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By F. H. Nehl

The U.S. Bureau of Mines investigated the selective electrowinning of Ag and Au from cyanide solutions contaminated with Cu with the goal of decreasing the amount of Cu co-deposited. Decreasing Cu co-deposited will reduce refinery costs. Direct current was applied to the cell in pulsed and square wave voltages at 0.7 A?h per 150 mL of solution. Times tested for each cycle ranged from 1 to 10,000 ms. Graphite, lead, and stainless steel were evaluated as electrode materials. Square wave e1ectrowinning at 70? C gave the best separation of Ag and Au from Cu. Applying 2.5 V during the duty cycle, 0.0 V the rest of the period, a duty cycle of 10 to 30 pct, and a period of 100 ms to 1,000 ms gave the following results: Ag concentrations decreased from 34 µ g/mL to 0.1 µ g/mL, Au concentrations decreased from 54 µ g/mL to 0.2 µ g/mL, and Cu concentrations remained almost constant at 560 µ g/mL.

Jan 1, 1993

By H. W. Breathitt

World demand for phosphate rock has increased significantly in the past fifteen years. Prior to the early 1960's, most of the world production was obtained from Florida, North Africa, and Kola. As the 1960's arrived, new mines in North Florida and Eastern North Carolina, as well as expanded production in the Western United States, .increased domestic production. Many new mines overseas have also become significant. This includes countries such as Senegal, Togo, Israel, Spanish Sahara, and Jordan. Limited production, often as by-products, has been noted in South Africa, Brazil, and other countries. In recent years, and even recent months, we have learned of many new areas being considered as potential sources of phosphate rock. This includes Australia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. Many other developing countries have discoveries and are considering their new deposits, often with difficult beneficiation problems, as potential sources of phosphate. These factors all relate to expanded world, population and the demand for more fertilizer products to produce food. In this paper, four areas of the world with different types of phosphate deposits are briefly reviewed to contrast the ore beneficiation problems to Florida procedures--long considered the "standard" of the industry, at least for most of the United States' domestic production. Agrico has three large operating mines in Florida with total production capacity exceeding seven million tons per year. Here, pebble phosphate (+14 mesh material) is produced without the use of flotation, whereas all of the material finer than 14 mesh is subjected to flotation beneficiation to upgrade into high grade concentrates.

Jan 1, 1977

By Luzheng Chen

The study aimed to evaluate the separation performance of a full-scale continuous centrifugal concentrator in the reconcentration of fine hematite from high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) concentrate in a tailings recovery plant, and to investigate the usefulness of the technology in industrial applications. The effect of changing the operating variables on concentrate grade and recovery was studied. The results indicate that among the variables considered in the study (water spray pressure, centrifugal acceleration, feed volume flow rate, feed percent solids and the reciprocation and spacing of water sprays), the change in centrifugal acceleration affects the recovery the most and continuous concentration can be achieved only when the water spray has a sufficient pressure. In addition, the reciprocation and spacing of the water sprays have a significant influence on the concentrate grade. Although performance of the full-scale concentrator is slightly inferior to pilot-scale trials, due to limitations in the scale-up design and the fluctuations of feed material characteristics, this concentrator provides a potential way to achieve continuous concentration and obtain a high-grade concentrate from tailings.

Jan 1, 2010

By D. Mannino, M. Townsend, E. Daniloff, E. Petsonk

Nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness is a central feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has been associated with atopy in the presence of environmental exposures such as smoking. Coal miners may develop emphysema and lung function decrements related to their dust exposure. To investigate the roles of airway responsiveness and atopy in these effects, we evaluated the relationships among smoking, a history of hay fever or seasonal rhinitis, and airway responsiveness (AR) in a group of underground bituminous coal miners and nonmining controls. All subjects had a normal baseline percent predicted FEV1. Increased airway responsiveness was defined as a 15% or greater decrease in FEV1 following methacholine inhalation. 85 miners (45%) and 99 controls (46%) were current smokers, 59 miners (31%) and 55 controls (26%) were lifetime nonsmokers; former smokers were excluded from further analysis. Overall, 25% of 144 miners included in this analysis had increased AR, as opposed to 29% of 155 controls. Thirty-seven percent of both miners and controls had a history of seasonal rhinitis. Significantly fewer miners (15%) had a history of hay fever compared to controls (25%, p< 0.05). Figure 1 shows the prevalence of increased airway responsiveness in miners and controls in association with hay fever. In both smoking and non smoking miners the presence of a hay fever history was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with a higher prevalence of increased AR. Little effect was seen in smoking (p = 0.827) and nonsmoking (p = 0.940) controls. Figure 2 shows a similar higher prevalence of increased AR associated with symptoms of seasonal rhinitis in the mining group. This was significant (p < 0.01) only in the smoking miners. No effect was noted in the controls. These data suggest that the association of a history of hay fever or seasonal rhinitis symptoms with increased airway responsiveness may be more common in coal mining, compared to non-dusty occupations. Although the implication of these data are unclear, further study of miners with a history of hay fever or seasonal rhinitis is warranted. (Supported in part by Grants G1135142 and G1105142, US Bureau of Mines, Generic Mineral Technology Center for Respirable Dust)

Jan 1, 1991

By Koji Nakanishi, Masayoshi Karasawa, Yasuhiro Morimoto

"Shin-Yokohama station (tentative name), one of the station of the Sotetsu - Tokyu through line (ST line), is under construction by the OPEN – CUT method. The Underground Soil–Cement Steel Diaphragm Wall is implemented as an earth retaining wall. This earth retaining wall is utilized as a main body of a subway station. It is the first time to utilize this earth retaining wall as the main body. There are two difficult issues for this project. One is that this station is planned under busy major road and there are many underground utilities, for example, an electrical transmission line. Because of that, construction area is limited. The other is that this station is located in a thick soft clay layer. This layer has a high risk of consolidation settlement because of draining during main excavation. Thus, high water tightness is required for this earth retaining wall. This paper reports design and construction methods for the Underground Soil–Cement Steel Diaphragm wall introduced as a part of the body of the subway station.1. OUTLINE OF SHIN-YOKOHAMA STATION 1-1. Location and structure of Shin-Yokohama Station Shin-Yokohama station is an intermediate station on the ST line connected to the Tokaido-Shinkansen bullet train, the JR-Yokohama line and the Yokohama Municipal Subway. Access to Tokyo and the Tokaido- Shinkansen from the eastern part of Yokohama city will be improved by this project. In addition, the number of estimated passengers of this station is one hundred thousand people/day because a soccer stadium (Nissan Stadium: 72,000 people), a huge indoor arena and a hotel are located in this area. This station consists of 4 stories and 3 spans (Max width; 29m, Depth; 33m, Length; 325.5m). Completion image is shown in Figure 2. Generally, stations have 1 platform and 2 trucks. But this station has 2 platforms and 3 tracks because some of ST line trains return at this station and a train deadheads from Hazawa station to this station in an emergency. This station is planned as 4 stories underground station, and the platform is on the lowest story. The reason why this station is in such a deeper position is to prevent the alignment from interfering with the Yokohama Municipal Subway station and foundation piles for bridge piers existing along the alignment. Even under the constraint conditions, earth covering should be shallow as much as possible. As a result, the tunnel edge is very close to the foundation pile, and the gap is only about 2m (Figure 3). In addition, passengers will be able to change trains easily from the ST line to the Yokohama Municipal Subway or vice versa at this station."

Jan 1, 2016

By W. D. Eddy

Topaz is a fluorine-bearing aluminosilicate mineral of the kyanite-sillimanite group. The formula has been given as Al2SiO4(F,OH)2, [Al(F, OH)]2SiO4, or 2Al2O3?2Al(F, OH)3SiO2. Topaz is generally considered a semiprecious-to-precious gem mineral, but it is a fairly common minor constituent of granites. In 1937 the U.s. Geological Survey reported an occurrence of massive topaz in the 3 Brewer gold mine, Chesterfield County, S.C. Over the next 8 years considerable research was done on topaz to establish its properties and to determine possible end uses The first reported shipment of ore was in 1939 Peak production was reached in 194412, and output then began declining until the mine closed in 194913? During World War II topaz was used in refractories, as a flux in steel mills, and in the manufacture of borosilicate glass 14. The main advantage of using topaz over kyanite and sillimanite in refractory use was that calcined topaz converted to over 95 percent mullite (3A1203 .2Si02) while calcined kyanite or sillimanite contained only 88 percent mullite15. However, a major draw-back to utilization of topaz is the evolution of fluorides during calcination. In 1973 the Geological Survey reported that topaz occurred in probable commercial quantities in at least two domestic locationsl6: the Brewer area of South Carolina and a location in Colorado. The literature also indicated that progress had been made in controlling fluorine-bearing fumes. This research has progressed to the state where valuable fluorine compounds are being recovered on a commercial scale 17. Thus, a major obstacle to utilization of topaz appears to have been resolved. The Bureau of Mines under its program of advancing minerals technology initiated a project to study techniques for the concentration of topaz from disseminated materials. The objective of the study was to determine those techniques that would be used to produce topaz concentrates that could be utilized as a source of fluorine and mullite.

Jan 1, 1977

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum in Leadville, CO seized the opportunity to show off during its 10th anniversary induction banquet on Sept. 6. "We wanted to make people more aware of the mining hall of fame and museum," said Carl Miller, its executive director. The annual event honors inductees into the Mining Hall of Fame. This year, the inductees included Paul Wheeler Allen, Joseph Rosenblatt, Arthur Fay Taggart, Joseph Toy, Joseph Wharton and John Benjamin Zadra (ME, August, pp. 60-63). Allen, of Pasadena, CA and Rosenblatt, of Salt Lake City, are both living. Only Allen was able to attend. This year&apos;s induction banquet was the first held in Leadville, North America&apos;s highest incorporated city, at 3,094 m (10,152 ft) above sea level. The banquet gave attendees an opportunity to see the museum in its century-old 6,500-m2 (70,000-sq ft) Victorian schoolhouse. Many of the 350 guests came in 1890s dress to the black-tie affair. The evening included a cocktail reception and an open house along with a catered, prime rib dinner. During the open house, attendees had the opportunity to tour the museum&apos;s 12 rooms of exhibits and displays. Among items of interest, it was noted that a framed directory of inductees now enhances the entrance to the hall of fame. The directory is organized by the inductees&apos; names and the location of their plaques, allowing visitors to quickly find hall of fame members. Noted mining historian and author Duane Smith delivered the keynote address at the banquet. After the induction of the six honorees, attendees danced to the big-band era music of the Leadville 17-piece band BandAge. Karl Elers was the master ceremonies for the evening&apos;s program. He is a member of the hall of fame&apos;s board of directors and is chairman of Battle Mountain Gold Co. Allen was honored by the presence of 26 former colleagues and associates. He told the audience that he originally thought the museum should have been located in Denver. "But I have been proven wrong," he said. For many years, Allen was the operational executive of Cyprus Mines Corp. and a key participant in the company&apos;s growth. Allen received a replica of his mining hall of fame plaque from Thomas Falkie, chairman of the hall of fame&apos;s board of governors and president of Berwind Natural Resources Co.

Jan 1, 1997

The Northside Storage Tunnel Project in Sydney includes over 20 km of TBM driven tunnels, over three km of declines and major caverns and pump rooms. The paper describes methods used for design on the project. Emphasis is given to the refinement of the use of empirical rock mass classifications, and to the use of discontinuum numerical methods. The use of empirical rock mass classifications in Sydney sandstone has usually led to conservative design because the systems are based on a random orientation of joints in the rockmass. Because the joint sets are usually oriented in a way that is beneficial for tunnelling, limits must be placed on the parameters used in the classifications system. The paper discusses these limits and the derivation of the parameters. The use of numerical methods in Sydney sandstone is discussed. Continuum methods have their uses, but discontinuum methods are preferred. The use of UDEC has been validated against a previous project, the New Southern Railway. Recommendations are given for UDEC models. In Sydney&apos;s geology, so advantageous for tunnelling, the challenges of this project have been to make the best use of the good conditions, while maintaining safety for the workforce and the future operators of the project.

Jan 1, 1999

By W. R. Peters

An experimental hole-to-hole seismic probe system has been developed for use in coal measure geology as a means of determining the structural conditions of coal seams. The source probe produces a 500-joule electric arc discharge whose seismic wavelet has a spectrum in the 200 to 2,000 Hz frequency range. Low compliance hydrophones contained in the source probe as well as in a separate seismic detector probe are matched to the frequency range of the source. Both probes are constructed with 5-72 cm diameter housings. The transducers in the probes are equipped with fluid-inflatable boots to permit operation in either wet or dry boreholes. Preliminary tests in vertical boreholes drilled 213 m apart in sedimentary rock formations show reliable operation and useful seismic propagation measurements along horizontal and oblique paths up to 232 m in length. Because the seismic wave- let has an accurately repeatable waveshape, multiple shots and signal averaging techniques can be used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and extend the transmission distances.

Jan 1, 1985

By V. Herman, B. Knorr, D. Whalen

"Edge effect is a condition widely observed in High Pressure Grinding Roll (HPGR) operations that gives rise to reduced comminution at the edges of the roll surfaces. This effect is caused by a reduction in the local crushing pressure at the edges of the rolls resulting from the sliding friction between the static cheek plates and HPGR feed material. Practically, this has an impact on equipment sizing, as the edge effect leads to coarser particles reporting to downstream equipment in open-circuit operations and increased circulating load and diminished HPGR circuit capacity in closed-circuit operations.To address this, Metso's HRC™ HPGR incorporates an Arch-frame to maintain a parallel relationship between the rolls and allow for the use of a flanged roll design. We conducted a series of pilot-plant tests with a 750 mm by 400 mm HRC HPGR to compare the performance of the flanged roll design against that of a traditional cheek plate arrangement under similar operating conditions. The edge effect was found to be significantly reduced with the flanged roll design. Based on the pilot-plant results, the implications for circuit design, energy efficiency and overall plant performance in a full-scale application were investigated and discussed.IntroductionGlobal trends such as lower ore grades and rising operating costs are driving the market toward more energy-efficient mineral processing solutions, most notably in comminution circuit design. High pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) have been recognized as an energy-efficient solution relative to more conventional circuit designs. The basic operating principle of HPGRs, in which a fairly uniform pressure is applied to a bed of material in the compression zone, lends itself to this improved energy efficiency (Morley, 2006). Studies have estimated that savings of 10-15 percent are possible when comparing an HPGR circuit with a traditional SABC circuit (Rosario and Hall, 2008). While HPGRs offer a more energy-efficient solution than tumbling mills, there is still room for improvement in many aspects of the design. Edge effect, in particular, is one such aspect that limits the effectiveness of the machines. Edge effect is the impaired performance at the edge of the rolls due to a reduction in crushing pressure (Morley, 2010; van der Meer, 2010). As described in our prior work (Knorr, Herman and Whalen, 2013), edge effect is caused by the interaction between the ore entering the crusher and the relatively static cheek plates positioned at the edges of the rolls. As the material is drawn into the crushing zone, the sliding friction between the ore and the cheek plates inhibits the ability of material to be effectively drawn into the compression zone at the edges of the rolls. This reduces the crushing force in those edge regions relative to the center of the roll where material is being drawn into the compression zone at a higher rate. In addition, the cheek plates of a traditional HPGR design are held in place by spring-loaded brackets that are adjustable to manage the clearance. This spring-loaded cheek plate design prevents full compression of the material in the edge regions of the roll as there is relief at the outer edges."

Jan 1, 2016

With mine activity dating back to 1792, the Lehigh Valley, about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of the historic Allentown/Bethlehem steel mills and about 160 km (100 miles) northeast of Philadelphia, PA, defined early-day coal mining. Coal mining began just nine years after the end of America?s Revolutionary War. The high-carbon, clean-burning anthracite coal that was hand-dug from the Pennsylvania hills fueled the steam engines that powered the Industrial Revolution, helping build early steam ships and even the first automobiles. Around 1910, at the peak of the U.S.?s early mining effort, there were more than 250,000 men working underground ? 10,000 of them in the Lehigh Valley.

Jan 1, 2012

By A. R. Laplante

A test to determine the amount of gravity recoverable gold (GRG) in an ore is described. Typical GRG results are given; an error analysis is detailed; possible uses are discussed. Of the 38 samples tested, the lowest GRG content was found to be 25% (most below 25 11m, or 600 mesh), and the highest 94% (most above 300 11m, or 50 mesh). The average GRG content was 63%, with a standard deviation of 19%. Error analysis shows the test to be reproducible within 5 to 10%, depending on the size distribution and grade of GRG, and the sample extraction protocol. When using the same primary sample, reproducibility improves, 2 to 5%, depending on the amount of gold coarser than 850 11m (20 mesh) and sample weight. The test has been applied to greenfield project and retrofit applications, to determine the suitability of gravity recovery. For existing circuits, it has been coupled with a model of gravity recovery for optimization studies.

Jan 1, 1996

By P. Zhang

This paper gives a review of promising technologies for phosphate processing, and covers flotation, analysis and process control, as well as tailings treatment and utilization. Air bubbles of less than a µm in size, combined with relatively large bubbles, have been demonstrated, both in the lab and on a pilot scale, to improve flotation dramatically, by reducing reagent use while improving product grade. Innovative use of polymers has allowed rapid dewatering of fine tailings with a final product that does not segregate. The first online laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyzer was created, allowing rapid analysis of wet samples using the laser technology. Many large commercial projects are successfully pursuing the utilization of phosphogypsum.

Feb 1, 2012

Ferric (Fe3+) ions are omnipresent in flotation circuits. Depending on pH and the nature of the ore body, Fe3+ ions may play a role in the adsorption of thiol collectors on sulfide minerals. To investigate this possibility, a two-compartment galvanic coupling cell was designed. This cell was used to monitor changes in contact angle of a sulfide mineral in one compartment, while varying concentrations of the Fe3+ ions in the other. The results showed that Fe3+ ions promote xanthate adsorption as indicated by the increase in contact angle. Implications of this finding in sulfide mineral flotation in general will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1998

By O. J. R. Baena

Mining activity in the Segovia region in NE Colombia is the main source of employment in the local economy. This has created major problems of illegality and informality mining associated with a high social and environmental impact, as inefficient technologies are used and high consumption of toxic substances required in the process of gold recovery by amalgamation and cyanidation. In this work is presented mineralogical characterization of six local mills and studied beneficiation processes developed in them. With the results presented a proposed plant design that eliminates the use of mercury by replacing gravity concentration processes taking advantage of the characteristics of the treated material. Significant results were obtained regarding the recovery of precious metals and present a methodology that can be replicated in other mineral beneficiation plants that use gold amalgamation processes. This implies a significant reduction in mercury use and decreased risk of human contamination associated with this.

Feb 23, 2014

By Dale R. Ralston, Roy E. Williams, Gerry V. Winter, George L. Bloomsburg

The purpose of this section is to demonstrate the development of a method that we believe can be used for simulating and predicting mine water inflow. It will also show how important it is for personnel who model mine water inflow to have considerable experience with this subject, and with the conversion of hydrogeologic frameworks to conceptual models. Several of the models described previously are said to be three dimensional. However, closer examination reveals that there is considerable limitation in the variation possible in the third dimension. A true three-dimensional analysis would require a very large program. Therefore, it seems more reasonable to develop a procedure by which information from a two-dimensional model can be used for analysis of a three-dimensional problem. For a vertical mine shaft this is relatively easy because most two-dimensional models have an option for axisymmetric flow. If it can be assumed that axisymmetry exists about the centerline of the shaft it can be modeled easily as has been illustrated previously. For a horizontal drift or tunnel the analysis is not nearly as straightforward. However, the flow can be divided into two parts as indicated in Fig. 59. Part 1 considers the flow into the side of the drift while part 2 considers the flow into the end of the drift. To calculate the flow rate into the entire drift from the unsteady flow into a unit length the instantaneous flow per unit length may be integrated over the total length of the shaft. This procedure is shown in Fig. 60. The radial flow through any incremental length of the shaft is q. The total flow rate, Q, into the drift at any particular time is given by: The discharge q is a function of the time during which a particular segment has been draining that is dependent on the location x. In other words, a location at x = 0 has been draining during the entire time of expansion while a segment at x = L has only started to drain. Therefore, the time of draining at any point, x, is given by: [ ] where t&apos; is the time over which the mine has been expanded. To determine the relationship between q and t it is necessary to refer to Polubarinova- Kochina (1962, pp. 566-569) and the equation given for the unsteady flow problem. This is: [ ] where q is the steady flow, q,, q, are the coefficients, and t is the time since drainage began. The expressions for q0, q1, and q2 are given as:

Jan 1, 1986

By Mahmoud Sepehrmanesh, Verya Nasri, Maziar Partovi

"This paper presents an assessment of the impact of tunneling and its associated risks on pile foundations located in the influence zone of tunneling operation. Tunneling in proximity of pile foundations introduces deformations in piles and in turn induces additional axial and bending forces. In modern mechanized tunneling, ground convergence is controlled through balancing the earth pressure at the tunnel face as well as applying pressurized bentonite through the shield. Reducing ground deformation can consequently lower the additional deformations and forces developed in the pile foundation and lessen the associated construction risk. In this paper, comprehensive detailed finite element modeling was performed to quantify the effect of the different parameters on induced forces in piles. Finite element models took into account the nonlinear behavior of soil and pile-soil interface. The modeling results are of practical importance in risk evaluation of tunneling in vicinity of pile foundations. INTRODUCTION Tunneling operation in congested urban areas becomes more frequent as demand for further utilizing underground spaces grows. In urban settings, it is not uncommon for tunnel designers to plan a tunnel route in close proximity to other structures to satisfy other competing objectives like raising the alignment to reduce excavation volume. Setting the alignment close to existing structures increases the risk involved in the project. It is the responsibility of the designer to thoroughly identify, assess, and mitigate all design risks involved. In this paper, we focus on the aspects involved in tunnel construction in proximity to existing pile foundations. Tunnel operations introduce deformation in the soil mass. Consequently, a pile located within deformation zone experiences extra forces as a result of the imposed deformation. The developed forces and bending moments can be in orders comparable with the pile capacity depending on the relative horizontal proximity of the tunnel and the relative depth of tunnel with respect to the pile length."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. S. Peng

A well designed mining plan is one which minimizes the cost and the mining induced problems and maximizes the recovery of the coal reserve. In order to minimize the negative effects on surface structures caused by ground subsidence process due to underground mining activities, two kinds of practices are commonly employed by the mine operators. One is the support techniques which leaves an area of coal un-mined or partially mined beneath the structure to be supported. The other is the protection techniques which protect the structure when it is subsiding with ground taking advantage of the ground subsidence process (Luo et al., 1992). In designing the supporting techniques, the only currently available method in the U.S. is the one stated in the Pennsylvania Underground Coal Mining Rules (1985). However; The size of the support area designed by this method will be excessively large resulting in wasteful use of coal reserve when the overburden depth is more than 350 ft. A more scientific method is proposed in this paper for de-signing the support area. This method is based on a large amount of subsidence data collected throughout a number of major U.S. coal fields and the authors&apos; experience with monitoring and protecting surface structures undermined by longwall panels. It considers the critical deformation in-dices that a structure can tolerate, and depth and height of underground extraction. The support area designed by this new method will not only assure the safety of the structure to be supported but also maximize the extraction of the coal reserve.

Jan 1, 1993

By J. Rothschild

I would like to thank the Society of Mining Engineers for inviting me as well as the other distinguished panelists to spend a morning reviewing and discussing the handling and shipping of industrial minerals. I also would like to thank my management, Cometals. Inc. for permitting me to take time out from the daily hectic pace of marketing and trading to share with you some of our experiences and expertise. Cometals, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Commercial Metals of Dallas. The transportation and handling costs of industrial minerals frequently are a major component of the value of the goods marketed and, therefore, it is only natural that close attention should be paid to them. Many of the industrial minerals require special handling to assure that the material reaches the consumer without being contaminated or getting wet. I invite you to accompany me through the various steps involved in "delivering the goods" to the consumer.

Jan 1, 1989

By Wayne A. Van Voast

Many coal beds that will be mined in southeastern Montana are aquifers that provide essential local water supplies. Mine cuts along aquifer outcrops create almost imperceptible piezometric changes. Monitoring near such operations at Colstrip has detected almost no water-level declines in observation wells. Mine cuts between outcrops induce rapid storage depletion and associated piezometric depressions. One such cut near Decker induced 1,250 m3/day of flow from storage and created a piezometric depression of 3 meters or more as far as 1,500 meters from the mine. No wells have yet become non-productive but losses of some are inevitable as operations expand. Alternative supplies are available from aquifers stratigraphically below the disturbed materials. Effluents from active mines are chemically similar to other area waters because they are mixtures or ground waters entering the mine cuts. Occasional high concentrations of nitrate do occur, however, as residuals from explosives. Spoils generally consist of confined aquifers of wasted coal and coarse rubble at their bases, overlain by finer-grained sand, silt, and clay. Hydraulic conductivities and storage coefficients are comparable with those of undisturbed confined aquifers. Water quality in mined lands is highly diverse because of diverse spoils lithologies and poorly-established ground-water circulation. Ground water in spoils is more mineralized than in the coal beds and chemically resembles waters from sandstone aquifers. Hydrologic effects of mining will not be catastrophic or widespread but may have local significance. Most notable changes will be in water quality; availability will not be permanently reduced.

Jan 1, 1978