A Review of Geomechanics Applied to Re-opening of the Beaconsfield Gold Mine

The Beaconsfield Gold Mine within the township of Beaconsfield in northern Tasmania has been established in recent years to exploit a known resource in the Tasmania Reef which was mined to a depth of 450 m below surface between 1877 and 1914 yielding 850 000 ounces of gold. Activity at Beaconsfield over the past 30 years has involved drilling to assess the resource and rehabilitation of the top 100 m of the Hart Shaft that had collapsed since the original closure. More recently the mine has been dewatered to the 375 m Level and work is well advanced establishing infrastructure aimed at recommencing production during 1998 - 99. This paper reviews geotechnical studies undertaken to-date and provides a brief overview of some practical methods of analysing ground conditions. It pursues simple observation and analysis as a tool for assessing mine design and ground support options without recourse to extensive monitoring and measurement and avoids the use of elaborate models before the basics are understood.