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By I Thomson, L D. Black, R G. Boutilier

The social license to operate (SLO) began as a metaphor for the ability of communities to stop mining projects. Soon people began to speak of levels of social license and the ability of communities to raise costs without completely stopping exploration or mining activities. Today the concept has spread to other industries and is evolving towards becoming a general management perspective on the socio-political rights and responsibilities of the corporation. The business case underpinning the SLO perspective on management is the need to assess and manage socio-political risk. For mining companies, socio-political risk has been steadily rising for several reasons, including the efforts of non-government organisations (NGOs) to pre-empt government policy options; the entry of mining companies into jurisdictions weak in the rule of law; and the weakness of global economic and financial regulation. In this perilous world beyond the comfort zone of effective government, mining companies must build their own socio-political stability by engaging directly with stakeholders to develop a strong SLO. In order to become a practical management perspective, the SLO needs to be measurable, which amounts to measuring the socio-political risks and opportunities presented by stakeholders. We present the results of efforts since 2009 to develop a globally reliable and valid measurement tool at the project and industry levels, validated in studies in Australia, Bolivia, Mexico and the USA. A factor analysis suggested four factors that mine management can address to raise their SLO level. The most chronically neglected factor involves the political right of the corporation to foster more equitable social contracts locally and regionally in both developed and developing countries. We conclude with recommended steps to earn and maintain the social license at the project and industry levels.CITATION:Boutilier, R G, Black, L D and Thomson, I, 2012. From metaphor to management tool - How the social license to operate can stabilise the socio-political environment for business, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 227-238 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By Courtney A. Young

Cyanide is a fast-acting, highly toxic substance but, at the same time, is deemed essential for sustaining life as well 'as our standard of living. In this manuscript, the facts about cyanide are presented beginning with a brief history and definition and ending with a discussion on cyanide alternatives. Other topics include speciation, physical characteristics, toxicity, manufacturing, cyanogenics, cyanide cycle, separation, destruction, and markets including those outside the mining industry. Emphasis, of course, is placed on gold production by leaching and how it is influenced by ore type, mineral characteristics and economics as well as its advantages and disadvantages.

Jan 1, 1998

By E. L. Oliver

IN OFFERING a few comments and suggestions on trends in mining practice, and the methods and tools of tomorrow's mining, perhaps it will be appropriate to start with the subject of education. Charles Kettering, one of the best-known scientists and experimentalists in the automotive industry once said, in effect, that tech- 111ca1 schools have to be carefid not to teach a lot of hard and fast rules that may have been true once, but aren't so any more, or won't be presently. Possibly the mining school of the future will concern itself less with what has happened and more with what is going to happen. It will be built about or around problems. Such a school will be judged, not by the number of its students but by the quality of its improvements. To such a school the industry will send for men to solve particular problems. The industry will doubtless at some time sup- port such a school financially though a lot of hard work will be required to organize miners to undertake such financing, primarily because the mining industry, other than that concerned with iron and steel, is too loosely knit. Each company tends to its own knitting too closely for its own good. Wouldn't it be splendid if the mining industry would finance a "problem school" as suggested by Mr. Kettering and others.

Jan 1, 1939

By J. A. Herbst

A state of the art computer simulation package, named UTAH-MODSIM is being developed. This package can run on a mainframe (eg. UNIVAC) as well as on a microcomputer (eg. IBM/PC with at least 512 kBytes of core memory). Friendliness was the major concern in developing this software. The user simply generates a complete flowsheet by presenting the flowsheet on a graphics terminal. This flowsheet defines the circuit to be simulated. With the minimum required data, the user can obtain a complete mass and water balances within a few minutes. Moreover, this package will provide scale-up and capital cost information of specified equipment relevant to design. In order to illustrate the utility of this software, three design examples are given. They are: a) A typical multistage crushing plant. b) A reverse closed grinding circuit comparing one stage with two stage classification. c) A standard closed grinding circuit suitable to liberate a specified fraction of chalcopyrite from a copper ore.

Jan 1, 1986

By K. C. Dean

During the course of the investigation of manganese mineral occurrences in the western United States, the Bureau of Mines collected several lots of ore' from properties in the vicinity of Winkelman, Ariz. As none of the ores would be marketable directly, an investigation was made to determine their amenability to concentration by ore dressing. The Geronimo group of claims is in Pinal County, 8 miles west of Winkelman, Ariz. The manganese oxides occur as cementing material in ore zones of conglomerate. Representative samples of a 2-ton lot of ore cut from outcrops of two lenticular deposits were laboratory-tested. Two 1-ton samples from the Benningfield property were similar in physical characteristics but differed in grade. This claim is 11-1/2 miles south of Winkelman and about 1 mile west of the San Pedro River on the south side of Putman, Wash. The manganese minerals occurred as nodules and lenses, replacing limestone, in a capping over a dark, igneous dike. The North Star group consists of five claims on the west side of the San Pedro River 14 miles south of Winkelman. The ore consists of a low-grade, manganese oxide-calcite occurrence interspersed with stringers of higher-grade material and is present as filling in a fissure zone in porphyry. Two samples were obtained by the examining engineer; one sample represented run-of-mine material, the other represented ore from the vein that could be hand-sorted or selectively mined.

Jan 1, 1952

MR. Woo's succinct description of the mining and smelting of silver-lead in Mongolia, with the roasting-and-reduction process and cupellation, has much interest as a picture of methods that not only may have been in use, as he suggests, a thousand years ago, long before the existence of mining schools or chemical laboratories, but probably vary little, if at all, from the practice of prehistoric times, when King Priam's handsome silver vases, cups and bowls were formed. For it is highly improbable that such large objects were made from comparatively rare native silver, and the metal must have been smelted from ore, and most likely in great part from galena,, with cupellation of the lead. Dr. W. A. P. Martin, in his excellent book on the Lore of Cathay, points out that Chinese alchemy is over 2000 years old, antedating the European by at least six centuries; and he infers that the Chinese skill in metallurgy and many branches of practical chemistry owes its origin to " those early devotees of the experimental philosophy who passed their lives among the fumes of the alembic." Those alchemists, however, may have more likely derived some of their leading ideas from the mys terious, and at that time wholly unexplainable results observed in already very ancient metallurgical processes; in which, for example, certain stones were transmuted, as it were, into metals widely divergent in character from their ores, and even silver and gold were obtained from the most unlikely-looking mate rials. It is therefore, in any case, not improbable that the Chinese may have preceded western nations in the discovery of metallurgical methods. At all events, it is now evident that the Japanese acquired these arts from China, the former source of all their higher civilization. My own observation of old-fashioned silver-smelt ing at Hosokura, on the main island of Japan, and about 220

Jan 1, 1903

By P. B. Leavenworth

Development in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast during 1945 resulted in the discovery of 23 new fields; one Miocene, eight Frio, three Cockfield-Yegua and eleven along the Wilcox trend. The Wilcox trend appears to he the most active at this time. Producing depths of the new Wilcox discoveries range from 2050 to 10,050 ft. Drilling along the Frio trend has been, for the greater part, projected to the deeper downdip sands. Eighteen of the new discoveries are classified as oil or condensate and five are gas discoveries.

Jan 1, 1946

By H. H. Moss

OXYACETYLENE .cutting has experienced rapid development in the last few years and greater advances and expansion and broader application may be expected in the immediate future. Marked changes in cutting practice may be expected as a result of the advances in metallurgical science that have produced special alloy steels with properties requiring different cutting techniques than for ordinary low-carbon steels. Much current attention is being directed to those problems of modified cutting practices. Cutting has thus ceased to be merely a shaping problem. It is rapidly coming to have a predominantly metallurgical aspect. The problem is no longer how to cut a given shape, but how to cut a given steel. The answer

Jan 1, 1936

By H. P. Cole

Methods for increasing compliance to medical and health regimens were reviewed along with similar research in industrial and mine safety. Principles abstracted from both areas suggest that compliance with health and safety practices is improved when: (1) Workers are cooperatively involved with management in setting safety goals and planning for their achievement, (2) the program has the support of workers, supervisors, and management, (3) specific tasks responsible for injuries are targeted, (4) company organizational policy, educational, and behavioral programs work together toward the same goals, (5) workers and supervisors are frequently informed about their degree of correct task performance, and (6) programs are monitored by the frequency of correct performance of targeted tasks, (the means to lowered accident rates) rather than by lowered accident and injury rates themselves (the goals for safety programs.) Safety programs that incorporate these principles increase persons' adherence to specified health and safety practices and subsequently decrease injury rates. It is recommended that: (1) a group of experts be convened to study the application of these principles to coal mine safety programs, and (2) a short course for safety trainers be developed to demonstrate how these principles can be used to strengthen existing mine safety programs.

Jan 1, 1985

By F. B. Waanders

Coal, as energy resource, possesses numerous characteristics and properties which all have an influence on its gasification behaviour. The two properties considered as critically important when evaluating a coal source for gasification is its mineral content and slagging behaviour. Research has indicated that slagging formation can be inhibited or even prevented by the addition of a fluxing agent. It is thus of great importance to understand the mineral interaction during gasification in order to select a suitable fluxing agent for the prevention of slagging and clinker formation in the gasifier. The aim of the present project is to evaluate the effect of iron as a fluxing agent and study the transformation of the mineral and added iron during gasification. A pre-determined amount of pure elemental iron (between 2wt% and 20wt%) was added to a base case coal sample in order to study the effect of the addition of iron to the coal. The transformation of the iron in conjunction with the possible iron containing minerals present in the coal was studied by means of Mössbauer analyses. Typical characterisation techniques included proximate analyses, ultimate analyses and ash composition analyses. The ash fusion temperature analyses (AFT) were used to study and predict the slagging behaviour of the iron-spiked coal samples. Even though AFT analyses only provide an average flow property, it gives a good indication of the changes that the iron addition induces on coal properties. FactSage modelling was carried out in conjunction with the Mössbauer and AFT analyses. From the proximate, ultimate and ash composition analyses it was clear that the coal used con-formed to the average characteristics measured over an extended time period. From the AFT values it was seen that an increase in the flow temperature occurred with the addition of pure elemental iron to the coal, which can be of importance for operational purposes as to raise the gasifier temperature and not to have slagging problems to occur in the gasifier. The Mössbauer data show that he-matite is the main Fe-component that forms from the pyrite originally present and from the added iron to the coal, consistent with FactSage modelling, which shows that the partial oxygen pressure determines which mineral species will form. This study opens up new possibilities when considering operational problems experienced in in-dustrial gasifiers. Successful completion of this study and a study to look at reducing conditions in the gasifier will also add to the knowledge that already exists regarding fluxing agents.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. Fawcett, B. C. Dyer

Abstract - The basis of the tomographic velocity imaging technique is briefly described and an application of the method to detect and image a cross-section through a chromite pod is presented. Using the chromite application as an example, the relative costs of tomographic data acquisition and processing are compared with those of diamond drilling to obtain similar resolution. A number of different tomographic survey configurations and the potential role of the method in surface and underground exploration are discussed.

Jan 1, 1994

By C. E. T. White

Although trace amounts of Indium are found in many ores, commercial production of the metal has come almost exclusively from residues, flue dusts and slags generated by Zinc recovery operations. Our paper attempts to summarize the various approaches used to recover Indium from these by-products. Some comments on production and price trends are included as well as our views on future availability.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. K. Ingram

In situ horizontal stresses were measured to determine the influences of geologic anomalies on the regional horizontal stress field in two coal mines in southern Illinois. Stress measurements were obtained near a normal fault having a 121-ft displacement at the AMAX Wabash Mine and a large coalbed want at the Kerr-McGee Galatia No.5 Mine. Horizontal stress measurements were completed using a Bureau of Mines borehole deformation gauge. The average maximum and minimum horizontal compressional stresses at the Wabash Mine were 1,400 and 800 psi, with the direction of maximum stress ranging from N 78° W to N 83° E. At the Galatia No.5 Mine, the averages were 1,500 and 500 psi, with the direction of maximum stress ranging from N 85° E to N 75° E. Generally, the geologic anomalies appear to have no dramatic effect of the regional horizontal stresses. However, subtle differences between stress measurements suggest an influence by the fault zone at the Wabash Mine. The larger anisotropic stress conditions at the Galatia No.5 Mine could be responsible for the increase in kink zones and directional roof failures.

Jan 1, 1988

By Corby G. Anderson

Since 1985, the Sunshine Mining Company has used a patented nitric-sulfuric acid pressure leaching system for production of silver and copper from a refractory sulfide ore body. To better understand this novel process, a program of lab scale testing was undertaken to quantify the effect of system variables on silver recovery. Some of the factors studied include temperature, agitation, acidity, vessel pressure, particle size, percent solids and oxidizer amount. In turn, this knowledge will be applied in actual plant practice to upgrade reaction time, increase concentrate throughput, raise silver recovery and lower reagent costs. A discussion of plant process changes resulting from lab scale testing is included.

Jan 1, 1991

By S. H. Ward

An account of a new method of investigating the electrical .properties J the earth's crust is presented. The method, called AFMAG, employs, as a source, natural alternating magnetic fields of audio and sub-audio frequencies. Measurements of the distortion of these fields caused by geological features are made with the aid of search coil detectors at several discrete frequencies. Many results of field surveys made with the method are presented and they illustrate its advantages and limitations when applied to the search for massive sulphide mineralization. The advantages far outweigh the limitations and in fact indicate that a major breakthrough in geophysical exploration technique and instrumentation has been made.

Jan 1, 1958

By R. W. Raymond

EDWARD COOPER, was born in New York City, October 26, 1824. His father, Peter Cooper, to say nothing of manifold reasons for fame as an inventor and philanthropist, deserves to be remembered as a pioneer in the establishment of public schools; and it is not surprising that he sent his son to one of the democratic institutions in which he was himself so ardently interested. From the public school Edward Cooper went to Columbia. College, where he made the acquaintance of Abram S. Hewitt, who was first his tutor, afterwards his traveling companion, brother-in-law, business partner and life-long friend.* For twenty years I was the consulting engineer of the firm of Cooper & Hewitt, and also connected with the work of the Cooper Union, in which they were both deeply interested and faithfully active. On the basis of the intimate knowledge thus gained, I venture an estimate of Edward Cooper's character and career which, if not fully comprehensive, may facilitate a juster estimate than would be reached by the strident of those data which the modesty of the man permitted to be placed upon public record. Edward Cooper's mind was one of the most active, accurate and subtle with which I have ever come into contact: He had inherited from his father a sunny, benevolent temperament, and' the irresistible impulse to attack all new problems which challenged his attention. His thorough education had 'indeed made him wiser than his father, both in philanthropy and in technical inventions. He could condemn and reject a proposition which Peter Cooper would have embraced, in a splendid, though ignorant, faith that nothing was impossible to an. American, and that the word ? impossible " was simply a label,

Jul 1, 1906

By J. Y. Murdoch

TAXATION has become a major item in the operation of Canadian mines, and, as such, merits our most serious consideration. I feel it was a splendid idea for the Institute to set aside this time for a frank discussion of this important subject, and believe great benefit will result from a better understanding of the methods and underlying principles involved. Mining, as a great national industry, may quite properly be called upon to pay its fair share of the cost of running the country; and there is no tendency on our part to avoid this responsibility. There is, however, a very definite demand that the proportion be just, and fairly and sensibly applied. I believe that Mr. C. G. Williams, Secretary of the Canadian Metal Mining Association, and others, are giving details of the various Provincial and Dominion regulati6ns, so I shall not touch on that phase of the situation. However, there are some important factors to which I should like very briefly to call your attention. The first is the vital need for stability. As you all know, a considerable period must elapse between the preliminary stages of any mining venture and the time when it comes to production-or is finally abandoned as un-profitable. These early days are fraught with many unavoidable uncertainties. If, to these natural hazards, the apprehension of instability of governmental action be added, the risk becomes so great that capital seeks other and safer fields for investment, and many otherwise promising projects are thus discarded. There probably never has been a time in recent years when so much money was seeking investment as now. Under favourable conditions, the development of our great mineral resources would be a natural and attractive outlet for this money. The amount of taxation which the mining industry can properly absorb is of the utmost importance at this time, and it might be well to consider this question in its relation to the economic stability of our country, for it cannot be too greatly emphasized that direct taxation is only one item in the net return which our governments derive from the mining industry. Indeed, the many indirect benefits are so manifest that it would seem almost unnecessary to enumerate them! We almost invariably think of mine taxation as a direct company tax-overlooking the fact that sales tax, customs duties, acreage tax, income tax on mine dividends, foreign shareholders' dividend tax, and others, must all be taken into consideration. It would seem that the economic value of non-ferrous metal mining in Canada is not sufficiently understood and appreciated.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. M. Santmyers

The pigments, whose colors are due primarily to iron exides and iron hydroxides, comprise a variety of yellow, brown, red, and sometimes black paint-coloring agents, both natural and artificially prepared. The natural pigments in this group include ocher, umber, sienna, mineral paints, paint rock, and mortar colors. When the natural color or tinting power--either in the raw state or after treatment--is too weak, these pigments may be "forti- fied" or strengthened. Ocher, umber, and sienna, rhile often described as "iron oxide pigments," are also known as "earthy" rigments. Inasmuch as the iron content of these pigments is, in general, somewhat lower than that of other iron oxide pigments, the ochers, umbers, siennes, and other brown earth pigments are not discussed in the present paper. In addition to a discussion of natural or artificial pigments whose color is due to the presence of iron oxide in some form, this paper contains data on mortar colors, which are medium or low grade pigments used for tinting mortar, cement, and concrete. A great variety of materials are used for theso purposes, including "blue billy" (residue left from roast- ing pyrite), ground slate and shale, and even culm from coal washeries. Dur- ing the past three years, there has been a definite trend among the producers of iron oxide pigments to push the sales of the better grades of colors for tinting mortars. Due to the amount of low-grade coloring matter that is re- quired to impart a strong color to concrete (in soro cases as high as 15 per cent of pigment is necessary) the strength of the cement may be materially impaired. The addition of some 2 per cent of the higher grades of iron oxide to the concrete mix imparts a brighter and stronger colcr, does not weaken the material, and in the end is not as expensive as the low-grade pigments formerly used. Iron oxide pigments occur in nature in various shades and colors, but the red pigments are the most important and account for the larger part of the total red pigments used.3/ The nomenclature of these red pigments is involved and the names given to them are descriptive of the shade rather than of origin, method of produc- tion or chemical composition. In most cases the red pigments under this class may occur naturally or may be produced by heating hydrous iron oxide pigments such as yellow ocher to a sufficiently high temperature to drive off the water of composition. They may also be prepared by fortifying naturally-occurring pigments with stronger natural or synthetic oxides or with coal-tar dyes (e.g. alizarine lake), Most of the mineral reds derive their color from the presence of ferric oxide (Fe2O3), the mineral hematite. This may be present in relatively small percentages, as in the red slates and shales, or it may constitute as much as 90 per cent or more of the material, as in Spanish red. The principal iron oxide pigments used in the manufacture of paint are discussed in the following pages.

May 1, 1932

By H. Ehnes

"“Industry 4.0” – “Mining 4.0” - perhaps you have already heard of these terms? These keywords signify the next stage of industrial production. The internet and production technologies are growing closer together. Machines can communicate with one another, wherever they may happen to be located. The “Internet of Things” is the appropriate term. But what does SAFETY 7.0 mean? It is both brand new and traditional at the same time. It also has to do with the success of companies, with efficient production. And yet there is a great deal more at stake. It has to do with our lives and our safety – the supreme commodity in this world. What exactly SAFETY 7.0 means, what the number 0 stands for and the meaning of the number 7, and what this all has to do with mining will be explained in the following article. Mining is a fascinating undertaking. Mining is indispensable for a country’s economic development, whatever that may concern: infrastructure, energy supplies or raw materials for industrial production. Mining has brought forth many technological developments and innovations that can currently be found in our daily lives. Mining is impressive, grandiose and repeatedly fascinates mankind with its immense dimensions. Miners throughout the world still work hard and, for this reason, are bound to one another in a special way. In mining, every man looks out for the other; you have to be able to rely on each other. That creates a strong bond. The other side of the coin is that mining and disasters belong to normality in the media and thus also in our perception. Accidents at work and even catastrophes occur in mining, quarries, or raw material operations almost on a daily basis somewhere in the world. They are often associated with extremely serious injuries, or even a fatal outcome, for the miners affected and, in turn, dramatic consequences for the families of those involved. It could be in China, India, Russia, or somewhere in Africa, Asia or America – it mostly does not happen in front of our door or in our neighbour- hood. Perhaps because of this in the daily concert of negative headlines, we do not register these catastrophes any more in our minds. We write them off under the heading “Nothing special”, since there are, day in day out, more terrible news items about wars, civil wars, famines, or ecological disasters. Things only really change if there is a dramatic number of deaths or when we are personally affected, close by in the vicinity, or can witness the rescue action live. In Europe, these three mining disasters in particular have recently generated media resonance:"

Jan 1, 2016

By AIME AIME

WTHIN the next month all members of the Institute will be given an opportunity to vote for a new President, two Vice-Presidents, and five Directors. All of the candidates nominated by the official committee are well known to certain groups of the Institute membership but a brief record of their professional lives will be given here for the information of those that will vote. Not since 1927, when Everette DeGolyer guided the destinies of the Institute, has a member of the Petroleum Division been a candidate for President. John Meston Lovejoy has been a Director since 1930, and a Vice-President as well for the last year: In the three years 1932-4 lie was also chairman of the Admissions Committee. Dir. Lovejoy graduated from the Columbia School of Mines in 1911, just before lie was 22 years old, and began his professional career as a copper miner at Chuquicamata. Chile. Silver and gold mining later claimed his % attention, and it was not until 1914 that lie gut into the oil business, as geologist for the Standard Oil Co. of N. Y. This took hint to China and he later worked for the company in Wyoming. In 1917 lie joined the Army where lie rose to be captain of Field Artillery. Upon his return to the United States he went to work for the Amerada Petroleum Co., of which he later became vice-president and general manager, with headquarters in Tulsa. Since coining to New York he has been president of the Petroleum Bond & Share Cu.. and is currently president of the Seaboard Oil Co.

Jan 1, 1935