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By O. D. Maurice

"This paper will essentially update the information that is already known and published on the limestones of the Province of Quebec. The excellent report by M. F. Goudge (1935)m is difficult to improve upon and the areas of limestone quarrying are generally the same as they were at the time of Goudge's report. Our knowledge of the limestones of Quebec has been improved considerably in recent years by the publications of T. H. Clark, 2 who, since 1938, has been mapping and reporting on these lime-stones and has discussed their stratigraphy, their structural features, their history and their economic value. One economic aspect is the presence of natural gas in these formations and the possible occurrence of oil. A total of 150 test holes had been drilled to a depth of more than 500 feet by the end of 1967 and, in addition, at least 256 more shallow holes had been put down in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. The information from these test holes has greatly improved our knowledge of the thickness and extent. of the various formations of Paleozoic limestone and shale in Quebec.This paper will then review briefly the limestone occurrences in Quebec, using the old as well as the more recent reports as principal references"

Jan 1, 1970

By Jeffrey S. Loen

"Abstract - The size, morphology, surface texture, per cent mineral inclusions, and bulk chemistry (Ag and trace elements) of placer gold particles vary systematically according to transport distance from source rocks, as indicated by a case study from the Pioneer district in Montana, and data from the literature.Placer gold samples show a rapid decrease in mean and maximum particle length, and a gradual increase in flatness index (F.I. = length + breadth/2 X thickness) from about F.I. = 2 in bedrock deposits, to as much as F.I. = 45 over transport distances of several tens of kilometers. Primary mineral inclusions (mainly quartz, sulfide minerals, and iron oxides) are mostly lost within 10 km to 20 km of fluvial transport; this loss of quartz and trace metals causes a major change in bulk chemistry of placer gold samples. Following the loss of inclusions and the development of flakes, edges of flakes are folded and the mean number of folded edges in a sample increases with distance. When viewed under the electron microscope, surface textures of placer gold particles also become progressively more pitted with distance.Analysis of placer gold particles can be used to help evaluate placer source-area problems (placers with no known hard-rock gold deposits). For example, coarse placer gold containing abundant inclusions indicates a proximal source. On the other hand, an abundance of thin flakes is evidence of a long transport distance and possible reworking from older gravels. Placer gold characteristics can therefore provide information on distance to mineralized source rocks."

Jan 1, 1995

By Joo Hyun Park, Hyun-Sik Park

"Gold is one of the most valuable and precious metals. But, the extraction efficiency of gold from natural resources is very low and labor-intensive due to very low concentration of gold, i.e.,1–5 ppm, which means that gold extraction processes produce extensive amounts of tailings. The gold content in printed circuit boards (PCB) from waste mobile phones is about 100 to 400 ppm, which is enormously greater than the concentration found in natural ores. Consequently, processes for recycling waste PCB and gold mine tailings become of increasing importance to maintain a sustainable society. As processing these waste materials by pyrometallurgical methods has become more economically attractive, understanding the thermodynamic behavior of gold in smelting slags under oxidizing and reducing conditions has become increasingly important. Therefore, in this study, the effects of slag chemistry, oxygen potential and temperature on gold solubility in smelting slags are discussed. From the results presented, the predominant species of gold is strongly dependent on the basicity of slag. Furthermore, more basic slags showed higher solubility of gold at a given oxygen partial pressure, and more oxidizing atmospheres enhanced the dissolution of gold to the molten slag phase. As a consequence, careful control of the slag composition during pyro-processing of gold-containing waste materials is required to maximize gold recovery. INTRODUCTIONGold has good physicochemical properties. Thus, it plays an increasingly important role in industrial applications. For example, over 300 tons of gold are used annually in electronic components (Hageluken &Corti, 2010).However, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910 and gold reserves in the world are becoming rapidly depleted (Louis & Pluchery, 2012).The cost of gold production and its price in the market have increased rapidly during last 20 years as shown in Figure 1, and interest in the recycling of gold-containing materials has naturally increased.The wastes from electronic equipment (e-wastes) contain large amounts of precious metals compared to their own respective ores, and therefore such wastes may be considered as a secondary source of valuable metals. For instance, the concentration of gold in natural ore is commonly 0.5–15 g/ton-ore (0.5–15 ppm), while its concentration in electronic circuit boards is over 10 times higher, typically being about 150 ppm in expansion cards and over 10,000 ppm in central processing units(Barbieri et al., 2010).Also, gold mine tailings are discharged after the flotation process as slurry form then stored near the operating plants (approx. 100 ton per day in one Korean gold mine). Gold mine tailings contain gold at about 1–2 g/ton. This is the reason why Au-containing materials such as e-wastes and mining wastes are highly important sources of gold (Yamasue et al., 2009)."

Jan 1, 2017

By D. Neely, D. Milne, L. R. Feldman

"Resin-anchored rebar is commonly used for rock support in mining. The rock properties and environment determine the average bond strength, allowing mine engineers to select the appropriate length and installation pattern for the support. In weak material such as potash, the average bond strength tends to be lower than for a typical hard-rock installation. Determining the failure mechanism by which the support fails in soft-rock applications could lead to improved bond strength and better calculated installed support capacity. This paper reports on research conducted at a potash mine in Saskatchewan and analyzes the failure mechanism of the support.RÉSUMÉ Dans les mines, les barres d’armature enduites de résine sont fréquemment utilisées pour soutenir le roc. L’environnement et les propriétés du roc déterminent la résistance moyenne d’adhésion, permettant ainsi aux ingénieurs miniers de choisir la longueur de barre appropriée et le diagramme d’installation du soutien. Dans des matériaux faibles, tels que la potasse, la résistance moyenne d’adhésion tend à être plus faible que pour une installation typique dans de la roche dure. La détermination du mécanisme de rupture selon lequel le soutien fait défaillance dans des roches tendres pourrait conduire à une meilleure force d’adhésion et à un meilleur calcul du soutien installé. Le présent article fait état de la recherche effectuée dans une mine de potasse en Saskatchewan et analyse le mécanisme de défaillance du soutien. ,"

Jan 1, 2016

By Jeffrey S. Loen

"The size, morphology, surface texture, per cent mineral inclusions, and bulk chemistry (Ag and trace elements) of placer gold particles vary systematically according to transport distance from source rocks, as indicated by a case study from the Pioneer district in Montana, and data from the literature.Placer gold samples show a rapid decrease in mean and maximum particle length, and a gradual increase in flatness index (F.I. = length + breadth/2 x thickness) from about F.I. = 2 in bedrock deposits, to as much as F.I. = 45 over transport distances of several tens of kilometers. Primary mineral inclusions (mainly quartz, sulfide minerals, and iron oxides) are mostly lost within 10 km to 20 km of fluvial transport; this loss of quartz and trace metals causes a major change in bulk chemistry of placer gold samples. Following the loss of inclusions and the development of flakes, edges of flakes are folded and the mean number of folded edges in a sample increases with distance. When viewed under the electron microscope, surface textures of placer gold particles also become progressively more pitted with distance.Analysis of placer gold particles can be used to help evaluate placer source-area problems (placers with no known hard-rock gold deposits). For example, coarse placer gold containing abundant inclusions indicates a proximal source. On the other hand, an abundance of thin flakes is evidence of a long transport distance and possible reworking from older gravels. Placer gold characteristics can therefore provide information on distance to mineralized source rocks."

Jan 1, 1995

By David J. Morrison

Scarcity of truck tyres, increasing cost and decreasing availability of labour, increases in fuel costs and project budget blowouts have changed the paradigm behind mining equipment selections. The cycle of commodity changes have occurred in parallel with the increasing maturity of continuous mining machinery, mobile in-pit crushing systems and very large scale conveyor belt systems. This paper will consider the merits of operating continuous materials handling systems, mobile in pit crushing systems, relocatable crushing systems, relocatable conveyor systems and automated waste handling systems in place of the more conventional approach of truck haulage.

May 1, 2007

By M. Grenon

OBJECTIVE ?To link slope stability and financial assessment algorithms into a commercially available mine design software packages to provide integrated global pit optimization.

May 1, 2013

By P. Chu, J. A. Finch

The formation of small bubbles in flotation is usually accomplished by the use of frothers, or sometimes is due to the presence of inorganic salts in the process water. The effective mechanism associated with the presence of these solutes is generally considered to be coalescence inhibition. However, recent work has demonstrated that the presence of frothers and salts also reduces the size of bubble at the initial formation stage. In this paper we adapt the same experimental setup to investigate the time that it takes for a bubble to form; for a known system power input, the energy to form a bubble can then be estimated from the time. The hypothesis is that the presence of frother and salt will reduce the time for a bubble to form, which can be interpreted as an added energy component being derived from the solute. Testing different types and concentrations of frothers and salts, the hypothesis is supported: the mechanical energy required to form a bubble decreases by about 10% in the presence of these solutes.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. S. H. Kabir, I-H. Jung, J. Su, Yue. S., M. Sanjari

One of the major problems associated with conventional wrought magnesium alloys is the unwanted basal texture that forms during plastic deformation which generally does not change markedly after post-deformation annealing. Formation of precipitates on the recrystallized grain boundaries during annealing may affect the usual rotation of grains towards preferred basal direction resulting in texture weakening. In this study, Mg-Al-Sn alloy was hot compressed at 250°C and annealed at 350°C for various times. The initial as-deformed microstructure was partially dynamic recrystallized with dynamic precipitates on the grain boundaries. After annealing at 350°C, static recrystallization of the bimodal microstructure took place where at this temperature no static precipitates formed. The goal of this work was to study the effect of dynamic precipitation on the texture evolution during the annealing process. Texture evolution was studied during annealing by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) technique through a microstructure tracking process. It was found that precipitates on the recrystallized grain boundaries have significant effect on the usual rotation of the grains towards the basal direction, meaning significant texture weakening, which is beneficial for final mechanical properties.

Jan 1, 2015

By H. Utsunomiya, J. Su, K. S. Tamimi, S. Yue, M. Sanjari, L. Kestens, A. S. Kabir, R. Petrov

The recrystallization and texture evolution of AZ31 sheets obtained through two stages was investigated at different stages of post-rolling annealing. The specimens were rolled at the temperature of 100? and at a fast speed of 1000m/min and low speed of 15m/min with a reduction of 30% in one pass. The results show thatAZ31B sheets rolled at 15 m/min and 100 °C has fractured for reductions of more than 30% per pass. However, by increasing the rolling speed to 1000 m/min the rollability was improved significantly and the material can be rolled to reductions of more than 70% per pass. The high speed and heavily deformed materials are fully recrystallized even at 100 °C.

Jan 1, 2015

By V. V. Pankov, W. R. Chen, L. R. Zhao

Diffusion nickel aluminide and overlay NiCrAlY coatings were deposited on single crystal Ni-base superalloy CMSX-4 substrate using the chemical vapour deposition and cathodic arc evaporation techniques, respectively. The NiCrAlY coating underwent a post-deposition heat treatment in an argon atmosphere at 1100°C for 2 hours. All the coated specimens were subjected to furnace cyclic oxidation testing at 1000°C up to 1500 one-hour cycles. The morphology, elemental composition and phase constituents of the oxide scales formed on the coating surface were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was observed that the diffusion aluminide coating experienced accelerated weight gain at an early stage of the test (150-400 cycles), whereas the overlay NiCrAlY coating fabricated by cathodic arc evaporation maintained steady-state weight gain throughout the entire 1500 cycle test duration. This difference in oxidation behaviour between the two types of coatings is attributed to the early development of nickel-aluminum spinel on the surface of the diffusion aluminide coating, in contrast to the stable aluminum oxide scale formed on the overlay NiCrAlY coating during cyclic oxidation testing.

Jan 1, 2015

By Nordau R. Goodman

"IntroductionTHE HISTORY of Nova Scotia's gypsum industry goes back about two hundred years. The extensive deposits found in the Windsor formation, which is Lower Carboniferous, were the first discovered in North America and were known to the earliest .settlers. There has been a steady increase in production from these beds, except for minor setbacks in years of wars and depressions, but at the same time there has been a decrease in the number of operating quarries. This decrease reflects the change from the days of horse-and-cart recovery to the modern, large-scale, highly mechanized operations. In the beginning, almost any outcrop could •supply the tonnage requirements and the most •convenient were selected, but the millions of tons needed to meet present-day needs are not easily found.Despite the size and importance of the Nova Scotian deposits there has been little detailed geological work. Sir Charles Lyell, in 1843 ( 10), established that the beds are Lower Carboniferous and this was confirmed by Sir William Dawson (3) a .few years later. Both Lyell and Dawson agreed the calcium sulphate beds were an original part of a bedded series .but did not consider they resulted from a concentration of sea water. Lyell reached the conclusion that the gypsum was related to volcanic action in the form of heated vapours or hot springs. Dawson believed it was formed by the action •of sulphuric acid on calcium carbonate. The acid, derived from the oxidation •of iron pyrites which was abundant in the older formations, was carried by rivers into basins which were rich in shells."

Jan 1, 1954

By P. E. Fox, R. S. Cameron

"The QR gold deposit lies in the Cariboo plateau region of central British Columbia. The deposit was discovered in 1977 and since then a mineable reserve of 1.3 million tonnes grading 4.7 g/t Au has' been outlined in three separate zones. Soil sampling of glacial tills followed by diamond drilling of favourable host rocks proved to be key exploration techniques.The deposit is situated in the southern Quesnel terrane along the eastern fringe of the Intermontane Belt which here comprises a sequence of basic and intermediate volcanics and a series of stocks of alkaline affinity; generally diorite, monzonite and syenite. Hornfels and epidote-rich ferromagnesian exoskarn and sulphide-rich mantos have developed in a metamorphic aureole formed around a central diorite stock. Gold-rich zones lie along the outer periphery of the aureole where bodies of gold-bearing epidote-rich skarn and auriferous mantos rich in epidote and pyrite have formed in beds of calcareous tuffite lying at the top of a thick basaltic sequence. The deposit is regarded as' a subclass of gold skarn deposits. Diagnostic features are its association with alkalic intrusive rocks in a subvolcanic setting and the presence of oxidized, epidote-rich mineral assemblages.IntroductionThe QR gold deposit lies within the Cariboo plateau region of central British Columbia, 58 km southeast of Quesnel. The deposit, owned by Kinross Gold, was discovered during a regional reconnaissance program by Dome Exploration (Canada) Limited and Newconex Canadian Exploration in 1977. Considerable exploration and development has been done since that time. Mineable reserves of 1.3 million tonnes grading 4.7 g/t Au have been outlined to date in three zones."

Jan 1, 1995

By J. C. Ingram

IT SEEMS particularly appropriate that, in celebrating its Diamond Anniversary, the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metalturgy chose our Province of British Columbia as its locale in this, our own Centennial year. I am sure your organization is justifiably proud of its achievements and growth over the period of its sixty years, and we, for our part, are justifiably proud of our growth over our first one hundred years. With your kind indulgence I pro-pose to talk to you today about our industrial growth, or, to put it an-other way, to highlight, historically, our progress in industrial development over the past one hundred years, and to take the liberty of speculating on what we may reasonably look forward to over the next few years. I am sure, Mr. Chairman, that some may have questioned the appropriateness of a talk on the industrial development of British Columbia to the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. However, strangely enough, we in British Columbia owe our origin, constitution-ally and industrially, to the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1958

By Tony Szwilski

Using Unity 3D as a collaborative multi-user virtual on-line environment, an interactive virtual underground mine platform (IVUMP) is being developed to provide on-line access to mine safety preparedness training with a focus on mine emergency response exercises (MEREs). Communication and information flow among MERE participants and their actions can be monitored, recorded and evaluated. A mine ventilation simulation utility VFIRE is being incorporated to enhance the realism and interactive nature of the ?in-world? exercises as well as extend its functionality to include training in real-time ventilation and fire control.

Aug 1, 2013

By Ian Orford, Ken L. Boyd

"Can the ever-increasing tonnages of ore and waste being mined today be accommodated simply by using bigger and better crushers? This paper updates the principal author’s earlier publication, “Crushing Plant Design and Layout Considerations” (SME Mineral Processing Plant Design, Practise, and Control, 2002). It reviews the latest primary crushing and large cone crusher designs. Its goal is to help consultants and operators select the optimal equipment and custom-designed items in the material handling flowsheet from the mine to the mill, maximizing operating hours per year.INTRODUCTIONAre larger crushers the answer to meeting the demands of existing or new mining projects for increased tonnage? The principal author’s previous paper in the year 2002 on ""Crushing Plant Design and Layout Considerations"" provided a detailed design and layout review for the design of primary and fine crushing (Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary) mineral processing facilities. Some of the conclusions in this previous paper had predicted that larger crushers for primary and fine crushing would be beneficial and contribute to the further development of mineral processing. Larger crushers for primary and fine crushing applications are now available.The rock size reduction process, from the mine to the selected milling process facility has not changed since man first broke a rock to get at the interesting mineralization within. The rock size reduction process circuit from the mine to the mill can be summarized into four (4) stages:• Stage 1: Mining ( Rock Breakage and Fragmentation)• Stage 2: Pre-Screening (Scalping)• Stage 3: Primary Crushing• Stage 4: Fine Crushing (Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary; the crushers used in this stage are identified by the titles which usage has conferred on them)Plant throughput and ore delivery schedule will form the basis for flowsheet design and equipment selection. Once a project's design criteria and the mine plan has been established, the actual circuit's utilization percentage (percentage of hours when the circuit is being utilized) can be optimized for each of the four stages. The mining and process departments are the key stake holders in the selection of the final comminution circuit and both departments should be familiar with and contribute to the design of the circuit."

Jan 1, 2016

By B. D. Frater

Geometallurgy or process mineralogy is an integrated part of the scoping, pre-feasibility and feasibility phases of a project as well as an existing operation. A well planned and executed geometallurgical testwork programme during the early phases, will result in a more accurate decision making process during the selection phase. The better this integration between geological, mining and metallurgical data gathering during the early phases, the more accurate the predictions will be with regards to throughput and recovery during modelling and process and equipment selection in later phases. This will enhance and improve the mine and process scheduling and subsequent NPV. Geometallurgical information gathered during plant operation and testwork can for example be used to statistically model the pit optimisation, plant throughput and optimise the plant for certain feed material (characterised by statistical models).

Jan 1, 2017

By R. D. Browns

In his Budget Speech on March 31, 1 977, the Honourable Donald S. Macdonald expressed concern about the financing of investments through new equity issues. He mentioned the need to render more attractive participation in the equity market by investors in all in come brackets. One of the measures introduced in the budget to accomplish this goal is the proposal to increase the dividend gross-up and tax credit in respect of most dividends received by an individual from Canadian companies. The following comments and tables serve to illustrate the impact of this particular proposal.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. D. Lindsay

Originally the focus of Deak Resources Corporation Business Plan was to establish a method for treating small gold and possibly base metal mineral deposits located in the Kirkland Lake - Noranda area of Northeastern Ontario, Northwestern Quebec at a central treatment facility. Since the establishment of this original business plan in 1988 other processing options have availed themselves for handling the base metal ores off site at a central facility which may preclude their processing at Deak.The site selected for the Deak processing plant was Kerr Addison's Virginiatown operation. At the time this property was acquired from the Receiver following Golden Shield Resources' Bankruptcy in 1989 the mill had been processing in the order of 1, 100 SDT per calendar day through one processing module; a module originally designed to process 1,500 SDT/day of a free milling gold ore. This tonnage level however had not been achieved since 1966 when an average throughput of 1481 SDT per calendar day was recorded.In order to realize Deak's overall Business Plan it would be necessary to expand the mills processing capabilities to provide:(1) A 2200 SOT per day circuit capable of processing a free milling, medium work index gold ore;(2) a 1 ,000 SDT per day flotation and/or cyanidation circuit capable of processing refractory gold bearing materials containing refractory minerals (i.e. copper) that should be removed prior to cyanidation; and possibly(3) a 1200 to 1500 SDT/day base metal circuit capable of processing the broad range of Deaks' Base Metal Property ores. If this circuit were introduced it would be completed in two tonnage phases.Further, it was recognized when operations resumed under Deak in 1990 that the existing tailings dam was suitable for, and had sufficient capacity for additional gold tailings with necessary physical modifications and changes in disposal techniques (including the construction of containment storage cells) that would allow storage for an additional 3.4 million tons of gold ore tailings approximately 1.0 million of which has been deposited since 1990. The focus of Deak's long term tailings disposal strategy is to acquire the Barber Lake Basin which is currently adjoined to our main tailings system which will provide an additional 10 million tons of storage capacity.

Jan 1, 1993

By Jean-Marc Simard, Richard Genest

"La mine Agnico-Eagle, localisée près de Joutel, a été découverte en 1962 par le forage d'anomalies électromagnétiques. Exploitée à partir de 1974, elle a déjà produit près de 30 tonnes d’or à partir de 2 puits, le puits Eagle et le puits Telbel, distants de 1,3 km.Le gisement est situé entre le sommet du complexe volcanique de Joutel, à dominante felsique, et la base de l'ensemble sédimentaire de la rivière Harricana. Ces deux unités ont une extension régionale; elles sont orientées NW-SE avec une polarité NE et des pendages subverticaux. Une faille majeure, la faille Harricana, passe de façon subconcordante au contact de ces deux ensembles.La minéralisation aurifère, de 2 à 5 m d’épaisseur moyenne, est liée a une zone carbonatée, comprise entre des tufs felsiques, argilites et sédiments chimiques (éponte inferieure) et des argilites carbonatées (éponte supérieure). Le minerai est constitué habituellement de 20% de fine pyrite disséminée. L’or est en fines particules associées directement à ces grains de pyrite de texture cataclastique.Deux modelés ont été for mules jusqu' a présent pour expliquer la genèse du gisement: une thèse syngenetique (Barnett et a/.1982) et une thèse épigénétique (Wyman et al. 1986). Cette dernière apparalt comme la plus probable du fait de la présence de la minéralisation dans les zones cisaillées a carbonates secondaires et pyrite cataclastique."

Jan 1, 1990