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By Albert H. Fay

The first data compiled by the Bureau of Mines relating to coal- mine accidents in the United States were published in Bulletin 69," in which the total fatalities by years and States were tabulated from 1896 to 1912. Since the publication of Bulletin 69, further research has been conducted, with the result that the bureau is now able to publish for the first time all of the fatal accidents described in the State inspectors' reports by States, causes, and calendar years, from the beginning of inspection service to date. For the anthracite mines of Pennsylvania, there is a continuous record since 1870; the records of the Pennsylvania bituminous mines are continuous from 1877, and, with the exception of one year, the Ohio records are complete from 1874 to date. In fact, the records of all of the States, with few exceptions, are complete; and incomplete data for any year may generally be attributed to the fact that no report was published during that year. The magnitude of the coal-mining industry in the United States is such that too much stress can not be placed on the need of safeguard- ing the three-quarters of a million men employed. Although the figures given herein show an appalling record for past years, they are not published for the purpose of proclaiming the high fatality rate of the past. They are a record of experience covering a period of 45 years, showing causes and results of many accidents in the coal mines of the United States. They represent a diagnosis of the hazard of the mining industry, pointing out the principal physical causes of accidents, and make available a body of uniform facts that will serve as a basis of preventive measures for use in future operations. It is with these great purposes in view that the Bureau of Mines presents the classified data in this report. Classification and study of mine accidents on the basis of number of persons killed is common and very old, but fails to throw enough light upon the problem involved. Many serious accidents in mines have no fatal results, hence in a tabulation of fatalities they are overlooked and the real hazard of the industry is not made clear. An accident does not necessarily include an injury that may result therefrom. Such accidents as the breaking of a hoisting cable, an explosion of powder, gas, or dust, a runaway car or motor are all serious. Although no loss of life results, they should be recorded, investigated, and studied to prevent their repetition. No accurate data for the United States are available showing how far the personal element as related to the miner and his co-worker, the mine foreman, or to the superintendent and others in authority, contributes to accidents. Many accidents are due to inexperience on the part of the miner, his failure to heed orders, a misunderstanding of instructions and last, but not least, carelessness of himself or his fellow worker. A foreman or superintendent may fail to give proper warning regarding the conditions of certain parts of the mine; he may not have inspected certain rooms or entries on the day of a mine accident; the mine may not be properly equipped, or the operator may neglect to comply with the inspector's recommendations. There is, therefore, a personal element on the part of both the operator and the miner that must be considered. Legislation and the enactment of compensation laws will make the operator realize the seriousness of the mine-accident situation, when fatalities and injuries are to be paid for in legal tender of the realm. The miner must be educated and made to realize the dangers he encounters; he must learn that self-preservation and the safety of his fellow workmen should receive his first attention; he should cooperate with his employer, his asso- ciates, and the State mine inspector to the end that the mine hazard may be reduced to a minimum. "Cooperation for safety" should be the watchwords of the operator, miner, State inspectors, and all others in any way interested in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1916

Law of the Sea. - The Ninth Session of the Law of the Sea Conference resumed July 28 at Geneva and will run for 5 weeks. The 160-nation Conference began in 1973. Two of the major factors to be discussed are the transfer of technology to the UN-controlled Enterprise or mining authority, and how the 36-member Council will make decisions. As the session completed its third week, delegates expressed little hope of completing a treaty text this year. There was a feeling, though, that substantive issues might be settled so that a treaty text can be completed next year. The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act signed by the President on June 28, provides an interim regulatory procedure for ocean mining activities conducted by U.S. nationals that may be superseded by a law of the sea treaty.

Jan 1, 1980

On November 9, the Reynolds Metals Company cut production by 12 at its primary aluminum smelters at Troutdale, Oreg., and Longview, Wash., as a result of an earlier 25% power cutback by the Bonneville Power Administration due to lower than normal stream flow in September, the Aluminum Company of America had closed one potline at its Vancouver smelter because of the power cutback. Nearly 700 union workers at Anaconda Aluminum Company's primary aluminum smelter at Sebree, Ky., walked off the job when their contract expired or, November 15, after rejecting a proposed 3-year contract. The smelter has an annual capacity of 180,000 tons mid accounts for 50% of Anaconda's aluminum production. No talks are scheduled.

Jan 1, 1979

By Linda L. Chasko, Charles P. Lazzara, Gary Braselton, Ronald S. Conti

Preparedness is an important element of any underground mine's strategic plan in dealing with an unexpected event, such as a fire. A fully implemented fire preparedness and response plan is essential in reducing the probability and seriousness of a mine fire. This report describes the development of an underground coal mine fire preparedness and response checklist (MFPRC). The checklist is a data collection instrument for profiling both the fire prevention and response capabilities of a mine site and usually requires 3 to 4 days to complete. The checklist encompasses conditions, procedures, and equipment that have frequently been identified as the primary or contributing causes of underground coal mine fires. At least 1 day is needed underground to evaluate the water system. This entails measurements of water flows and pressures at fire hydrants, and water throw distances of fire hose and nozzles at several locations (mains and branch lines). A few of the other topics that are discussed with mine personnel include detection and suppression systems, combustible materials, mine rescue and fire brigades, and firefighting equipment. The MFPRC was developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Cyprus Amax, Twenty mile Coal Co. (Oak Creek, CO), the checklist was field tested and further refined. Additional field tests were conducted at several other operating coal mines.

Jan 1, 2000

By Tom Treleaven

The success of any blast is dependent on the accuracy of the blast design and the field controls used on the shot. This point cannot be over emphasized because when the geometry is not measured and/or field controls are not properly implemented, it can often have devastating effects on the final blast results. Thus drilling accuracy, tiont row burden control, explosive confinement, energy distribution, explosive selection, timing and structural geology become critical parameters in the design of successful blasts. Understanding the actual dynamics of the blast and why certain results were achieved is the fast step in optimizing a blast design. As stated by R. Frank Chiappetta, “Of all the blast monitoring systems available today, high speed videography still remains as the best stand alone instrumentation system for blast diagnostics.” Over the past years I have analyzed hundreds of blasts using either high-speed lowcams (500 frames per second) cameras or standard digital (30 frames per second). These analyses confirm, without a doubt, that shot geometry, in combination with structural geology, is the most important factor in overall blast results. Drilling accuracy is the single most important component in efficient blasting. Having equal mass associated with an equivalent energy is the basis in which blasts are designed. When drilling inaccuracy or borehole deviation occurs, not only is the energy unevenly distributed, but the basis of all design calculations becomes invalid. Over the past several years, quarry and mining operations have employed the use of boretracking measuring devices to measure borehole deviation and hole toe locations. In cases of operations using top hammer drills, it was discovered that the amount of deviation was significant and far greater than they believed they had. Set up error, improper drilling techniques and bit wear were some of the contributing factors. Through video anaysis of boretracked blasts, blast results were directly linked to drilling ..accuracy. The comparisons here took into account blast design, energy factors and hole sequencing.

Jan 1, 2000

By A. R. Barnes, N. Stubina

Increasingly, gold producers are forced to treat ever more refractory ores. While ores containing pyrite, arsenopyrite and carbonaceous material have been subjected to complete pressure oxidation (PDX) as the standard process for such ores, recent improvements in fluid bed roasting technologies have led to a resurgence of interest in roasting as a viable alternative. The lower capital and operating costs of roaster installations add further impetus to this trend. The Extractive Metallurgy Group at Xstrata Process Support operates four fluid bed reactors of various sizes which have been utilised on a large number of projects to treat highly refractory ores. Preliminary mineralogical modelling of both the physical and chemical aspects of the roasting process and subsequent testing under carefully controlled conditions has allowed clients to obtain gold recoveries approaching or matching those achievable by PDX. The flexibility of the units to operate in various modes- " bubbling bed", circulating bed, two stage, sub-stoichiometric and combinations of these, and the range of sample sizes accommodated, from a few kilograms to a few tons, has enabled XPS to accommodate clients with a wide variety of gold bearing refractory ores from all over the world. This paper outlines the key challenges of fluid bed roasting of refractory gold ores, describes the methodology used to design the testwork program and provides some results from select test campaigns.

Jan 1, 2011

By Marcello M. Veiga

Informal gold mining operations in the Amazon emit about 100 tonnes of mercury annually because of poor amalgamation practice. Lack of information and the complexity of mercury transformations hinder effective action to prevent such pollution and/or monitor its extent. In the past, mathematical equations have been formulated to deal with the correlation of natural variables and mercury in biota but often, the error range is too great to provide useful models. Projection of physico-chemical variations in an environment subjected to mercury emissions onto the extent of bioaccumulation is fraught with many uncertainties and unknowns such as internal correlations between variables and the site-specific nature of biota contamination. Often assumptions about closed systems are invalid when applied to natural environments. This work presents a heuristic approach to this problem in which amalgamation methods and natural variables are dealt with using an IF-THEN rule-based system that concludes about levels of emission and risk of bioaccumulation. The system is able to handle uncertain or vague data and yet still provide useful output. Belief in mercury oxidation or dangerous conditions are examined using Fuzzy Logic techniques and Inference Equations. These belief levels are derived from thermodynamic equilibrium data together with field observations of natural variables. This procedure can reduce the need for sophisticated analytical equipment and can provide information and diagnosis to non-technical people.

Jan 1, 1994

A unity of viewpoint emerged from the workshop. The concept that transmission is via characteristic modes was a common theme in many of the presentations. Also, the confusion an the meaning of monofilar and bifilar to describe these dominant modes was cleared up. But, there was still a healthy divergence of opinion on what constitutes an optimum system. It was generally agreed that further analytical and experimental work is definitely needed. In particular, it was stressed that independent measurements of the constitutive properties of the electromagnetic environment are needed. Also, there was considerable concern that laboratory measurements of rock samples could lead to misleading results for the effective conductivities. Also, there was a general recognition that over simplified propagation theory should not be used to interpret field data. From a theoratical and practical point of view, it was realized that mode coupling plays a vital role in the transmission channel. One must not only understand which and how many propagation modes are excited by the transmitting antenna, but the conversion of energy from one mode type to another must be accounted for. This conversion can either be done intentionally (by fixed mode convertors) or non intentionally (by random wall roughness). In fact, mode conversion can be quite complicated when various propagation paths exist such as when insulated cables, leaky feeders, grounded rails, coal seams, etc. all convey portions of the electromagnetic energy. However, this state of affairs should be regared as an. opportunity for extended communication coverage in mines rather than a limitation of a desig. procedure based on preconceived notions of the dominant propagation mechanism.

Jan 1, 1978

By Johnny Zhang, Yang Anguo, Li Weifeng, Xueyi Guo

"SKSTM oxygen bottom blowing smelting technology was developed by SKS-ENFI at SKS Smelter, Hunan in the 1990s to replace the conventional sintering process and thus to meet the high national EHS standard for lead.Since then, two major milestones have been achieved:1. Since 2002, the SKS oxygen bottom blowing smelting-blast furnace reduction has been in operation at SKS, YGL, Chizhou smelter etc. Now in China, about 50% of the lead (4.2 millions t/year) is produced using SKS process; and2. Since 2008, the blast furnace has been replaced by direct reduction of molten rich lead slag at YGJ smelter, which is more energy-efficient since no slag cooling is required. This two stage process (SKS Oxidation- Direct Reduction) is named as the YGL process.Since 2008, numerous technological innovations have been implemented in the furnace design, process control, and maintenance at YGL. The plant has been successfully demonstrated its unique excellent performances on all aspects from processing capacity, product quality, energy reduction, cost reduction and emission reduction. The purpose of this report is to update all the improvements with proven tracks.Meanwhile, a preliminary comparison on the following aspects between the YGL process and other similar technologies has been discussed:1. Plant design and operating conditions;2. Mass and heat balances, metal (Pb, Ag) recovery;3. Consumables, oxygen gun and refractory lining life;4. Energy consumption and operating costs;5. Sulfur capture and emission reduction etc.It is concluded that the modified SKSTM process is a clean SO2-free emission process. The process is characteristic of other features such as no extra fuel addition, low capital with a small foot-print design, low OPEX, high throughput, easy operation, long refractory lining life and high productivity (95%+ on line time annually). It offers an alternative cost-effective technology for lead smelting industry."

Jan 1, 2014

By B. H. Good

This paper describes the research that has been conducted -in an effort to understand the nature and causes of sulphide fires -in the Sullivan Mine. Results of the investigation have led to several theories of the origin: of the fires, the nature of the chemistry and a method for assessing: the fire potential. Recommendations and the implications for the mining operation are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul C. Hyndman

The U.S. Bureau of Mines inventoried Federal mineral lands in Idaho and classified them in detail, section by section, according to their availability for mineral exploration and development as affected by legal restrictions and agencies' management practices. The Bureau also identified known mineral deposit areas (KMDAs) and areas conducive to oil, gas, and geothermal resources. This information is shown on maps (developed in part by geographic information system technology) that spatially compare the availability for mineral entry of Federal land with these KMDAs to demonstrate the extent and severity of restrictions on mineral entry. Idaho contains 53.1 million acres, 35.7 million (67%) of which is Federal mineral land. About 7 million acres of this land is within KMDAs that host medium-to high-value locatable mineral deposits; 36% of this land is available, 27% is slightly to moderately restricted, and 37% is severely restricted or unavailable. For the leasable minerals, about 1.8 million acres are within KMDAs that host medium-to high-value phosphate deposits, about 5.4 million acres are favorable for oil and gas resources, and 3.9 million acres for geothermal resources. The percentages of land availability are 30%, 45%, and 25% for the phosphate acreage, 38%, 34%, and 28% for the oil and gas acreage, and 43%, 30%, and 27% for the geothermal acreage.

Jan 1, 2012

By Ihor A. Kunasz

Lithium minerals occur predominantly in pegmatites that contain mineral assemblages derived from the crystallization of post- magmatic fluids or from the metasomatic action of residual peg- matitic fluids. They have been the traditional sources of raw material for ceramic and chemical industries. With the discovery of the Searles Lake deposits, brines became new sources of lithium, and, today, two brine deposits satisfy nearly one-half of the free world demand for lithium chemicals. Indeed, lithium production from pegmatites has been superseded by brines sources. In the United States, the brines of Clayton Valley, NV, have been exploited since 1964 by Cyprus Foote Mineral Company, a subsidiary of Cyprus Minerals Company. In Chile, Sociedad Chilena de Litio Ltda., an affiliate of Cyprus Minerals Company, is now producing lithium carbonate from the brines of the Salar de Atacama. Recently identified brine deposits suggest that these may well become the prime sources of lithium chemicals. In Bolivia, the government is negotiating the rights to exploit the brines of the Salar de Uyuni. The Salar del Hombre Muerto in Argentina is being evaluated as a future center of chemical production. The brines of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, the Smackover Formation, and the Imperial Valley geothermal field have been defined as important resources of lithium. In Tibet, high concentrations of lithium have been reported in several saline lakes. In the People's Republic of China, lithium may be produced from the brines of the Dabusan playa in the Qinghai Basin. The 1950s saw a great number of lithium companies develop. However, following the termination of the Atomic Energy Commission purchase program in 1959, several companies, such as Maywood Chemical Co., American Lithium Chemicals, and Quebec Lithium Corp., were forced to close their operations. Nevertheless, with the development of new applications in glass ceramics, air conditioning systems, synthetic rubber, and metallurgy (aluminumpotlines), the lithium industry grew steadily. With the potential application of lithium metal in batteries, nuclear reactors, and fuel cells, a steady growth can be foreseen. New products and new applications are likely to stimulate exploration for expanded reserves as well as the search for new sources from which lithium could be extracted economically. Presently identified reserves and production capacity are sufficient to satisfy the conventional market growth of lithium.

Jan 1, 1994

By B. A. Filas, H. N. Lammers

Responsible environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices are not new to mining. It is the ESG acronym that has become the “flavor-of-the-day” with the stock markets, accounting firms, and investment strategists. This increased interest from the financial sector has heightened executive awareness and accountability to where corporate leadership and directors are proactively prioritizing ESG issues from the top down within their companies. This paper aims to convey what the authors believe one needs to know to be able to conduct and prepare effective ESG audits and reports. The emphasis is on how ESG fits within the mining sector, some of the ways that many mining companies have been practicing ESG responsibility for decades, the importance of effective communications with stakeholders, and the roles that regulatory and international lending institutions play in enhancing ESG practice on a global scale as a precursor to the discussion on ESG auditing and reporting. Without this background, the ESG audit may become a purely academic exercise.

Feb 1, 2023

By Walter Nuñez

La finalización de la estimación de reservas de un modelo de mina cuestiona la asertividad del modelo de Mina para la planeación minera. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala la Reconciliación como la comparación real histórica de tonelaje, leyes y contenido fino estimado, entre el modelo de mina y planta concentradora. La reconciliación permite conocer y ajustar mediante el uso de factores, la planeación mensual y anual de los siguientes años de la operación minera, y así cumplir con los compromisos mensuales asumidos de envío de contenido fino desde mina. Así también se muestra el proceso que sigue la explotación minera a tajo abierto en Toquepala, las variables que influyen en la variación de la reconciliación y algunas pautas a considerar para minimizar estos errores de reconciliación entre mina y concentradora.

Sep 19, 2006

By Patrick M. - Langevin

THIS TALK IS ABOUT : How the DBL mining camp deposits have been found and what is done to find the next one PLAN: Overview of the geological context Historical exploration perspective Deposits geology and key features Conclusion

May 1, 2006

By Sean Gallagher

This report was written in an effort to provide better control measures for low back pain (LBP) and low back disability in the mining industry. There are numerous factors associated with development of LBP, many of which can be effectively controlled while some cannot. Better job design is promoted as the best method of reducing cases of LBP and can also reduce the disability (i.e., lost time from work) associated with LBP when it happens. The report draws attention to what is currently known about LBP, what the causes are thought to be, and discusses recent back injury trends in the mining industry. Research describing unique physical demands in mining, such as the capabilities and limitations of working in awkward postures, is also presented. Methods that can be used to prevent initial LBP episodes are provided, including facilities design and layout for materials and supplies, use of mechanical-assist devices, improved design of lifting tasks, and better seat design. Methods of reducing the disability associated with LBP (including workplace design, proactive return-to-work efforts, communication, and management commitment) are also discussed. The report concludes that control of LBP and disability in mining requires a comprehensive approach to limit the repetitive loading that can occur on the low back due to manual materials-handling tasks and exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV). Specific recommendations include the following: ? Successful LBP prevention efforts require a proactive program that has strong management commitment and incorporates employee involvement. ? More efficient supply handling systems and use of mechanical-assist devices can greatly reduce exposure to hazardous lifting tasks. ? Lifting tasks should be designed to minimize low back stress. Tools to evaluate and redesign lifting tasks are presented. ? Improved seat design can reduce exposure to WBV and improve posture, leading to reduced LBP risk. ? The disability associated with LBP can be reduced. Getting the worker back on the job as quickly as possible is in the interest of everyone involved.

Sep 1, 2008

By AIME AIME

THE twenty-second annual meeting of the Canadian Mining Institute was held at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, on Mar. 8, 9, and 10, and was followed on the 11th by an all-day excursion to the International Nickel Refinery at Port Colborne. The meeting was very well attended and dealt with some of the most important matters, both technical and economic, that have ever come before the Canadian Institute. The question of licensing engineers is before the Canadian members as it is before our own in this country and the attitude of the mining engineers across the border is like that of the American mining engineers, opposed to the licensing of the mining. engineer, however they may feel toward the licensing of other branches of the engineering profession. It was well pointed out that such a law, had it been in existence in the last decade or two, would probably have prevented the rapid development of Canada's mines. Whereas one civil engineer can run a line of survey as well as another, perhaps, it is only a question in his case of whether he can or cannot survey. In the case of a mining engineer employed by a man with capital to invest in a development project, unless the man with the money has confidence in the judgment of his engineer the fact that he is a professional man would carry little weight in inducing a large investment toward the development of Canada's resources. It was also pointed out that although the Institute as a whole had not passed on the matter, it would probably be opposed to legislation aiming only for self-interest, but would be heartily in accord with legislation which could be shown to be for the service of the community at large.

Jan 1, 1920

By William H. Pomroy

The potential for large-scale fires in underground fuel storage and fuel transfer areas prompted the Bureau of Mines to study fire hazards in these areas and devise improved fire safety technology for use in these areas. This report describes the Bureau's research to characterize and quantify fire hazards in fuel storage and fuel transfer areas, develop guidelines for safe and efficient fueling system design, prepare specifications for automatic fire sensing and suppression systems for these areas, test prototype systems in the laboratory and in underground mines, and perform cost-effectiveness evaluations of the devised technology.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. A. Apell

"SUMMARYThe quality of Moose Creek coal is considered superior to that of any now being produced in the Matanuska field of Alaska. In rank it is classed as roar coking high-volatile B bituminous coal.At present the Moose -Creek mines are accessible from the Glenn highway by 6 miles of well-maintained gravel road. The nearest railroad loading point is Moose Creek siding; 7 miles by road from the Buffalo mine. Palmer, 12 miles south of Buffalo mine, is the nearest town. Anchorage is 50 miles south of Palmer by road and-railroad.Core drilling and trenching by the Bureau of Mines revealed 2,375,500 short tons of coal in the Buffalo series on the Buffalo Coal Co. leasehold. Of this, 514,200 tons is considered measured coal and 489,900 tons indicated coal. Existence of deeper beds over the same length increased the tonnage of coal of all categories to 3,279,300 tons. The property has an assumed life, of 16 to 22 years, depending on the number of beds mined, based on an output of 500 tons of coal a day and 100-percent recovery. Coal from some of the beds car be marketed without washing however, a washery is necessary if all beds are mined. Beds in the Buffalo series not mined in the ""first mining"" will be irrecoverable at any later date.The Bureau of Mines completed exploration of approximately one-third of the local coal-bearing areas during 1943. Knowledge gained from this work makes it possible to investigate the rest of the area by drilling an estimated additional 5,000 foot of hole."

Dec 1, 1944

By Robert M. Becker

This report (the second in a series of five) presents the mathematical development in extending the theory of sample reliability from a sample consisting of a fixed number of items to a sample consisting of a fixed amount of items. Examples of a fixed amount of items per sample are samples consisting of a fixed weight or a fixed volume of unequal size particles. The probability distribution functions (those here called the compound binomial and compound multinomial functions) are developed from fundamentals. Their distributions are generalized to include some measured characteristic of the items. Infinite population moments are derived from moment-generating functions, while finite population moments are developed from corresponding infinite population moments using the finite probability operator defined in part 1 of this series.

Jan 1, 1964