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By N M. Caira

The North Arm of Sulawesi hosts numerous gold and base metal occurrences. Compilation and analysis of geological, tectonic, geochemical and isotopic age date data collected over the past six years on the central part of this region have resulted in the definition of 184 prospects and mineral occurrences of various styles occurring in diverse geological settings representing varying tectonic environments and erosional levels. Mineralisation of the following styles have been recognised: porphyry Cu-Au; porphyry-related gold and base metal veins; high-sulphidation Cu-Au-As; low-sulphidation epithermal Au; hydrothermal breccias; and sediment-hosted Au mineralisation. Clusters of occurrences/prospects form mineralised districts representative of magmatic systems with characteristics determined by the tectonic environment prevailing during formation and the subsequent level of exposure by erosion. Distinctly different Miocene and Pliocene porphyry systems are now recognised whilst most of the remaining epithermal mineralisation is thought to be Pliocene or later. The central North Arm of Sulawesi is composed of a Miocene magmatic island arc that is built on an Early Tertiary basement of predominantly oceanic basaltic rocks and overprinted by a Pliocene magmatic arc. A structural fabric dominated by SSE arc-normal and ESE arc-parallel faults was established during the Miocene under a dextral wrench regime and intersections of these major fault sets are favoured sites for Miocene porphyry Cu-Au mineralisation. Strong dextral tension caused by the collision of the Sula Platform, at the close of the Miocene, led to arc-parallel rifting. Sinistral reactivation of the major Miocene structures in the Pliocene led to further rifting, and ENE-dilation. Pliocene intrusions and related mineralisation exploit these dilatant settings. Miocene porphyry Cu-Au mineralisation occurs where late-Miocene quartz diorite stocks have intruded the margins of earlier Miocene plutons of intermediate composition. Porphyry centres have associated peripheral base metal veins, and skarns. Overprinting of porphyry vein sets by epithermal veins is common. Sediment-hosted gold mineralisation occurs in calcareous sediments associated with the Miocene arc. Remnants of the Pliocene volcanic arc, comprised of dacite volcanics, intrusions and voluminous pyroclastics, dominate the south coast and host porphyry Cu-Au, high sulphidation Cu-Au-As deposits, low-sulphidation epithermal Au veins and disseminated gold mineralisation. In some prospects, mineralised sinters are preserved adjacent to vein systems and deeper mineralised stockworks. Diatremes are common and large caldera structures have been identified. Pliocene stocks and porphyry dyke swarms penetrate the main central and northern parts of the Miocene- arc introducing additional porphyry Cu-Au, base metal hydrothermal breccias and low-sulphidation gold veins. Rapid uplift and erosion has resulted in a highly variable preservation of styles of mineralisation adding further diversity within the mineralised districts and telescoping within deposits.

Jan 1, 1999

By S. T. Johansen, C. Colomb, B. Ravary

Combustion and thermal NOx formation have been modelled using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) commercial code Fluent 6.1. The aim was to predict and give a better understanding of the combustion in electric arc furnaces for the production of ferro-silicon and silicon metal. Another important objective was to assess the impact of a number of operating parameters on the NOx formation. The CFD tools used are de-scribed with a special focus on models for species and turbulence transport. Sensitivity studies have been carried out to study the influence of several parameters: sub-models, process gas composition and distribution at the charge surface and influence of the presence of SiO. The main conclusions are: ?Using the combination of a realistic design, boundary conditions and models, the simulated NOx level is in quantitative agreement with measurements. The presence of water vapor is particularly important because of its influence on the specific heat of the mixture and resulting temperature. ?Release of significant amounts of SiO from the charge surface results in an important increase of NOx, even if we applied a simplified combustion model for SiO gas. However, because of lack of thermal and compositional data for blowing situations (when SiO flows directly from the arc cavity through open channels to the charge surface), no quantitative validation is possible. The way SiO is distributed (uniformly or as a jet) has a limited impact on the result in our computations.

Jan 1, 2007

By V P. Elpatyevskaya, V S. Arzhanova

Main geochemical problems concerning the environment and mining industry interrelation are connected with the transformation of natural water chemistry by mining wastes. The investigation of many mines in Primorye, the southern part of the Russian Far East, showed that their mining waters have high concentrations of heavy metals and aluminium. Water acidity is primarily connected with the amount of acid-forming sulphide minerals in ores and also depends on the neutralising capacity of rocks. Considerable quantity of metals occur in the waters in dissolved form. Metal concentrations in mining waters exceeds the natural levels by two to five orders of magnitude and can't be reduced to the background levels even after multiple dilution. It is necessary to develop and put into practice new technologies so that to reduce the geochemical impact upon the environment.

Jan 1, 1995

By Chris Breeds, Ken Johnston, Omar Fulton

This paper describes the process typically involved with obtaining permits for quarry blasting in urban, suburban, and rural areas, including: content of SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) driven documentation; regulatory review and comment; public interaction; public hearing(s); periodic regulatory review(s); negotiated solutions; monitoring; and the role of public interaction, demonstration(s), and education in the process. Case studies will be presented of projects undertaken in the State of Washington that illustrate the approach and regulatory interaction as well as the importance of public interaction throughout the process. Reference will be made to the role of national and state regulations and local codes and ordinances that provide additional limitations on blasting practice. The paper will also present regional blast monitoring data that are used in the permitting process and the layout and design of blast monitoring systems typically required as conditions of the quarrying permit. Our presentation will include tools, which we have developed to assist with explaining blast related phenomenon to both regulators and the public.

Jan 1, 2003

By M. Hesham El Naggar, Osama F. E. Drbe

"Abstract: The use of micropiles has greatly increased the last twenty years, including applications involving low capacity micropile networks, seismic retrofitting, underpinning of existing foundations and high capacity foundations for new structures. This paper presents a field study of the behaviour of single hollow core micropiles in firm to stiff lean clay. Eight micropiles were installed using hollow bars (76 mm OD and 48 mm ID) with air/water flushing technique and advanced to a depth of 5.75m: six micropiles were installed using 228 mm (9 in) drill bit and two micropiles were installed using 178 mm (7 in) drill bit. All micropiles were instrumented with linear potentiometers to measure the vertical displacement of the micropile head and vibrating wire strain gauges to measure the axial strain at three points along the micropile length. Twelve full scale tests were conducted on the eight micropiles, four monotonic compression, four cyclic compression and four tension tests. Only the results of micropiles tested under monotonic compression is presented in this paper. The full scale load tests and a comparison of the performance of the micropiles with 228 mm and 178 mm drill bit are presented and discussed in terms of load-displacement curves, bond strength and tip resistance. The results showed that the proposed values of bond strength in FHWA give a conservative design of the hollow core micropiles. The micropiles constructed with 228 mm drill bit performed marginallybetter than the micropile with 178 mm drill bit in terms of the ultimate capacity.IntroductionMicropiles have been defined in a variety of ways, but can universally be classified as small diameter (less than 300mm), bored, and grouted in place piles (FHWA, 2005; Bruce et al., 1999; and Scherer et al., 1996). They can sustain axial (compression and tension) and/or lateral loads. Dr. Fernando Lizzi used micropiles in 1952 for underpinning of historic buildings damaged during World War II (Bruce D. A., 1988). Since then, micropile applications have expanded rapidly to include underpinning for existing foundations, in situ reinforcement, and seismic retrofitting and foundations for new construction. In particular, micropiles have graduated from use in low-capacity micropile networks toapplications as single high-capacity foundation.Micropiles capacity is affected by the construction technique, which involves drilling, placing reinforcement, and placing or pressurizing the grout. For example, the drilling method influences the degree of bonding between the grout and the ground, and the placement of reinforcement and the choice of grouting method have an impact on the development of the bonding. Bruce et al. (1997) showed that grout/ground bond is most affected by the grouting method. Based on the type of pressure applied during the grouting process, micropiles are classified as follows (FHWA, 2005): Type A: grout is placed under gravity pressure only using either sand-cement mortars or neat cement grout. Type B: pressures typically in the range of 0.5 MPa to 1 MPa are applied in order to inject the neat cement grout into the drilled hole while the temporary drill casing is withdrawn. Type C: involves two-step process; neat cement grout is first placed in the hole under gravity pressure head only as in type A, and prior to the hardening of this primary grout, a similar grout is then injected via a preplaced sleeved grout pipe at a pressure of at least 1 MPa. Type D: like type C, this type is a twostep process: neat cement grout is placed in the hole under gravity pressure head only (but pressure could be applied in some cases), additional grout is injected via a sleeved grout pipe at a pressure of 2 MPa to 8 MPa once the primary grout has hardened. In some cases, a packer is used inside the sleeved pipe, enabling specific horizons to be treated. Recently, Type E micropile is proposed, which involves"

Jan 1, 2014

Commercially interesting deposits of zeolite rich tuffs and amorphous silica have been discovered recently in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), North Island, New Zealand. This paper reviews them and comments on the potential for further discoveries. Potential markets for these unusual industrial minerals are discussed.

Jan 1, 1997

In gold ores, the range of value disclosed by ordinary mine sampling is very wide, and the number of 'samples required for a reliable average is correspondingly great. Even where a large number of samples is available the weighted mean value of the samplesalmost invariably exceeds the true gold content. In operating mines this disparity is overcome by arbitrary reduction of high assays until reconciliation is achieved, but it is frequently necessary, especIallyin exploration, to base an estimate or to reach a decision on a relatively small number of samples from underground openings or even on a few drill hole intersections. In these circumstances, a decisive influence may be exercised by the weight allowed to high assays and to low grade intersections, both of which events are, of course, dependent on the metal distribution in the ore. Where sufficient data are available, statistical analysis will measure the risk involved, but as this information is seldom to be had, the final choice becomes largely a matter of personal judgment.With this problem in mind, a study was made some years ago of the distribution of values in four Western Australian gold ores, with the primary purpose of learning from actual ore-bodies of differing types, something of the metal distribution in the smallquantities of ore involved in individual routine mine samples, and of the importance in each case of high assays. Adequate and suitable data were available in .four cases, in three of which high assays were of frequent occurrence due to the presence of free gold. The results give concrete expression to well known differences of metal distribution, and it is proposed, firstly to record the observed distribution; secondly to examine some of the consequences of the differences in the distributions limd thirdly, to comment, in the light of this data, on the vexed question of the treatment of high assays. Standard statistical procedure was employed in the compilation of the data. The assays were classified by value into groups, each group covering a range of value of 1 dwt. per ton. Assays of less than 1.0 dwt. per ton form the first group; assays equal to or greater than 1.0 dwt. and less than 2.0 dwt. comprise the second group; those equal to or greater than 2.0 dwt. and less than 3.0 dwt. appear in the third group; and so on. Where the number of samples is large, it can be assumed that the mid-value of the group is the mean value of all the samples in the group, thus the mean values of the first three groups are 0.5 dwt., 1.5 dwt. and 2.5 dwt. respectively.The number of samples in the group is the frequency of the group, but for convenience of plotting this frequency is converted into percentage of all the samples in the series. Plotting percentage frequency as ordinate against dwt./ton as abscissa results in a frequency curve-a curve showing the frequency...

Jan 1, 1950

By B. K. Gorain

"Mining of low grade deposits along with the necessity to design and operate flotation plants with high throughput presents unique metallurgical and environmental challenges that need to be addressed to reduce project risks, improve project economics and to sustain the profitability of operations over the life of a mine.Some of the key challenges include poor recovery of valuables and concentrate quality issues due to complex mineralogy, the need to use poor quality water such as brackish or sea water, reduce environmental impact from the process, integrate flotation with hydrometallurgy to maximize precious metals recovery, escalation of capital and operating costs, use of unproven technology and constant use of larger equipment, high ore variability, worldwide constraints on resource availability and an ever increasing need for reliable metallurgical input to financial models to evaluate economic viability of projects.The need to develop effective solutions to these problems in a short time frame is becoming a key to the success of any new project and for sustaining the profitability of a mining operation. An integrated multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving is crucial with the need for a more lateral thinking along with strategic partnerships and collaboration involving the right players. This paper presents some of the key findings based on experiences from a large number of challenging projects and operations focused on solving complex flotation problems.INTRODUCTIONThere are various challenges to successful development of mineral resources. Most of the ore bodies being developed worldwide are of lower grades requiring high throughput to be economical. Many of these lower grade ore bodies have significant occurrences of deleterious and penalty elements that could render a deposit unworthy of development unless there are technological solutions to process them economically in a sustainable manner with minimal environment impact. Even in a high metal price scenario, the economics for some of these low grade ore deposits is marginal. From a metallurgical perspective, these ore bodies have complex mineralogy and use of any off-the-shelf technology is not always effective. Development of innovative processes are often required, which is expensive, time consuming and sometimes risky.This paper will provide a broader perspective on the steps involved in solving flotation problems for operating plants and for greenfield development projects. In addition, some of the key challenges in flotation of complex low grade ore bodies along with the economic benefits in developing solutions to these problems will be presented."

Jan 1, 2013

By Steve Dillingham

Today, a typical blaster is likely to wear many hats, including, but not limited to, supervisor, risk manager, safety coordinator, explosives engineer, communicator, as well as professional decision maker. Simply put, a blaster in the new millennium is an all encompassing blast site manager. As you know, accidents on the blast site can range from blast crew injuries to blasting incidents resulting from vibration, flyrock, misfires, etc. Not surprising, the incidents can quite often be traced back to direct preventable human action on the blast site. They can, however, frequently be avoided, if responsibly identified early and managed properly by an efficient blast site manager. Your company cannot afford to simply employ blasters; good blast site managers are necessary to produce the safest results possible.

Jan 1, 2001

By Peter Rubie, Toni Kojovic, Fengnian Shi

"Mining companies have recognized that characterization of ore breakage plays an essential role in the design and optimization of comminution circuits.Recently the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) has developed a new breakage model incorporating the effect of particle size, and a new breakage characterization testing device, called the JK Rotary Breakage Tester (JKRBT), which allows rapid testing of particle breakage under high energy single impact and low energy repetitive impact conditions.Positive feedback received from mining company sponsors to the new technology has prompted the JKMRC to further validate the device and the model through a formalized validation program using machines designed and manufactured by Russell Mineral Equipment (RME). The first unit was installed and commissioned at the Anglo Platinum laboratory in Johannesburg in March 2007 and four more major mining companies will participate in the validation program in 2008, including Barrick, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Teck Cominco. The results from validation tests at the JKMRC and Anglo Research have shown that the JKRBT generates statistically similar breakage parameters to the traditional Drop Weight Test, but with significant advantages over its predecessor. Application of the JKRBT in geometallurgical testing with the AMIRA P843 GeM project has confirmed the JKRBT device offers a rapid and consistent method for determining the hardness of drill core samples. The JKRBT has the potential to revolutionize ore testing, with applications in laboratory impact breakage characterization of rock samples, drill cores, coal and other materials. It also stands poised to significantly advance the process control and management of comminution circuits since the concept is readily adaptable to on-line ore hardness measurement.INTRODUCTIONMining companies have long recognized that the performance of a comminution machine such as a crusher or an autogenous / semi-autogenous grinding (AG/SAG) mill depends not only on the machine operating conditions, but also on the “hardness” of the feed material to be broken. This recognition has driven significant interest in laboratory particle breakage characterisation and testing. The laboratory breakage characterization tests can be roughly classified in two broad groups based on their primary breakage modes: tumbling and impact/compression. The famous Bond ball/rod mill tests (Bond, 1952 and 1961) represent the typical tumbling test and have become the industry standard for estimating the specific energy (kWh/t) of rod and ball mills. However, as the energy application in the single particle impact tests can be well defined and controlled, the latter have received significant attention in the last 30 years. It was estimated that mining companies worldwide spent over three million US dollars on single particle impact breakage characterization testing in 2006."

Jan 1, 2009

By Paul Downing

Identity Theft Outline • What Are MY Chances??? • Types Of Thefts • Sources Of Theft Info • Stolen Identity vs. Background Checks • Information/Data Safeguards • Corporate Data Handling • Reclaiming Your Identity • Monitoring Your Identity

Jan 1, 2006

By H Zhou, T Honeyands, M Zhou

In iron ore sintering, packing the granules onto the sintering strand to form a porous bed with optimum permeability is a complex dynamic process. The packed bed voidage is the key factor determining the flame front speed and the final sinter productivity and quality. Previous studies have found that granules are soft quasi-particles with a typical structure of nuclei with an adhering fines layer. The deformation of the adhering layer greatly affects the bed voidage during packing, which is related to the strength of the adhering layer and the force exerted on the granules. In this study, tablets simulating the particle size distribution in the adhering layer of granules were made for four single ore blends. Both the tensile strength and shear strength properties of these tablets were investigated as a function of water content by the uniaxial compression test and direct shear test respectively. The results of compression tests show that the adhering layer becomes weaker and more compliant with the increase of moisture. The most porous ore has a more rigid adhering layer than the other three tested iron ores at any given moisture content. In direct shear tests, the internal friction angle of the adhering layer ranged from 31° to 37° and varied little with the moisture content or ore type. The cohesion constant is around 1 kPa and is quite small compared to the stress applied to the granules during packing. Combined with the results of granulation and packing experiments, the influence of the adhering fines layer deformation on the degree of voidage loss is specifically discussed.CITATION:Zhou, M, Zhou, H and Honeyands, T, 2017. Tensile strength and shear strength properties of the adhering layer of granules in iron ore sintering, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 117–112 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By Phil Keele

Canadian Natural ??Business Approach Efficiency and Execution ?Drive to be the low cost producer ?Focus on exploitation ?Augment exploitation with strategic acquisitions ?Maintain Discipline and Strength while Delivering on the Defined Plan ?Maintain flexibility and control allocation of capital ?Strive for balance (asset portfolio) ?Maintain financial strength

May 1, 2010

By W. Mbhalati

"Conzal Mine was not meeting production targets in 2013, and it was established that this was caused by the inability of the load haul dump machines (LHDs) to tram the required tonnages. An investigation of the LHD productivity was therefore conducted to identify the inhibiting factors. This was accomplished by carrying out a literature review on LHD operations to gain in-depth knowledge and conducting observations in the working environment. The relevant information and data on the LHD type used at Conzal was also acquired.The major inhibitor was found to be excessively long tramming distances in all the sections of the mine. The one-way tramming distances were all significantly greater than the 90 m set in the mine’s code of practice (COP), with the Main Shafts section having the longest average one-way tramming distance of 260 m. The other inhibitor was LHD utilization, which in 2013 was only 47% against a target of 70%. Simulation of the LHD operation, taking these two factors into account, showed that production could be increased by more than 100%. As a result, it was recommended that conveyor belts should be extended regularly in order to keep tramming distances within the recommended one-way distance of 90 m. In addition, utilization can be improved by minimizing employee absenteeism as well as by modifying the travelling routes such that LHDs do not encounter unnecessary delays.Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of BSc. (Mining Engineering)"

Jan 1, 2015

Collaboration between education providers is the key to long-term sustainability and improved quality in mining education. The mining industry is now, more than ever, an industry doing business on a global basis. Staff are recruited by global mining companies in many different countries and can find themselves deployed anywhere in the world. The mining engineer of tomorrow must be willing to take on this international challenge, and must be educated to a level where he or she has a comprehensive grounding in technical aspects of mining engineering, but also a well-founded appreciation of management, social, environmental and cultural issues that may be encountered around the world. In order to deliver such an education, academic providers must collaborate at both a national and international level. This paper provides an overview of progress that has been made in Australia through the national joint venture ? Min¬ing Education Australia (MEA). Supported by the mining industry in Australia, through the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), MEA has been operational since 2007 and is seeing the development of a range of innovative courses and delivery methods, together with a high level of staff cooperation across the country. MEA has also commenced some international teaching initiatives that are seen as a catalyst for a far greater degree of international collaboration in the future. Such activity is not only to the benefit of the students who are taught by experts from around the world, but it also ensures that individual univer¬sity programs remain viable in terms of staffing numbers and financial performance. The paper also presents some statistics on recent upward trends in mining engineering student numbers from around the world, in response to the global shortage of mining engineers.

Jan 2, 2010

By Michael A. Trevits

Since the promulgation of the MINER Act and the follow-up changes to the regulations governing mine seal construction and maintenance, mine operators must be acutely aware of the atmosphere in sealed mine areas and prepared to deploy control technologies when the conditions are warranted. On Site Gas Systems1 in Newington, Connecticut was awarded a contract by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to construct a novel in-mine nitrogen (N2) generation plant using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology. PSA technology utilizes carbon molecular sieve material and pressure to adsorb oxygen (O2) molecules while allowing N2 molecules to pass through the sieve material. The prototype PSA unit was tested at the NIOSH Safety Research Coal Mine (SRCM) where a 62,000 ft3 area of the mine was rendered inert during a series of two tests. The resultant data were then used to construct a CFD simulation of both injection tests. In addition, O2 depletion and gas leakage rates were quantified in the model and were compared to actual values. Once the model was calibrated, the sealed mine area was doubled and simulations were made with various injection rates and injection site locations to determine the impact on the time needed to render this area inert. This paper presents an overview of the PSA plant, the details of the gas injection tests and CFD modeling work.

Jan 1, 2010

By Q. Zhang

The necessary capability of the gravity transportation pipeline system for cemented coal gangue backfilling at the Suncun Coal Mine, China, is about 74.4 m3?h-1 according to mining production and working times in the mine. It is estimated that the working velocity and maximum pipe length-backfill depth ratio of the backfill system are 3.82m?s-1 and 5.4, respectively and that the probable backfill capability of the system is 110.18m3?h-1. Results of hydraulic calculations for the backfill transportation system show that the designed backfill system is reliable in flowability and sufficient for backfill capability needs.

May 1, 2007

By Dave Otto, Ron Elliot, Ed Hatch

This paper is a summary of the work carried out by an international team of specialists in the successful explosive compaction of the sand fill core of the Molikpaq offshore oil production structure. The sand fill core is an essential element for the stability of the structure. The sand core must resist liquefaction forces caused by heavy wave action, ice loading, and earthquakes. Explosive compaction methods were used to improve the stability of 220,000 cubic meters of coarse dredged sand placed in the core area. This project was challenging for a number of reasons. It was performed offshore in Russia, seven kilometers off the East Coast of Sakhalin Island. Logistics were a challenge, not just in getting the men and materials to the site, but also working with restricted headroom inside an operating oil drilling platform. This project called for the use of specialty explosives, strict blast vibration controls requiring a complex sequential blast design, and use of custom designed drill rigs. As Russian equivalent explosives were not available, the project involved getting approval for use of North American explosives in Russia, and use of a combined Russian - Canadian blasting crew. The blasting program was carried out successfully, meeting the required densification target _in a safe, effective manner, with no damage to the structure.

Jan 1, 2000

By Rennie Kaunda, David Streeter, John Kemeny

This paper describes a field/laboratory study that was conducted in cooperation with a mine in Arizona. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of blasting energy on the crushability and grindability of the post-blast rock fragments. The crushability and grindability of the rock fragments were evaluated through laboratory comminution tests. A secondary purpose of the study was to investigate different laboratory methods for estimating the comminution properties of the rock fragments. In particular, a number of standard rock mechanics tests were conducted and compared with the comminution test results. Finally, the study was used to evaluate new technologies for estimating insitu rock mass strength and for assessing post-blast fragmentation. To estimate in-situ rock mass strength, the specific energy of drilling (SE) was calculated during blast hole drilling utilizing a continuous drill monitoring system. Post-blast fragmentation was estimated using the Split image processing system. Results from the study support the idea that increases in blast energy can enhance crushing and grinding. Also, several simple rock mechanics tests were found to correlate well with the results from standard comminution tests, which could prove to be useful in practice.

Jan 1, 2003

By Pavel Vasak

Microseismic monitoring has become standard practice in the mining industry as a ground control monitoring tool at depth. Translating the information into practical hazard assessment tools for the rock mechanics practitioner is the focus of research jointly conducted at Creighton Mine by INCO Mines Technology Centre (MTC) and the Geomechanics Research Centre (GRC) in Sudbury, Ontario. Rock mass damage mechanisms are typically related to stress and the presence of geological structures. Due to well executed de-stress blasting practices at the mine, stress related problems are minimized. However, structurally related damage mechanisms associated with shear zones, faults and joints pose a substantial hazard. Identifying active structures from the dataset of seismic and microseismic events is generally problematic. We propose a new methodology that uses a combination of spacetime event density, hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis to identify planes of microseismic activity, termed active planes (APs). Once identified, the presence and intersection of active planes can be used to provide a hazard ranking for nearby excavations. The ranking is based on the standard Q rock mass classification system, with emphasis on the joint set number (Jn) and stress reduction factor (SRF) parameters. If the rock is treated as a fractured continuum, then, the Jn indicates the degree of freedom for blocks to move and hence, increased potential hazard. An increased hazard can also result if the APs are larger-scale and discrete (faults) rather than ubiquitous (joints). In this case the SRF is used as a measure of the degree of looseness in the rock mass.

May 1, 2004