Search Documents

By W. S. Pellini, F. N. Rhines

IN many of the otherwise well established alloy phase diagrams the solidus curves (temperatures at which liquid first appears upon melting) have not been located accurately, chiefly because the experimental techniques that have been most popular for determining solidus temperatures have been both cumbersome and subject to large errors. C. E. Homer and H. Plummer1 have described a sensitive and at the same time a very simple technique for locating the solidus curves in a number of alloys of tin. Their method consists simply in noting the temperature at which a specimen of the alloy ruptures under the influence of a light bending force. Although this method is not new, it has been little used for this purpose in the past; nevertheless, it appears so attractive in its possibilities of speed, simplicity, and precision that the investigations presently to be described were undertaken to verify its merits. The redetermination of the solidus and eutectic temperatures of the lead-antimony system was employed as a medium 0f experimentation. New values obtained in this way are believed to be sufficiently precise to warrant a revision of the currently accepted lead-antimony phase diagram (Fig. I). Determinations of the solidus of the lead-rich lead-antimony alloy series have been published by R. S. Dean2 and by E. E. Schumacher and F. C. Nix.3 Their points are represented in Fig. I. In their work the solidus was not located at antimony concentrations greater than 2 per cent; the curve was presumed to meet the eutectic horizontal at an antimony concentration of about 2.5 per cent. In the present studies the solidus has been traced to 3.5 per cent, where the eutectic horizontal is intersected (Table I and Fig. I). Within the range investigated by Dean and by Schumacher and Nix the agreement with their values is good. H. Seltz and B. De Witt,4 on the basis of activity measurements, have calculated that the intersection of the solidus and the eutectic reaction horizontal should lie at 3.86 per cent of antimony. The following determinations of the eutectic temperature have been reported: Roland-Gosselin,5 228°C.; Ewen,6 228°C.; J. E. Stead,7 247°C.; Campbell,8 228°C.; W. Gontermann,9 245° to 252°C.; R. Loebe,10 245°C.; E. Heyn and 0. Bauer,11 245°C.; H. Endo,12 250°C.; R. S. Dean,2 249° to 258°C.; E. Abel, 0. Redlich, and J. Adler,13 245°C.; W. Broniewski and L. Sliwowski,14 250° to 252°C.; H. Seltz and B. De Witt,4 250°C. A temperature of 249°C- appears to have been generally accepted in recent years; it is the value most frequently obtained by the method of cooling curves. Values below 249°C. have usually been obtained by inferior cooling-curve techniques; those above 250°C., by the method of heating

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert H. Robinson, Levent Ozdemir, Russell J. Miller

The paper summarizes an investigation into the applicability of mechanical excavation to oil shale mining; identifies available machine types that are best suited to various aspects of the mining operation; presents preliminary comments on the configuration of an "IDEAL" oil shale mining machine; and establishes the background information necessary for conceptualizing and evaluating new mining methods using mechanical excavation equipment. Conclusions are also presented as to the best currently available systems, as well as potential future systems.

Jan 1, 1983

By A. Lane

The socio economic risks of mining in South Africa have been emerging for some time now, and have been brought into sharp relief by recent events in the platinum sector. The slow pace of social upliftment in the country has lead to widespread social unrest with consequent calls for different forms of resource nationalism. Fundamentally, the key stakeholders are not fully aligned, and are not engaging productively. This poses significant above-the-ground risk to mining companies. Measuring social impact, deploying inclusive solutions and engaging effectively with stakeholders are three ways in which mining companies can mitigate this risk.

Jan 1, 2013

By W. H. Yarroll Discussion by W. A. Griffith

W. A. Griffith (Head, Research Department, Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci, Ariz.) - It is gratifying to see the increasingly common use of classical statistical procedures by metallurgical researchers. Mr. Yarroll has given excellent illustrations of the utility of multiple correlation analysis of complex metallurgical data. Our experience in applying these procedures to historical plant operating data has differed, however, from that which he suggests. The uninitiated frequently assume that the volumi-

Jan 1, 1969

By Nilce Alves Santos, Vânia Lúcia de Lima Andrade, Keila Lane Carvalho Gonçalves, Harold Wyslouzi1

"When confronted with the difficult decisions on advancing an exploration project to the feasibility and construction stages, it is important to know how various regions of the ore body will react in the milling and concentration processes. While bench scale test work is common and inexpensive, the results and information provided are somewhat limited due to the difficulty in accurately predicting the effects of recirculating middling streams or gradual changes in solution chemistry.Conventional Pilot Plants, processing 100 to 1,000 kg/hour of sample ore, provide the detailed engineering data required to develop a final process flowsheet and to size the equipment. They are, however, expensive to set-up and operate, and are really only viable for major projects that are well advancedIn the latter part of 1999, the Mineral Development Center at CVRD (MDC) purchased a new piece of mineral processing equipment which can run continuous flotation tests using drill core samples. To evaluate its performance, and to compare it with conventional testing methods, various types of flotation tests were carried out using two different types of copper ore. The limitations and advantages of open circuit and locked cycle bench tests, as well as the Mini Pilot Plant and the Conventional Pilot Plant were evaluated.Open circuit tests carried out at the bench scale only provide basic information. More complete and trustworthy information is obtained, in terms of the recirculation of flows and reaching a permanent and stable flotation regime, as the dynamics and complexity of the tests increases. The data obtained showed that the MPP’s metallurgical performance was equivalent to that of a conventional pilot plant."

Jan 1, 2002

By Alvin J. F

Tin in ores containing 0·025 to 1·5 per cent tin can be determined polarographically by the reduction of the chlorostannite ion at the dropping mercury electrode in 2M hydrochloric acid solution containing 15 per cent ammonium chloride. The tin is separated from interfering elements by distillation as the tetrabromide and collected from the distillate by co-precipitation with aluminium hydroxide. The method can detect 0·01 per cent tin in ore.INTRODUCTIONAn iodimetric method, suitable for routine analysis of titrating tin in concentrations down to 1 per cent, has been available for some years (Low, Weinig, and Schoder, 1939).As concentrations fall below 1 per cent tin, there is increasing difficulty in obtaining a distinct end point due to large amounts of iron and silica normally present after fusion of the ore. Since concentrations of tin down to 0·02 per cent are significant in ore dressing products it was necessary to examine methods to determine such low concentrations, and to adapt these to tin ores containing a wide variety of other minerals.EXPERIMENTALDigestion and separationCassiterite, the principal tin mineral, is refractory but readily attacked by a sodium peroxide flux to yield soluble sodium stannate. In a recognized procedure, a sample of ore is mixed with up to 15 g of sodium peroxide in an iron crucible and swirled over the full heat of a Meker burner for 7 min. The fusion is leached with water and acidified.This solution then contains tin, silica, and other soluble...

Jan 1, 1962

By A. Lane

The socio economic risks of mining in South Africa have been emerging for some time now, and have been brought into sharp relief by recent events in the platinum sector. The slow pace of social upliftment in the country has lead to widespread social unrest with consequent calls for different forms of resource nationalism. Fundamentally, the key stakeholders are not fully aligned, and are not engaging productively. This poses significant above-the-ground risk to mining companies. Measuring social impact, deploying inclusive solutions and engaging effectively with stakeholders are three ways in which mining companies can mitigate this risk. Keywords platinum, mining, community, socio-economic impact, stakeholders, conflict, labour unrest, social licence to operate, investment, Africa.

Mar 1, 2013

By D. G. Westlake

The electrical resistance of a series of V-H alloys (0 to 3.5 at. pct H) has been measured over the temperature range G° to 360°. Interstitial impurities made contributions to the residual resistivity, but not the ideal resistivity. The contribution of hydrogen in solid solution is expressed by Ap = 1.12 microhm-cm per at. pct H; but the contribution of precipitated hydride was negligible. A portion of the so1vu.s for the V-H phase diagram is presented. The solubility limit is given by In N (at. pct H) = (5.828 i 0.009) - (2933 i 44)/RT. Comparison of critical temperatures joy hydride precipitation and published critical temperatures for hydrogen embrittlement suggests the two are related. ThiS study was initiated as part of an investigation of the mechanism by which small concentrations of hydrogen embrittle the hydride-forming metals at low temperatures. It has already been shown that, in the case of hcp zirconium, a reduction in ductility accompanies the strengthening resulting from precipitation of a finely dispersed hydride phase.''' Our attempts to detect a similar precipitation of a second phase at low temperatures in V-H alloys by transmission electron microscopy have been thwarted because we have been unable to prepare thin foils that are representative of the bulk material with respect to hydrogen concentrati~n.~'~ The present investigation establishes the solvus of the V-H system at subambient temperatures. Subsequently, we hope to be able to determine whether the embrittlement temperature is related to the critical temperature for precipitation of the hydride in a given V-H alloy. veleckis5 has proposed a partial phase diagram for the V-H system based on extrapolations of the pressure-composition relations he measured at higher temperatures. Kofstad and wallace' conducted a similar study of single-phase alloys but did not attempt to establish the phase diagram. Zanowick and wallace' and ~aeland' have studied a portion of the phase diagram by X-ray diffraction, but they investigated no alloys in the hydrogen concentration range 0 to 3 at. pct, the range of interest to us. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The vanadium was obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Boulder City, Nev., in the form of electrolytic crystals. The analyses supplied with them listed 230 ppm by weight metallic impurities, 20 ppm C, 100 ppm N, and 290 ppm 0. The crystals were electron-beam-melted into an ingot that was rolled to 0.64 mm. Strips, 60 mm long and 4.2 mm wide, were cut from the sheet, and both rolled surfaces were ground on wet 600-grit Sic paper to produce specimens 0.4 mm thick. They were wrapped in molybdenum foil, vacuum-encapsulated in quartz, and annealed 4 hr at 1273°K. The specimens were annealed in a dynamic vacuum of 2X lo-' Torr for 30 min at 1073°K for dehydrogenation, and charged with the desired quantity of hydrogen by allowing reaction with hydrogen gas at 1073°K for 2 hr and cooling at 100°K per hr. Purified hydrogen was obtained by thermal decomposition of UH3. Sixteen specimens were studied: two contained no hydrogen and the others had hydrogen concentrations between 0.5 and 3.5 at. pct (hydrogen analyses were done by vacuum extraction at 1073°K). Electrical resistances were measured by the four-terminal-resistor method on an apparatus similar to the one described by Horak.~ The specimen holder was designed so that both current and potential leads made spring-loaded mechanical contact with the specimen. The potential leads were 30 mm apart, and the current leads were 55 mm apart. The current was 0.10000 amp. We used the following baths for the indicated temperature ranges: liquid nitrogen, 77°K; Freon 12, 120" to 230°K; Freon 11, 230" to 290°K; and ethanol, 290" to 340°K. Temperatures lower than 77°K were achieved by allowing the specimen to warm up after removal from liquid helium. Temperatures above 77°K were measured by a calibrated copper-constantan thermocouple (soldered to the specimen holder) and below 77°K by a calibrated carbon resistor. The temperature of the bath changed less than 0.l0K between duplicate measurements of the resistance. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Typical plots of resistivity p vs temperature T are shown in Fig. 1. In the interest of clarity, only five curves are presented and the data points have been

Jan 1, 1968

By S Adamson

Morphological analysis of alluvial gold recovered from the same segment of a placer by four common commercial methods indicates that gold shape and the presence of quartz intergrowths or sulphide overgrowths substantially influence the recovery efficiency of each method. The amount and types of gold saved by each method varies according to the different hydrodynamic conditions under which each of the methods operates. Reverse circulation drilling has the lowest efficiency and preferentially loses moderate-high flatness gold and intergrown or overgrown gold particles with relatively low density. Gravity riffle, hydraulic riffle, and jigcentrifugal concentrator systems respectively save progressively more of these problematic gold morphotypes, but still lose significant and sometimes substantial amounts (of profit) to the tailings. Because of the differences in recovery efficiency, reverse circulation drilling probably underestimates the grade of most placers and may have resulted in bypassing several economic deposits. Losses to tailings by commercial recovery plants arise from inadequacies in fundamental plant design features. These inadequacies compromise plant efficiency by limiting the ability of plants to simulate the wide range of hydrodynamic conditions necessary to operate effectively throughout placer systems. Incorporation of sand pumps and multiple recovery methods into the more sophisticated plants only partly overcomes these inadequacies. At best, efficiency will be maximised in a few segments of the placer determined by individual plant design, and will decrease progressively upstream and downstream of those segments. Without prior knowledge of the morphological characteristics of the gold to be mined, it is difficult to choose the most appropriate plant design, or to estimate what proportion of the gold will be recoverable by any given plant. If the relevant relationships are not considered beforehand, the recovery plant is likely to lose a significant proportion of the gold, and sacrifice maximum profit.

Jan 1, 2001

Gravity-driven rock falls account for a large proportion of all fatalities and injuries in underground mines. Potentially unstable blocks of rock are found in the hanging wall of excavations, which may be delineated by natural joints or stress fractures. These blocks, referred to as keyblocks, will fail if their weight exceeds the support capacity or if they are located between support units. This paper describes a computer program which simulates blocks in the hanging wall of an excavation based on measured properties of fractures and joints. Keyblocks are identified and placed at random locations in a predefined excavation. The keyblocks are tested against the support to determine whether they fail the support, drop out between the support or are stable. By repeating the procedure several thousand times, statistics of the probability of failure of the keyblocks are obtained. This approach allows the relative hazard associated with different types of support or excavation orientations to be obtained. It is concluded that a probabilistic approach is suitable for the evaluation of supports effectiveness in situations where large numbers of discontinuities or stress fractures are exposed in excavations.

Jan 1, 1998

By D. L. Petersen, C. R. Nelson, B. K. Nelson, B. D. Wagener

The Lafayette Bluff tunnel, currently under construction for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), will be among the widest highway tunnels in the United States. The 199-meter tunnel is being constructed in a closely jointed, variably weathered diabase rock mass. Cover above the tunnel crown ranges from 4 meters to 27 meters, and is less than the tunnel excavated width of 18.3 meters for about 60 percent of its length. These factors dictated special support and lining design, limitations on excavation sizes and required sequences for support installation. Tunnel excavation is by controlled blasting, with multiple top headings and bench. Rock support and lining consists of external portal beams, rockbolts and reinforced shotcrete. A final concrete lining provides structural support for the rock mass and the membrane waterproofing system.

Jan 1, 1991

By Robert A. Cummings, Madan M. Singh

In April 1984 a subsidence depression formed directly beneath a two-story frame residence, near Linton, IN, causing 2 ft of separation between the floor and walls, and damaging both the foundation and interior of the building. The Office of Surface Mining undertook the rehabilitation of the area under its emergency response program. This paper describes the investigation performed to determine the cause, severity, and extent of the problem. Abandoned mine workings were found approximately 55 to 60 ft below the house. Based on the findings, remedial measures were prescribed. An abatement program consisting of grouting the mine voids was recommended, and specifications prepared. These were implemented, and the area has been successfully stabilized.

Jan 1, 1986

By S. Kelebek, J. A. Finch, Zhenghe Xu, S. R. (Ram) Rao

To improve SO2 emission compliance, pyrrhotite from Sudbury copper-nickel ores is being depressed with DETA. To understand the mechanism of depression, the role of complexing in controlling metal-ion activation of pyrrhotite was investigated. DETA was found to remove Cu and Ni ions but leave hydrophilic ferric species on the pyrrhotite surface. The metal:DETA ratio appeared to be 1:2. Cu was more readily removed than Ni, but the combination of DETA with sulphur dioxide was equally effective for both metal ions. Certain combinations of DETA, Ni ions, xanthate and dithionite (S2O4) or dithionate (S2O6), as representative derivatives of SO2 in water, produced hydrophilic precipitates. These may enhance pyrrhotite depression

Jun 19, 1905

Fine coal is defined as material with a maximum size of 1/2 in. Various methods for separate washing of such coal are discussed briefly because separate treatment can lead to a higher overall recovery of coal or to a product having a lower ash content.A felspar jig is discussed in detail because it is the method most recently adopted in Australia, and because it has the advantages of compactness, flexibility and automatic Gontrol, with minimum operator attention. This jig has a variety of adjustable controls to enable the desired results to be obtained from a wide range of coals and the general application of each control is discussed.The only separate treatment of fine coal in the Illawarra district is by felspar jigs on Bulli seam coal.INTRODUCTIONAll reasonably large Australian collieries now win coal by mechanical methods. but while mechanization leads to more economic production of high tonnages, it also changes the characteristics of the coal won. In particular there is an increased proportion of fines, and an increased ash and moisture content. However, specifications of coal for sale have become more stringent, and consumers now require coals in a definite size range with a lower and more uniform ash content, as well as with a low and uniform moisturecontent.These factors have led to the need to wash and grade run-of-mine coal at the pithead. In' plants where the whole of the run-of-mine coal is treated in a jig, some of the fine coal in the feed is beneficiated; the extent depending on factors such as the type of coal and the feed rate. However, for dense medium treatment, fine coal must first be screened out, and there may then be no washing of fine coal at all.

Jan 1, 1961

By Shiro Watanabe

To determine the potentialities of nickel as a substitute for cobalt in catalysts for the synthesis of hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide and hydrogen, RESULTS The maximum oil yields obtained in bench-scale equipment were as follows: Using 100N1:20Mn:100 kaolin:200 diatomaceous earth catalyst, a maximum yield of 133.8 cm.3/m.3 of pure CO+2H2 was obtained from one pass of the feed gas, With a nickel:cobalt mixed catalyst (Ni:Co - 3:7) having the composition 100(Ni+Co):8MgO: 5Th02:200 diatomaceous earth, a maximum of 172.2 cm.3/m.3 of pure C0+2H2 was obtained.

Jan 1, 1951

Separates of all the Technical Publications published in 1931 are available at Institute headquarters. All the papers are on file in public, university and technical libraries, and when so indicated in the list, may be found in the Transactions. Copies of these papers have been mailed to those members of the Institute who are registered in the different classes: A-Metal Mining; B-Milling and Concentration; C-Iron and Steel Division; D-Nonferrous Metallurgy; E-Institute of Metals Division; F-Coal Division; G-Petroleum Division; H-Nonmetallic Minerals; I-Mining Geology; K-Mining Administration; L-Geophysical Prospecting. Other members may obtain copies by writing to the Secretary. Additional copies are sold at the rate of I cent per page; minimum charge, 25 cents. Metal Mining Tech-nical Publi- Title Author Meeting TRanb. cation Volume No. and Page* 411-A.43 Ventilation at the Portovelo Mines, J. P. Harmon New York. T31, 83 Ecuador (18) Feb., 1931 425-A.44 Use of Models for the Study of Mining P. B. Bucky New York, Problems (28) Feb., 1931 Milling and Concentration 375-B.32 Ball Mill Studies, I (53) A. W. Fahrenwald New York, H. E. Lee Feb.. 1931 401-B.33 Experimental Flotation of Oxidized H. S. Gieser New York. Silver Ores (9) Feb., 1931 410-B.34 Flotation of Minor Gold in Large-scale E. S. Leaver New York, Copper Concentrators (32) J. A. Woolf Feb., 1931 414-B.35 Effect of Particle Size on Flotation A. M. Gaudin New York, (23) J. 0. Groh Feb., 1931 H. B. Henderson 416-B.36 Ball Mill Studies, 11.—Thermal A. W. Fahrenwald New York. Determinations of Ball Mill Effi- G. W. Hammar Feb., 1931 ciency (13) H. E. Lee W. W. Staley Iron and Steel Division 38QC.59 Open-hearth Steel Process as a Prob- E. R. Jette New York, C31, 80, 111 Iem in Chemical Kinetics (34) Feb., 1931 381-C.60 Thermodynamic Study of the Phasial Yap, Chu-Phay New York. Equi1ibriain the System Iron-car- Feb., 1931 bon (26) 382-(3.61 Influence of Dissolved Carbide on the Yap, Chu-Phay New York, Equilibria of the System Iron-car- Feb., 1931 ban (19) 383-C.62 Research on Blast-furnace Slags. R. S. McCaffery New York, Three papers (88) Co-workers Feb., 1931 384-C.63 Statistical Analysis of Blast-furnace K. S. McCaffery New York, C31, 60, 70 Data (13) R. G. Stephenson Feb., 1931

Jan 1, 1931

By W. N. Tanner

THE wire-rope hoisting conditions at the mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Butte, Mont., are very severe because of the conditions under which it is necessary to operate. A study was made, in the fall of 1919, for the purpose of changing these conditions in order to obtain longer rope and sheave life. There are at present in Butte, hoisting engines equipped with wire rope as follows: 9 main hoists using flat ropes. 7 main hoists using 1 ½ in. rope. 5 main hoists using 1 ¼ in. rope. 6 shafts using 1 1/8 in. rope. 2 chippy hoists using 1 ¼ in. rope. 9 chippy hoists using 1 1/8 in. rope. 15 shafts using 1 in. rope. 7 shafts using 7/8 in. rope. 1 shaft using ¾ in. rope. In addition, there are a number of sinking engines using 5/8 in., ¾ in., 7/8 in., and 1 in. (15.9, 19, 22, and 25 mm. rope.) The flat ropes run from ½ by 7 ½ in. (12.7 by 190.5 mm.) to ½ by 4 ½ in. (9.5 by 114 mm.) and are used on the older hoisting-engines, which are set comparatively close to the shaft. Because of swelling and moving ground at some of the shafts, these ropes present certain difficulties in operation that are more pronounced than with round ropes; they are, therefore, being superseded by round ropes as newer engines are being installed. They are, however, much more easily inspected and repaired than round ropes.

Jan 2, 1922

By Virgil Miller, F. B. Petermann, S. F. Ravitz

The Cle Elum nickeliferous iron deposit is in Kittitas County, Washington, in a rugged, mountainous region about 23 miles north of the town of Cle Elum. The Biewett Pass deposit, which is similar in character and occurrence, is in Chelan County, about 18 miles east of the Cle Elum deposit. A more or less continuous ore zone may extend between the two deposits, since iron ore is reported to have been discovered at Iron Mountain, which lies directly between them. The ore probably was formed by meta-morphism of laterite resulting from Ieach-ing of serpentine derived from peridotite. It consists largely of magnetite grains distributed through a matrix of limonitic material containing a small amount of hematite and chromite. Many of the chromite grains have shells and inclusions of magnetite. The magnetite grains range in size from 1200-mesh to 1/4-in., the average size being 48 to 65-mesh; the chromite grains range from 20 to 150-mesh. The gangue minerals are olivine and serpentine with a small, amount of chlorite, and appear both as very thin bands in the ore and 's minute fragments in the limonitic matrix. The nickel is present as minUte inclusions of a nickel silicate mineral within the magnetite and gangue par- ticles, varying in size from 1500 to about 280-mesh. Detailed analyses of 3000-lb. lots of Cle Elum and Blewett Pass ore are given in Table I. TABLE i.—Analyses of Ore Samples Per Cent Ore from Constituent cle Elum' Blewett Pass Cr....................... 2.23 2-12 Ni...................... 1.43 0.9s Fe...................... 52.9 41.4 SiOz.................... 5.6 13.4 CaO.................... 0.3 0.8 MgO................... 4-1 7-5 AI2O3................... 7.0 2.g P...................... 0.022 0.034 S....................... O.O1 o.oa Mn..................... I.I 0.4 Ba..................... nil co..................... o.oa 0.02 CU..................... 0.02 0.03 As...................... 0.03 Au..................... nil Ag°..................... O.58 Pt...................... ml Fe++.................... 8.9 5-9 Fe+++.................. 44-0 35-5 « Ounces per ton, 1 sr,cte,so,","&&$ally absent: B, W, M~, T~, V, ~i, Bi, Pb. Sb. Sn. Be, In, Hg. Zn, Zr. Cd. Preliminary Tests Attempts to beneficiate the ore by ore-dressing methods, including various 'cornbinations of sink and float, tabling, jigging, flotation, and magnetic separation, were consistently unsuccessful. A wide variety of roasting and leaching tests were made on both raw and reduced ore, but in most of the tests little or no nickel was extracted, and in none did the extraction exceed 50 Per cent. No nickel could be volatilized as the carbonyl. by treating reduced ore with carbon monoxide. Fairly good sepa-

Jan 1, 1944

By A. Fred Gelding

Introduction In preparing this paper considerable time was spent attempting to find some upbeat data about the mining industry, so those of us in the field could feel somewhat better about future prospects. Much to my regret, I failed to uncover substantial evidence that our near-term or, for that matter, our long-term opportunities appear all that bright in North America. That is certainly not the kind of assessment anyone likes to hear or accept as even a possibility. Those remarks may, on the surface, appear far too pessimistic. This industry will experience a recovery and most likely will see conditions begin to improve later this year or early next. The kind and degree of recovery, however, will more than likely differ from those experienced in the past. Fundamental Changes Clearly, the fundamentals on a world scale of our business have undergone important changes. In recognizing these fundamental changes, mining authorities believe productivity advances are needed to change the direction mining has taken in recent years. The really tough question is whether increases in productivity will be enough to change the course of events that has dominated the mining sector for the past decade. Before one can provide an honest answer, an appraisal of what has and is happening now is necessary. Here are some changes and events that have taken place that effect domestic mining and will probably continue: • Mineral-rich lesser developed countries (LDCs) in Africa, South America, and Asia-Pacific have reached a point where they have developed the needed mining infrastructure to not only produce at a high rate, but in many instances, at a lower cost than fully developed countries. Just as importantly, these countries, even if they do not enjoy lower costs, will produce for world export with government subsidies because min¬ing products are key in obtaining badly needed foreign exchange. • These producing countries also have the distance advantage of lower labor, environmental, and other important regulatory costs. If that were not enough, these same countries have minerals with considerably higher grade ore and, in some cases, much lower cost accessibility. • Exporting North American commodities is impaired by a dollar that continues to strengthen against other important currencies around the world. There are other impediments to overcome, but these represent some of the realities our industry faces. Can those obstacles be overcome through improving productivity? In the past, this industry has offset the impact of these events to a sizeable degree through innovations of mining techniques, equipment and processes, and by increasing the size of its individual operations to reduce costs. Will further enhancements along these lines be enough to alter this changing balance in the future? While there is no answer, it is apparent that if we do not mount a full-scale assault in some key areas, our prospects will not be encouraging. Productivity improvements throughout the entire chain of the mining industry most certainly rates as a high priority. Every link in that chain from mine planning, equipment selections, and transportation considerations needs to be examined and reexamined to assure the lowest effective cost is developed. Quality, while oftentimes costing a little more initially, is still the most cost effective purchasing decision to make. Regulations Another area of concern is regulations, be they environmental or those that dictate what must or must not be done in running our business. Certainly, I do not suggest that we not protect our environment. However, there is an acceptable balance that has, over

Jan 11, 1983

Although small scale mining is regarded by many as of historical value only, this kind of mining activity is still much more widespread than is usually assumed. It has been estimated that it produces as much as ten per cent of the global mineral output. More significantly this figure is often much higher for many of the developing countries of Africa, Asia and South America, signifying the relatively greater contribution of small scale mining to the economies of those countries. It is also noted that small scale mining has always been a feature of mineral production in New Zealand and Australia. An attempt is made to define small scale mining, and the factors determining the suitability of small scale mining operations are discussed. The state of the art in small scale mining is reviewed and the author endeavours to rationalise the important parameters which contribute to successful small scale mining operations and discusses how these parameters may be optimised. The benefits of small scale mining to the mining industry as a whole and to the community at large are outlined. The paper concludes by emphasising the necessity to maintain small scale mining and 'explores' its future 'prospects'.

Jan 1, 1990