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By G. F. Doggett

In describing accounting methods at Lake Shore Mines, it is the intention of the writer to limit the discussion to the principal features of the system used in securing cost figures and other statistics. The subject can be conveniently treated under the following divisions: (1) Time-keeping and Labour Distribution (2) Supplies: Handling and Distribution (3) Method of Assembling Data for Cost Purposes (4) Details of Operating Costs Time-Keeping and Labour Distribution After a new employee has gone through the routine of being 'hired on', he is assigned an employment number corresponding with the group applying to his occupation. This is for identification purposes in the plant and time office. He is also given an individual serial number, the use of which will be refer-red to later. On entering and leaving the plant, each employee passes through the clock room adjoining the time office, where he registers the time in and out on time recorders, on the clock card (Figure 1) bearing his name and number. It is the duty each morning of the time clerk to extend the hours worked by each employee, as indicated by the clock for the previous day, and at the end of the half-month period the total hours are multiplied by the rate and entered in the space provided for total wages at the bottom of the card.

Jan 1, 1935

By Lewis Finch

Oil and .gas reservoirs exist under pressure within the pore spaces of rock structures or traps. Wells are drilled to produce these reservoirs. Under primary operation, the natural energy of expanding fluids in and adjacent to the reservoir forces or drives oil and gas to the wells. There are three basic sources of energy: dissolved gas, water, and gas cap. Typical recovery by primary methods is only 10 to 25 per cent of the oil in place for the dissolved gas drive but is generally higher for the others. Secondary recovery involves the injection of water or gas to supplement natural energy, thereby increasing recovery over that obtainable by primary operation alone. In many cases ultimate recovery with secondary methods is 1.2 to 2.0 times the expected primary recovery. The type programme adaptable in a field depends on its 'primary performance and on certain reservoir characteristics. In the United States, application of secondary recovery methods is becoming increasingly important. About 22 per cent of United States oil production now comes from fields in which injection projects are operating. In 1953, nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil daily came from such fields, more than double the amount in the early 40's. Ultimate primary recovery from known pools is estimated at roughly 73 billion barrels. Secondary recovery projects already in operation will increase this to almost 80 billion, an increase of almost 10 per cent. Unitized secondary recovery projects have been very successful. From unitized projects alone, industry reserves of oil in the United States have been increased by 3 1/2 billion barrels. In Canada, secondary recovery has not been so wide spread mainly because D-3 reef reservoirs which have held the major reserves are under water drive. However, appreciable amounts of water are being injected in the Redwater D-3, Leduc D-2 and Joarcum Viking reservoirs, and gas in the Golden Spike D-3. In both countries, possible achievements in increased recovery through secondary recovery methods now in use and by new ones which may be developed through research and field trial are a challenge to the scientist and the industry.

Jan 1, 1956

By H. R. Stockford

"A pyroxenite-carbonatite complex containing extensive pyrochlore mineralization was discovered during January, 1966, within an exploratory license area held by Consolidated Morrison Explorations Limited. Located 32 miles south of Moosonee, Ontario, the deposit was found under 100 feet of glacial till and Paleozoic sedimentary cover using airborne and ground magnetometer surveys. Exploratory and detailed drilling, totalling 47,625 feet in 85 holes, was completed in outlining the deposit to a maximum depth of 900 feet. Pyrochlore reserves are estimated at 62,000,000 tons averaging 0.52 per cent Cb,05 to a depth of 825 feet. Included in this tonnage is a high-grade section containing 10,000 tons per vertical foot grading 0.82 per cent Cb20 5• The deposit is still open at depth and the intrusive complex has by no means been fully explored.The columbium (niobium) mineralization occurs in a lineated calcite-dolomite host rock which has been intruded along a fault zone within a northeast-trending granulite belt. Potassium-argon dating indicates an age of 1655 million years.Preliminary studies suggest that the complex was intruded in a series of pulses in the form of a partially crystallized mush. The James Bay intrusive is unusual in that it is linear in form and contains only two main rock types - p•yroxenite and carbonatite. Nepheline-bearing syenites and associated rocks are notably absent. Moreover, the pyrochlore is essentially non-radioactive and free from many of the impurities generally associated with other pyrochlores. A test shaft to investigate soil conditions and to provide a 250-ton bulk sample was completed during 1968. Subsequent pilot-plant operations indicate that good quality pyrochlore concelttrates can be produced from this deposit."

Jan 1, 1972

By V. G. Papangelakis, A. Dani

"Alkaline pressure oxidation, particularly in the presence of trona as additive, can be used to oxidize high carbonate refractory gold ores as it prevents the formation of CO2 in the autoclave. However, the presence of silica in the ore can lead to the encapsulation of pyrite due to the solubility of silica in alkaline solutions and its subsequent reprecipitation on the reacting pyrite surface, leading to the formation of a passive layer. This fundamental study investigates the chemical composition and thickness of the passive layer on a rotating pyrite disk using XPS and SEM, as a function of process conditions at 230°C, in an aqueous slurry containing silica sand, sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate under 100 psi of oxygen overpressure.INTRODUCTIONAlkaline pressure oxidation (POX) has been used successfully to treat high carbonate refractory gold ores, which contain carbonates in addition to sulphides, most notably at Mercur and Goldstrike mines operated by Barrick Gold. There are several advantages to using alkaline POX over its acid counterpart, especially due to high carbonate content. First, it eliminates the production of CO2 in the autoclave without resorting to pre-acidification, which allows for high oxygen utilization. Second, alkaline POX suppresses the formation of elemental sulphur and intermediate sulphur oxyanions (such as thiosulphates and dithionates), which reduce gold recovery. Third, the use of sodium hydroxide or salts prevents the formation of anhydrite scale by forming soluble sodium sulphate. Other advantages are the use of cheaper materials of construction and the formation of non-acidic residue that do not require further treatment prior to cyanidation (Thomas, 2005).Sodium carbonate in particular is a promising reagent for alkaline POX because it was shown to significantly accelerate the kinetics of pyrite oxidation by molecular oxygen, when compared to other reagents such as sodium hydroxide, sodium borate and calcium hydroxide. This has been attributed to the following factors: a) the faster oxidation kinetics of Fe2+-CO3 complexes compared to Fe2+ oxidation, b) the buffering effect of carbonate ions on the acidic pyrite surface, and c) the increased solubility of oxidizing Fe(III) species due to carbonate complexation (Caldeira, 2010)."

Jan 1, 2012

By A. del Campo A.

The roast segregation process, which was patented in 1974, makes use of a set of chemical reactions that are different from the traditional sequential oxidation of iron and copper sulfides used by all modem pyrometallurgical processes to treat copper concentrates. It allows metallic copper to be obtained via sublimation of copper chloride at temperatures in the range of 700-800 OC. In addition it avoids melting the concentrate, doesn't require transferring molten materials, doesn't need flux addition and allows nearly all of the sulphur to be removed in one stage as a high-S02 gas stream. Most importantly, it allows a decrease in the use of energy to approximately 6 million BTU/ton of anodes. This represents a saving of approximately 40%, compared to the potential of the most advanced processes presently used. Such a promising process has been waiting for its first industrial application for more than 30 years. This article examines the technical difficulties that have delayed application of the roast segregation process to beneficiate copper concentrates. Special emphasis is made on material handling aspects, discussing the possibility of using a well designed mass flow silo as the main processing vessel to carry out the segregation stage. Cu2007

Jan 1, 2007

By Arthur M. Whiteside

Discussion of the laws bearing upon the economics of mining in this province at once resolves itself under three headings: (a) The rights and obligations of holders of mineral bearing lands; (b) Taxation of mines; (c) Regulation of methods adopted in financing mining operations. Titles: The law relating to titles is contained in the Mineral Act, Placer Mining Act and Coal Mines Prospecting Act. Origin: Mining laws in force in this province and elsewhere on the continent had their origin in the rule-of-thumb regulations adopted by prospectors themselves, when, far from the centres of civilization and the seats of the courts of justice, they found it necessary, for mutual protection, to fix the conditions of possession by right of location, and to prescribe the duties to be performed in order to enable the individual to maintain his ground against all comers. These regulations have been codified and added to by legislatures, until we find adequate protection and safeguard to property in the laws of this province.

Jan 1, 1924

IN 1932, the No. 4 shaft at Wright-Hargreaves mine was completed to a depth of 4,000 feet, and the lowest operating level at that time was at 3,900 feet. It was realized that the existing pumping system, using triplex plunger pumps at somewhat irregular depths in the mine, would be in-adequate to take care of the increasing volume of water that would have to be handled as mining operations expanded. Accordingly, in February, 1932, after a thorough study of the whole matter, it was decided to instal an entirely new, automatically controlled, system of pumping, employing centrifugal pumps, with their characteristically trouble-free performance, operated by off-peak power.

Jan 1, 1939

By J. Stachulak

In recent years more emphasis has been placed on the control of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from mining diesel equipment. Worldwide, diesel engine regulations to control emission and protect the environment are also driving the development of the diesel engine technology to reduce oxides of nitrogen NOx (Nitric oxide, NO + NO2). NOx are toxic gases produced in mines during the operation of diesel equipment. Most of the diesel equipment used in underground operations are equipped with Diesel Oxidization Catalysts (DOCs) designed to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC). The effects of DOCs on NO2 production from diesel powered equipment is not well understood. DOCs do not alter NOx concentration, but may promote the oxidization of engine exhaust NO to the more toxic NO2, thus increasing the undesirable NO2 exposure of workers in the mine environment. In 2012, the ACGIH reduced the NO2 TLV concentration value from 3 ppm to 0.2 ppm. Vale and CanmetMINING have been involved in several research projects to reduce diesel emissions exposure to workers. One aspect of the current program is to determine the effects of in-use DOCs on NO2 production. Several in-use DOCs taken from mining equipment were selected for testing in the laboratory using ISO 8178-C1 and mine LHD transient test cycles. The paper presents the laboratory test results and effects of DOCs on NO2 production. The results indicate significant reductions in CO concentration, by over 77%, while increases in NO2 varied from 46% to 315% based on the ISO 8178-C1 8-mode steady state test cycle. The mine LHD transient test cycle showed the same pattern, although the magnitude of CO reduction was less. Consequently, it is recommended the use of only those DOCs that have been properly evaluated and shown not to significantly increase NO2 emission in the environment be used on mine equipment.

Aug 1, 2013

By Lucas G. Thompson

My topic, "The Administration of Mineral Rights'.' is possibly an unusual one, as it deals with a subject upon which many of us have a more than passing interest, I thought ?it might prove consistent with the objects of this meeting, more especially as I propose to deal, not with those broad subjects of nation-wide importance which are often the subject'? of learned (and sometimes futile) academic discussion, but rather with problems in their practical light. To the scientist, the important question is What is it? to the technician, Can it be utilized? to the business-man, Will it pay? All three questions are important, and so quick has been the march of business on the heels of science? that the one question follows the other with astonishing rapidity and all three must be considered in the modern management of a mineral estate. A .good illustration of the force of this can be found in the recent advance of our knowledge of the element helium in which we have advanced from a solution of the first question to the last question in the short period of 55 years. It is to be borne in mind, however, that in the administration of mineral rights, the question "Will it pay?:' is of primary importance. What forms a mineral estate ? A former practice in western Canada in selling lands was to sell the hair with the hide. All transactions sold the lands in fee simple, which included all mines, minerals and rights and privileges whatsoever, excluding only the royal metals, gold and silver, which by imputation, though not by specific reference, in deeds. of title are reserved to the Crown. At that time the country was in the first ?stages of settlement and the value of our mineral resources was hardly appreciated and little understood.

Jan 1, 1923

By J. F. Liu, L. Chen, C. P. Wang

"Calcite-cemented joints abound in the rock masses of Beishan area, which is the most potential area for the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal of China. The mechanical properties of Beishan granite containing a calcite-cemented joint with a dip angle of 82° was investigated under uniaxial compression and the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics were also studied in this paper. Compared to intact granite, the calcite-cemented joint caused a decrease more than 50% in uniaxial compressive strength and a decrease more than 90% in shear strength. The Young’s modulus was also decreased, while the circumferential deformation of jointed granite was sharply increased. The AE monitoring system successfully recorded the process of micro-crack development and the results indicated that the risk of rock-burst could be reduced due to the appearance of calcite-cemented joint.INTRODUCTIONThe properties of jointed rocks differ considerably from that of intact rock. Due to the difficulties in specimen preparation, analogue experiments with artificially prefabricated fractures are often used to study the mechanical behavior of jointed rock (Chen et al. 2012; Kulatilake et al. 2001; Singh et al. 2001). However, natural joints are not quite similar to the artificial fractures and it is necessary to investigate the mechanical behavior of jointed rocks. Xie et al. 2011 studied the mechanical properties of marbles with natural joints by uniaxial compression tests and found that the uniaxial compressive strength of jointed rock is greatly decreased. With the unaxial compression tests, Jacobsson 2005, 2007 tested the intact and jointed granites, which were taken from the potential site for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal of Sweden. However, no significant difference in strength or modulus was found. The above research results are inconsistent and it indicates the complexity of the mechanical properties of natural joints."

Jan 1, 2015

By W. B. Timm

Introduction In preparing this paper on Recent Developments in Gold Milling Practice, the idea occurred to me that possibly the best way to deal with the subject would be to take you in thought on a visit to the principal gold mining camps of the Dominion, starting at the east and finishing up in the west, and noting, as we go, the outstanding improvements that have been made in the last few years in the practice of gold milling. Before beginning this tour, I desire to emphasize the debt this country, and particularly our mining industry, owes to that body of trained and experienced men, little heard of, but who, working quietly on their problems, are responsible for these improvements. The metallurgists, to whom I refer, have solved many difficult problems for the mining industry, in connection with the treatment of our complex ores; for instance, the silver-cobalt ores of the Cobalt district, the gold ores of the Porcupine district, the gold-telluride ores of the Kirkland Lake? district, the copper-gold ores of Noranda, the arsenical-gold ores of the Beattie mine, the copper-zinc ores of Flin Flon, and the lead-zinc ores of Kimberley. In doing so, they have maintained the high technical standards of the profession, and the practices thus evolved are noteworthy for their high degree of efficiency. When the price of gold increased from $20.67 to $35.00 an ounce, what had formerly been thought to be a low tailing became almost an ore, so that the metallurgists are now busily engaged upon the problem of putting this railing back in its proper place of being a tailing once more, or from its value, at the present price, of anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar or so per ton, to a few cents per ton. Owing to the changing prices of the metals in the world's markets, still greater improvements in metallurgical practices are imperative. An important contributory factor towards improvement in ore dressing is the aid furnished by the microscope in the examination of ores and mill products. By making possible the determination of the mineral constituents of the ore, their association, and grain size, it gives the investigator a knowledge of his problem, before he does any actual test work. In the Mines Branch laboratories at Ottawa, its use has enabled us to predict how an ore should respond to various methods of treatment.

Jan 1, 1935

"A numerical procedure based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) is developed for rock blasting phenomena involving multiple intersecting joints. In this procedure, an elasto-plastic damage constitutive model has been applied in the framework of SPH to simulate yielding response of the surrounding rock medium. In this paper, a square shape rock medium with centrally located emulsion explosive in a borehole is numerically blasted with and without the presence of two diagonal rock joints. The model is simulated by assuming all four sides of the rock medium as free surfaces. The paper elaborates the propagation of stress wave, expansion dynamics of gaseous products, and development of fracture, fragmentation of the medium and dissipation of energy due to damage.INTRODUCTIONDamage prediction of rock mass and its mean fragmentation size are of important to design blast parameters for a given explosive. Current blasting practice solely depends on empirical relationships between fragmentation sizes to those blast design parameters while mathematical descriptions of the physical laws governing the process of rock blasting are limited. A constitutive relationship based on properties of explosives and rock mass is of special interest because of its capabilities in describing the key features of rock fracture and fragmentation, resulting in understanding of the physical process involved in rock blasting. It is well known that blast-induced damage and fragmentation of rock mass occur due to detonation induced stress wave and product gas driven fracture propagation. Nevertheless, the fundamental mechanism of the failure process and the behavior of rock characteristics under these two different loading are not well understood in many cases, which are closely related to growth of fractures and interaction of cracks under different loading conditions.Continuum damage mechanics is considered to be appropriate to describe the failure process under such high-amplitude stress wave. Based on this approach, several theoretical models have been developed to analyze the dynamic damage of brittle material such as rock and concrete with microstructure (Chen, 1999; Taylor et al., 1986; Wu et al., 2004; Yazdchi et al., 1996). These models are mostly based on the theory of damage mechanics or fracture mechanics with some statistical treatment to incorporate random distribution of microcracks. In the application of fracture mechanics theory, sometimes it is difficult to estimate the micromechanical parameters such as crack density and fracture toughness in different modes. In this study, damage in rock material is evaluated according to the earlier model developed by Grady and Kipp (1980), which is a fracture model coupled with a material description for stress wave propagation to predict quantitatively fracture and fragmentation under explosive loading conditions."

Jan 1, 2015

By Paul B. Batten

Shutdown is a generic term for what may be called an Outage, Turn Around (TAR) or Overhaul etc. Running a plant shutdown well has always been key to the financial contribution of a mine. However, something important has changed. The post pandemic reality is that it is harder to retain workers and many of those near retirement just didn’t come back to work. This is creating a shortage of experienced people and a workforce that changes employers easily. We are seeing the impact of this manifested in the erosion of established maintenance and supply chain processes that now struggle to yield the plant runtime that could once be taken for granted. The scope, cost and duration of a shutdown varies widely depending on the nature of the work and the equipment being renewed. The PM of an electric shovel might require a week of downtime and cost $100,000. A gold plant may need to go down for 3 days when its time to change mill liners and cost $500,000. A turnaround in a refinery can take more than a month and cost multi millions. Despite the huge differences.

Jan 1, 2023

By Thomas Genty, Pascal Marcotte, Matthew Gillman, John Baechler

Elevated concentrations of ammonia nitrogen is a common characteristic of mine impacted water and generally results from the dissolution of undetonated explosives (i.e., Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil and emulsion explosives) by contact water. Several active water treatment technologies are commercially available to remove ammonia nitrogen, but reduction of active treatment demand by promoting natural attenuation is considered best industry practice. In this paper, the results of laboratory-scale and full-scale trials of a semi-passive approach (i.e., enhanced algae growth) to remove ammonia nitrogen at the Meliadine mine are presented. Phosphorus was found to be the limiting factor to algae growth at the mine site. The addition of various concentrations of phosphorus was first tested at a laboratory scale. The samples were exposed to in-situ conditions, and ammonia nitrogen removal rates ranging from 40% to 93% were achieved over a period of 24 days. This paper also presents the methodology and results of an in-pond treatment during which a 50% ammonia nitrogen removal rate was observed after 68 days. The studied mine site uses breakpoint chlorination as its primary treatment approach for ammonia nitrogen removal. The results presented in this paper show the potential of using enhanced algae growth as a pre-treatment method, subsequently reducing the quantity of chemicals required for operating the breakpoint chlorination plant. This potential requires further investigation and additional trials are currently under evaluation.

Jan 1, 2023

By B. Zeifert, C. Martínez-Morales, A. Romero-Serrano, A. Pineda-Rivera, H. Martínez-Gutiérrez, G. Diaz-Sandi

In this work, the effects of CaO/SiO2 ratio and the FeSO4 and FeS2 contents on the stability of the mineralogical species in chromium-based slags were studied. The chemical stability was evaluated by leaching with an acid solution. The main Cr-compounds in slags with FeSO4 and CaO/SiO2=1 were FeCr2O4 and Ca3Cr2Si3O12, while Cr3S4 predominated in slags with FeS2. The slags with CaO/SiO2=2 mainly contained CaCr2O4. The highest Cr concentration levels in the leaching liquors corresponded to slags with CaO/SiO2= 2, and the lowest Cr concentration corresponded to slags with high FeSO4 or FeS2, owing to the stable binding of chromium in the compounds FeCr2O4, Cr3S4 and FeS•Cr2O3.

Jan 1, 2011

By B. N. Church, R. H. Seraphim, J. T. Shearer

"The Lexington-Lone Star CU-Au deposits straddle the Canada U. S.A. border, south of Greenwood, British Columbia. This 3 km long linear porphyry system occurs in a northeast dipping belt of sheared quartz porphyry and serpentinite. The best grades of mineralization occur in three principal bodies known as the Pit zone, the Northwest zone and the Lexington Main zone. The Pit zone at the Lone Star mine is the largest of the mineralized bodies and consists of fracture fillings and disseminations of pyrite, chalcopyrite and minor molybdenite, hosted by the Lexington quartz porphyry. The Northwest zone, discovered by drilling through overburden near the 49th Parallel, consists of pyrite-chalcopyrite-gold mineralization in the quartz porphyry and the footwall serpentinite. The Lexington Main zone has the highest grade of gold and occurs near the footwall of the quartz porphyry with the mineralogy and setting similar to the Northwest zone. Alteration of the host quartz porphyry is mostly sericitic and chloritic; alteration in the adjacent serpentinite is mostly talc and carbonates.A weighted average of the drill-indicated reserves is 19.5 million tonnes grading 0.56% CU and 0.55 gl t Au.IntroductionThis paper describes copper-gold mineralization associated with the Lexington quartz porphyry in the Greenwood mining camp of south-central British Columbia and adjacent parts of Washington State (Fig. 1).Access to the property is mainly by a network of farm, logging and old mining roads to the U.S. border, 10 km south of Greenwood, British Columbia."

Jan 1, 1995

By B. Tiryaki, M. Ayhan, O. Z. Hekimoglu

Coal shearers are one of the major sources of dust and fines in underground coal mines. Despite considerable research investigations, no comprehensive in situ investigations coupled with extensive laboratory studies on the effects of drum design on generation of dust and fines have been found. It may be for this reason that many major shearer drum manufacturers persistently employ a certain drum-lacing pattern on current coal shearers, which is believed to cause excessive dust and fines in coal mines. This paper shows how respirable dust and fines are minimized under near-identical conditions when the drum lacing pattern was changed from a triple-tracking to a single tracking arrangement. A series of laboratory trials simulating in full scale the practical cutting action of tools was followed by extensive long-term underground trials during production operations in OAL (Cayirhan) Lignite mine in Turkey. The results are presented and discussed, and recommendations for proper drum-lacing in terms of respirable dust and fines are made.

Jan 1, 2002

By B. W. Steele

"Dofasco began operations in 1912 as a steel foundry located in Hamilton, Ontario. Today, Dofasco is a fully integrated mill that manufactures hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and tinplate steels. Customers include the automotive, construction, tubular, manufacturing, appliance, packaging and steel ser-vice centre industries. Raw steel production and purchased semi-finished steel processed in1994 was 3.5 million net tonnes. Dofasco employs 7300 people at its Hamilton facility.Environmental management at Dofasco is guided by its environment policy and associated commitments. This paper discusses Dofasco’s responsibility for its products as it relates to these commitments. Dofasco is com-mitted to:n the principles of sustainable development that require that activities be conducted in a manner that provides for the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. These principles will be integrated into product design, manufacturing and business planning;n managing renewable and non-renewable resources through the responsible application of reduce, reuse, and recycle principles;n minimizing any potential impact of its operations and products on the environment, employees, customers and the community;n continuous improvement of the effectiveness and integrity of our environmental management systems;n developing understanding among all employees about their responsibilities, and assigning the necessary authority; andn meeting the standards set by relevant legislation and international agreements through participation with governments and the diligent application of economically feasible and scientifically sound methods and technologies."

Jan 1, 1996

By J. Contreras

In the period 2003-2004, the situation of the copper concentrate market was unfavourable for smelters and refineries, with low TC/RC values and euro-dollar parity affecting European companies negatively. Within this scenario, Atlantic Copper decided to develop a plan to increase its competitiveness and to improve its results in these market circumstances. The plan affected all departments in the Company and was based mainly on cost reduction in energy and manpower. A general analysis of the Complex's overall efficiency was carried out and, based on this analysis, two major Projects emerged, "Primavera" and "KF". Each Project consisted of smaller sub-projects which aimed at improving the areas which could perform better according to our general analysis. The paper describes how this entire project developed and the final results obtained by the Company.

Jan 1, 2007

By D. M. Richards

"IntroductionThe Highland Valley Copper partnership was formed in July 1986 as a logical result of a mine with a large ore reserve but a small mill, and a mine with a large, modern mill but dwindling ore reserves. The original partnership of Cominco and Rio Algom was expanded in January 1988 to include Highmont Mining Company. During 1988/89 the Highmont mill was moved 7.5 km to adjoin the Lornex mill, becoming the Highland mill in the process, with a nominal capacity of 130 000 tonnes per day.The mine is located near the town of Logan Lake, 220 km northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia and 55 km southwest of Kamloops. The map in Figure 1 shows the general area. Kamloops is a major service centre and is served by two railways, two major roads and a regional airport. The mine site is situated between 1200 m and 1600 m above sea level on the Thompson Plateau. Principle activities in the area, in addition to mining, are cattle ranching and forestry. Ore reserves at the beginning of 1996 totaled 533 million tonnes at a grade of 0.42% copper and 0.008% molybdenum. Ore is mined from two pits — Valley, 3 km northwest of the mill; and Lornex, 1 km southwest of the mill. With 78% of the reserves, the Valley pit is the focus of activity.In order for Highland Valley Copper to remain competitive with a very low grade ore reserve, it has been necessary throughout the mine’s life for new technologies to be embraced as they become available. These have included such diverse technologies as in-pit crushing and conveying, large mechanical drive trucks, computerized truck dispatch and oneman survey instruments. During the next few years, it is planned to introduce two further technologies that are relatively new to both the world at large and the mining industry in particular. These are namely Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), both of which are expected to have a major impact on the way mining is carried out in the years to come."

Jan 1, 1997