An Outline of Blast Hole Diamond Drill Stoping at Mount Isa

Introduction.Ore Bodies.Lead.Copper.Ground.Main Haulage Levels.Stope Preparation.Stoping Practice.General.Longitudinal Stopes-Ring Drilled.Parallel Hole Drilled.Transverse Stopes -Ring Drilled.Parallel Hole Drilled.Charging and Wiring.Fragmentation.Pillar Recovery.Special Applications of Blast Holes.General Drilling Data.Future Trends.Acknowledgements.INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this paper is to present a detailed account of current blast hole stoping practice at Mount Isa. Details of blast hole machines, types of diamond bits and performances are covered in B. E. Logan's paper "Diamond Drills and Bits".ORE BODIESThis brief description is limited to an outline of the salient features of the Black Star lead and copper bodies.