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The new law on Environmental Protection and Management (Republic of Indonesia Law 32 of 2009) was passed by the Indonesian parliament in September 2009. This law aims to protect Indonesia's rapidly degrading environment by providing tougher provisions for both polluters and law enforcers. In doing so, the law introduces a number of new constraints and potential business risks that will affect all companies in Indonesia, particularly mining companies. Some of the newly introduced concepts follow.   Mining companies will now require an environmental license, issued by the Minister of Environment or local counterparts. This license is a prerequisite for all other business and operational permits. The Minister can revoke the environmental license at any time in case of an environmental incident or dispute. Mining companies may be exposed to additional environmental taxes and bonds besides already existing reclamation and mine closure bonds.   There is an increased risk of environmental lawsuits, due to more stringent controls on one side and greater protection for NGOs on the other side who make claims, false or true, against the company. Company executives and managers can be sued and they will be held accountable if environmental degradation has indeed occurred due to the company's activities.   Companies may face increased liabilities due to a change in the definition of contamination. The new definition is more stringent (and on occasion may prove too stringent to be practical); it also provides little room for flexibility in its application.   As implementing regulations are prepared over the coming two to three years, mining companies will need to adjust to the new law. A proactive approach is needed to minimise risk. Recommended actions include: upgrading existing environmental impact assessments to a higher standard; conducting baseline studies and thoroughly documenting environmental conditions on a regular basis; closely tracking regulatory changes, especially the forthcoming implementing regulations on the new environmental law; and regularly engaging key government and community stakeholders on environmental issues.

Jun 1, 2010

A consideration of mining ventures and the changes of an environmental nature that occur. The paper is introduced with a general statement claiming recognition that mining ventures are important to human well-being but that these need to be justified against the environmental changes that they bring about. The various factors that need to be considered are cited followed by an historical review of mining activities. The various environmental issues are discussed under three headings; socio-economic, physical and biological, prior to reviewing the world's demand for minerals including fossil fuels. In conclusion guidelines for appraising mining ventures relative to environmental changes that may occur, are given.

Jan 1, 1981

By B M. H Sharp, R P. Hide, S P. Devine

Uncertainty and debate currently pervade the mining industry in New Zealand. The operational uncertainties, whether external (eg gold prices, the exchange rate), or internal (eg coal expansion difficulties), are large. In addition, many wider factors which influence mining are in a state of flux. State Coal Mines, the operating branch of the Mines Division of the Ministry of Energy I may be made a state corporation, with the remaining Mines Division functions being revamped. The agencies administering environmental legislation are to be restructured. Mining legislation amendments have been proposed and then dropped, and the area is now to be reviewed (The Press, 31 July 1985). Some mining licences have been withdrawn, and become the subject of heated debate in the community (The Press, 19 July 1985, and subsequent letters to the editor).

Jan 1, 1985

The Myra Falls minesite, of Westmin Resources Limited, is located at the geographic centre of Vancouver Island, within the confines of Strathcona Provincial Park. The operation includes two active underground mines, II-W and Lynx, together with a modem 3650 1/d milling facility. Recent exploration successes will lead to the commissioning of a third mining area in late-1993 - The Battle/Gap Mine. These ore deposits are complexly metal-zoned volcanogenic massive sulphides of Devonian age, hosted in the Myra Formation of the Sicker Group volcanic assemblage. Three distinct felsic volcanic units are defined within the 450 metre thick Myra Formation. They are, from oldest to youngest, the H-W Horizon, the LMP Horizon and the Upper Rhyolite Unit. Massive sulphide mineralisation occurs throughout the property in the H-W and LMP Horizons. There are a number of orebody types, including polymetallic massive sulphides, polymetallic disseminated sulphides, zoned pyritic massive sulphides, elastic sulphide zones and stringer sulphide zones. Individual orebodies range in size from 10 000 tonne zinc-rich polymetallic lenses to the ten million tonne, zoned massive sulphide H-W main lens. The property has been in continuous operation for 26 years, producing over 13 Mt of ore averaging 2.2 g/t Au, 64.0 g/t Ag, 1.9 per cent Cu, 0.6 per cent Pb, and 5.6 per cent Zn. Current geological reserves stand at 12.5 Mt at a comparable grade, including 4 Mt of recently discovered high grade ore in the Battle and Gap Zones. Mining and milling methods have evolved over time to enable successful extraction and milling of these complex ores. Change is on-going with the recent conversion of the H-W Mine to large-scale bulk mining methods, and the development of effective computerised ore reserve calculation and mine planning tools. These changes, in concert with successful exploration techniques that led to recent high grade ore discoveries, have breathed new life into the operation and should assure its present and future viability.

Jan 1, 1993

This paper highlights the agricultural sector's primary concerns with mining in New Zealand: the information gap, land rehabilitation and compensation. It suggests how these issues can be resolved between the competing land uses in the interests of New Zealand.

Jan 1, 1981

Last September, when I was asked to prepare this paper, I was told the subject was "mining," a broad subject indeed! Rather than choose one of the many important technical and economic details which characterize mining today, I turned to a subject which fas- cinates me: mining's image. If we are to survive and prosper into the twenty-first century, and if industry and society are to continue enjoying the material benefits which flow from mining, we must address the melancholy fact that the general public at best does not understand mining, and at worst does not believe it is needed or deserves to continue. While my point of view is largely that of an American mining executive, I would hasten to point out that Homestake has participated in Australian mining for over three decades, and our subsidiary, Homestake Gold of Australia Limited, is now a major producer in this "lucky country." Does society need a viable minerals and metals industry? The answer is obviously "yes," so the challenge is to change some minds: not just those of the amorphous "public," but on a focussed basis targeting journalists, educators, TV commentators, politicians and opinion makers of all stripes (I thought of using "rifle shot" instead of focussed but thought that might be misconstrued). Along the way we miners must also look deeply into ourselves, our attitudes towards the society in which we function, and our willing- ness to change as well as to seek change in others. How did we become such bad guys? More than a century ago mining was not just accepted, it was even romanticised. In America, we had altered the time-honored concept of "Crown" lands into public lands made easily available to settlers pushing back the frontier. Miners even preceded the farmers and stockmen in what was perceived as nation-building, although by the 1890s there was a growing interest in conservation, especially the protection and management of forests and national parks. Even though emphasis was shifting toward government stewardship and away from trans- fer of public lands to private ownership, homesteading and mining were clearly recognised as valid uses requiring not just access, but security of tenure. Indeed, conservation as it was then understood implied management of the public domain as well as its protection. Initially this was no great problem to the U.S. mining industry, but as the nation grew and competing land uses became more important, conflicts began to appear, first over water rights and later over air quality and destructive mining practices. But these were local disputes rather than national issues, and two World Wars, the Great Depression and post-war reconstruction lulled our industry into thinking that nothing had really changed. After the storm began to break in the 1960s, the mining industry found itself confronted by a growing maze of complex and costly laws and regulations. It took us longer than it should have to realise that, in facing this challenge, we seemed to have lost the understanding and support of many of our legislators and a majority of the general public. For over 20 years now, since the first Earth Day in 1970, the U.S. Mining

Jan 1, 1991

By Real F, Carvalho P

During the development of the Neves-Corvo Underground Copper Mine, since 1981, inflow of water has been encountered in the mine workings, which consist of a ramp from surface 5 km long, a shaft 575 m deep and access crosscuts through the massive sulphide orebodies of Neves, Corvo and Graga, which are three of the four known deposits up today. Mine-hydrological studies have established the main characteristics of the hydrological system and its evolution in space and time. In a geological setting of low permeability rocks of Paleozoic age, tectonically affected by thrusts and faults, this has involved consideration of the relation with surface and ground water as a result of mine dewatering processes. The hydrological systems are described and summarized in this paper together with the techniques employed to study their origin and evolution, namely hydrochemistry, thermometry, piezometry and isotopic tracers.

Jan 1, 1988

By H Mischo, M Ferber, M Donner, B Jung, S Grehl, A Dietze

Mobile robots have been making impressive inroads in a variety of domains. Within the Mining-RoX project, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg is exploring a further frontier for mobile and autonomous robots: underground mines. The potential benefits of mobile robots in underground mining are plentiful as underground mines are strenuous and potentially dangerous working environments for humans. A higher degree of automation, with robots either acting as helpers for human miners or even replacing all human personnel deployed underground, could help to significantly reduce mining costs. In disaster cases, rescue robots could help to find missing personnel. Unmanned mines operated by robots alone would not endanger human lives at all. Further use cases, and a particular focus of the Mining-RoX project, are mobile robots that gather sensory information of the underground mine (eg for the purpose of creating detailed 2D and 3D maps) as well as monitoring environmental conditions such as air and water quality. This paper presents the design of a prototypical mobile robot for mapping and monitoring underground mines. A generic robotic platform was extended with various 2D and 3D imaging devices as well as other sensors. First results from test runs in an underground mine are reported. Maps of two sections of the mine enhanced with localised sensor measurements were successfully created.CITATION:Grehl, S, Donner, M, Ferber, M, Dietze, A, Mischo, H and Jung, B, 2015. Mining-RoX – mobile robots in underground mining, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 57–64 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015

By J Fraser, M Scoble

Within the past decade, incidents of mining–community conflicts have grown dramatically and represent one aspect of a phenomenon known as social risk. Research published in 2014 indicates that a lack of social acceptance is now a leading and costly cause of delays for mining projects.The rise of social risk, complemented by the need to earn the trust of an increasing number of stakeholders so that mining projects can be developed effectively, is problematic for the industry. Conflicts are occurring in situations where companies are fully compliant with regulatory and legal requirements, despite initiatives by mining companies to earn social acceptance and despite the proliferation of tools to support corporate social responsibility. Intensifying the impact of social risk is the fact that it has increased during a time in the global mining sector when companies have had to grapple with declining commodity prices, increasing capital costs and debt levels and the challenges of mining lower-grade deposits.This paper will explore a hypothesis that in today’s interconnected society, social risk in the mining sector constitutes a legitimate business risk that must be managed strategically. The reality facing mining companies is that information, once considered confidential, now travels quickly on social networks and via a growing number of groups and individuals that have earned a legitimate right to be classified as stakeholders in projects that affect their communities. To be successful, it is suggested that companies will benefit from increasing internal collaboration and providing training to equip teams to mitigate social risk to mining projects and protect reputation capital. The paper is based upon PhD research being undertaken to assess the points of intersection between social risk and social responsibility during the construction stage of greenfield mining projects.CITATION:Fraser, J and Scoble, M, 2015. Mining–community conflicts – can the future mining sector transform social responsibility?, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 159–168 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015

The Honourable Neil Pickard has been in Parliament for something like sixteen years. He was Minister for Education in 1976, served as Shadow Minister in a number of portfolio areas while his party was in opposition, and since their return to power in 1988, he has been the Minister for Minerals and Energy. Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you to welcome the Minister, the Honourable Neil Pickard.

Jan 1, 1989

By W L. Jennings

This paper summarises work undertaken to date as part of an investigation into the mineral resources of the proposedNorth West South Island National Park. The area covered by the proposed national park is underlain by many rock types that have undergone a long and complex history of evolution which has endowed it with some of the best potential for a wide range of different minerals in New Zealand. Many of these minerals occur only in this area or in Fiordland National Park.   The first gold-rush in the area occurred in 1856 and followed the discovery of payable gold at Lightbands Gully, south of Collingwood. The miners first focused on the alluvial deposits but soon shifted attention to lode potential. The total historical gold production for the area may be over 400 000 oz (NZ$250 - NZ$295.6 M at 1993 prices).   In addition to gold, a wide range of other minerals have been reported from the area including molybdenum, copper, nickel, zinc, silver, bismuth, stibnite, lead and antimony. The Onekaka iron-ore deposits have produced small tonnages of ochre and iron-ore at various times. Tungsten, platinoids and other metals have been. given only minor attention. The diverse geology of the Northwest Nelson has resulted in the occurrence of many industrial minerals which have been exploited in generally small-scale operations. Aggregate, chrysotile asbestos, clay, dolomite, marble, limestone, dimension stone, rip-rap, talc-magnesite and wollastonite have all been produced.

Jan 1, 1993

Studies of the minor element content of sphalerite and pyrite have generally been concerned with individual deposits or localised groups of deposits. However, a small number of more regional investigations have been reported (e.g. Davidson, 1962; Groves and Loftus-Hills, 1968; Loftus-Hills and Solomon, 1967; Price, 1972; Bralia et al., 1979) which have used the minor element abundances to evaluate the petrogenesis and geological affinities of diverse ore types and to fingerprint metallogenic provinces (e.g. Ivanov, 1964). While generally held to be valid, some doubts have nevertheless been cast on the reliability of minor element abundances in petrogenetic deliberations (e.g. Mercer, This paper reports on the distribution of he. Cpl and Mn in sphalerite, and Co, Ni and Mn in pyrite, from sulphide mineral occurrences within the "eugeosynclinal" prism comprising the New England Region of north-eastern New South Wales and south- eastern Queensland (Fig. 1). The occurrences examined are representative of two well-defined styles of mineralisation (Stanton et al., 1974) within which clear patterns of ore-rock distribution give rise to specific metal associations (Herbert. 1977).

Jan 1, 1987

The occurrence of molybdenite in a small shaft in the western margin of the Wuuluman Granite in central western New South Wales is noted. Full petrographic and mineragraphic descriptions are given of a mineralized contact zone between the granite and a basic hornfels.Mineralogical data .indicate a similarity between this mineral occurrence and other occurrences in larger mines remote from the granite.

Jan 1, 1968

The Broken Hill (BH) Block contains a wide variety of mineralization, with comrodities including Pb, Ag, Zn, W, Cu, Co and Sn. Much of the mineralization is stratigraphically controlled. Fe, Cu and Co-rich mineralization is dcminant in the Thackaringa Group; Pb, Ag, Zn and W is dcminant in the BH Group and Sn mineralization is present above the BH Group. Some mineralization occurs as concordant syngenetic deposits, but other types have been partly or completely remobilized by metamorphism, magmatic activity or hydrothermal fluids. Almost all of the non-syngenetic mineralization, including stratabound, vein and intrusive-related types, has formed from the "recycling" (remobilization and redeposition) of metals originally deposited with the sediments and volcanics of the Willyama Supergroup.

Jan 1, 1983

By C Switzer, R Logan, S Konopa, P Stoker, R Lewis

"An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. The Misima gold mine, located on Misima Island within the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea, was operated by Misima Mines Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Placer Dome Asia Pacific Limited (Placer), between 1988 and 2004. During this period, the mine produced 3.7 Moz of gold and 22.2 Moz of silver. In June 2012, the Special Mining Lease for the property was surrendered and incorporated into an Exploration Licence (EL). WCB Resources Ltd (WCB) entered into an exploration farm-in agreement with Pan Pacific Copper covering this EL.In June 2013, WCB published a new mineral resource of the Umuna deposit at Misima. All the drill hole data used for estimation was historical data collected by the previous owners of the Misima mine between 1977 and 2001. No new drilling was carried out by WCB. Confidence that the data could be relied on was provided by detailed interrogation of the existing data, reconciliation of the new resource model against production data and significant input from individuals who had previously been involved with the data collection, resource estimation and production activities of the Misima mine during its operation.This extended abstract will consider the challenges associated with locating, retrieving and validating historical data to use as inputs to produce an updated Mineral Resource estimate and comment on the material value of appropriate data storage, documentation and record keeping through the life of a project. It will also comment on the value of WCB obtaining access to the intellectual knowledge of many professionals that were former employees of Placer. This knowledge ensured that all the historical data that should have been available was sought out and accessed.CITATION:Konopa, S, Lewis, R, Logan, R, Switzer, C and Stoker, P, 2015. Misima gold mine – a case study in the use of historical data for an updated mineral resource estimate, in Proceedings PACRIM 2015 Congress, pp 579–586 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Mar 18, 2015

Milling operations at Misima Mine are discussed, with specific reference to the application of energy and cost saving concepts. Design stage innovations and post-commissioning developments are covered. General operational problems are described with specific reference to problems associated with operating in a remote location.

Jan 1, 1994

By H-S Yang, H Park, S-J Kim, Y-H Ko, H-S Kim, S-H Cho, J-K Kim

An investigation was undertaken to devise a new method for reducing dust spread during blasting demolition utilising water tube and detonating cord. Modelling of smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with AUTODYN software was initially completed to determine the expected diffusing behaviour of the water tube. The actual behaviour was then captured with high speed videos during each experiment, and each result analysed in detail. Water mist diffusion was generated and analysed by changing three key variables. In sequence, these included changing the location of detonating cord in the tube, the charge quantity and the tube diameter.As a result of experiments and simulation, optimum design for ideal diffusion behaviour was suggested and each behaviour of water mist was classified by diffusing shape of water tube as the design criteria.CITATION:Ko, Y-H, Kim, J-K, Kim, S-J, Park, H, Kim, H-S, Cho, S-H and Yang, H-S, 2015. Mist diffusion experiment and evaluation of water tube for blasting demolition dust control, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 809–814 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015

By R Rodriguez, S Gumo

The Lihir Gold Mine, in Papua New Guinea, is a large open pit operation within an active geothermal system inside a collapsed volcanic crater. This unique setting has a big impact on the mine operation because of the occurrence of geothermal hazards. The system for managing geothermal hazards that has been developed by Lihir Gold Mine is a pioneering effort that can be applied to future mine discoveries in a similar environment. The controls are integral to the mining operations and allow mining to proceed whereas without them mining could not be considered. Truck and shovel productivities in conventional open pit operations are constrained by diggability, equipment availabilities and utilisation. At Lihir, additional constraints are in the form of 100 m exclusion zones around working shovels and 50 m exclusion zones around working drills. Given that the mine has seven large digging units and six drills, this amounts to a lot of area that excludes the presence of people on the ground. So how are the necessary work like grade control, survey, blasthole loading, and in-pit maintenance performed safely to achieve production targets? The answer is in the highly specialised procedures that have been developed that utilise geological, geothermal and geotechnical knowledge to predict problem areas and also deal with the organisation of movement in the pit for people and mining equipment. This paper will detail how scheduled material movement can be maintained despite the challenging conditions faced at Lihir Gold Mine.

Jan 1, 2007

By R Wei, Y Peng

With the depletion of high-quality ores, the efficiency of extracting difficult gold ores through flotation and leaching becomes very important in the mining industry. Iron contaminants, sulfide and carbonaceous coatings on the surface of gold and gold bearing minerals significantly hinder the recovery of gold during gold processing. As the surface of gold minerals is easily contaminated, coatings of iron oxides and iron hydroxides originated from the grinding process and oxidation of iron sulfides will cause a retarding effect on both gold flotation and leaching.To mitigate the processing issues caused by undesirable surface coatings on gold minerals, a new technology in treating surface coatings of iron contaminants has been developed. The pulp potential and pH of the slurry are altered to allow dissolution of surface coatings which are further excluded by the use of complexing reagents. The current work shows that iron contaminants can be removed from the surfaces of gold through Eh-pH adjustment and chelation which result in significantly improved gold flotation response. The addition of complexants aids the formation of iron chelates to prevent the iron species in the solution from forming iron oxide and iron hydroxide in the flotation conditions.CITATION:Wei, R and Peng, Y, 2014. Mitigating the effect of surface coatings on gold processing, in Proceedings 12th AusIMM Mill Operators’ Conference 2014 , pp 187–192 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 1, 2014

By S S. Kanchibotla, E J. Sellers, L Julian, A Musunuri

Fume events in coalmines are typically associated with wet conditions, soft ground and deep holes. An ACARP research project used laboratory and field testing combined with literature reviews, numerical models and field investigations to characterise the influence of these conditions on the propensity for fume. This paper highlights the results for soft ground and wet conditions and proposes a proactive fume mitigation methodology. A simple numerical model is used to show how fume arises in soft rock that yields more under the loading of high-pressure, water-resistant explosive blends than for ANFO. The blends cool more rapidly after detonation into the lower temperature zone favourable for NO2 production. Low-pressure, high detonation temperature explosives are loaded or charged into soft ground. Water resistance must be considered because soft, faulted and fractured ground can lead to fume from degradation by water flow and non-ideal detonation of product in cracks.A suite of tests were developed to quantify ANFO and emulsion blend performance over time that can be carried out in a mobile laboratory on-site. Index tests such as viscosity measurement and water resistance in beakers are proposed to quantify long-term product performance because small components, such as surfactant, prill impurities and prill fines, contribute to inconsistent product performance. Water ingress experiments and detonation tests aligned with field investigations identified and characterised the role of groundwater in damaging ANFO and causing fume.Fume risk management is achieved using a proposed proactive fume mitigation methodology to characterise influences such as seasonal rain variation, groundwater flow hydrogeology, rock mass strength and structure well ahead of blast design. The design of blasts and selection of explosive products to consider expected conditions will reduce fume, improve efficiency in the mine and offer cost advantages.CITATION:Julian, L, Musunuri, A, Sellers, E J and Kanchibotla, S S, 2015. Mitigation of post-blast fume in soft ground and wet conditions, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 511–518 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015