesser, IL. One of the 30-by 40- ft foundations was constructed with a typical poured concrete footing, the other with a rein- forced-concrete footing poured on top of pol yethylene sheeting placed over a compacted layer of sand. Soil-filled bins were placed on the perimeters of both foundations to simulate superstructure loads. Monitoring pins and tiltplates were installed on the corners and midpoints of the footing. Additional survey points were established on the five-acre site to track the mining advance. This paper describes the monitoring instrumentation and techniques as they relate to the mining and site conditions. The capability of a tilt- meter to detect and follow the tilt of the foundations is demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1986

As the 2009 George Fox Conference neared its conclusion, Arthur Silber, project chief of the Mass Transit Tunnel (MTT) project was able to pull away from the constant buzzing of his Blackberry long enough to give a short presentation and a significant piece of news to the record 318 attendees at the Graduate Center, City University of New York regarding the MTT project. ?As the former administration (The Bush administration) was leaving office, we were told that Congress was notified of the FTA?a (Federal Transit Authority?s) intent to issue final design construction approval to us,? Silber said of recent advancements concerning the $7.2-billion dollar project. It will add passenger rail service from New Jersey to New York City as part of the Access to the Region?s Core project in the form of the Trans Hudson Express Tunnel (THE tunnel). ?That 10-day waiting period ended yesterday (Jan. 26).? In days leading up the Fox Conference, those involved in the tunneling industry, and the MTT in particular, had a lot to be optimistic about. The MTT received environ-mental approval on Jan. 14 (see page 9) and, with the acceptance of the final design, the multi-billion dollar project moved that much closer to a ground-breaking ceremony. So close, in fact, that before leaving his office for the conference, Silber posted the contract documents and plans for the Manhattan Tunnel project online at www.arctunnel.com (an indepth look at the project from Silber is on page 22). While many were interested in the progress of the project, Silber also spoke about the new plans for the cavern complex at the New York Penn Station expansion. The original plans called for two lines that would come into a large cavern complex with a north and south cavern to access the trains. After numerous core samples were taken from the streets of Manhattan, it was deter-mined that this design was not feasible and changes were made that will include a deeper cavern under Sixth Avenue, with 14-m (45-ft) of cover with a 30-m (96-ft) wide cavern that resides entirely under 34th Street. The cavern was also moved 20 m (60 ft) to the west to remain at least 61 m (200 ft) away from New York City Water Tunnel #1. The new design will include three-over-three track arrangement. The mezzanine will be 46 m (150 ft) below street level at 8th Ave, Silber said.

Jan 1, 2009

A large-diameter road tunnel will cross beneath the strait in Istanbul and expand the infrastructure bottleneck between Europe and Asia. The technical planning of the tunneling operations poses complex challenges. Therefore, the construction consortium ordered a specially adapted tunnel boring machine (TBM) from Herrenknecht. The 13.6-m (44.6-ft) machine, a Mixshield, was completed in early July 2013 in Schwanau, Germany. To get from the European to the Asian side of Istanbul, people and goods have to cross the Bosporus Straits. So far, two road bridges as well as ferries provide the only transport link between the two parts of the city and the two continents. The tense traffic situation for the nearly 14 million residents of the city and for international transit traffic should be improved considerably thanks to the construction of a new road tunnel under the Bosporus. ?The project is certainly one of the most challenging tunneling operations currently being addressed in the world,? said Herrenknecht project manager Georg Schleer. The route of the ?Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project? runs around 100 m (330 ft) below sea level at its deepest point. The interior diameter of the tunnel will be 12 m (40 ft) so that two lanes in each direction can be accommodated. They will extend one above the other on two levels. 3.34 km (2.1 miles) of the tunnel with a total length of 5.4 km (3.3 miles) are being created by a 13.6-m- (44.6-ft-) diameter Herrenknecht TBM that will begin its underground mission from a launch shaft on the Asian side.

Sep 1, 2013

By None None

Life as a mining/mineral professional doesn’t leave much time for perusing 20-page technical papers. Yet, being technologically savvy is part and parcel of a successful career in this industry. What’s an intelligent, well-informed person to do?

The Golden Grove Project area is located 220 km (137 miles) east of Geraldton in Western Australia (Fig. 1). The project is a joint venture involving Amax Exploration (Australia) Inc. (Amax), Electrolytic Zinc Co. of Australasia Ltd. (EZ), and Esso Exploration & Production Australia Inc. (Esso), each with 31 116% interest, and Aztec Exploration Pty., Ltd. (Aztec), with a 3 1/2% carried and a 3% contributing interest. The venture covers two significant volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and some 40 km (25 miles) of highly prospective Archean volcanics. During the course of the past 12 years (to 1983), all four companies were responsible for operating the project at one time or another and all influenced the discoveries. The Gossan Hill and Scuddles deposits are typical examples of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits associated with Archean explosive submarine acid to intermediate volcanic complexes. They are located in the northwesterly trending Yalgoo greenstone belt of the West Australian Archean Shield. Gossan Hill, located in 1972, is essentially a copper deposit with minor zinc lenses; to date, 97 diamond holes have delineated a geological resource* estimated to contain 13 Mt (14.3 million st) of of 3.4% Cu and 13 g/t (0.38 oz per ton) Ag in the main lenses with minor lenses totaling 2 Mt (2.2 million st) of 3.7% Cu and 17 g/t (0.49 oz per ton) Ag and 1.7 Mt (1.9 million st) grading 1.5% Pb, 14% Zn, and 87 g/t (2.8 oz per ton) Ag. Scuddles is a zinc-copper deposit with gold and silver credits. It *Resource estimate provided by Esso for inclusion in Aztec Exploration Pty. Ltd. 1982 Annual Report was discovered in 1979 and, to the end of 198 1, had been delineated with 42 diamond holes. On the basis of this drilling, a geological resource* of 26 Mt (28.7 million st) has been estimated in three coalescing lenses. The lenses comprise 7.5 Mt (8.3 million st) of 2.1 % Cu, 12 g/t (0.35 oz per ton) Ag, and 0.3 g/t (0.009 oz per ton) Au; 7.6 Mt (8.4 million st) of 0.4% Cu, 9.9% Zn, 73 g/t (2.3 oz per ton) Ag, and 0.7 g/t (0.02 oz per ton) Au; and 1 1.0 Mt (1 2.1 mil lion st) of 1.1 % Cu, 9.3% Zn, 8 1 g/t (2.6 oz per ton) Ag, and 1.5 g/t (0.044 oz per ton) Au. Readers are referred to Frater (1978) and Harris et a). (1982) for a more detailed geological account of these deposits.

Jan 1, 1991

Membrane technology has been available for over 36 years, but has been used sparingly in the general mining industry. However, recent developments in polymer chemistry, spiral wound element construction, pretreatment equipment and techniques and an expanded understanding of membrane fouling and cleaning techniques have dramatically improved the reliability and robustness of membrane based systems in the mining industry. Harrison Western has expanded the use of this “new” technology to enhance the use of membrane technologies to separate metals from large volume heap leach mining solutions containing copper, zinc, and iron, gold or silver. Moreover, membrane technologies are ideally suited to fractionations that add value to processing fluids from refineries like separating metals from acids or concentrating acids and producing high quality process fluids. Finally, wastewater from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) or, as in the case of the Newmont Yanacocha Mine in Peru, the treatment of excess barren leach solution created during the rainy season, can be cost effectively processed to meet World Bank Standards for surface discharge. Polymeric membranes, specifically thin-film composites, have been developed that will purify, fractionate or concentrate gold, silver, copper, zinc or nickel. Recent applications have been developed for spiral wound modules that operate across the pH spectrum from 0 to 14. Systems using membranes have been constructed that operate on feed streams from 140° C to 300 centipoise. Opportunities exist to apply membrane technology to concentrate gold, silver, copper, zinc or nickel using thin film composite membranes. Engineered membrane types can operate across the spectrum from low pH (<2) acid applications to high pH > 10 cyanide applications. Incorporating HW EMS™ membrane technologies into current mining operations could allow one to increase production because the membrane technology would be used to pre-concentrate heap leach solutions, and therefore, increase utilization of existing extraction and refinery capabilities.

Jan 1, 2007

By F. M. McEvoy, E. J. Steadman, R. Murfin

In England, the provision of aggregate is determined by the historical relationship between construction and aggregate consumption. This approach does not necessarily lead to sustainable decision-making and can be seen as being driven by political expediency, rather than reasonable environmental consideration. The introduction of the statutory requirement for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the UK has provided the opportunity to examine this issue on a more rational basis. This paper provides a practical application of a SEA based approach, to the provision of aggregates at a regional level. The process, underpinned by relevant information on resources and environmental assets, suggests that alternative supply scenarios for aggregate provision are tested in a transparent, consistent manner with increased genuine stakeholder consultation. It supports a move away from "predict and provide" approaches to one where aggregates are sourced with the best balance of environmental costs and benefits.

Jan 1, 2005

By Bruce Cavender

Historically, the processing function has been regarded as efficiently managed as long as production costs were kept low, recovery was adequate and sufficient plant capacity was avail-able. In this paradigm, processing is viewed as capable of making only a limited contribution to a company?s competitive advantage. However, the processing function can provide a primary vehicle for building critical competitive capabilities. Processing organizations should be encouraged to become so accomplished they generate new opportunities for other functional groups and thereby influence a company?s overall strategy. This requires a deep shift in processing?s role, in its self-image and in the expectations of it held by managers in other functions. Specific plant improvement techniques ? total productive maintenance (TPM), loss control, etc. ? should be viewed primarily as means for building strategically valuable processing capabilities. Different improvement strategies create different kinds of capabilities and present new strategic options. Broadly speaking, a mineral-producing company seeks competitive advantage through two principal activities: the development of new mineral production and reserves and the optimization of existing operations. These lead to increases in ore reserves, production levels and cash flows that are manifested in increased profitability and, hopefully, increases in the price of the firm?s stock. The profitability of a minerals company is a function of the overall profitability of the industry sector in which the company participates and the firm?s competitive position within that sector relative to those of its competitors. Competitive advantage within the industry comes from two sources: the ability to maintain lower prices than competitors for the same product (cost leadership), or from the sale of products with unique properties that justify higher prices (product differentiation; Porter, 1980). Most mineral companies produce fungible commodities that are sold to anonymous customers, and sustainable cost advantage is the only long-run strategy available to these companies to enhance profitability.

Jan 1, 2008

By B. J. Sauer

Variable frequency drives (VFD’s), or adjustable frequency controls (AFC’s) as they are more precisely identified, have been available to the mining industry for over 20 years. However, in recent years as the push to cut production costs has become ever so crucial, AFC usage has become more widespread. This paper seeks to provide professionals in mineral processing plant design and operation with an introduction to AFC’s, insight as to why AFC control for AC induction motors can be advantageous, and specification and design considerations.

Jan 1, 2002