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Mr. Murray said: Having recently returned from a visit to America, it may be of interest to members to hear something from me of the mining fields and metallurgical works which I had the opportunity of seeing, and the impressions which I formed concerning general practice and conditions there, as compared with our Australian standards in the mining industry, and in matters generally.The most striking feature of the North American continent is thehuge plan upon which Nature has built, the multiplicity of immense mountains, rivers, and lakes, the snow-covered tops of the former forming reservoirs for the latter during the summer months, being most impressive to the Australian visitor. Starting from Vancouver I travelled east for over 500 miles through the wonderful Canadian...

Jan 1, 1927

By Haigh J. E

An accurate measure of the earth's magnetic field can be made in a few seconds with the portable proton precession magnetometer. Such an instrument increases the applicability of the long successful method of magnetic prospecting for minerals. As an example of the usefulness of the proton magnetometer, a survey over volcanic rocks near Apsley (Tas.) was made.INTRODUCTIONA completely portable magnetometer whose operation is based on the free precession of polarized protons in the earth's magnetic field, is now available on the market at a price competitive with magnetometers based on the classical physical principles. The ease, accuracy, rapidity, and reliability with which measurements of the earth's total magnetic field can be made with the proton precession magnetometer, led to the try-out of the instrument in an actual field problem so as to evaluate fully the capabilities of the instrument. Such evaluation is important, because the history of magnetic prospecting has shown that whenever significantly improved instrumentation has been introduced, prospecting costs have been substantially cut and many areas in which the prospecting costs were formerly considered excessive in relation to probable returns, have become economic mineral prospects. The proton precession magnetometer offers the possibility of opening up new areas for successful magnetic prospecting.AN OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF MAGNETIC PROSPECTINGWhile an outline of the history of magnetic prospecting is not directly connected with the evaluation of a proton pre...

Jan 1, 1963

In line with DML Resources continual forward management policies, the Roscommon Quarry operation has recently installed and commissioned a Nordberg 7 ft Symons cone crusher and a HP 300 cone crusher. Both machines have enhanced the production capabilities and quality control of the Roscommon comminuition circuit and they will provide efficient and reliable crushing well into the next century.

Jan 1, 1994

By Robinson KJ

Education in Australia now has to respond to a very wide political and policy agenda. The political emphasis is upon increasing participation and retention rates with a view to greater graduation rates in `high-tech' disciplines. There is an implied linkage between `education' and `economic well-being'. Our argument is that equalitarianism in education tends towards mediocrity. In this context many Geoscience educators view the future with pessimism. The argument is that science has been `sold short' and needs revitalising. We contend that Geoscience coursework should be a feature of both secondary and tertiary education in Australia. To this end we propose six policy initiatives to increase the content of Geoscience in education programmes.

Jan 1, 1989

By I Halikia, T Lilis

Lead smelter slags, produced during the last century in quantities ofmillions of tonnes at Lavrion, Greece, have recently been used in theconstruction of Lavrion harbour. In order to evaluate the geochemicalstability of slags and assess their environmental impact on the aquatic environment, a detailed study on lead leachability under conditions that simulate subsea environments was carried out. Leaching experiments using magnesium chloride solutions under mild temperature conditions were conducted and the effect of main parameters on lead solubility was examined. Furthermore, kinetic analysis on the experimental results was performed. Based on the results, lead dissolution increases by increasing the reaction time, magnesium chloride concentration in the bulk solution and temperature, whereas it decreases by increasing the slags particle size. The reaction order was found to be approximately 0.5 at the initial extraction stages and the activation energy value from the Arrhenius plot was estimated to 29.8 KJ/mole. Diagnostic equations applied to all the experimental data reveal that lead dissolution is mainly controlled by diffusion through the ferrosilicate matrix of the slag particles, which is in accordance with the low activation energy value. The JanderÆs diffusion equation [1-(1-a)1/3]2=kt was proposed as the equation representing the reaction of lead dissolution from slags using magnesium chloride solutions.

Jan 1, 1999

Study of Bauxite Separation by Using Flotation Column

Sep 13, 2010

Taking the third meridian as the eastern boundary of proved payable auriferous country, there is a stretch of country, nearly 600 miles in width, in which no appreciable amount of gold has yet been discovered. Many prospectors have attempted to .penetrate or traverse it, but comparatively few have thought it worth while proceeding with the examination.The desolate stretch of waterless desert-the very few and insignificant outcrops through the sand and the almost total absence of feed for horses have, combined, presented such a barrier as to preclude prospecting. The few who have traversed the country are eloquent in denunciation, yet their investigations, necessarily hurried, are not quite satisfactory. The absence of water utterly debars a thorough examination being made. Gold may exist in quantity, yet it would have to be extraordinarily plentiful to render its obtaining profitable. Too fantastic is the idea of its ever being a mining district; shifting sand to traverse, utter absence of wood and water render the notion absurd. Likely looking belts occur, but these in all "cases are small and remote from water. Gold has been obtained from likely look ing quartz reefs, but only by fire assay, and then but a few do to the ton. Without wishing to be pessimistic, I would unhesitatingly declare that east of the third meridian, and between the parallels 25 and 30 degrees in West Australia, there is no gold in payable quantities.

Jan 1, 1901

At the present time this plant is treating by direct cyanidation 1,000 tons of ore from Open Cut mining and dumps, and 1,200 tons of current flotation tailing obtained from the Sulphide Mill, per day.The following table shows the average analysis of the two feed products (see Table 1):Precipitation Process.-The pregnant solution obtained by the cyanidation of the above has the following general analysis:-Gold 0·600 dwt. per tonTotal Cyanide 0·050 %Free Cyanide 0·045 %Calcium Oxide 0·015 %KCNS 0·060 %Na2S20S 0·140 %CaS04 0·200 %Cu 0·050 %Zn 0·004 0/0K4Fe (CN) 6 NilThis solution, after standard clarification, is precipitated by means of zinc dust and a soluble lead salt.

Jan 1, 1939

Same-batch and non-blind as well as blind pulp duplicates are often submitted as quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) control samples to a routine laboratory along with routine assays (and other control samples such as reference material samples). The current ways of interpreting the results of duplicate assays to derive QA/QC conclusions and decisions, however, has not yet been formalised in a scientific manner. The current, prevailing approach and its limitations are reviewed and a new method is proposed as a substitute tool. This new tool should allow for operational error detection on a batch per batch basis (ie batch rejection) as well as laboratory performance assessment with time on reproducibility.

Jan 1, 2008

The alkaline ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) leach process for extracting tungsten from scheelite (CaW04) ores has been examined for the treatment of low grade (<0.5 per cent WO,) residue dumps. The process has been considerably simplified by applying solvent extraction directly to the leach liquor.Ammonium paratungstate is thereby produced in a one step process and this obviates the need to physically recover EDTA prior to recycling. This modified process should be an economical method of tungsten extraction.

Jan 1, 1983

By R P. Bewick

Many future and current block and panel caves extract ore from veined rock masses. These rock masses are composed of open joints forming blocks or rock with healed networks of veinlets. These two types of discontinuities pose a challenge for rock mass characterisation and classification due to difficulties in distinguishing actually open joints from healed but weak veins when diamond core drilling and excavation blasting practices disturb the rock mass. The inability of separating characteristics of open joints and healed veins has often resulted in an underestimation of the rock mass quality and as a consequence led to inappropriate assessments of rock mass response to mining (ie rock mass behaviour) and consequently deficient excavation stability assessments and ground support designs. In this paper, guidelines are provided to improve the characterisation and classification of veined rock masses. It is shown how veined rock masses can be mischaracterised resulting in often incorrect forecasting of rock mass behaviour. Following this, the classification of veined rock masses is examined. It is shown how the primary classification systems (ie Q – Barton, Lien and Lunde, 1974; rock mass rating (RMR) – Bieniawski, 1976) may not lead to reliable ratings in veined rock masses if care is not taken to differentiate between open joints and veins of varying strength. Examples are provided to illustrate how the Q and RMR systems are insensitive to veining. Finally, an example of characterising a veined rock mass for design purposes is presented.CITATION:Bewick, R P and Kaiser, P K, 2016. Characterisation and classification of veined rocks for rock mass behaviour assessment, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 825–834 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By C Haughy, F F. Pitard

Blue Mountain Minerals is a large supplier of calcium carbonate products used by various manufacturers as a major raw material. Very small amounts of free carbon in the rock can have a huge impact in carbon-sensitive applications. The marble in the deposit at Blue Mountain Minerals contains variable amounts of free carbon in the form of trace amounts of the mineral graphite.To make quality improvements, variography was used to measure the impact of non-ideal sampling practices at the Blue Mountain Minerals operations in Columbia, California in the United States. A major investment in correct sampling systems and sampling protocols was implemented over a one-year period. Subsequent variography was used to measure the improvement on the predictability of the graphite content in marble produced by the quarry and as it is processed as an acceptable raw material for extremely carbon-sensitive applications. The improvements of the sampling protocols, control of long-range changes and better knowledge of process cycles are easily noticeable on variograms when they happen to exist. The economic impacts are discussed.CITATION:Haughy, C and Pitard, F F, 2017. Use of variography to measure improvement of sampling practices for the quality control of graphite consistency in marble used for carbon-sensitive applications, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 255–260 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

Myths and misconceptions regarding cyanide in the mining industry are common. This is not surprising, given the other uses to which cyanide is, and has been put. Unfortunately, the economic benefits, largely due to the introduction of cyanide in towns such as Waihi are often unrecognized. In the current "green" environment, the New Zealand mining industry faces constant scrutiny and challenge. The use of cyanide in hard rock mining is one area which can stir the emotions of the public.   Cyanide can be transported, stored, used and disposed of in a safe manner. The modem mining industry has an excellent record regarding the safety and environmental issues relating to cyanide. Many of the fears relating to cyanide in the mining industry have proven to be unfounded. It is important that this reputation is maintained. This is possible given proactive and ongoing management of cyanide issues.

Jan 1, 1997

By H Phillips, A Spaeth, B Belle

There are several well-known, extensively researched and tested methods of suppressing a coalmine methane and coal dust explosion. The choice of method used is dependent on the legislative requirements of each country, which in turn are influenced by mining conditions in that jurisdiction. For example, seam gas content and the dustiness of the coal will combine to create the hazard, while the physical and chemical properties of the seam might influence the possibility of ignition sources such as frictional ignitions. The mining method and layout will also influence the choice of preventative or proactive suppression devices. The decision as to which method is approved and adopted should be based on currently tested and available technology and the latest research outcomes, and should be subjected to a rigorous risk assessment, since a methane explosion propagating into a coal dust explosion cannot be countenanced.Every new technology must undergo stringent tests and these tests must be certified by accredited research facilities or laboratories. Upon approval, an explosion suppression system or the critical components of such a system should be tested in a more realistic environment. This environment can ideally be found in an operating underground mining section for evaluation purposes. Based on the insight gathered in such an environment, a realistic evaluation of the effectiveness of a potential system can be carried out. The explosion suppression system described in this paper has been tested on numerous occasions at accredited test facilities. The technology described in this paper has been used in various applications in underground coalmines and has been adapted to fulfil and exceed the requirements set out for methods currently in use. This paper describes the underground evaluation results of the latest technology in active suppression systems as used on continuous miners was adopted to perform as a roadway explosion barrier.CITATION:Spaeth, A, Belle, B and Phillips, H, 2017. Underground bulk sampling, uniform conditioning and conditional simulation – unrealistic expectations?, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 197–202 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for asking me to your conference, with its most fundamental and appropriate topic of 'Investment in Mining'. I must confess at the outset that I am one of those Australians who has rarely visited your fair land of New Zealand. This is in fact only my third visit, with all three related to Institute Conferences, and all much too brief. In so many ways your country provides a counterpoise to ours, despite the obvious disparities in size and population. And I am not only referring to the Bledisloe Cup! We would certainly each be much more lonely without the other, in this strange long-lost corner of the globe û if globes can have corners. Such an important factor in common in our shared heritages has been the mineral industry we have won from our alluvials and our rocks û especially for gold. So much of the major mineral developments which have supplied the world's appetite for metals and fuels in the past two hundred years has come from the countries settled in that period by people from Europe, especially those from the British Isles. So much of the technology for mineral and metal extraction has come from the skills of those people in New Zealand and Australia. And so much of the further development of metal processing and manufacturing of productive equipment has come from those people and from their cousins throughout the world. It is, I believe, a fair question to ask why we have failed to build on those early and considerable successes, and why we have in so many ways apparently been so content to allow others to add value to our raw materials, and to take our technological developments on to levels far beyond those that our domestic markets could sustain.

Jan 1, 1988

By J Guo, K Williams, S Caldwell, W Chen

Mining is increasingly occurring near or below the water table. This has led to a higher rate of handling problems associated with increased moisture and increased adhesion, which lead to a higher rate of blockage events within the materials handling chain. Typically, these ores and minerals are known as ‘wet and sticky materials’.Currently there is very limited knowledge and/or methodologies for effective design of efficient materials handling systems when it comes to handling wet and sticky materials. However, there is one major parameter that significantly affects handleability of a wet and sticky ore; namely, its moisture content. Flow property testing has shown that when moisture is reduced, the adhesive properties of the ore are also significantly reduced, thereby increasing ore flowability.The research embodied in this paper investigates the moisture reduction rate through a loose packed bed of iron ore using dry, ambient temperature airflow. A comparison of the predictive capabilities of a proposed drying model to data obtained from on-site experiments using iron ore fines is made. Building on an assumption made by Hukill (1954), a second term has been proposed to account for rewetting effects in the drying process. From this research, identification of improved moisture reduction approaches is envisaged.CITATION:Caldwell, S, Williams, K, Guo, J and Chen, W, 2017 Aeration induced moisture reduction of iron ore, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 455–460 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

Generation and Attachment of Submicron Size Bubbles to Colloidal Solids

Sep 13, 2010

The Department of Mineral Resources is the lead agency in mine site environment management and control inNew South Wales. The Department introduced a Mining, Rehabilitation and Environmental Management Plan (MREMP) process several years ago in order to integrate the activities of other government agencies who may have a material interest at the mine site. The MREMP process has resulted in a spirit of trust and co-operation between agencies and between agencies and mining companies. The spirit of co-operation has been reflected in greater public confidence that mining is environmentally responsible.  

Jan 1, 1995

By L Forrester

The tube bundle system is an integral part of an underground coalmine’s gas monitoring system. The maintenance of these systems is vital to ensure the quality of the data produced. Integrity testing of the tube bundle lines is required monthly, as specified in Standards Australia AS/NZ 2290.3 (1990). The various forms of integrity testing are reviewed, including pressure testing and introduction of a known gas. This paper provides a recommended and standardised methodology for those techniques where none currently exists. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis is performed. The parameters considered for the SWOT analysis include resourcing required by the mines, time for the testing to be performed, and quality of the results produced. The suitability of such integrity testing protocols to be used in a mine emergency situation is also evaluated.CITATION:Forrester, L, 2017. Tube bundle integrity testing methodologies, in Proceedings Australian Mine Vent Conference 2017, pp 129–136 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 28, 2017

By K Ehrig

You are a geologist, geometallurgist, or metallurgist/process engineer and are fortunate enough to work for an organisation who asks you to design/execute a geometallurgy program. What seems like a simple request is actually not a trivial exercise. æRecipeÆ style manuals are not readily available. However, many æexpertsÆ are lurking around willing to deliver solutions which will solve all of your problems. Even though similar ore deposit styles (e.g. porphyry Cu, IOCG, Ni-laterites, calcrete hosted U, etc.) have many similar characteristics, each ore deposit is unique. Hence your geometallurgy program needs to be æfit-for-purposeÆ. This paper offers some insights gained via designing and executing geometallurgy programs from exploration through to production, and working at a mine where you are held accountable for your metallurgical performance predictors.CITATION:Ehrig, K, 2013. Geometallurgy - What do you really need to know from exploration through to production?, in Proceedings MetPlant 2013 , pp 28-33 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 15, 2013