Search Documents

By X Dai

This paper investigated the loss of cyanide via oxidation in CIP or CIL processes by relating the cyanide oxidation to its major oxidation product, cyanate. The results showed that the oxidation of both free cyanide and copper cyanide complexes are substantially enhanced by the presence of carbon. The rate of cyanide oxidation was found to occur in the order: Cu(CN)32- > CN- > Cu(CN)2-. The cyanide oxidation rate in the presence of copper and carbon increased significantly with increasing dissolved oxygen concentration, typical of CIL vs. CIP conditions. Cyanide oxidation rate of iron, zinc or nickel cyanide complexes was minimal.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. D. H. Knights, M. A. W. Bryson

Flotation of PGM ores, specifically UG-2, presents a number of technical challenges. These centre on the prevalence of chromite. Subject to over-grinding, chromite is primarily recovered to the flotation product through entrainment. This is of unique concern as it must be kept below a threshold for downstream smelting, with significant operational and monetary penalties being imposed should it exceed this concentration. A number of strategies have been developed to maximise PGM recovery in the presence of this unwanted contaminant. Specialised flowsheets form a vital basis and advanced control algorithms further enhance PGM recovery while minimising the recovery of chromite. Advances in Mineral Processing Science and Technology Proceedings of the 48th Annual Conference of Metallurgists of CIM Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Edited by

Jan 1, 2009

By Knud Sinding

Mining firms are widely criticised for their adverse impacts on the environment. At the same time many firms in the industry devote extensive resources, both financial and managerial, to the reduction or elimination such impacts. Very considerable improvements have been made, although these are sometimes overshadowed by a few high-profile accidents, such as the occasional collapse of a cyanide-containing tailings dam. In parallel, much effort is also directed at projecting a positive environmental image, as witnessed by extensive environmental reporting, both on paper and increasingly through web-platforms. Mining projects today almost invariably involve some form of environmental protection. In industrial countries regulations in this area are extremely stringent, as is enforcement. In less well developed countries, regulation and enforcement may be weaker, but firms are in many cases and for a number of reasons committing themselves to high levels of environmental protection, even if they might get away without doing so. Research in the area of environmental performance of mining firms has so far paid much attention to concepts such as sustainability indicators and the sustainability of individual firms. Given the still raging debates about the appropriate way to determine the degree to which any given firm is sustainable (Welford 1995) as well as the usefulness of what will in the final analysis be a value judgement, anyone on the sidelines of the debate will come back to the fundamental issue, how is knowledge that a particular firm has been judged ?sustainable? going to be made use of. This issue remains unresolved, which may explain the lack of progress in formulating a useful definition of a sustainable firm The question addressed in this paper is not so much about what firms are doing on the ground or in any particular case of environmental protection, but more in the subsequent use of these efforts - and by extension - on the overall direction of corporate environmental strategy. The fundamental problem facing all mining firms is that they cannot easily benefit from unilaterally reducing their environmental impact. The firm can of course avoid liability and keep a variety of stakeholders happy and hence experience lower costs of obtaining the [input] resources they need (in a broad sense, not just minerals), but this represents only part of the opportunities available form pursuing an environmental strategy (Reinhardt 2000). The other part, which may have an enormous potential, involves the concepts of competitor management and product differentiation. The logic of keeping stakeholders happy has been most forcefully argued by Pfeffer and Salanchick (1978) who link the behaviour of firms in all domains to their ability to obtain the resources they need, at a cost that is lower than it would otherwise be (Pfeffer & Salanccik 1978). Several varieties of strategy can be included under this heading, including cost reduction and risk management. The alternative logic is to convince customers that they want to pay more for minerals supplied by mining firm X or directly attributable to mine Y, or by making all mineral users pay more. These two strategies, which may be referred to as product differentiation and competitor management, respectively (Reinhardt 2000) are related to the demand side of mineral supply, whereas cost reduction and risk management are related to the supply side. Mining firms have not pursued the demand side very much, if at all. This is probably due to the extreme difficulty of moving mineral products, bulky and unglamorous as they are, away from their

May 1, 2003

By M. A. Tomlinson, A. Di Feo, T. C. Cheng

"Goldcorp is evaluating the potential for economic reprocessing of historic tailings at several sites, including the Aunor A facility located in Timmins. The overall project is investigating the ability to recover value, remove sulphide minerals and alternative tailings re-deposition strategies. Desulphurization of tailings will eliminate potential acid generation while improved tailings re-deposition could reduce long-term liabilities and closure costs. Through a task-share project between CanmetMINING and Goldcorp, tailings obtained from Aunor A site have been characterized using mineral association analysis and diagnostic separation techniques. The selected tailing samples contain about 2 g/t of gold. Mineralogical analysis has identified coarse agglomerates bound with gypsum and significant free gold, confirmed by high recoveries in cyanide leach tests. However, despite no evidence of surface passivation on the minerals, conventional flotation techniques were found to be ineffective in concentrating gold or sulphides due to the high fines content and highly agglomerated particles.INTRODUCTION Aunor Mine is one of the historic mines that belongs to Porcupine Gold Mines (PGM) in Timmins, Ontario. PGM has undertaken an extensive mine closure program to remediate the legacy and closed mines with the funding supported by operating mines since 2006. Over the course of 100 years of operation in the Porcupine camp, it is estimated (Stevens et al., 2013) that about 130 million tonnes of tailings have been generated. Aunor Mine produced 2.5 million troy ounces of gold between 1940 and 1984, while processing over 7.6 million tons of ore. The original gold grade of Aunor Mine ores was about 10 g/t. With 95% gold recovery at the time, an estimate of 0.5 g/t of gold remains in the Aunor Mine tailings. Aunor Mine has two tailings impoundment areas: designated as Aunor A and Aunor B. The two sites are similar in size, about 7 hectares each. The amount of tailings in the Aunor A site alone is about 3.2 million tonnes. In 2017, bulk tailings were sampled from five designated locations in Aunor A. They were characterized using mineral association analysis and diagnostic separation techniques. The bulk tailings samples contained about 10% total sulphur, 10% iron, 2% arsenic and 2 g/t of gold. The prime objective of this collaborative work between CanmetMINING and Goldcorp is to facilitate the timely development and deployment of innovative tailings reprocessing solutions, specifically in the areas of desulphurization, and recovery of metals. This work targeted specific tailings of interest to Goldcorp which goals are to improve its environmental footprint and to reduce long-term liability. Thus, it is imperative to look for innovative reprocessing options that can overcome not only technological challenges but also achieve economic benefits to offset the costs associated with reprocessing the tailings. Moreover, the greater goal is to demonstrate and deploy tailings reprocessing solutions to solve one of the industry’s most difficult challenges for a sustainable mining industry in Canada."

Jan 1, 2019

By René Dufour

Jusqu?à son acquisition par MM René Dufour et Alain Robin en 1994, les claims miniers et les droits de surface de la propriété étaient détenus depuis 1953 par la société Québec Columbium, une filiale de la socité américaine Kennecott Copper qui y a réalisé d?importants travaux miniers. En 1995 la compagnie NIOCAN inc. fut incorporée; ses actions furent inscrites à la bourse de Montréal en 1997, et à la bourse de Toronto en décembre 1999. Jusqu?à maintenant, NIOCAN a investi plus de 7 millions de dollars dans le développement de sa propriété minière de niobium située à quelques 40 kilomètres au nord-ouest de Montréal. Le haut rendement économique des deux gisements principaux que compte exploiter la compagnie, le S-60 et le HWM-2, a été établie par des études de faisabilité effectuées par le consortium Met-Chem/SNC-Lavalin. La mission que s?est donnée NIOCAN inc. consiste à mettre en production ses deux gisements et à devenir ainsi productrice de ferroniobium dans les plus brefs délais. Figure 2 Le projet est présentement à un stade avancé d?obtention du certificat d?autorisation du ministère de l?Environnement. À plus long terme, la compagnie compte aussi exploiter les sous-produits de ses gisements (apatite, forsterite, magnétite, calcaire et terres rares).

May 1, 2003

By R. H. Pemberton

"THE Mattagami district of Quebec has, during the past few years, experienced intense exploration by virtually every mining company operating in Canada. As a result of this activity, a number of well-mineralized zinc-copper bearing bodies have been found, some of which will almost certainly go into production. Much of the area has undergone what is now termed ""Saturation Prospecting"" or intense and detailed geological and geophysical surveying, followed by the drilling of nearly all possible bets. Considering only the airborne geophysical surveying, some blocks of ground have been flown by virtually every geophysical instrument which has to date been installed in an aircraft. A list of these different geophysical instruments would include: l. Fluxgate-type total field magnetometers 2. Vertical field magnetometer ,3. Nuclear-precession magnetometers 4. Single-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 5. Dual-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 6. Horizontal component measuring electromagnetometers 7. In-phase and out-of-phase electromagnetometers8. Dip-angle measuring electromagnetometers."

Jan 1, 1961

"Pilot plants for pressure hydrometallurgy represent special design and project execution challenges. Over the past twenty years, Zeton has designed and fabricated a variety of world-class pressure hydrometallurgical pilot-plant facilities for the nickel industry, and this paper discusses design considerations and strategies related to such projects. Project execution methods are also discussed, and guidance is given for the selection of materials of construction and for the selection of appropriate pressure and temperature design points for pressure hydrometallurgical pilot equipment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the need for process similarity with future commercial operations and the realities of pilot-scale equipment.INTRODUCTION The process technology developer or owner and the designer/fabricator of a new pilot-plant facility are faced with some difficult technical choices even after the decision to build a dedicated plant has been taken. A pilot-plant project is usually on the critical path of a large commercial project involving investments many multiples greater than the capital cost of the pilot plant. Schedule savings in the design, manufacture, and commissioning of the pilot plant or in a rapid completion of the experimental program can be disproportionately beneficial to the overall development project. However, inappropriate shortcuts resulting in major oversights can be disproportionately problematic. A number of considerations and suggestions for both the project execution approach and the process engineering design of pressure hydrometallurgical pilot-plant facilities are presented as a guide for potential owners and operators of new pilot-plant equipment and facilities. These suggestions are particularly applicable to the nickel industry, where the majority of our firm’s prior hydrometallurgical experience was obtained. This paper is an update to an earlier publication (Martin, 2004), offering an opportunity for a new generation of metallurgists and engineers to learn the specialist requirements of pilot- and demonstration-scale plant design, which are key functions in the development and commercialization of new processes."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. Dubinski

Poland is the ninth largest coal producer in the world and Coal Company is the largest Polish producer of this deposit yielding 51% of national production. Coal Company mines are located in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. These are underground mines which operate in difficult geological conditions at great depths of up to 1200 m. One of the most common natural hazards in Polish mines are rockburst and seismic hazard impacting on surface infrastructure and habitants. In the assessment of the rockburst and seismic hazard methods of mining seismology play a leading role. This paper presents progress that was achieved in the last few years in the implementation of new seismic monitoring systems and seismic interpretation methods for the prevention of hazard deriving from seismicity induced by mining. This progress in assessment of rockburst hazard and impact of seismic activity on the surface infrastructure was achieved through close cooperation between the Coal Company and Central Mining Institute ? the country?s leading scientific institute in the field of mining seismology. New theoretical solutions are in the process of testing in mines of Coal Company where seismic monitoring systems are installed and controlled by well-qualified personnel. Some directions of further joint actions to increase the effectiveness of rockburst and seismic hazard assessment are presented as well.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. West, F. Mohammadi

Growing awareness of selenium bioaccumulation has resulted in selenium management becoming an important environmental issue for mining operations. Selen-IX™ is a novel ion exchange based technology developed by BioteQ to provide an effective solution for removing selenium oxyanions from mine impacted water to single-digit µg/L levels. The technology offers significant potential benefits when compared to incumbent biological treatment processes, including substantially reduced capital and operating costs and significantly reduced production of a selenium-containing sludge for final disposal. This paper reviews the key features of the Selen-IX™ process and presents the results of recent pilot testing on selenium impacted water.

Jan 1, 2014

By John H. Morris, R. Gwilym Roberts

"The Upper Beaver Mine, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, is a copper-gold deposit in mafic flows and sedimentary rocks. The deposit consists of a number of orebodies of two types: copper- and gold-bearing chalcopyrite-pyrite-magnetite ore; and gold-bearing quartz veins. Chalcopyrite-pyrite-magnetite ore occurs in two structural forms: as cherty interflow material in coarse clastic roks underlying flows; and as veins. Both sedimentary and vein ore occur in each orebody. The goldbearing quartz veins occur in interflow sedimentary units and at the contacts of oligoclase porphyry dykes.The deposit is in a localized, volcanic-sedimentary basin which began to develop during the emplacement of the upper units of the pyroclastic and sedimentary Gauthier Group, and continued to the early mafic flow activity of the overlying Kinojevis Group. The formation of the volcanic-sedimentary basin is ascribed to the D0 deformation. The deformation is significant in terms of the structural configuration in the mine area, and may be significant regionally, but this has not been demonstrated. The early deformation was followed by two tectonic deformations. D 1 is associated with a penetrative mineral foliation, axial planar to upright mesoscopic folds and striking parallel to the trend of regional fold structures. Mesoscopic flexural-slip folds, kink folds and fracture-crenulation cleavage are attributed to the D2 deformation. It is probable that no large-scale fold structures are associated with the D2 deformation. The gold-bearing quartz veins were folded during the D1 deformation.The close spatial relationship of copper-gold, chalcopyritepyrite- magnetite veins with chalcopyrite-pyrite-magnetite in cherty inter flow material is strong evidence for the derivation of the veins from the sedimentary ore by hydrothermal, metamorphogenic processes. By analogy, it is suggested that the gold-bearing quartz veins were formed by similar processes."

Jan 1, 1982

By O. Hungr, V. Gischig, G. Preisig

Deep-seated landslides are characterized by slow time-dependent movements induced by constant gravitational creep, and periods of acceleration associated with stress changes within the rock and the preexisting fracture network. Natural stress changes are typically caused by seasonal variations in surface temperatures and groundwater pressures, but also by rare and more violent events such as earthquakes. These processes are responsible for cyclic loading and unloading that leads to rock mass damage, fatigue and progressive failure with time, and may explain sudden, unexpected rock slope acceleration phases. In this work, we present a set of distinct-element models to investigate and compare the role of hydromechanical fatigue and seismic fatigue in the history of a deep-seated landslide. Hydromechanical fatigue arises from the fluctuation of pore pressure in fractures accompanying periods of significant groundwater recharge. In alpine areas, there are usually one or two cycles per year associated with snow melt and intense rainfall periods. In the presence of a deep confined aquifer within the rock slope, the amplitude of pressure fluctuations may reach values of 0.25-0.5 MPa. Hydromechanical models considering such pressure changes are able to reproduce observed slope accelerations-decelerations phases. Substantial accelerations may occur even in the absence of a cycle of exceptional amplitude, depending on the current state of fatigue. At a given time, one or more fractures may be critically-stressed, and a small change in applied stress is enough to cause local failure and induce a crisis of enhanced slope acceleration. This is augmented if the rock slope contains planes of weakness associated with its tectonic history, glacial debuttressing, etc. The corresponding behaviour is analogous to laboratory experiments on rock and metal fatigue. Similar fatigue effects have also been proposed for repeated earthquake events in seismically active regions. Unlike hydromechanical stress changes that occur in a more localized portion of the rock slope, those induced by passing seismic waves involve the entire rock mass. Moreover, the frequency and amplitude of stress perturbations due to earthquakes are different than those induced by pore pressure variations, although both likely contribute in combination to the degradation and progressive failure of large deep-seated landslides when both are present. The results presented illustrate that: (1) assessment of slope stability near critical infrastructure (e.g., hydroelectric reservoirs) should not only consider static stability, but also failure mechanisms related to fatigue that evolve over time and may result in an apparently stable slope progressing towards a critical state due to relatively small but repetitive stress changes; and that (2) characterization of fatigue processes affecting a deep-seated landslide requires multiparametric continuous monitoring at different observation points.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. R. House, G. W. Shepherd

Newmont USA Limited owns and operates the Phoenix Mine near Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA. The existing milling facility has operated since 2006 (House, 2010). Following the startup of the milling operation, and coupled with the upswing in the copper market, Newmont realized that Phoenix had no process option to treat transition and oxide copper ores. This meant that potentially revenue generating ore would be mined as waste. With no system in place to treat the transition and oxide copper, work began to determine the most feasible approach. After evaluating multiple options, the flow sheet was set for a runof- mine (ROM) heap leach pad and solvent extraction/ electrowinning plant (L-SX/EW). This paper will discuss the eight years of successes and challenges with developing the copper L-SX/EW plant and achieving commercial production of copper cathode.

Jan 1, 2014

By Atulya Verma, Samantha Espley, Nashel Kalaka

Numerical modelling simulations of proposed mining sequences are used to evaluate mining induced stress concentrations and their migration associated with the progress of mining. This analysis is a standard practice for most prospective mining projects at various levels of feasibility study. The studies are usually initiated at the beginning of the mining cycle, on a global scale, and are maintained and updated throughout the life of mine (LoM) to identify or address local issues and the required remedies as and when needed. Developments in numerical modeling techniques along with advancements in computing technology and data storage/management capacity have given rock engineers access to a huge volume of data that needs to be analyzed and assessed. The most common approach to numerically evaluate stress concentrations and migrations in underground mines is to select the points of interest in a given volume such as the back of an excavation or points within pillars around critical infrastructure, and plot the stresses or a derivative of stresses over time to represent life of mine concentrations and migrations of stresses. The problem with this approach is the sharp gradient of stresses close to excavation boundaries. Slight changes in the location of selected points can change the stress concentration and migration patterns substantially and all generalized statements about LoM risk can be challenged in one way or another. For global stresses, the most common current approach of data analysis is by viewing series of pictures representing stress contours. In this approach, it is easy to overlook some critical detail and/or be masked by personal preferences of contour/picture representation. To overcome the problem of representing and analyzing huge volume of stress simulation data, the authors, through their experience at different mining operations, developed a volume-based technique to reliably evaluate mining-induced stress concentrations and migrations. The volume-based approach is for risk-based assessments of adjacent regions in the rockmass, in and around planned stoping excavations. The volume of interest is the entire ore body that is planned to be mined, but it could be just a part of the ore body depending on the specific use case. The risk identifiers are the induced stresses as compared to the strength of the rockmass. Over the LoM, the risk identifiers are tracked versus the corresponding excavation ratio of the zone. This approach is very effective in identifying the stages of mining that are contributing the most to the mining induced stress risk and the results can be used for proactive planning and mitigations measures such as alternative mining sequences, or stope sizes, or extraction methods. The approach has also been very successful in application at mature mines, particularly in assessing the re-initiation of mining in zone that has been dormant for some time. The volume-based approach allows for an assessment of the current state of the rockmass and the identification of future risks when planning resumption of mining activities.

Jan 1, 2023

By J. D. Bateman

DURING the summer of 1942 several chromite deposits were discovered in the Lac du Bonnet district about eighty miles northeast of Winnipeg. The deposits are confined to the Bird River complex, a folded composite sill of basic and ultrabasic igneous rocks of early Precambrian age that lies to the north of Bird river (1). The outcrop of the sill represents the trace of an easterly plunging anticline, the south limb extending from the northeast bay of Lac du Bonnet eastward to Bird lake, and the other limb, 6 to 12 miles north, lying between Maskwa river and Euclid lake. The south limb of the sill is 20 miles long, and the northern counterpart 15 miles; but its continuity is interrupted by faulting and by the intrusion of younger granite, so that the total length of outcrop of both limbs does not likely exceed 25 miles. The sill is intrusive into early Precambrian greenstones and associated sedimentary rocks. The chromite discoveries have been made at several localities on both limbs of the sill, and in each case at the same geological horizon. The sill comprises an upper layer of hornblende gabbro and a lower layer of serpentinized peridotite, and altogether is from 500 to 3,500 feet thick. The chromite zone is within and near the top of the peridotite layer, and thus about midway of the sill, both of the limbs of which stand nearly vertical. This geological relationship was established early in the exploration of the initial discoveries and served as the basis for successful predictions of later discoveries. The chromite zone probably persists throughout the length of the sill, but its width and chromite content are not everywhere the same. The initial exploration along both limbs of the sill has shown a combined total length of about 12,000 feet of chromite ore varying in width from 6 to 12 feet. In many places the overburden is thick and obscures the continuity of the chromite zone; but as investigation proceeds the known deposits will be extended and new ones will be found. Thus, although a total length of 12,000 feet of ore has been investigated up to the present time, there is an indicated length of approximately 31,000 feet along which the ore is more than 4 to 5 feet wide. This estimate is based on geological considerations and represents a total tonnage in the order of 15,000 tons per vertical foot of depth.

Jan 1, 1943

By C. Nikolic

A process utilizing ozone for the precipitation of cobalt from nickel sulphate liquors containing ammonium sulphate has been developed. Best results were obtained using nickel carbonate to maintain solution pH at 5.0 to 5.5. Work was performed both in column and stirred-tank reactors. Variables studied included neutralizer type and concentration, NH4+ concentration, temperature, Ni++ and Co++ concentration, per cent O3 in the O2 carrier gas, O3 input rate and agitation. The over-all rate of cobalt rejection increased sharply with increasing agitation and ozone concentration in the gas phase, reflecting relatively slow transfer of ozone from the gas to the liquid phase.

Jan 1, 1978

By David M. Knowles, R. Gordon Gastil

"The Precambrian sedimentary series of the Labrador geosyncline, including iron formation, extends into southwestern Labrador and adjacent Quebec. The iron formation consisted of primary oxide, silicate, and carbonate facies which were deposited simultaneously in an irregular basin in response to migratory environmental conditions. The iron formation isochemically recrystallized to coarse-grained quartz-iron oxide, iron silicate, and quartz-iron carbon-ate rocks during prolonged regional metamorphism. The rocks are deformed on two deformation axes intersecting at large angles, and are characterized by isoclinal to recumbent folds. Parts of the formation have been profoundly affected by a post-metamorphic leaching and oxidizing environment."

Jan 1, 1959

By J. A. Allan

OCCURRENCES of salt in Alberta have been mentioned and described by the writer in 1929 (l) and by Cole in 1930 (2). Brine springs occur at a number of places along the valley of Athabaska river north of latitude 56 degrees, and also on the south margin of Salt prairie, twenty-five miles west of Fitzgerald in the vicinity of the 60th parallel of latitude, which is the boundary between Alberta and the Northwest Territories. These salt springs were visited by Sir James Richardson in 1820, and in the same year D. W. Harmon stated that " ... clown Salt river there are several places where almost any quantity of excellent dean white salt may be taken with as much ease as sand along the seashore" (3). One hundred years later, in 1920, when the writer first visited these springs, the "dean white salt" which had accumulated about the springs was about 400 tons ( 4). This paper deals with a thick deposit of rock-salt which has been proved by drilling in the vicinity of McMurray. Particular attention will be given to a well drilled at Waterways early in 1936 by Industrial Minerals, Limited, when a continuous bed of rock-salt was penetrated with a thickness of 199 feet. As this paper is being presented, a salt plant is being completed and a production well is being drilled at the plant. < is salt deposit is in the vicinity of McMurray, close to the junction of the Clearwater and Athabaska rivets, in township 89, range 9, west of the 4th meridian. McMurray is about 240 miles northeast from Edmonton. As shown on Figure 1, Clearwater river, which rises at Methy portage, in Saskatchewan, enters Athabaska river at McMurray. Some three miles above the mouth of Clearwater river, the Hangingstone enters from the southwest. Waterways, where the latest salt development has taken place, is situated at the end of the Northern Alberta railway, a distance of 304 miles from Edmonton. This railway reaches the bottom of the Clearwater valley at Draper station, about 3 miles east of Waterways and near the mouth of Deep creek. The Draper bituminous sand plant is approximately half a mile east of Draper station. About one mile south of the townsite of McMurray, Horse river enters the Athabaska from the east.

Jan 1, 1937

By Margaret Anne Stephenson

Today, in Australia, it is increasingly common to see agreements between Indigenous peoples and resource companies being achieved generally as Indigenous Land Use Agreements or agreements pursuant to the ?right to negotiation? process under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). Despite progress in this area, resource development on Indigenous lands is not without its challenges for both the resource proponents and the Indigenous parties. History demonstrates that resource development on Indigenous lands has produced struggles between the traditional owners of the land and the resource proponents. In Australia their relationship is generally defined by issues of access to land and assuring continued access to the land for the life of the project. In this context, divisions in Indigenous communities often emerge. The proposed resource project can have the effect of polarising members of an Indigenous community. It may be regarded by some traditional land owners as an advantageous opportunity for the community and by others as a hazard to country and culture. The process of agreement making has proved not only a test for the Indigenous community but also for the resource proponent. In this paper we undertake a contemporary case study of a proposed Australian resource related-development project on Indigenous lands. This project involved a multi-billion gas hub precinct proposed at James Price Point in the Kimberley region in Western Australia. The James Price Point proposal produced a litany of challenges for all parties. The traditional owners faced fundamental social and human rights issues, including a minority opposition to the project, the project&apos;s potential cultural heritage impact, the threat of compulsory acquisition of their native title interest by a State government due to an initial failure to settle an agreement, a fracture of their unsettled land claim and a minority rejection of the agreement ultimately reached. Additionally, the ?green? lobby also rejected the proposed gas hub on environmental grounds bringing the green lobby into direct conflict with both the traditional owners in favour of the project and the resource proponent. Ultimately, Woodside announced its decision not to proceed with the proposed gas precinct at James Price Point, in April 2013. In this paper we analyse the complexity of the James Price Point gas hub negotiations with the traditional owners which resulted in an Agreement that promised to deliver substantial benefits for the Indigenous communities. We question why such a favourable and beneficial agreement for the Indigenous community also produced the plethora of challenges and concerns and we consider how future negotiation processes could be better structured to avoid the difficulties that have confronted Indigenous land owners and resource proponents alike.

Aug 1, 2013

By A. G. Ballachey

Introduction This paper will describe the mining plant and underground operations at Quemont. Details of geology and milling are beyond its scope. Papers on these subjects will be prepared and presented separately. A detailed account of the exploration and development, 1944 to 1947, has been given by W. L. Brown (1). Location The mining concessions of Quemont Mining Corporation, Limited, are in Rouyn township, Rouyn-Noranda county, northwestern Quebec. These concessions total about 640 acres in area. They lie within the limits of the City of Noranda, contiguous to, and directly north of, the Horne mine of Noranda Mines, Limited. A large area in the southern part of the property is covered by the north arm of Osisko lake. Production The present operating rate is about 2,100 tons per day. Three flotation concentrates are produced: copper, containing a large proportion of the gold and silver in the ore; zinc; and pyrite, which carries an appreciable additional proportion of gold. The copper and zinc concentrates are shipped to smelters as produced. The pyrite concentrate is cyanided to recover additional gold, after which it is filtered, dried, and shipped for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The principal revenue metals are copper, gold, and zinc. Silver and pyrite are important by-products.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. A. Irvine

In 1972, a cooperative program to map and estimate the quantity of Tertiary coal resources in southern Saskatchewan was initiated by the federal and Saskatchewan governments. More than 700 exploratory boreholes were drilled over a two-year period, and data were obtained from other organization s on an additional 1500 boreholes in the area. Stratigraphic data and data on each coal seam penetrated in the boreholes, along with technical and location data for each borehole, were stored in a computer data base for convenience of retrieval, modification and manipulation. Programs and program packages were developed or adapted to: (1) select borehole information defined by variable retrieval parameters from the data base; (2) calculate derived information , such as overburden ratios. cumulative net coal thicknesses , mean weighted center of gravity of coal seams in each borehole, etc., from the selected data ; (3) produce posting maps of either selected data or calculated information in various combinations at variable scales on a plotter or CRT display; (4) produce contoured structure, isopach or ratio maps , and perspective diagrams as appropriate , utilizing plotter or CRT display; (5) calculate and categorize quantities of coal in place within user- defined "mineability-economic-reliability" limits. The emphasis in computer utilization was placed on geological credibility of the results and ease of operation by relatively untrained geological personnel, resulting in extensive use of interactive methods. The single most important benefit derived from using computer-assisted procedures is the ability to produce new maps and quantity estimates rapidly and inexpensively as a result of availability of new data or/and changes in external criteria which impose economic or mineability constraints.

Jan 1, 1978