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By N. Schmalbein, L. von Ketelhodt, L. Kotelo

"The mining industry continues to remain challenged. Lower commodity prices, increasing labor costs and more importantly diminishing reserves are amongst some of the primary factors contributing to the difficulties faced. Ore sorting technologies have demonstrated their potential to improve the downstream beneficiation performance. The general processing route sees all primary crushed material milled for liberation and then processed in accordance with characteristics of the gold therein, i.e.: refractory golds would require direct leaching or oxidation whilst free gold would follow the conventional cyanidation process, after gravity concentration. Ore dilution increases the associated operating costs within each stage of this process. The opportunity to process the same throughput at a higher grade can only be achieved through pre-concentration. Sensor based sorting has been examined on numerous occasions by various gold producers. Test work carried out on different bulk low grade gold ores has shown the successful applicability of ore sorting to remove waste, whilst maintaining high recovery rates of gold. The results of a combined XRT/Laser sensor sorter have shown grade improvements of over 300% from feed grades of 0,25g/t to 1,15g/t at gold recoveries of 66% and waste ejection rates of 85%. This paper presents some of the results from the work undertaken by STEINERT with respect to gold sulphide ore sorting and presents a modelled financial scenario, which can enable a company to target and reclaim low grade ores.INTRODUCTION The mining and minerals processing industry presents with many different challenges including, volatile commodity prices, increasing labor costs and more importantly diminishing reserves. Conventional processing routes will continue to play a crucial role in the beneficiation process, however innovative methods of reducing operating costs and optimizing on the overall circuit performance is where technologies such as sensor based sorting come into the fore. Sensor based sorting as a dry mechanical process not only reduces water consumption by eliminating unnecessary waste but also reduces the requirements for reagents in the downstream processes. Sensor based sorting under dry conditions presents a highly efficient alternative to wet pre-concentration methods such as dense medium separation (DMS)."

Jan 1, 2017

By J. D. T. Steyl

Anglo American Corporation and the University of British Columbia have developed a medium-temperature oxygen pressure leaching process for the extraction of copper from chalcopyrite concentrates in an acid-sulphate system (AAC/UBC process). Leaching is performed at 150°C and surfactants are added to disperse molten elemental sulphur from the unreacted sulphide surface to prevent liquid sulphur occlusion. Copper extractions of over 95% and elemental sulphur yields of around 60% were observed over a 2-hour average residence time in a continuous pilot autoclave. Sporadic blockages occurring under continuous conditions were found to be caused by the accumulation of molten elemental sulphur mixed with unreacted sulphide mineral. A batch programme of experimentation was undertaken to establish the reason for this phenomenon. Batch experiments were conducted at low pulp densities on concentrate samples with narrow size distributions and at similar solution compositions to those experienced in the pilot autoclave. The overall rate of chalcopyrite oxidation was shown, under approximately constant solution composition, to be a strong function of the total available mineral surface area. Initial copper extraction rates followed the shrinking particle kinetic model under intrinsic surface control. Deviation from shrinking particle kinetics was however observed after a certain oxidation time. Secondary electron images identified small (typically less than 20 µm) sulphur conglomerates at the point of deviation, which 'collected' unreacted chalcopyrite mineral particles and lowered the total mineral surface area available for oxidation. These sulphur clusters are thought to be the precursor for blockages experienced in the continuous pilot autoclave. These results emphasised the importance of fine grinding (P80 5-20 µm) and suggest that shorter residence times may minimise the formation of sulphur conglomerates in a continuous autoclave operating at medium temperature.

Jan 1, 2004

"Geological investigation in the Appalachian region of Canada began more than 150 years ago. The distribution of rock formations, and their ages and regional structure are today reasonably well known in most parts of the region to 1-or 2-mile scale. Most Newfoundland geology is known only to 4-mile scale. About 200 earth scientists carry out research in the region, of whom about 25 per cent are government employees, 50 per cent university staff and graduate students, and 25 per cent industry employees.Increased activity is needed toward both regional analyses and problem studies through the efforts of multi-disciplinary teams. The ultimate objectives of earth science must be the discovery and development of mineral re•-sources and the use and conservation of natural material in the environment, all for the benefit of the local in-habitants. To accomplish this, the scientific community must carry out an array of research projects ranging from the technical products of geological, geophysical and geochemical surveys through to the research products de-signed to renew theories and hypotheses bearing on natural processes. Some scientific sub-objectives are listed.Recommended is the increase and broadening of communication among Appalachian scientists, specifically those resident in the Atlantic Provinces. It is proposed that an Appalachian Division of the Geological Association of Canada be formed to provide a forum for discussion of Appalachian topics. In addition, a committee or council of university, industry and government earth scientists should be formed to examine the state of the science in the region, to identify programs of investigation and individual projects of research, and to recommend methods of approach. If the committee succeeds and the scientific community acts upon the recommendations, the quantity, quality and pertinence of research will increase, and earth science will better serve Appalachian society."

Jan 1, 1970

By H. Qi, J. L. Feng, D. J. Li

"In the present paper, the characteristics of the granite burst under loading/unloading conditions was studied by means of both laboratory experiment and finite-discrete element method (FDEM). After gaining the mechanical properties of the granite samples under uniaxial compression conditions, the parameters taken as input arguments in the FDEM modelling were then carefully calibrated so as to provide some basic data including Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, uniaxial strength, Lame constants, cohesive strength, and frictional angle for further being used in simulating granite bursts. All the simulating results by the FDEM were basically in agreement with that obtained from the uniaxial compression test and triaxial granite bursts in laboratory, respectively. This study shows that that such computational mechanics of discontinua can be employed to gain powerful insight into the failure mechanism of granite burst, which could also be a useful tool to clarify the collapse mechanism of rock structures in rock engineering design and rock test scheme optimisation. INTRODUCTIONBased on discontinuum state a priori, discontinuous modeling techniques that are commonly referred to as discrete element methods (DEM) treat the material directly as an assembly of separate blocks or particles, which was originally proposed by Cundall (1971) and Cundall and Strack (1979) from the viewpoint of analogous molecular dynamics simulation to better account for and understand the interaction between the blocks. The distinct feature of these formulations is that a constantly changing problem of geometry and contact conditions can be addressed by solving the equations of motion using an explicit time marching scheme (most often in a ‘leap-frog’ format), while updating contact force histories as a consequence of contacts between different discrete elements and/or resulting from contacts with model boundaries (Bicanic 1998). The most notable implementations of DEMs are arguably represented by the universal distinct element code (UDEC) (Itasca Consulting Group Inc., 2013) and the particle flow code (PFC) (Itasca Consulting Group Inc., 2012). Another formulation is the discrete crack framework that is based upon some criteria for an advancement of crack front, which is coupled with extensive local and global re-meshing while simulating by numerical methods such as finite element technique, commonly using fracture theories. Certainly, it is relatively easy to trace the propagation of single crack front governed by some principles of energy release rates (Ingraffea 1997) but tracing of multiple cracks leads to topological and algorithmic complexities. Otherwise, there is no consideration of interacting cracks in these formulations of finite element or enhanced finite element techniques (e.g., in XFEM and ABAQUS)."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. E. Amadi-Echendu, F. Stober, J. Ndlovu, L. R. Nelson

The Polokwane Smelter Complex (PSC) relies on a single 68MW high-intensity six-in-line furnace to smelt a planned 650 000 t/a dry concentrate to produce a platinum group metals (PGM)-bearing matte. As typical of a greenfields venture, considerable attention was paid to the project development and implementation stages of design, engineering, construction and commissioning. Somewhat unusual though, was the role of a dedicated multi-disciplinary "Operational Readiness" and support team, comprising the owners team and specialists from the furnace designer, HATCH, to effect a safe and rapid ramp-up to the design smelter capacity of 68MW. The challenges encountered in developing an effective partnership will be discussed. The modus operandi and roles of the "Operational Readiness" team during the design, procurement, construction and commissioning stages as well as that of the operational support team within the overall ramp-up objective will be presented. The "Operational Readiness" team was responsible for:

Jan 1, 2005

By D. J. Xue

Four kinds of coal-rock combination were subjected to three kinds of stress waves in the SHPB numerical simulation. The wave propagation and the changes of the strain energy in the coal-rock combination during the dynamic impact process were recorded as well as the contact force. The dynamic response law of coal-rock combination was obtained. It was found that the coal had better reflectivity than the rock because of coal with larger impedance. In contrast the rock had better transmissivity. As the crest value of the incident wave increased, the increment in the crest value of the transmitted wave weakened in the coal-coal group, coal-rock group and rock-coal group, in contrast, the increment in the rock-rock group increased.

Aug 1, 2013

By H. C. W. Bosman

"Over the past five years, contributions from geologists and mining engineers were instrumental in the successful development of MEPS. It is a system of FORTRAN programs specifically designed to be used by mining personnel to solve geological and mining problems. MEPS is a flexible keyword-driven system. Extensive error editing procedures significantly reduce the time required to proceed from problem recognition to solution. Possibly the most attractive feature of MEPS is that computer solutions may be guided or selectively modified to obtain desired solutions. Some highlights of MEPS are:1. Vocabulary that is familiar to mining people.2. Geological data storage and retrieval.3. Statistical analysis and variograms.4. Contour maps of assays and geological horizons.5. Trend surface analysis with residual evaluation.6. Ore reserve calculations.7. Open-pit mine design.8. Marginal profitability calculations on pit walls.9. Production scheduling.10. Vertical cross-section plots indicating pit outlines, ore grade contours and selected geological horizons."

Jan 1, 1973

By Martin Grenon

This paper presents two case studies where fracture set orientation was quantified using three methods: a simple fracture pole grouping, a Fisher distribution and a Kent distribution. The three fracture orientation representations were then used as inputs for kinematic slope stability analysis. Differences showed up in the probability of sliding for all instability modes considered.

Aug 1, 2013

By Norman R. Paterson

"Under certain conditions useful gravity information of a reconnaissance nature can be obtained with-out measuring elevations by spirit level surveys on the ground. Gravity surveys can become part of a practical exploration program where high cost and slow progress previously hindered their utility. The advantages of the new elevation procedures are realized mainly in remote areas, in areas where ground transportation is slow and difficult and on surveys where the station spacing is large in comparison with the distance of the average optimum level shot. To utilize the advantages, transportation by helicopter or light plane is usually necessary. Methods of obtaining elevation control without leveling include: barometric altimeter survey; photogram-metric -APR spot determinations; methods involving the measurement of gravity gradients. The accuracies of these methods have been tested and compared with the normal accuracy of level surveys. It is felt that each method has its place in reconnaissance gravity work, particularly in the open areas of Northern Canada."

Jan 1, 1960

By M. B. Shongwe, R. K. K. Mbaya, C. K. Thubakgale, P. Mendonidis

"A low-grade nickel-bearing ore was pre-concentrated on a SB40 laboratory model Falcon Concentrator. Three size fractions, -212+125, -125+75 and -75 µm were tested with the intent to upgrade the nickel content by reducing their content of fine silica, which becomes amorphous during leaching. Separation of silica from nickel-bearing magnesium silicate minerals; hornblende, clinochlore and talc, was more efficient in the finer particle sizes, -125+75 and -75 µm, and at high G-forces. For these two size fractions, nickel was upgraded from 0.06 to 0.07%, with a reduction in silica content from 52.12 to 50.71%. Leaching of feed samples prior to pre-concentration resulted in the formation of amorphous silica, indicative of the presence of fine silica in the samples. Leaching of nickel from the -125+75 µm fraction increased with increasing G-force and feed pulp percent solids, while that of -75 µm was not influenced. The optimum nickel recovery was 15.68% to the Falcon underflow, using the feed size fraction of -75 µm, 30 G and a feed pulp solids content of 10% solids, after 120 minutes of treatment.INTRODUCTION A low-grade South African nickel-bearing ore with about 0.06% Ni was previously studied for atmospheric pressure acid leaching using sulphuric acid. The study was motivated by the continuing search for methods to treat of low-grade ores, which appear to be an increasingly important source of valuable metals as a result of a declining production from rich sulphide ores. Nickel is a base metal that is used as an alloy in steelmaking and chemical industries because of its resistance to corrosion (Haudet et al., 2015). Nickel laterite ores with grades lower than 1.50% Ni are considered to be complex ores, accounting for 70% of the global nickel reserves (MacCarthy et al., 2016). Their complex nature may be attributed to the indefinite mineralogy of these ores, in which nickel may occur in more than one mineral host. In some cases, nickel may be finely disseminated in the ore. The grade of such an ore and complex mineralogy do not justify the application of pyrometallurgical methods for extraction of nickel (Zhu et al., 2012). This suggests that there is a need for less expensive alternative methods of extraction. This study investigates the application of centrifugal gravity concentration, using the Falcon concentrator, followed by leaching to determine the effect of pre-concentration of the ore prior to extraction by atmospheric pressure leaching with sulphuric acid."

Jan 1, 2017

By Jonathan Ruiz Lizardo, Met-Chem Canada Inc., Flavio Ccuno, Constante Umipig, Ewald Pengel, José Ruiz

"Cerro de Maimón is located in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola approximately 75 kilometers northwest of the capital city, Santo Domingo. The processing facility consisted of two separate processing plants for oxide and sulphide ores. The oxide plant processed oxide ore bearing gold and silver ore using cyanide leaching and Merrill Crowe processes, while the sulphide plant produced a copper concentrate using conventional flotation. Cormidom is a commendatory example how mineral processing facilities can co-exist in balance with the environment. In 2014, natural occurring copper oxide contamination with finer grained copper-zinc sulphide mineralisation was expected to dominate the sulphide ore body. In anticipation Cormidom contacted the original plant designer Met-Chem to assist in overcoming this challenge. Test work indicated that increased flotation time and subsequent very fine grinding were required. Met-Chem provided the detailed engineering and Cormidom proceeded with the expansion project internally. Currently Cormidom has processed the sulphide ore successfully by implementing flotation modifications. This paper describes the history of Cormidom, test work on the “new” ore body, modification in process design in the Cu-Zn sulphide flotation circuit, construction and implementation.INTRODUCTIONCorporación Minera Dominicana (CORMIDOM) was a wholly owned subsidiary of GlobeStar Mining Corporation (a Canadian based minerals exploration company) with extensive exploration of base and precious metals in the Dominican Republic. In 2007-2008 CORMIDOM constructed the Cerro de Maimom project. The company was subsequently sold and purchased by Perilya Limited from Australia in 2013. Cerro de Maimón is located in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola approximately 75 kilometers northwest of the capital city, Santo Domingo. It is near the town of Maimón in Monsenor, Nouel Province (see Figure 1)."

Jan 1, 2016

By R. D. Brown

"An adequate level of R & 0 is crucial to achieve gains in productivity and to strengthen Canada' s position in an increasingly competitive world ." So stated Finance Minister Jean Chretien in his April 10, 1978 budget speech, on announcing a new measure designed to increase the productivity of Canadian industry and to assist in the creation of new technology. The effect of the new measure, which permits an income tax deduction of 150% of certain research and development (R & D ) expenditures , can reduce the after-tax cost of a marginal dollar 's worth of such expenditures to as little as 20 cents . This article discusses the income tax treatment of R& D expenditures in general, and describes in particular the income tax incentives which relate to R& D.

Jan 1, 1978

By H. C. L. Reemeyer

"The mining industry faces increasing economic, environmental and social challenges, as easier deposits deplete and ores become more difficult to mine and process; head grades decline; projects migrate to increasingly remote and difficult geographies; and the industry faces more stringent environmental and social standards. While these factors increase costs and risks, they also present opportunities for a more integrated approach to mining, processing, materials handling and waste management. Two key areas of risk are in tailings and water management. As mining and processing tonnage rates continue to increase, the disturbance footprints, water and energy consumption and scale of tailings storage facilities also rise. These factors can be mitigated by more selective mining, ore sorting and pre-concentration, and more intensive tailings dewatering. Such alternatives must be considered in conjunction with the selection of mining method, metallurgical flowsheets, major equipment selection, and key process design criteria. For example, increasing the grind size of a concentrator reduces energy consumption and eases tailings dewatering, but may cause challenges with metal recovery. Emerging technologies will be reviewed, and economic and environmental trade-offs for eco-efficient alternatives will be presented for metal sulfide mines.INTRODUCTION The metals mining industry faces significant challenges that can affect its financial viability and social license to operate. There has been a consistent decline in ore grades and a relentless push towards larger operations to capture perceived economies of scale. With these larger operations, the environmental footprint of mines has increased. Water and energy consumption, and resulting GHG emissions have also risen. In recent years, two issues have raised special concerns for stakeholders and companies: • Water scarcity, particularly in drier regions of the world such as Northern Chile, SW USA, Southern Africa and Australia • Tailings risks, following the high-profile failures of the Fundao tailings dam in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 2015 and the Mount Polley tailings dam in BC, Canada in 2014"

Jan 1, 2017

By Zhiwei Wang, Chunsheng Qiao

"Aiming at the problems of the existing calculation methods for the support pressures of shallow tunnels in layered jointed rock strata, by using OAT (orthogonal array testing strategy) and DEM (distinct element method), 12 influencing factors including the thickness of the weathered overburden, and the states of the rock joints were considered. Then, the classification of the loosening zone was analysized. On this basis, by using the DEA (data envelopment analysis) theory, quantitative analysis on the influencing factors was conducted. By analyzing the influence of the key factors, a prediction formula of the boundary of the ringent trumpet-shaped loosening zone was established. According to principles of stress transformation, the formula of support pressures of the loosening zone which could considering the key factors were deduced. Finally, a practical case was introduced and studied to verify the proposed method.INTRODUCTIONIn recent years, various urban subway tunnels are increasingly carried out through jointed rock strata in many cities. Rock masses are discontinuous mediums with fissures, fractures, joints, bedding planes, and faults. The frequency of joints, their orientation with respect to the engineering structures, and the roughness of the joint have a significant importance from the stability point of view. However, there is a lack of understanding about the influence of the joints on the stability of tunnels. Therefore, how to measure the degree of the joints’ influence is a problem that needs to be solved.For the calculation of the support pressures, until now, many research results were focused on soil ground (Bierbäumer 1913; Terzaghi, 1943; Peck, 1969; Sabatini et al., 1999). In terms of site tests and model indoor tests, by measuring strut loads and calculating earth pressure based on strut spacing, the results proposed by Peck (1969) and Tschebotarioff (1973) have been widely used in practice for designing excavation support systems under sand (drained) and clay (undrained) soil conditions. Note that, it is unclear whether these findings could be extended to rock strata. For numerical simulations, how to simulate the states of the rock joints is a key problem that needs to be solved."

Jan 1, 2015

By L. H. Van Loon

INTRODUCTION THE property of Madsen Red Lake Gold Mines, Limited lies between Russet and Faulkenham lakes in Baird and Heyson townships, district of Patricia, Ontario. It is about six miles south west of the town of Red Lake, with which it is connected by an all-weather road. All orebodies found to date at the property are silicified lenticular bodies which lie within tuff beds. The ore bas a specific gravity of 2.95. It consists of mica and chlorite schist, silicified and containing a considerable amount of disseminated carbonate, and mineralized with pyrite, pyrrhotite, magnetite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite. Of these, pyrite, in coarse to fine disseminated grains, is by far the most abundant. Pyrrhotite occurs in ?the gangue material as medium to fine disseminated grains. A very small amount of arsenopyrite, in small crystals, is associated with the pyrite, and small grains of chalcopyrite occur in both gangue and pyrite. Although some of the gold present in the ore is quite coarse, a good deal of it is extremely fine.

Jan 1, 1951

By Chris M. Healey

"Abstract- The Jasper Gold mine in northern Saskatchewan produced a total mill feed of 140 127 tonnes at an average grade of 19.0 g/t Au. Both diamond drilling and chip samples from under­ ground workings returned extremely high values, up to 12 851 g/t (375 oz/I) Au over 0.10 meter from a chip sample. In the presence of such extremely high grades, the accurate estimation of reserves is a major problem.ln the first part of this study, production data from the mine were used to evaluate the results of a variety of reserve estimation techniques in this environment. In two out of three cases studied, indicator kriging with assays cut to 342.9 g/t (10 oz/I) gave extremely good results. In the third case, however , indicator kriging gave unacceptable results. Instead, lognormal kriging of uncut data gave the best results.Secondly, from the same database, a number of drill-hole spacings were simulated, and reserves estimated from the simulations. As may be expected, the results of this analysis show increasingly better results with tighter drill-hole spacing. However, even with a 5 m by 5 m spacing the variation from actual grade was quite large. This is not a systematic under- or over-estimation of grade, rather a random scatter of results .The results of this study show very clearly the problems of deriving good estimates of reserves when extremely high-grade samples are encountered. There is a high degree of randomness to this database, so reserve estimation in this situation will remain a high-risk operation."

Jan 1, 1993

By J. S. Stachulak

"The main ventilation design features adopted at Inco to safeguard personnel against the effects of fires are described in this paper. Measures taken to prevent and detect fires due to spontaneous combustion, and fires involving conveyor belts, are described in detail.IntroductionConsidering the over-all picture of present-day mining operations, the expenditure required to provide a proper system of mine ventilation and fife control should be regarded as a sound investment that will pay back in increased mining efficiency, improved safety, health, and morale of the miners.Mine ventilation control and mine fife detection and fighting are inseparable, because a ventilation system can spread deadly products of combustion just as efficiently as it does life-sustaining oxygen. Therefore, the possibility of a mine fife occurring is of particular concern.The first objective is to prevent a fife.The second objective is to design the ventilation system so that a positive fresh air supply can be ensured on each main level regardless of the location of the fife.The third objective is to be able to detect the fife at an early stage and to extinguish it before it can develop into a major fife. Accordingly, at Inco, very extensive measures are taken to prevent fires and to locate, isolate and extinguish them rapidly. To obtain an early warning, it is not sufficient to know that a fife has started, but it is also necessary to know where the fife is burning."

Jan 1, 1994

By J. S. Stacbulak

"The main ventilation design features adopted at Inco to safeguard personnel against the effects of fires are described in this paper. Measures taken to prevent and detect fires due to spontaneous combustion, and fires involving conveyor belts, are described in detail.IntroductionConsidering the over-all picture of present-day mining operations, the expenditure required to provide a proper system of mine ventilation and fife control should be regarded as a sound investment that will pay back in increased mining efficiency, improved safety, health, and morale of the miners.Mine ventilation control and mine fife detection and fighting are inseparable, because a ventilation system can spread deadly products of combustion just as efficiently as it does life-sustaining oxygen. Therefore, the possibility of a mine fife occurring is of particular concern.The flirt objective is to prevent a fife. The second objective is to design the ventilation system so that a positive fresh air supply can be ensured on each main level regardless of the location of the fife. The third objective is to be able to detect the fife at an early stage and to extinguish it before it can develop into a major fife.Accordingly, at Inco, very extensive measures are taken to prevent fires and to locate, isolate and extinguish them rapidly. To obtain an early warning, it is not sufficient to know that a fife has started, but it is also necessary to know where the fife is burning."

Jan 1, 1994

By Lauri Pesonen

"Although electrical energy use at copper smelters is typically about 15-20% of operational costs, it is something which is not very often analyzed and discussed at a detail level in technical papers and presentations. This paper aims to list different equipment configurations per smelter area and estimate their electrical energy consumptions versus unit of material processed. In addition chosen smelting technology and oxygen enrichment rates affect the overall electricity consumption and therefore some overall guidance is provided for efficiency gains.INTRODUCTION In principle, processing plants, such as copper smelters, require electrical and chemical energy together with some degree of human input to process input materials into desirable output form like metallic copper. From the standpoint of metallurgical plant designers, the thermodynamics of smelting, when it comes to releasing and conserving thermal energy, is sufficiently understood and frequently discussed in the literature in detail, but judging from the quantity of publications, the way how we exactly utilize electrical energy is not. This article is meant to illustrate how electrical energy consumption is distributed among different process units and equipment types at copper smelters using various smelting technologies. In general, typically about 15-20% of operational costs are related to electricity and at locations with high electricity prices the potential savings can be quite significant for the overall profitability of the plant operations. In today’s tight profit margin environment any potential savings are more than welcome. The purpose here is not to promote any certain copper smelting technology, but to open a discussion on how and where we use electrical energy, and how the overall energy use could be lowered with the implementation of newest electric power saving designs and solutions. Using the principles outlined in this article, it should be fairly easy and straightforward to replicate the calculations and even improve them wherever it is seen necessary for the greater benefit for us all in this industry"

Jan 1, 2017

By B. M. Monaghan

"The developments of the 1950s and 1960s have seen Canada become an international source of iron ore, trading in all geographical areas and hemispheres. Canada's production will significantly increase in the next decade. However, although the outlook is bright, iron ore producers cannot be complacent. Instead, we must weigh the factors that have brought about the development of the Canadian iron ore industry and examine the probable changes for the next decade that will affect its growth.Looking ahead in the 1970s, competition will be severe. Pressure on prices will continue as new sources of supply bid for long-term contracts and as steel producers continue to develop mines around the world. Rising costs will make these pressures more severe. We must balance the growth of the world's steel makers with the emergence of new supplies of iron ore. The iron ore industry is now part of a new era in which demand and supply are intermeshed, and the developments around the world are acting on the Canadian iron ore industry's future."

Jan 1, 1971