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Since 1969, a substantial number of geophysical methods have been applied in the search for porphyry copper and mesothermal type -sulpha-de deposits. These have assisted with geological mapping as well as the definition of various sulphide depos-its. The application of these methods at the Frieda-Nena deposits, Papua New Guinea, can be used as a case study for exploration in other parts of New Guinea.In 1993, Highlands Gold Limited carried out an intensive geophysical program over the Nena deposit. The methods employed included, CSAMT (controlled-source audio magneto-tellurics), airborne and ground elect-romagnetics, IP/resistivity and ground magnetics. The magnetic method was used as a regional mapping tool as well as a way of mapping alteration zones over both the Nena and Frieda River copper deposits. Electromagnetics, in part-icular FLAIRTEM, is a rapid reconn-aissance tool as well as a detailed mapping tool for the location of Nena-style massive sulphide deposits. IP/ resistivity is an expensive but most useful tool for mapping out Frieda porphyry copper style disseminated sulphides as well as Nena style deposits. It can be used to define drill targets in areas of difficult Access.a

Jan 1, 1994

By Offler R, Lau J, Lea J. F

The stratiform and vein-type pyritic silver-Iead-zinc-copper sulphide deposits of Sunny Corner, NSW are hosted by acid volcanic and clastic sedimentary rocks of Middle Silurian to Early Devonian age. The rocks have been subjected to low-grade regional metamorphism (prehnite-pumpellyite facies) and three phases of folding and four faulting events are recognised. Pyrite is intensely fractured, indicating brittle deformation. Chalcopyrite and galena exhibit deformation twins and slip planes indicating ductile deformation; sphalerite and chalcopyrite show straight and curved grain boundaries and dihedral angles of 120° as evidence of annealing recryslallisation. Sulphur isotope ratios for 22 samples from five deposits range from 1.7 to 10.7 per mil and average 7.4 per mil. Sulphur isotope data are similar to those from other stratiform sulphide deposits in acid volcanic rocks of Late Silurian age in the eastern Lachlan Fold Belt, especially Woodlawn and Captains Flat and together with other features of the mineralisation, suggest a volcanic exhalative origin for the Sunny Corner deposits.

Jan 1, 1984

By N Van Buc, E Coroiu

The rapid socio-economic growth of Hanoi City coincides with a corresponding growth of the transport demand. Today, the transport in Hanoi is completely dependent on private modes of transport. Because of the lack of an efficient public transport system and the expected rapid increase in traffic volumes, the movement of people and goods in the urban areas of Hanoi will cause congestion in the present city transport network. The solution of the construction of new roads, or the widening of the existing streets, is very expensive in urban areas and usually causes many social problems due to the resettlement of people. From the point of view of the number of inhabitants, Hanoi City is now over one million. Above this number the international experience shows that the public transportation must be a mass transport system with large capacity, commercial speed and also independent as much as possible from the street network. According to the Hanoi Master Plan for 2020, the Hanoi urban population will be over 3.5 million persons. Also, in the next 15 years, the distances between centre-destination points will be doubled by comparison to 1995.

Jan 1, 1999

Operating metallurgists spend a significant part of their time running plant trials to compare two or more conditions in order to improve the process, such as a new reagent, flow sheet or piece of equipment. The best way to conduct such a trial is as a paired experiment when testing two conditions (eg 'old' and 'new') or a randomised block design when testing more than two conditions. These experimental designs should always be preferred over alternatives if their requirements can be met, because they block the effect of uncontrolled variables ('covariates') and are the most statistically efficient, ie they will lead to the required level of confidence in the outcome faster than other methods. Sometimes, however, it is not possible to switch condition easily, which is a prime requirement of these methods. In such cases the only option may be to switch condition once only, and compare the process performance before and after the switch. Examples are testing grinding media, large equipment, or long residence time processes such as leach trains or CCD thickeners. This paper considers some data analysis methods to deal with this situation. Modelling with intervention analysis (IA) uses regression models with a dummy variable to indicate the presence or absence of the test condition. IA with a time series model ensures that the residuals are uncorrelated. IA with a process model helps to deal with the problem of covariates. The reference distribution is a method free of any statistical assumptions but is less powerful than the other methods. Cusum charts are a helpful visual aid to interpreting time trends. A combination of these methods can help improve the confidence in the final decision. None are as good as a formal experimental design such as a paired trial.

Jan 1, 2008

By K Myers

Since the mid-1990s, the Chino Mine Facility (Chino) located near Silver City, New Mexico has been developing a closure plan with financial assurance to protect water quality, as required by State regulations. In February 2002, Chino and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) reached agreement on a closure plan; a closure cost amount of approximately $US 394 million ($A 591 million) was finalised in April 2003. Both the New Mexico Water Quality Act Regulations (1977) and the New Mexico Mining Act Regulations (1993) guided development of the closure plan and financial assurance amount. The process incorporated many years of correspondence, studies, negotiations and administrative hearings. The major technical issues focused on regrading slopes of the leach ore stockpiles and waste rock piles; cover systems; water treatment systems; and abatement of ground water contamination. The proposed financial assurance amount covers all closure costs and provides for perpetual water treatment.

Jan 1, 2003

By F Saloojee, F K. Crundwell

Refractory ores need to be pretreated prior to cyanide leaching for acceptable gold recovery. Pressure oxidation is one method of rendering the ores more suitable for cyanidation. The focus of this work is optimisation of autoclave configuration for pressure oxidation. An autoclave for the pressure oxidation of a feed containing pyrite and arsenopyrite was modelled, using the population balance framework. The autoclave model takes into account feed particle size, reaction kinetics and retention time. Mass balance calculations were incorporated into Cycad Process« software. This allowed for the investigation of different circuit configurations. The base case model consists of a single autoclave. The feed was then doubled and additional autoclaves were added to provide the same residence time as the base case. Four different configurations for the additional equipment were simulated. These were parallel, series, series with inter-stage thickening and parallel-series circuits. The options are compared in terms of extraction and productivity. The parallel circuit behaves similarly to the base case. The series and series-parallel circuits have higher recoveries and productivities than the base case. The series circuit with inter-stage thickening provides the highest extraction and productivity. This is because the thickening reduces the slurry volume and increases the residence time of the solids in the downstream autoclave.CITATION:Saloojee, F and Crundwell, F K, 2013. Optimisation of circuits for gold pressure oxidation, in Proceedings World Gold 2013 , pp 181-188 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 26, 2013

By McDougall I, Claoue-Long J

A combination of high precision 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dating has been used to determine the age of hydrothermal minerals and host rocks in a number of Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) gold deposits in New South Wales, Au4 ralii In particular, this investigation demonstrates that the UAr/ Ar technique of K-Ar dating can be used to determine the timing of mineralization in Palaeozoic systems.A close temporal link between mineralization and Late Ordovician to Early Silurian magmatism is indicated by the dating work. Hydrothermal sericite from the Goonumbla p8rph gy Cu deposit and Glendale Au prospect yieldsAt/ Ar step heating ages between 437.9 ¦ 1.1 and 441.2 ¦ 1.1 Ma (16), and4 minjrnum age of about 425 Ma has been obtained by Ar/ Ar dating of hydrothermal amphibole from the Browns Creek Au-Cu skarn deposit. Hydrothermal aluniI8 frog the Gidginbung epithermal Au deposit yields reset 44 Ar/ Ar ages of 401.0 ¦ 1.3 to 417.3 ¦ 1.3 Ma (16). U-Pb dating by ion microprobe on magmatic zircons from the vicinity of the Goonumbla and Gidginbung deposits gives ages of 438 ¦ 3.5 Ma (2 6), and 435 ¦ 2.5 Ma (2 (7) respectimly, W a minimum age of 435 Ma has been obtained by Ar/ Ar dating of magmatic phases from volcanic rocks adjacent to the Browns Creek skarn deposit. Magmatic episodes near the Sheahan-Grants gold skarnpost give ages of 479.2 ¦ 1.1 and 467.9 ¦ 4o1 by 'Ar/ 9Ar dating of magmatic amphibole. Most Ar/3yAr age spectra show the effects of partial Ar loss at between 360-420 Ma, probably due to heating caused by granitoid emplacement.The radiometric dating work in this paper suggests a restricted metallogenic epoch in the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian LFB, NSW, of similar duration to that found in the Andean margin and the western Pacific island arcs around the Pacific Rini.

Jan 1, 1990

By D Matthews

With the increasing demand for quality-specific ores, coupled to the reality of even more complex minable iron ore reserves, there is a growing need for real-time online material analysis of plant feed and product. For a full system mass balance, the combination of conveyor weight scales, flow and density transmitters are required. This alone does not guarantee product grade. For optimal process control and material blending, real-time online elemental scans in combination with the mass weighting is becoming more than a ‘nice to have’. These elemental scans located at key positions, enable the mining and plant operators to make informed decisions timeously, therefore ensuring product outcomes and optimising operations where material grade and the control thereof are important. Typically, these units follow the mining and primary crushing circuit as well as on the product conveyors, low-grade conveyors and tailings lines. Deployed after the primary crushing circuit, an analyser acts twofold:1. guaranteeing mining production, and2. processing facility feed blends.The analysers on the product conveyors guarantee saleable product. The analysers on the low-grade conveyor and tailings line complete the elemental balance and identify the potential of the low-grade and tailings for future processing. The system losses (accumulation) are calculated to determine the amount of material ‘lost’ during the processing stage which does not report to any of the aforementioned and can be used as a measure of the efficiency of the plant. A further advantage of the real-time online analysis of material is that immediate intervention can be taken in the event that the product is not of saleable product grade requirements. In the Khumani Iron Ore mine, Northern Cape, South Africa, run-of-mine (ROM), product and control analysers were included. Run-of-mine and product stockpiles are certifi ed, low-grade material is not currently directly measured, but calculated from the internal control loops. Iron units are reconciled between product and feed material.

Jul 11, 2011

By D I. Cliff, K Johnstone, N LaBranche

The resurgence of silicosis and coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (CWP) in mining and the recent ban of engineered stone products underscore the need to comprehensively address mineral dust exposures and the associated health hazards. Worker exposure to particulate matter, remains a pressing concern demanding nuanced exploration as all dusts are not created equal. The established link between silica and respiratory diseases necessitates a more detailed understanding of the characterisation of particulates and their health impacts. While current monitoring relies on total mass, it is increasingly evident that the size, shape, mineralogy and agglomeration of particles play a crucial role in determining health impacts. This has been evident in the engineered stone industry with workers not only facing a greater risk of silicosis, but also seeing a faster progression of the disease and a higher likelihood of dying from it. Simultaneously, the surging demand for critical minerals, integral to low-carbon economies, has seen government and industry fast tracking the exploration, mining and processing of these commodities. Critical minerals, crucial in technologies like lithium-ion batteries and high-performance alloys, are central to achieving global environmental goals. Significant funding is currently being allocated to advance the development and processing of these materials, however there remains a considerable gap in understanding potential health risks, urging comprehensive health risk assessments. To tackle these challenges, the University of Queensland has developed innovative dust characterisation methodologies, including the use of the Mineral Liberation Analyser (MLA), a scanning electron microscope, to characterise respirable and inhalable dust samples. This advanced technique, initially applied in coal and metals mining, is expanding to critical minerals mining, unravelling diverse mineralogical components and particle size distributions. This conference presentation will showcase the latest research, emphasising the use of advanced analytical techniques to deepen our understanding of the size, shape and mineralogical composition of particulate matter. By synergising insights from coalmines, metals mines, smelters, engineered stone and critical minerals assessments, we aim to proactively manage health risks, contributing to safer workplaces and responsible production practices in the mining sector.

Apr 16, 2024

It is a great pleasure to accept the invitation to open this Joint Conference of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers. It is the second invita- tion to participate in the Conference that I have accepted. When it was being planned, the President wrote to me to invite me to be one of the speakers in one of the technical sessions. I wrote accepting the invitation, and when my present appointment was announced, there was a nice question about the earlier commitment. The upshot of it all is revealed by the present arrange-., ment: you get me as opener and the more sub- k stantial speech is to be given by Professor Rupert Myers, my friend and former colleague who will not only be able to contribute from the standpoint of an experienced University admini- strator, but will also speak from a professional training and experience much more closely relat- ed to the concerns of this Conference than I possess. Though it is a joint meeting and the speakers will include distinguished figures from North America, I hope that since the venue is Australia, I may be permitted to speak with an Australian emphasis. I have recently had a brief glimpse of part of the Australian mining industry. In the course of a journey through the Northern Terri- tory we-my wife and I-visited Gove, Groote Eylandt, and Tennant Creek. At Gove we saw the remarkable Nabalco development in bauxite and alumina and the very impressive town plan- ning development at Nhulunby, the major man- ganese enterprise at Groote Eylandt, and the gold mining activity at Tennant Creek. For lay people like us, a gold pour was arranged at Tennant Creek and that was a spectacular sight. On earlier occasions, and before my present appoint- ment, I had visited Mount Isa and the Utah fields, and Queensland Alumina at Gladstone. I have not seen the cradle of the modern mining industry, using cradle perhaps loosely, at Broken Hill, nor have I seen the great Pilbara develop- ment, nor Weipa. This is not for want of generous invitations and it is my hope that within the not too far distant future this will be rectified. Then there is the Australian petroleum industry and the great industries which make their products from the minerals mined which I have yet to See.

Jan 1, 1978

By R L. Koenig

The rediscovery and recognition of the magnetite potential of the iron mineralisation at the Hawsons Project area 60 km south of Broken Hill has the potential for the development of a new series of magnetite iron-ore operations across the Braemar Iron Formation in New South Wales and South Australia. Despite the low-grade of 16 per cent magnetite, the Hawsons project feasibility studies are indicating a positive business case for a large-scale 20 Mt/a of magnetite project for the following reasons:• The mineralisation is on a huge scale, with a major potential for increases beyond the already very large established resource of 1.4 Bt.• The mineralisation is particularly soft for crushing and grinding, with a Bond work index of 6.3 and an overall comminution power requirement of 6.7 kWh/t of ore. This equates to 39 kWh/t of concentrate which is significantly less than for similar projects.• The mineralisation fractures easily, preferentially along grain boundaries.• Location is close to mining infrastructure and a skilled workforce at Broken Hill, 60 km to the northeast.• It is close to road and rail infrastructure for access to the resource.• A high-grade, clean magnetic concentrate can be produced, with the only contaminant being silica.The deposit is a sedimentary siltstone which is considerably different to other known magnetite deposits. This caused significant differences in Davis Tube Recovery (DTR) results between laboratories so that the softness of the ore has required a close focus on, and changes to the laboratory procedures. A DTR procedure has been developed to provide consistent results across the deposit.Crushing and grinding test work has established a clear advantage in the use of the high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) crushing and grinding circuit for this particular ore. The power required for comminution using the HPGR crushing circuit is about half the power required for the Autogenous milling circuit.Therefore, despite the low magnetite grades, the Braemar Iron Formation in New South Wales and South Australia has the potential be a new magnetite iron ore province.

Jul 11, 2011

By Reed M. E, Cloutt B

Particulate samples were taken from the gas space in the settler of the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter using a vertical sampling probe and a specially designed isokinetic sampling probe which also quenched the samples. The vertical sampler was found to give unrepresentative samples. Suction thermocouple measurements of the gas temperature were also made. Using the isokinetic probe samples were taken at four points ranging from near the base of the reaction shaft to the base of the uptake at depths up to 1.5 m into the settler. Dust loadings and the sizing of the samples were determined. These parameters were found to be most affected by sample position and depth. The dust loading decreased along the settler but increased with depth. The loadings varied from zero near the roof to several hundred g Nm 3 near the slag. The dust also became coarser with increasing depth into the settler. Examination of the samples showed them to consist of spherical particles the largest of which were about 500 microns in diameter. The dust was mainly composed of mixed iron/nickel oxides with a little sulphide.

Jan 1, 1991

By Grieveson P, Terry B. S

Carbothermic reduction of sulphide minerals for achieving a selective separation of metallic species from complex minerals has been discussed by considering the prevailing oxygen potential during the course of reaction. Construction of univariant plots for the reduction of sulphides with carbon monoxide gas or carbon and in the presence of either lime or anhydrous calcium sulphate is the key feature of this work. The theoretical calculations for univariants in the Cu-Fe-S-O system indicated a preferential separation of metallic copper and iron by imposing a chemical potential. This is evident from a logarithmic plot of sulphur dioxide partial pressure against reciprocal temperature. The results are compared with empirical data for the reduction equilibrium. The reduction behaviour of the constituent sulphides are also discussed together with the experimental results and theoretically predicted phase stability diagrams.

Jan 1, 1992

By A K. Ghosh, J Chung, E Topal, M Asad

"Many open pit (OP) mines with considerable vertical extent are approaching the end of their life-of-mine; some of them are seeking the opportunity to make the transition from OP to underground (UG) mining. The decision on the best location for transition from OP to UG mining should be addressed at the strategic mine planning stage. Conservatively, the transition to UG mining is considered near or after the exhaustion of the reserve within the ultimate pit.However, if UG is evident and exclusively viable from the inception, defining the best location for the transition through a conservative approach may not be an optimal option to explore. This clearly establishes the need for a mathematical model that aims to maximise the project value and considers OP and UG mining with crown pillar (CP) requirement simultaneously. Underground mine layout varies from one UG mining method to the other, and consequently the variation in the location of transition is eminent. Thus, focus on the selection of UG mining method must be a part of this analysisThis paper presents an implementation of an integer programming (IP) based mathematical model that evaluates the changes in mining layout and the project value under possible variation in the transition point from OP to UG mining for stoping and block caving methods. An IP problem is a mathematical optimisation or feasibility method in which some or all of the variables are restricted to be integers. The outcome of the implementation reflects that mining strategies with OP transition to stoping and block caving methods generated higher values than OP-only mining strategy. The case study not only demonstrates the difference in mining layout for both stoping method and block caving method, but also reflects that a joint consideration of OP mining, UG mining and CP placement helps to achieve maximum project value and resource utilisation.Citation:Darbritz, J, 2016. Remediation of Wall Failure at Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines' Golden Pike Cut-back 2016, in Proceedings Ninth AusIMM Open Pit Operators' Conference 2016, pp 96–103 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Nov 15, 2016

Structural assemblages of veins, shear zones, and wallrock alteration zones arising from fault-valve action on steep reverse fault systems are reviewed using observations from mesothermal gold-quartz lodes in the Archean Yellowknife, Abitibi, and Yilgarn greenstone belts of Canada and Western Australia, the Cretaceous Mother Lode system in the Foothills Metamorphic Belt of the western Sierra Nevada, California and the Victorian goldfield hosted in a folded quartz-turbidite succession of Paleozoic age in Australia. Despite differences in the host rock assemblages, the deposits have many structural characteristics in common. These form a useful exploration guide when re-evaluating comparable, but poorly described gold-quartz vein systems such as those in the Reefton area of New Zealand.

Jan 1, 1992

By Nava-Vasquez E, Torres-Torres J, Mendez-Nonell J

The ZA-27 zinc base alloy was poured into cylindrical moulds and solidified under different conditions ie normal freezing and unidirectional freezing. In addition a cylindrical ingot with rheocast material was obtained by stopping the stirring action and, at a specific solid fraction, gravity casting it into a graphite mould. It was observed that the material obtained under normal freezing conditions is likely to present both segregation and inverted pipe. In contrast, the unidirectional solidified and the rheocast cylinders showed the absence of inverted pipe. The segregation pattern was quite irregular in the rheocast ingot while such segregation was more uniform in the unidirectional solidified cylinder. By virtue of these observations, the inverted pipe formation may be ascribed to the interdendritic flow, while the irregular segregation pattern in the rheocast ingot may be attributed to an irregular distribution of the liquid and solid fraction along such a cylinder.

Jan 1, 1993

As part of its Concentrator operation Hamersley Iron Pty. Limited uses wet high intensity magnetic separation to upgrade shaley low grade ore in the minus 0.5mm size range. Materials handling problems, largely caused by fine ore types and design deficiencies, surfaced in the Fines Treatment Plant soon after Concentrator commissioning in 1979. Surging throughout the circuit impaired process efficiency and added to problems caused by capacity and process control limitations. In 1981 extensive modification works were initiated to supplement minor changes made to that date. The new circuit significantly increases capacity and provides greater process control.

Jan 1, 1978

By P Joyce, D R. Cooke

The Dinkidi Cu-Au porphyry deposit is situated in the Caraballo Range of North Luzon, Philippines. Although comparatively small, Dinkidi has unusually high gold grades with drilling by Climax-Arimco Mining Corporation delineating a 110 Mt orebody at 1.2 g/t gold and 0.5 per cent copper. The magmatic-hydrothermal evolution of Dinkidi records a distinctive switch in mineralisation from an early orthoclase-dominated Au-rich assemblage, typical of alkaline porphyry systems, to a later quartz stockwork Au-Cu rich assemblage typical of most calc-alkaline to shoshonitic porphyry systems. The early orthoclase-dominated stage is associated with the intrusion and crystallisation of a variably-textured clinopyroxene-syenite dyke that contains high-grade (5 - 20 g/t) gold mineralisation. We consider this dyke to be a Cu-Au porphyry analogue to the pegmatites found in granitic systems. Dinkidi is hosted within the Early Miocene Didipio Igneous Complex. This alkaline igneous complex is comprised of early unmineralised gabbros (pyroxene-plagioclase cumulates), clinopyroxenites (pyroxene cummulates), diorites and monzodiorites that have been intruded by a large, weakly mineralised monzonite pluton. The Dinkidi deposit is located at the southern margin of the monzonite pluton. Mineralisation is hosted within a composite monzonite stock. Within the stock, an 800 metres by ~200 metres (plan section) elongate monzonite stock (Tunja Monzonite) predates and hosts the bulk of the Au-Cu mineralisation. This has been intruded by the thin (10 to 30 m wide), highly mineralised variably-textured magnetite- and clinopyroxene- phyric syenite pegmatite (the Balut Dyke). The youngest phases of the composite stock are leucocratic quartz-monzonite porphyry (Quan Porphyry) that grades texturally, in its core, into a post-mineralisation crystal-crowded quartz-syenite (Bufu Felsite). The late-stage Bufu Felsite is inferred to be the source of much of the Cu-Au mineralisation. The Didipio Igneous Complex has intruded a sequence of Late Oligocene alkaline andesitic lavas and volcaniclastics and overlying potassic dacitic lavas. Whole rock geochemical analyses indicate that the intrusions and the potassic dacite lavas in the surrounding region are co-magmatic. Five main stages of hydrothermal activity are recorded at Dinkidi. An unmineralised K-silicate (biotite-magnetite) alteration assemblage formed during the intrusion of the Tunja Monzonite stock. The diorites surrounding the stock display intense selectively pervasive biotite and magnetite alteration and are cut by an extensive network of orthoclase veins and monzonite dykes. The orthoclase-dominated assemblages of Stage Two carry substantial high-grade Au mineralisation and are associated with the intrusion of the Balut Dyke. The emplacement of this unusual dyke is associated with emplacement of pegmatitic clinopyroxene-orthoclase-magnetite¦sulphide dykes, localised orthoclase flooding along the margins of the dyke, and subsequent emplacement of an extensive orthoclase-actinolite-bornite¦chalcopyrite-fluorite stock-work, and development of widespread selectively pervasive actinolite alteration. The main stage of Au-Cu mineralisation at Dinkidi is intimately associated with the intrusion and initial crystallisation of the leuco-monzonite porphyry (Quan Porphyry) and emplacement of a quartz stockwork followed by carbonate-sulphide deposition and intense vein-related sericite and carbonate alteration assemblages. The quartz stockwork formed synchronous with the deposition of the æBugoy QuartzoliteÆ, a very coarse grained mosaic of quartz-orthoclase-perthite along the walls and top of the crystallising intrusion. Stage 3 was terminated by crystallisation of the distinctively vuggy Bufu quartz-syenite phase in the core of the intrusive, with associated antiperthite veins, and the subsequent explosive brecciation of the roof of the intrusion, forming a quartz-fragment breccia from the Bugoy Quartzolite. Retrograde metasomatism during Stage Four was intimately associated with the emplacement of extensive, late-stage carbonate, silica and zeolite veins and widespread selectively pervasive carbonate alteration. The last hydrothermal stage at Dinkidi, Stage 5, is comprised of strong selectively pervasive clay alteration and is associated with fault-related brecciation of the Dinkidi stock.

Jan 1, 1999

By T McConachy

New opportunities for miners are beginning to appear through new discoveries, improved knowledge and access to vast unexplored areas of the deep sea and continental shelf. Recent discoveries of undersea hydrothermal deposits show evidence of high-grade mineralisation, although in many instances the extent of the resource is still unknown. The promise and the difficulties of undersea mining have been evident since attempts were first made to mine manganese nodules in the 1960s. The physical nature of the undersea resource is a key influence on its mining potential; and environmental issues will also become increasingly important. This paper explores these issues and concludes with a description of the immediate to medium term applied research required to develop this industry and the spin off that such research can provide.

Jan 1, 2000

A description is given of a detailed examination of a coal bore core and of attempts to predict properties of equivalent "as-mined" coal using the bore core data so obtained. The accuracy of the prediction was measured by testing independently a large sample of coal which was produced under near mining conditions from a site adjacent to the bore core. Very encouraging results were obtained particularly in the prediction of size and ash distributions and washability characteristics of run-of-mine Coal.

Jan 1, 1972