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By Donald E. Archibald, Gerald A. Allcott

"Noranda's Heath Steele Mine is located 35 miles north of Newcastle in northern New Brunswick. Blasthole open stoping with partial delayed filling is the major mining method in use. The selection of stope and pillar dimensions to ensure mine stability was originally subjective. This paper describes the progress made in attempting to rationalize design.One major feature is the fracture pattern. The main orebody now being mined, the B zone, has undergone five periods of folding and each period of folding developed a family of fracture planes which are axial planar to that particular fold pattern.The other major features considered are the calculated increase in stress due to mining and depth and its relationship to measured strain. Experience has shown that ground problems affecting production have usually originated in rib pillars. Field observations of ground deterioration and multi-wire extensometer measurements of strain are tabulated together chronologically for each pillar.A factor representing stress and a common plane of weakness are identified. Graphical analysis is used to determine the effect of the plane of weakness on a typical stress/strain curve and provides a base for the design of pillars."

Jan 1, 1981

By Tom Gaines, G. S. Brant, J. G. Debanne

"AbstractThe Bonnie Glen oil field, one of Canada's largest, lies about fifty miles southwest of Edmonton, Alberta. One hundred and thirty-eight wells have been completed in this field since its discovery in January, 1952. Five different procedures have been used in completing the producing wells.The reservoir is an Upper Devonian biohermal reef with good porosity and uniformly high permeability. The top of the reef is quite flat but the flanks slope at angles approaching 20 degrees from the horizontal. The reservoir has a gas cap with a maximum thickness of 400 feet, an oil column of 300 feet, and a :porcus aquifer of over 300 feet. The reservoir pressure is now 2,400 pounds per square inch gauge at datum ( -4100 M.S.L.).Because of the high permeability and the high •pressure, lost circulation and resultant blowouts are a particular hazard in drilling at Bonnie :Glen field. To reduce the dangers of blowouts, it is general practice to run casing to the top of the reef. If the reef is encountered 'high' it was usual practice to run a liner and perforate for completion. Wells penetrating the •reef below the gas/oil interface were either completed in open hole or through casing perforated opposite the oil pay, with the former method more frequently used. Eight wells were completed by the Humble-Otis permanent-type completion, and recently five high wells were completed open hole with the gas •cap exposed. This latter completion, 'tubing submergence', has proved highly satisfactory thus far.The open-hole type of completion is cheaper than the liner perforation method and results in better well performance. More experimentation and data are needed before the tubing submergence method can be recommended unqualifiedly. but all evidence thus far favours its use in reef reservoirs."

Jan 1, 1955

By N. M. Soonawala

Detailed regional geophysical and geochemical surveys, ground surveys and drilling were undertaken to follow-up the federal-provincial Uranium Reconnaissance Program (URP) over the 27,OOO-km2 Kasmere-Munroe area in northwestern Manitoba. An analysis of the URP data showed a fair correlation between the regional airborne radiometric results and lake-bottom geochemical results, both of which also correlated with the regional geology. More detailed surveys defined anomalies with greater precision within the broad zones outlined by the URP. The ground follow-up indicated that URP anomalies can be caused by varying degrees of uranium concentration in the rocks. Mineralization of interest was found in leucogranites at several locations within the survey area. Anomalous uranium concentrations were also found in coarse pegmatites and Hudsonian granitic intrusions. It can be concluded that large-scale regional surveys can be followed up in relatively short periods of time to yield meaningful results if a properly planned exploration sequence is employed, each stage of which successively narrows the area of interest.

Jan 1, 1979

By Eugene (Gene) Bounds

The Mining industry faces many challenges, one of which is the demand to communicate over a variety of media, be it visual, sound, voice, data or any combination. Over the years multiple infrastructures have been put in place to overcome environmental obstacles and address these communication needs. A mine is an aggressive environment for electronic equipment and as such only the best quality equipment can perform under those special conditions of e.g. temperature, dust and humidity. Siemens Canada and its partner LComm will discuss a mining solution using a unique combination of technologies based on fibre optics, standard communication interfaces, passive antenna infrastructure and wireless services. The presentation looks at maximizing the use of infrastructure, reducing costs, addressing difficulty of communications coverage above and below the surface and the capability to future proof the capital investment as new requirements and applications are identified. Discussion will address: Wireless voice, high speed data Data acquisition for process control from sensors Video for remote control and security Miner safety and location Timely receipt of large volumes of information

Apr 1, 2005

By W. S. Dyer

The lignite deposit at Onakawana on the Abitibi river is of particular interest at the present time, since the Ontario Government has recently decided to proceed with the extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway to James bay. Forty-five miles of steel will be laid this year to the crossing of the Moose river. This will cross the lignite field. It has been known for many years that lignite occurred in the Moose River basin, but it was not until drilling was commenced at Blacksmith rapids (or Onakawana, as the camp is now known) in June, 1929, that a seam of economic thickness and extent was found. Early in 1929 the Ontario Legislature voted $25,000 for the carrying out of a drilling programme in the Moose River basin. This came as a culmination of two summers' exploratory work by the Geological Branch of the Ontario Department of Mines, and as the result of a report which said; in effect, that further information concerning the mineral resources of the basin could only be obtained by drilling, and that such a drilling programme was well worth while in order to establish once for all whether lignite, fire-clay, or oil or gas did or did not exist in economic quantities in the region.

Jan 1, 1930

By D. J. MacKinnon

"The Canadian Copper Company, formed in 1885, began mining the nickel-copper ores of Sudbury in 1887 and producing nickel-copper matte from its smelter in 1888(1). Although it was quickly appreciated that the separation of nickel and copper (i.e. refining) was critical to the production of a marketable nickel product, refined nickel was not produced in Canada until about 1918. From the beginning of the industry, there was considerable political agitation to refine nickel in the Province of Ontario(2). The companies, however, claimed that the existing processes, viz. the sodium sulphide ""tops and bottoms"" process operated by the Orford Copper Company of New Jersey, U.S.A.(1,3,4) and the carbonyl process(5,6) developed by the Mond Company at Clydach, Wales, were too costly to operate in Canada. Nickel was first refined in Ontario about 1918 when the International Nickel Company opened a nickel refinery at Port Colborne, Ontario(6). Initially, however, the refinery at Port Colborne employed the Orford sodium sulphide process, and the first electrorefined nickel in Canada was produced in 1920 by the British America Nickel Corporation whose mine and smelter were located in Sudbury, Ontario, but whose electrorefinery was located at Deschenes, Quebec, near Ottawa, Ontario. The purpose of this article is to outline the early history of nickel electrorefining and to trace the significant developments which led to the first successful commercial electrolytic nickel refinery in Canada. The development of an electrolytic process for refining nickel is due largely to the efforts of four individuals, viz. Carl Hoepfner, Hans A. Frasch, D.H. Browne and ultimately N.V. Hybinette, and the contribution of each is discussed separately below."

Jan 1, 1999

By J B. Magee

Sheep Creek Mines Limited has developed several operating techniques that have greatly assisted in keeping unit costs at reasonable levels. Some of the techniques, as described in this paper, include organization, accounting, warehousing, bonus and contracts. INTRODUCTION THIS paper is a non-technical report on operating techniques developed by Sheep Creek Mines Limited at their Mineral King mine, located near lnvermere, B.C. Depressed metal prices and continually rising labour and materials costs have necessitated a continuous search for method to keep operating costs down. The newly developed techniques and practices have greatly assisted in maintaining unit costs. Sheep Creek Mines Limited is a mining company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia. The Company's share capital is 3,500,000 common shares, witl1 a par value of 50 cents each, of which there are 1,875 000 shares is-sued. The Company has eight di-rectors. The administration, exploration and accounting offices are located in Nelson, B.C. The Company's working capital is approximately $1,500,000.

Jan 1, 1963

By Robert B. Parsons

"The last edition of Tax Notes expressed concern about two proposed tax changes in Finance Minister Paul Martin's 1995 budget that could have detrimental effects on Canada's mining industry. This month, Tax Notes expands on these concerns. This article is based on a paper that the author presented at ClM '95 in HalifaxIntroductionOn a global basis, there are more investment opportunities in the mining industry today than at any other time in history. Countries in Central and South America, Eastern Europe, the CIS, Central Asia, and Asia are competing aggressively to attract investment to all sectors of their domestic mining industries. Today, the demand for investment dollars exceeds the amount of dollars that are available for investment in mining. It is not surprising, then, that the established mineral producing nations are witnessing a decline in spending on exploration and development on their home turf, and an increase in spending in developing countries. In the context of a developed country such as Canada, there are two manifestations of the problem of declining investment: (I) Foreign investors are allocating more of their capital budgets to new opportunities in developing countries; and (2) Canadian juniors and seniors are spending proportionately more abroad. This shift in global spending patterns is the source of some concern for the future of Canada's mining industry, particularly because it is widely believed that the current rate of discovery of ore reserves in this country is too low to replenish depleting reserves.""Government bashing"" has always been a popular pastime in Canada. Invariably, this pastime has focussed, at !east in part, on taxation. In view of the intense competition that Canada faces on the global mining scene, it is important that the role of taxation in the decision-making process be kept in perspective. This paper seeks to put the role of taxation into perspective."

Jan 1, 1995

By A. A. Brant

Self-potential methods are based ?on measurements on the surface of voltage distributions caused by natural sub-surface oxidation phenomena. The attempt is made to. correlate voltage minima or maxima with the location of mineral materials or geological conditions which may give rise to such naturally produced spontaneous potentials. Any orebody undergoing oxidation is a source of electric current. Ground waters carrying free oxygen attack the upper surface of the body, rendering this the positive pole of a galvanic cell, with the lower portion of the body the negative pole and the surrounding weak acidic waters the electrolyte. Current flow is from positive to negative through the orebody and negative to positive through the electrolyte, i.e., through the surrounding rock. The upper end of a steeply dipping, tabular orebody is hence indicated as lying below the point on the surface where the largest negative potential is observed(l). From its basis, it is apparent that the self-potential method was developed primarily for ore exploration.

Jan 1, 1942

By W. E. Lockley

This paper will attempt to answer a number of questions which are important to the safe and continued operation of an electric power system. 1. WHY should electrical protective devices be tested? 2. WHAT devices should be tested ? 3. WHEN should they be tested ? 4. HOW should they be tested? 5. WHO should test them ?

Jan 1, 1977

By F. O. Verret

Several grindability tests were developed over the years to design grinding circuits or optimize existing operations. Each test has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is imperative to select the proper test procedure(s) to meet project deliverables and minimize the risk of a project. Pilot plant testing of large bulk samples historically constituted the traditional approach for AG or SAG design, but was gradually replaced by small-scale tests. Nowadays, conducting grindability tests requiring only a few kilos of material on several samples is a more typical approach to grinding mill design. This paper summarises the requirements and deliverables of various bench-scale test procedures, their strengths and weaknesses, and cases where AG/SAG pilot testing should still be performed.

Jan 1, 2012

By Cale J. Dubois

At Cameco Corporations' Cigar Lake Project, large excavations are developed on the 480 Level and 500 Level must remain stable for at least 15 years to host underground processing infrastructure. Following the successful dewatering of the mine in October 2009, subsequent internal rockmechanics investigations augmented by third party technical investigations; determined that to keep the back of the Water Flush Crusher/Run-of-Mine (WFC/ROMs) excavation stable; required a rehabilitation strategy to mitigate deterioration/deformation of the WFC walls and intersection pillars. The mechanism of failure propagating the movement of the excavation walls is understood to be controlled by the presence of a dominant E-W striking and steeply dipping foliation within a relatively weak and mildly altered rockmass sub-parallel in strike with 14 meters high walls and an intersection span approaching 15 meters. The application of open and resourceful communications between site mining engineers, geologists, contract mining staff, construction management experts, corporate mining and civil engineers, and third party technical experts resulted in a multi-faceted short-term ground support strategy consisting of standard bolting and screening, deep-seated modified-strand cable bolts coupled with heavy gauge mesh straps, rockmass reconditioning using low-pressure grout injection, and horizontal cable-lacing for the intersection pillars applied in lifts using a top-down methodology. The intention of the short-term strategy was to stabilize the excavation so that a long-term structural steel support installation - consisting of composite concrete walls, and arch support applied to the side walls and crown of the back - could be constructed safely. This paper summarizes the evolution of the short and long-term ground support strategy and criteria for the WFC/ROMs excavation developed using elements of civil, mining and hydrogeologic design.

Nov 1, 2011

By Rick Valenta

Is the Labrador Central Mineral Belt part of the IOCGU Club? ?I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.? GrouchoMarx Acknowledgements ?Ian Dunlop, Matt Lennox-King, Mark O?Dea, Dave Barbour, Derek Wilton, Lucas Marshall, Roland Butler, Mark King, Sally Howson,

May 1, 2006

By Iina Vaajamo, Jani Jansson, Lauri Pesonen

In pyrometallurgical operations, structural integrity of a high temperature furnace plays a crucial role in the overall safety, profitability and ecological footprint of the plant. Furnace integrity is related to how reliable a furnace is and it can be compromised, for example, by having poor operating and maintenance practices, an inefficient cooling system and flaws in the overall furnace design. These flaws and poor practices might lead to unexpected shutdowns, production losses, increased emissions, or worse. This paper presents the main factors to consider when engineering a furnace and developing its operating practices, while ensuring safe and reliable operations without compromising process efficiency and quality of the final products. In this respect, Outotec’s solutions for the cooling system and for automation systems like PROSCON, Process Advisor, Sentinel and our Smelting Information Management System, are also introduced.

Jan 1, 2015

By P. J. Sylvester, D. H. C. Wilton, R. I. Wheeler, M. A. E. Huminick, D. Evans-Lamswood

"Abstract — Systematic characterization of the mineralogy of massive sulfide ore deposits can provide valuable insights into ore genesis and metallurgical processing that would not be apparent otherwise. We describe a method wherein (1) normative mineral abundances are calculated from whole-rock chemical assays using an algorithm, (2) the results are cast in block models, (3) the results are then verified with automated image analysis of a subset of samples prepared as grain mounts by backscattered electron imaging and X-ray mapping on a scanning electron microscope, and (4) those verified results are integrated with textural data determined by optical microscopy.The technique is applied to the magmatic Ni-Cu-Co sulfides of the Ovoid orebody, based on geochemical assays of 3175 whole-rock samples. Three principal ore zones are defined in the Ovoid. Type I ore occurs in the center of the deposit; it is magnetite-rich and pyrrhotite-poor with intermediate contents of pentlandite and chalcopyrite. Type II ore surrounds Type I ore and is pentlanditechalcopyrite- rich with intermediate contents of pyrrhotite and magnetite. Type III ore occurs at the base and along the outer periphery of the northern part of the orebody; it is pyrrhotite-rich and chalcopyrite- poor with an intermediate content of pentlandite, and a low-to-intermediate content of magnetite."

Jan 1, 2012

By J. C. Bothan

A program to provide technical in-formation on the use of fuels in pyro-metallurgical processes, from the Canadian fuel viewpoint, was initiated about five years ago by a Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy liaison grou1> composed of members from the Coal Research Committee of the Coal Division and the Iron and Steel Committee of the Metallurgy Division. This paper is another of a series prepared for this program. Previous papers included a review of pyrometallurgical processes of Canadian interest, a survey of ferrous processes relevant to the development of an integrated steel industry in western Canada and a survey of the fuel requirements of the non-ferrous metals industry in Canada. It is widely recognized among per-sons familiar with the Canadian coal industry that, because of the large resources of coking coal in western Canada, the

Jan 1, 1963

By T. P. Johnson, A. Vathavooran

"Conventional mining operations can produce a wide range of wastes containing gold and other precious metals but which are less suitable for processing by traditional methods. There are also types of ore that do not fit easily into a traditional processing flowsheet, e.g. because the refractory nature of their minerology or the combination of valuable metals is less suitable for traditional processes. Nevertheless, these potential sources of valuable metals remain unexploited resources that have attracted growing interest in the metals and mining industries over recent years. The challenge is therefore to develop and use alternative processing methods that have the flexibility of operation to cope with a wide variety of material types and tonnages, whilst providing high recoveries for valuable metals. Tetronics’ DC plasma smelting technology achieves industry-leading recovery rates for precious metals from a wide range of input materials and initial precious metal concentrations, whilst generating an inert slag-based material as a by-product (even when starting from a hazardous waste input material), approved within the EU for use in construction applications. This paper describes how this technology can be used as a key part of an overall process for the recovery of precious metals from these interesting materials.INTRODUCTION The extraction of gold from its ores by various forms of cyanide leaching has been practised by the mining industry for over a century (Minerals Council of Australia, 2005) and it remains the primary extraction method in a wide range of mining operations. The ability of cyanide to extract gold efficiently and quickly from lower grade ores without extensive additional processing, coupled with well-known methods to recycle the cyanide for re-use within the process mean it is often both the most economically preferable and environmentally acceptable method for recovering gold. As a result, 88% of all gold produced from mines in the USA in 2014 was recovered via leaching of open heaps or dumps (UGGS, 2016). Nevertheless, there are occasions where certain combinations of mineralogy and other circumstances reduce the effectiveness of cyanidation techniques, so that ever more elaborate additional processing steps are required, with inevitable increases in operating costs (Swash, 1988). In these circumstances, which are likely to be more common in future as ore qualities diminish, other methods of extraction may offer better alternatives. Whilst much less commonly used for Au extraction at present, pyrometallurgical methods are amongst the longest-established of these alternative approaches and merit serious consideration in such cases."

Jan 1, 2017

By T. G. Ewart

INTRODUCTION FOR THE purpose of this paper, western bituminous coal is defined as steam coal produced in Alberta and southeastern British Columbia for sale primarily to railways and industries. Before examining present and future markets of this industry, it is proper to review briefly financial and operating conditions within the industry. The report of the Royal Commission on Coal, 1946, supplies financial data from which some conclusions may be drawn. In 1944, the industry as defined above had share capital of $24,886,696. In the fifteen years 1930 to 1944, inclusive, the industry produced: 44,364,211 tons of coal. The profit on this tonnage amounted to $4,678,382.58, which represented 10.6 cents per ton of production. Miscellaneous earnings increased the amount available for dividends to shareholders to a total of $8,487,952.41, which is equal to, 19.1 cents per ton of production. Dividends actually paid in this fifteen-year period amounted to $12,332,040.64, which represented an annual average rate of 3.40 per cent on share capital. It is worthy of note that, in 1944, the net current position of the industry, including investments, was $8,753,874.51. The writer believes that the financial position of the industry with respect to capital, current financial position, and net earnings, has not significantly changed from the fifteen-year period out-lined above. The figures quoted indicate the following situation: (1) The western bituminous coal industry is adequately financed. (2) The industry has followed a conservative dividend policy and has accrued funds for contingencies. (3) The industry has sold its production at very reasonable prices as evidenced by its moderate earnings per ton of production.

Jan 1, 1951

By P. C. Lighthall, D. W. Zandee, W. Shukin

"IntroductionThis chapter deals with the on land disposal and storage of fine tailing in slurry form behind dams. Other types of tailing, such as coarse dry cobbs from magnetic separation of iron ores and other dry materials, have special problems and are not addressed in this paper. The disposal of mine waste is not included, except as such materials may be of value in the construction activities related to tailing disposal.In earlier North American mining, mines were smaller and frequently disposed of their tailing by direct discharge into neighbouring streams or bodies of water. Where that was not practical or not permitted, the solids were collected in tailing ponds and only the effluent liquids were released or decanted. The dams used for these early impoundments were fragile structures and failures were common. With the advent of large, low-grade open pit mines, and increasing awareness of environmental and safety considerations, recently established mines have carefully-designed tailing disposal systems, with wellconstructed dams and attention given to protection of the environment. Older mines are being improved or at least being examined critically with a view to upgrading as necessary to meet the new standards.Modern tailing disposal systems are highly variable and unique to each mine. Tailing pond selection and design is dependent on available topography as also is the design of transport and water reclaim systems. Suitable sites that are at higher elevations than the mills or distant from them may require that the tailings be pumped. Dams, either earth or rock structures built of the most convenient and economic material, are usually a suitable mix of local borrow, mine waste and coarse tailings. The most economic structures are those built mostly of coarse tailing."

Jan 1, 1989

By Louis Frost

"A FIRE which forced the sealing -of the east side of Dominion No. 16 Colliery in the Town of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, occurred on October 6th, 1952 (Figure 1).So far as can be ascertained, the fire was first noticed in the roof of No. 7 East Lateral, after a brushing shot had been fired in the pavement. There appears to .be no doubt that this shot •blew out, igniting a small feeder in the roof.Regular air measurements and air samples, taken over a long period prior to the fire, indicated that the ventilation was adequate, for at no time had the percentage of CH4 in the general air current exceeded one per cent in this location. The last regular monthly samples and air measurements, taken at the end of September, showed the condition of the ventilation to be:Return at the Top of No. 8 East WallQuantity .... 27,700 cu. ft. per min.CH4 .......................... 0.32 per centC02 ................................ 0.10 per centHowever, in the week preceding the fire the mine examiner on four occasions had reported small feeders of gas at the face of the brushing in No. 7 East Lateral.Figure 2 is a diagram of the working place where the shots were fired. The face brushing had been shot down at 3 :45 p.m. and cleaned up. Two 'hurdle screens' had also been erected, one close to the face brushing and the other fifteen feet from the face."

Jan 1, 1953