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By G J. Delemontex, N J. Grigg

Pre-concentration of precious metal and base metal ore types is becoming more relevant with the discovery, development and operation of many lower grade deposits around the world. The fluctuations in metal prices expose many mines to risks especially dealing with low and variable ore grades.Pre-concentration, the process of concentrating the valuable metal into a smaller mass yield, effectively results in the introduction of higher feed grades to milling circuits. Gangue Rejection, the removal of lower S.G. waste rock from the circuit not only results in higher downstream grades but also potentially removes harder, non-valuable mineral, providing significant power savings within the circuit. The pre-concentration or ‘gangue rejection’ process offers a number of benefits when considering the treatment of marginal ore deposits, especially if it can be performed at a coarse crush size; these benefits include a reduction of the operating costs and the feed of more metal units to the mill.Gekko Systems has effectively utilized the Inline Pressure Jig (IPJ) to pre-concentrate the valuable metal, achieving high primary recoveries into a range of mass yields resulting in upgrade ratios between 2 and 10 times.This paper explores the benefits of pre-concentrating ‘marginal’ ore deposits prior to the milling circuit; the selective rejection of ore types that may affect either the recovery or comminution process, and also looks into the potential to effectively reduce the ‘cut-off’ grade when considering the mine planning process. Case studies of projects using the IPJ to pre-concentrate and reject gangue are also included.Pre-concentration and gangue rejection provide the potential to develop marginal ore deposits, thus providing higher grades, less gangue and more metal at a lower operating cost to producers.CITATION:Grigg, N J and Delemontex, G J, 2015. The pre-concentration of precious and base metal deposits using the Inline Pressure Jig – higher feed grades and more metal, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 296–310 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By G J. Lyman, F S. Bourgeois

As the prices of metals slide, financial control of mineral processing operations becomes more and more important. Control of a mineral processing operation implies measurement of grades, recoveries and losses, with every effort being made to recover more product from the same feed. Shareholders become more concerned with the transparency of the operations and the corporate governance.There is only one way to achieve this and this is by sampling and making good use of the results of that sampling. Sampling systems that provide only 'rough' figures are not good enough. Similarly, a competitive position in the marketplace demands close control of product quality. Maximisation of product output demands that the product just meet the specification so that product yield is maximised. Decisions based on precise sampling results carry less risk that those based on imprecise results.This paper reports some recent advances in sampling theory that permit full quantification of sampling distributions, not just the sampling variance as has been possible in the past. These advances can be used together with simulation methods to tie down sampling precisions and develop calculations that quantify decision making risk when using the sampling results. A number of examples illustrate the use of the new advances and a final example indicates the development of risk analysis curves in the coupling of sampling precision to sale of a commodity.CITATION:Lyman, G J and Bourgeois, F S, 2015. Sampling, corporate governance and risk analysis, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 27–34 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By C J. Adams, H J. Campbell, A J. Tulloch, I J. Graham

New Zealand can be regarded as a rifted part of mineral-prospective eastern Australia. Geologically credible comparisons between selected trans-Tasman and SW Pacific geological provinces and units, especially those that contain significant mineralisation in Australia, can help provide a useful exploration framework for New Zealand. As part of a six-year Mineral Wealth of NZ and its EEZ (MWE) research programme, we have targeted selected geological units in eastern Australia for comparison and contrast with their potential New Zealand counterparts. In future years, the programme will focus on geological units in New Caledonia.

Jan 1, 2005

The steps for the beneficiation of iron ores differ from ore to ore, depending on the mineralogical phases of the particular iron ore and the nature of the association of the gangue minerals with iron oxide in that ore. The extent to which the beneficiation can be undertaken economically depends both on the amount and the nature of the gangue. The analysis of the phases present in an orebody optimises the mining and process operations (separation, beneficiation, sintering, etc).X-ray diffraction (XRD) provides qualitative and quantitative information about the main ore phases as well as the gangue mineralogy and the amorphous content present in a sample. In addition, modern quantification methods such as Rietveld refinement allow the calculation of the distribution of elements in solid solutions such the substitution of Fe with Al in goethite or hematite.The use of high speed detectors has made XRD an important tool for grade and process control. Finger printing of XRD data can facilitate multi-dimensional mapping of ore deposits and drill cores, identifying regions of favourable mineral compositions. Grade control using XRD can be completely automated and controlled remotely.The two case studies in this paper demonstrate how XRD and finger printing can be used for grade control, process optimisation and quality control of a goethitic and a magnetitic iron ore. The enormous potential of XRD as an inexpensive, reliable tool, useful in the characterisation of iron ores will be demonstrated.CITATION:K÷nig, U, 2013. Application of x-ray diffraction to iron ores - potential implications for grade control and downstream processing, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 275-280 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

Development of New Comminution Testing Methodologies for Geometallurgical Mapping of Ore Hardness and Throughput The emerging discipline of 'geometallurgy' is becoming increasingly recognised as a discrete and high-value activity that reflects an ongoing trend towards more effective mine site integration and optimisation. Constrained sampling that reflects and defines inherent ore body variability is a key geometallurgical requirement. This requires use of larger numbers of low-cost physical testing which can be applied to small sample volumes suitable for defining natural variability. The AMIRA P843 'GeMIII' project (Geometallurgical Mapping and Mine Modelling) is a major industry-supported research initiative designed to develop new tools, methods and protocols to support geometallurgical integration. As part of this integrated research a new more rapid low-cost comminution test (GeM Comminution index) has been developed which can be employed as a front line tool for geometallurgical mapping purposes and predictive throughput modelling. The test has been designed to be inserted into routine assay sample preparation and is based on constrained jaw crushing protocols linked to analysis of resultant size distributions. Extensive validation and modelling has shown the GeM Comminution Index (Ci) is correlated with the Drop Weight index A*b and Bond Mill Work Index (BMWi). Large scale trials have been conducted within a commercial assay laboratory to demonstrate and optimise incorporation of the Ci test into routine sample preparation protocols. While Ci based estimates of A*b and BMWi are not as precise compared to larger volume more expensive test-work, the ability to undertake large numbers of tests typically in a systematic down-hole manner, provides a high level of data support through adjacency. A Ci based approach is highly suitable for variability mapping, domaining and selecting large composite samples for more precise testing. Within the context of the AMIRA P843 project this forms part of an integrated work flow designed to support geometallurgical integration. The development of a comminution test linked to routine assay sample preparation represents significant value adding to a process that in most cases is already going to be carried out. This paper introduces the Ci test concept and application to geometallurgical testing for throughput modelling

Sep 13, 2010

Stratiform lead-zinc mineralization at the Pegmont prospect occurs as a 4-6 m thick body interbedded within arkose, schist, amphibolite, and pegmatite of the Kuridala Formation in the Eastern Belt of the Lower Proterozoic of northwest Queensland.The overall structure of the body is that of a strongly crumpled east-dipping sheet. In detail it is subjected to complex and irregular deformation.Gossaneous outcrops of the mineralised body are anomalous in Pb-Zn-Ag content and have been traced, discontinuously, over about 36 km2 in a NNE-trending belt.Below the zone of oxidation, which reaches 25-40 m below the surface, the primary sulphides are galena, sphalerite, and pyrite.Drilling on a 2 km2 area near the discovery outcrops indicates fairly uniform grades of lead and zinc.Changes in thickness of the mineralised body are gradual.

Jan 1, 1977

By N van Aarde, B A. Moore, S van der Merwe

Frequently materials handling operations are compromised by transfer chute problems ranging from high wear rates, blockages and ineffective loading of the downstream conveyor. This paper will present the design flow implemented to overcome problems in two case studies utilising discrete element modelling incorporating material characterisation.Material testing is relevant in achieving a valid discrete element method (DEM) simulation model and subsequently a valuable design tool for transfer chute assessment and design. It is well recognised that in the current growth and demand for mineral resources, leading to ever increasing conveyor capacities associated with export terminals and mineral processing facilities that transfer chutes are a key focus point. The successful performance of the transfer chute is also dependent on operating with a ærobust rangeÆ of material flowability and handling characteristics. This requirement is crucial in accommodating mineral ores from developing resources, which are often more friable and stickier than in past decades.This paper will include details of chute installations associated with iron ore and coking coal, from the DEM simulations through to the performance of the installed and commissioned plant.CITATION:Moore, B A, van der Merwe, S and van Aarde, N, 2013. Implementation of advanced transfer chute designs, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2013 , pp 445-450 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 12, 2013

In late 1989, first-pass reconnaissance exploration delineated a 4km x 6km geochem- ically anomalous area centred 10km WNW of Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands Province at 6¦13'S and 145047'E. The area, named the Basangka prospect, lies between 2 200 and 2 400m asl. Interest in the area was prompted by a 14ppm Au assay of a silica-pyrite breccia float sample taken near Henkai village. The prospect was defined after several acid-leached silica- pyrite breccia and comb textured quartz float samples returned assays above lppm Au and relatively high Ag. Very encouraging and anomalous Au values were obtained from panned concentrates, despite the absence of visible Au colours. Several pan concentrates returned greater than 1mg Au and it is believed that the Au occurs as inclusions within iron oxides which were originally pyrite. In this early stage of prospect exploration, any Au value above 0.lppm in- 150# fraction stream sediments is treated as anomalous. Rock chips, panned concentrates and -150# fraction geochemistry all vividly define the areas of interest at Basangka.

Jan 1, 1991

The principles of geometry and trigonometry are so continuously used by mining engineers for the purpose of accurately and intelligibly recording their measurements, that the writer is prompted to lay the following cursory remarks upon mine surveying before the members of this Institution in the hope of eliciting a free interchange of opinion upon details of this interesting branch of the profession. He proposes to deal with surveying only so far as it concerns the mining engineer, not to intrude upon the domain of the professional surveyor, and, in this instance, to discuss more especially that which may be termed the mechanical, rather than the mathematical side of surveying.In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the present one, the usual underground surveying equipment in the English metalliferous mines, consisted of a magnetic needle in a fiat square wooden box of about 9-inch sides, a two-foot rule, a long cord, aud a stool, upon which to place the needle and box. The operator took his bearing by sending his assistant with the end of the cord as far in a straight line as the length of the cord would admit.On its being drawn that he held its end in one hand and placed the side of the compass-box against it with the other, and noted the bearing thus found either by a book entry, or by ticking it off with a piece of chalk on the board the compass lay in. He then measured the cord with a two-foot rule. It is needles to say that with these appliances the accuracy of the results were open to question, and mining surveying was not unduly popular.In the present day, engineers have the advantage of using instruments brought to such a state of perfection, and of employing such an exact system of underground surveying, that inaccurate work must usually be attributed either to lack of care, or lack of ability in the operator.

By V P. Elpatyevskaya, V S. Arzhanova

Main geochemical problems concerning the environment and mining industry interrelation are connected with the transformation of natural water chemistry by mining wastes. The investigation of many mines in Primorye, the southern part of the Russian Far East, showed that their mining waters have high concentrations of heavy metals and aluminium. Water acidity is primarily connected with the amount of acid-forming sulphide minerals in ores and also depends on the neutralising capacity of rocks. Considerable quantity of metals occur in the waters in dissolved form. Metal concentrations in mining waters exceeds the natural levels by two to five orders of magnitude and can't be reduced to the background levels even after multiple dilution. It is necessary to develop and put into practice new technologies so that to reduce the geochemical impact upon the environment.

Jan 1, 1995

By Robson W. D, Irwin D. A

In November, 1932, an investigation of silicosis was undertaken at the, McIntyre Porcupine Mine, Schumacher, Ont., atfer a discussion of the problem with Sir Frederick Banting and his, staff. As a result it was decided to carry on dusting experiments with animals at the mine in a manner that would duplicate as far as possible actual industrial conditions.At that time 50, guinea pigs were placed in the crusher nouse tunnel of the mill where a considerable quantity of fine dust, containing approximately 35 per cent., of free silica, was being constantly produced. These animals lived in this atmosphere for periods up to one year, and, while on autopsy large amounts of dust were found in the lungs, not a single case of silicosis had developed. These negative results suggested, among other things, that the mine gases might be a predisposing factor in the production of silicosis, and the results of this investigation led us to undertake the study of the hydrogen-ion concentration of the condensate of the atmosphere, both in the mine and in various sections of the mill.The C02 combining power of blood serum on a series of 400 miners was also studied at this time. While these results were inconclusive, the variation in the hydrogen-ion concentration of the condensate between the surface and underground atmospheres encouraged us to investigate the effect of neutral, weak acid and alkaline solutions on the solubility of silicious materials. Gye and Purdy were the first to point out that the chemical reaction and not the physical presence of silicious material was responsible for the production of the fibrosis in silicosis. This work was investigated by Gardner and Cummings who showed that the tissue reaction to quartz was definitely proportional to the size of the particle. They found that 1-3 micron particles of quartz produced an acute proliferative fibrotic response while the 10-12 micron particles produced only a foreign body reaction up to a period of three years. It is accepted that the dangerous silica particles retained by the lung are under 5 microns in diameter. We assumed that if the solubility of the silicious material retained in the lung could be reduced sufficiently by the addition of some non-toxic element or compound the usual fibrotic respohse would be modified. We found that the addition of certain compounds to silica would reduce its solubility in the beaker to a slight extent. But these compounds, when mixed with quartz...

Jan 1, 1945

Flue dust from the sintering of base metal sulphides was leached to remove cadmium and arsenic. Leach liquor contained cadmium, zinc and small amounts of other base metals as chlorides. Results are reported of the use of a cation exchange resin Zeocarb 225 to separate the base metals from the arsenic. The resin was eluted with sodium chloride or sulphate to give a solution of relatively concentrated cadmium suitable for recovery by zinc cementation. The limited solubility of sodium sulphate presented some practical problems which were investigated. Another problem was the precipitation of lead sulphate in the resin during elution.INTRODUCTIONWhen lead-zinc sulphides are sintered prior to smelting, the gases passing to the flue are mainly uncondensable but contain a certain proportion of sublimates and dust particles which deposit in the flue or are carried, after condensation in the gas stream, to some form of dust extraction equipment.The recovered dust is a complex mixture of base metal sulphates, sulphites, sulphides, chlorides and oxides, the composition depending on the original concentrates. A large proportion of the cadmium and some of the arsenic originally in the concentrates finds its way to this flue dust, the treatment of which can be a convenient means of removing these elements and controlling their concentrations in the main lead-zinc smelter circuit. However, disposing of this material represents an appreciable waste of base metals as well as a serious toxicity hazard.Sulphide Corporation Pty. Ltd. was faced with this problem in planning the flow sheet of the new lead-zinc smelter at Cockle Creek, N.S.W. From a test run carried out on a pilot plant at Avonmouth, U.K., using a mixture of lead and zinc concentrates, a sample of dust was obtained for...

Jan 1, 1960

By J Howard

Following discovery in October 2004, commencement of development in February 2007 and first ore production in mid 2007, the Trident gold deposit, located in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, has now been successfully mined for over three years. Three years of operational history has enabled the performance of the Trident underground mine to be reconciled against the mine plan and strategy proposed for the original feasibility study.The Trident deposit, initially based on two lode systems known as the Eastern Zone and Western Zone, has been continuously drilled, interpreted and re-interpreted over the period and as a result the addition of the Athena, Apollo and Artemis lode systems as well as numerous smaller scale lodes has been realised. The first three years has seen the Trident underground mine quickly move up to its 1 Mtpa design production rate. The mine plan and strategy used in the initial feasibility study and subsequently implemented, required sufficient flexibility to enable modification and optimisation to mine plans as ore zones were further defined. The ability to modify the mining plans has enabled Avoca to achieve its mining targets at Trident. With over 250 000 ounces gold produced to January 2010, the company is well positioned to achieve its ten year vision associated with the Higginsville Gold Project.This paper offers an account of operational experiences whilst providing comparison to assumptions and methodologies used in the original feasibility study. The paper is a sequel to a paper presented at the Tenth Underground Operators’ Conference held in Launceston, Tasmania titled Development Strategy of the Trident Underground Gold Mine.

Mar 21, 2011

The Telfer main dome open pit is operated by Newcrest Mining Limited at a current production rate of 50 Mt/a from a pit dimension compromising 2 km strike length, 1 km width and 250 m depth. As part of the refeasibility of the Telfer operation undertaken early this decade, Newcrest identified that an underground sublevel cave (SLC) operation along with an increased scale of open pit would support a new plant targeting the processing of gold and copper ore at 17 Mt/a rates. The SLC was initiated in late 2006 and broke into the open pit in late 2009. This situation is unique across the mining industry where a cave breakthrough was planned and occurred within an active large open pit operation. The SLC broke though into the west side of the Main Dome open pit into a specially prepared bench that was left at the 5384 RL of cut-back stage 3. A main haulage ramp is within 100 m from the edge of the cave breakthrough zone and this ramp passes down to the active levels which are progressing toward the 5200 RL. This paper presents insight into the mine planning and risk management associated with continued operation of the open pit operation while an active SLC breaks through. The cave breakthrough presents unique areas for risk management as there is potential for rapid propagation and subsidence. To support the undertaking, mine design and major hazard management planning has been carried out. Focus areas include; dual ramp system design, preloading the breakthrough area, monitoring of cave propagation and air gap using a seismic system and deep hole extensometers, wall stability and subsidence monitoring using radar and prism systems, and key trigger and response planning.

May 1, 2010

By S Porter

The Melbourne City Link Project is a privately funded road infrastructure project linking three significant existing freeways in the vicinity of the Central Business District. The State Government, through the Melbourne City Link Authority, has contracted Transurban to build, own and operate City Link for a concession period of 34 years before the road network is transferred to the State. Transurban has a contract with Transfield Obayashi Joint Venture (TOJV) to design and construct the works. The project is divided into the southern and western sections and the tunnel works comprised the significant component of the Southern Link. Outside of the cut and cover tunnels at the portals, the driven tunnels component was constructed by TOJV direct labour. TOJV subcontracted all design work to a joint venture of Hyder Consulting and CMPS&F (Hyder/CMP). The geology in the tunnel corridor and generally below the city of Melbourne is highly variable and constantly changing. The tunnels were driven, for the most part, in siltstone and sandstone of the Silurian age, but also intersected overlying basalts and clays. The Silurian bedrock is a fractured aquifer that is connected to overlying alluvial aquifers. Consequently, the construction of the tunnels was a complex engineering task. This paper details the operational relationships and procedures developed to deliver a design that was aligned to the construction constraints and delivered an end product that met all technical, quality, cost and program goals.

Jan 1, 1999

The widely accepted kinetic model for the gaseous reduction of hematite is critically examined. The formation of the wustite layer during internal reduction cannot be explained in terms of solid-state diffusion. Present evidence indicates the existence of a micropore system in the wustite adjacent to the magnetite with the gas/solid type of reaction occurring not only at the iron/wustite interface but also at the wustite/magnetite interface. During the partial reduction of dense hematite pellets, in a controlled atmosphere, porous magnetite and wustite are formed as products. The mean pore size, as measured by mercury injection, increases with time at constant temperature and with temperature increase over the range 6500C to 950°C. The sizes of the pores indicate that Knudsen diffusion is the principal gaseous transport mechanism across thick layers of magnetite or wustite.The kinetics of the gaseous reduction to iron are consistent with a mixed control mechanism involving the interaction of gaseous diffusion effects with a first order reversible chemical reaction at the iron/wustite interface. Because of the larger pore sizes in the iron layers, ordinary molecular gaseous diffusion must be the principal transport mechanism. The usual experimental methods used for establishing the validity of chemical rate ~ontrol are incapable of differentiating between the mixed control- mechanism and exclusive chemical control.Some implications of mixed control kinetics are developed, including a predicted independence of rate on reducing gas pressure at higher pressures.INTRODUCTIONAn extensive literature review of the reduction of iron oxides has been compiled recently by Themelis and Gauvin (1962). From the large number of papers published and the widely divergent opinions of workers in this field, it appears that a simple unified quantitative analysis of reduction kinetics is not possible. The aim of the present paper is to show that a major cause of confusion is due to the attempts of many workers to interpret experimentally observed reaction rates in terms of a single rate controlling mechanism without due regard to other rate processes which must occur simultaneously.Some of the differences in behaviour reported for particles...

Jan 1, 1964

The following data cover a phase in the systematic testing of gold deposits which does not appear to have been specificalIy investigated.In boring either secondary or primary deposits, gold, by virtue of its high specific gravity, will tend to migrate downward, below the driving shoe or bit, and thus cause misinterpretation of value unless final recovery Can be effected after the hole has been bottomed.Unlike fortuitous and non-recurrent errors, due to, say, running ground, "pile driving" or rock fractures, systematic error due to migration may be unpredict.able from operating data alone, and, therefore, result in serious miscalculation of the weighted average upon which the engineer's recommendation is based.Applied to diamond drilling, loss by downward migration appears to have been largely responsible for distrust of sludge assays in the past. On the other hand, although modern practice rightly trends towards an integration of both core and sludge samples in borehole valuation, the possibility of systematic loss must be investigated when using combination graphs such as those of Longyear, Moehlman and WeIler. If the sludge value is incorrect the combination graphs will serve solely to stultify the core valuation.It appears to be axiomatic that: 1. With full core, sludge assays are of minor import.2. With recovery above 90%, differentjal grinding, of the high grade sections may have occurred, and this c!ln be corrected only by the us.e of cOJ;rect sludge valuation.3. With core recovery less than, say, 70%, no accurate valuation is possible without integrating the sludge assay.4. With less than, say, 10% core recovery, the sludge assay affords the sole basis of evaluating a borehole which may have cost many hundreds of pounds.The conditions demanded for reliable sludge valuation have, in practice, been restricted to high quantitative recovery and return of nearly 90% of the drill water. It is submitted, however, that the following additional knowledge is required:1. The nature of gold distribution in the ore.2. The lifting power of the return water column, which can be gauged by the maximum quartz particle, provided that the degree of "hindrance" can be determined.3. That all gold has been cleared from the bottom of the borehole immediately after it has passed through the orebody.The three cases discussed hereunder are offered not only as proof of the thesis, but also in the hope of promoting discussion on the interpretation of borehole values and on methods for saving free gold in the sludge. The fact that two of them cover alluvial boringand the third diamond drilling has resulted in this attempt to reduce the behaviour of free gold to a basis common to all types of boring.

Jan 1, 1950

Observed mineral assemblages in the Mt. Lyell copper deposit can be correlated with phase equilibrium investigations in the systems Cu-Fe-S and Fe-Zn-S. The trend of crystallization (or paragenetic sequence) of the ores is reflected in a progressive increase in the Cu: Fe and metal: sulphur ratios of the assemblages. This trend agrees with the regional zoning of the district. Tentative relationships between the paragenetic sequence, sulphur vapour pressure, and temperature are presented graphically. The absence of a suitable geological thermometer prevents precise elucidation of the range of temperatures and pressures which existed during crystallization.INTRODUCTIONRecent phase equilibrium investigations of metal-sulphur systems at the Geophysical Laboratory, Washington, D.C. provide valuable information on the stability relations of a number of important sulphide minerals. This data, when applied to natural ore deposits, may be expected to clarify two special problems which confront the ore petrologist seeking to interpret observed data in terms of a particular physical and chemical environment of ore deposition. These two problems are the sequence of formation of sulphide minerals (commonly designated the paragenetic sequence) and an elucidation of the range of temperatures and pressures which existed during crystallization. The object of this paper is to make such an interpretation of the copper mineralization of the Mt. Lyell district, Queenstown, Tasmania.The following abbreviations are used in this paper:py = pyrite, cp = chalcopyrite, en = cubanite, bn = bornite,cc = chalcocite, cv = covellite, dg = digenite, id = idaite,po = pyrrhotite, v = sulphur vapour.GEOLOGICAL SETTING AND MINERALIZATIONThe general geology of the Mt. Lyell district is well known through the recent work of Wade and Solomon (1958). The host rocks are a series of quartz-chlorite-seri-...

Jan 1, 1963

By B Hartmann

In 2003, Independence Group NL purchased the Long Shaft Nickel Mine complex (Long) in Kambalda, Western Australia. Lightning Nickel, the nickel operating arm of Independence Group, faced considerable challenges operating the mine, with the most significant challenge being able to prove that the remnant ore at Long and the associated orebodies could be mined safely and efficiently. Given the seismic history at Long, the magnitude of these challenges could not be underestimated. In an effort to achieve 100 per cent extraction of the flatter orebodies, traditional methods such as room and pillar were dismissed. A method consisting of transverse sills, butting into each other was proposed. To stop fill material from the first sill rilling into the adjoining sill, it was proposed to backfill the sills with pumped cement fill. The capital cost of the fill plant was estimated to be in excess of $1.5 million and the cost for cement alone was $1.0 million per annum. Shotcrete was already an extremely useful tool in dealing with the widely variable stress environment, but was to be used in an innovative manner that would enable the full extraction of a tabular section of the Victor South orebody. A layer of shotcrete, approximately 100 mm thick, was to be sprayed on the up dip wall of the initial development sill. The sill was to be backfilled with ænormalÆ development waste and ætoppedÆ with sand backfill. The next sill, ie slightly up dip and alongside, was to be mined along the shotcrete boundary wall. With respect to wall stability, the premise was that the shotcrete wall would stay in place and prevent the backfill (development waste and sand) from rilling into the adjoining development. It was also proposed that any breaches of the shotcrete wall would be repaired using shotcrete before substantial inflow of backfill into the ænewÆ development. This paper describes the development and implementation of this mining method, as well as some of the associated financial aspects.

Jan 1, 2008

A combined reflection seismic and magnetic survey off the south coast of New South Wales has revealed six distinct reflection horizons within the Lower Triassic-Upper Permian sequence, and has enabled the upper part of the lllawarra Coal Measures to be mapped in considerable detail. Large magnetic anomalies in the eastern half of the survey area appear to originate in the Gerringong Volcanic Sequence which forms the magnetic basement in the survey. Small residual anomalies in the western half of the area can be correlated with small scale faulting and folding in the upper part of the llawarra Coal Measures, as revealed by the seismic reflection survey.A synclinal axis striking at approximately 55° has been mapped near the western margin of the survey area, and areas of faulting and folding have been outlined by combined analysis of seismic and magnetic results.

Jan 1, 1970