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By W. G. Dallas

The social and environmental problems presented by the location of a large zinc/ lead ore body within one mile of a thriving town are described. The development problems are social, involving the education of the in habitants , and environmental, requiring the development of a planning strategy and the evolution of a baseline and post -operational monitoring system. The necessity for an environmental-impact assessment and a thorough baseline study is emphasized. The continuing psycho-social consideration of community reaction is advocated.

Jan 1, 1977

By Paul Clayton

Case Study ? Site: BMA Saragi Coal Mine Queensland Australia ? Model: Marion 8050 ? YOM: Mid 1970s ? Boom: 97M ? Bucket: Original capacity of 100 Tonnes upgraded to 125 tonnes at time of filtration upgrade. ? Apps: Swing, Hoist & Drag Gearboxes ? Oil: Oil Castrol Alpha TT1200 Viscosity of 1208 cSt @ 40° C (104° F) 720ltr Oil Volume Trial and Installation Justifications ? To reduce gearbox overhauls. Typical schedule being 5 years. ? Bucket upgrade from 100 tonnes to 125 tonnes. Increased gearbox demand and stress. ? Increase of overhauls out to 10 years + ? Saving per Dragline estimated to be US$8-10M in downtime and maintenance if successful. ? In compliance with BHPBilliton Global Maintenance FLAC program ? Fuels, Lubricants, Air and Coolants ? Cost Justification ? Downtime: 4 days ? Lost production: $420,000 ? Cost of parts: $162,000 ? Labour and misc: $41,000 Gearbox failure cost $623,000

May 1, 2008

By S. L. Gertsman

Canadian steel foundry practice has made marked progress during the past decade. Equipment suppliers, development engineers, and foundry personnel have focussed their attention on every phase of the foundry operation, with a resulting lower demand on manpower and materials. Also, more rigid specification requirements as to dimensional tolerances and quality have necessitated improvement and increased control at every stage from the pattern shop to the cleaning room. The growing trend toward mechanization is clearly evident. Equipment such as sand mixers, sand reclamation systems, material handling devices, moulding machines, core blowers, etc., is being increasingly employed by the steel foundryman. This equipment not only increases production but also tends to lessen the human variable so prevalent and disconcerting in the early days of steel founding. The result has been an improved and more reliable steel casting, which is gradually obtaining wider acceptance by design engineers. The purpose of this paper is to discuss briefly some of the practices being used, and also the direction of development that is being pursued by Canadian steel foundrymen.

Jan 1, 1948

By S. R. Noble, F. R. Harris, E. T. C. Spooner

"The Logtung deposit discovered in 1976, is an example of large tonnage (162 million tonnes), low grade (0.13% WO3 and 0.052% MoS;) W(scheelite)-Mo mineralization related to multiple felsic intrusions. Because mineralization is predominantly fracture-controlled (> 95 %) rather than disseminated, Log tung is not a skarn deposit. Metamorphism of the Logtung country rocks (interbedded calcareous shale and graphitic quartizite) to a series of competent reaction skarns (quartz-diopside-garnet calc-silicate, biotite quartzite and wollastonite-vesuvianite calc-silicate) clearly precedes W-Mo mineralization. Hence mineralization was related to permeability created by hydraulic fracturing and not replacement processes.Logtung shows a theme of several phases of mineralization (4) related to multiple intrusions (>2) which is similar to that of the Climax and Urad-Henderson Mo systems. The earliest quartzmolybdoscheelite vein system, which consists of a typical ""porphyrystyle"" crackle-breccia of thin (0.5 mm to 4 mm) quartz-garnetdiopside- molybdoscheelite veins, is related to a high Si02 (approx. 76%), seriate-porphyritic monzogranite stock (approx. 2 km by 0.5 to 1 km) of Cretaceous age (118 ±2 Ma [2u]; Stewart, 1983). Later quartz-pyrite scheelite (fluorite-KINa-feldspars-molybdenite) veins, with prominent green, hornblende-bearing alteration selvages, and quartz-molybdenite (-pyrite-jluorite-scheelite) veins are related to a quartz-feldspar-spessartine-rich garnet porphyritic felsic dike complex approximately 500 m across. Both intrusive phases have anomalously high Wand Mo concentrations of about 100 ppm and 50 ppm respectively, which Stewart (1983) attributes to a primary enrichment. The final stage of mineralization consists of a prominent 4.5 km by 1 km zone of 1 em to 1 m wide polymetallic sheeted veins centred on the felsic dike complex. The system is zoned from quartz scheelite-molybdenite-pyrite-blue-green beryl-jluoritebismuthinite veins in the core to Pb-Zn-Ag veins with abundant arsenopyrite and minor Sn (approx. 0.1%) in the northeast. The focus of recurrent intrusive and hydrothermal activity was located above a flank or nose of the monzogranite stock.The distribution of WO3 and MoS2 grades within the approximately 750 m (across) by 300m (evaluation depth) mineralized zone is a result of the variable superimposition of the four separate vein systems each with different W:Mo ratios. Well-defined Wand Mo ore, shells such as those at Climax, Henderson and Mt. Emmons did not develop at Logtung. The upper surface of the mineralized zone, as shown by the 0.03% MoS2 contour defines an elongate dome with an apical region approximately coincident with the felsic dike complex. Hydrothermal alteration occurs as well-defined vein selvages, and not as pervasive zones.The Logtung deposit shows many similarities to porphyry Mo deposits in the western Cordillera and may be identified as a porphyry W(scheelite)-Mo deposit, with a W:·Mo ratio of 3.3:1. The principal reasons are: (1) mineralization is spatially associated with porphyritic granitic intrusions and (2) much of the scheelite and molybdenite occurs in typical ""porphyry-style"" vein stockworks"

Jan 1, 1995

By J. E. Hawley

This paper constitutes a report from the Committee on Geological Research to the Geology Division of the Institute. Two years have elapsed since a formal report was made containing several resolutions aimed at assisting geological research, a review of research equipment available, a summary of research projects suggested for consideration, and a list of research then in progress (see July, 1947, Bulletin, pp. 351-370). At this time we may note what action has been taken on the various resotions and suggestions of the Committee, indicate the more important accomplishments of independent investigators, and present a summary of the rather imposing volume and variety of research currently being carried on throughout the country. I.-Committee Resolutions and Suggestions 1.-A National Advisory Committee on Research in the Geological Sciences The original resolution adopted on the setting up of this Committee was approved with despatch by Council and was forwarded to the Minister of Mines and Resources. Due to a reorganization in the Department and possibly other reasons, no action on this important matter has yet been taken, but we are assured that some time this year such a Committee will be established by the Department of Mines and Resources. Unquestionably, it will give a fresh impetus to research in the geological sciences. When the noteworthy progress made by the research committees on Geophysics and on Soil and Snow Mechanics, established by the National Research Council, is considered, it is indeed regrettable that the Department of Mines and Resources has not acted more decisively in this matter.

Jan 1, 1949

By Håkan Schunnesson, Kirsten Holme

"When mining high grade, narrow ore bodies, the mining method often implies a very detailed knowledge of the ore contacts to avoid unacceptable ore loss and waste rock dilution. During the past decade, the use of microprocessor based drill monitoring equipment has become an accepted technique, even for percussive drilling. On the basis of the recorded drill performance, such as penetration rate, torque pressure, thrust etc., a fast evaluation of the lithological sequence of the ore zone can be made. In order to evaluate the potential of percussive drill monitoring to pro-vide detailed information of the geometry of the ore body, the technique was tested in the Viscaria copper mine in Sweden during 1996.To provide understandable information to the mine geologist, great emphasis was placed on the separation between the drilling response generated by variations in rock conditions from variations caused by the operator and the drill system. Due to the complicated geology in Viscaria, the drilling response presented to the geologists was separated in two independent signals, one representing the hardness of the rock and one representing the in homogeneity(fracturing) of the rock. With those signals a good separation between different rock types in the ore horizon was achieved.The experience from the Viscaria copper mine is that drill monitoring not only can be used to locate contacts between rock types, but also to characterize rock conditions and, often, also to specify the exact rock type present. Because it is possible to get the drill monitoring information very quickly it is a valuable complement to diamond drilling for increasing the specific knowledge of the geology and the ore body."

Jan 1, 1997

By E. O. T. Simpson

"IntroductionAS COMPARED with coal mines in the United States, and even with some of those in eastern Canada, the coal mines of western Canada, generally speaking, :have made little progress toward mechanization at the working faces. So far as Vancouver island is concerned, there are three main reasons for this : ( 1 ) in some areas, conditions• easy for hand-loading but unsuitable for mechanical loading make high outputs per man •possible by the former method; (2) faulting of the coal seams in ..some areas precludes long-term planning and the introduction and efficient use of expensive equipment; (3) thinness •and other characteristics of the seams in many areas favour hand-loading.No. 8 MINENo. 8 mine of Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir), Limited, is located in the Cumberland sub-area of the Comox coalfield on Vancouver island about 90 miles west-northwest of Vancouver. The geological structure of this coalfield has been described by J. D. McKenzie. The seams occur in the Comox formation, a subdivision of the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group. The formation is of near-shore origin and was laid down on an irregular surface of' older rocks. The irregular generally have a northeasterly dip, modified by gentile folds and by a •few large, and a number of smaller, faults.Four seams have been worked in the Cumberland area and all vary in thickness and in the amount and number of interstratified bone and rock •bands."

Jan 1, 1953

By Daniel Cluff

Frozen backfill for mining operations in permafrost must be delivered in such a state so as not to thermally impose on the host rock surrounding the filled stope. The placement process, the material strength demand, and the freezing time delay are the parameters that control the applicability of the method. A two-year research program was carried out in the field and using a laboratory-scale apparatus, designed to simulate a pour of frozen backfill, to study the mixing, thermal properties and segregation. The frozen rock and tailings must be at a below zero temperature and get fully wetted so the surfaces cause adherence of the particles to one another and enhance the solidification of the poured backfill. The results provided a recipe and a process for mix design for open stoping operations in cold regions. The testing evaluated the sensitivity of the test parameters that included the amount of water added in the mix, the temperare of water, the rockfill/tailings ratio, and the temperature of solid constituents.The paper presents the result of this environmentally friendly, innovative technology. The distribution of the materials and the mixing process are instrumental in achieving the properties required for open stoping applications.

Oct 1, 2010

By M. H. Cullender

THE determination of the flow characteristics of gas wells depends upon the analysis of pressure data obtained under shut-in conditions and under one or more known flow conditions. These data are commonly referred to as back-pres-sure test data, and I know you are all familiar with the back-pressure equation where, Q rate of flow, Mcfd @ standard conditions C coefficient of the back-pres-sure curve P 1 formation pressure, psia P • sand face flowing pressure, psia P2 (psia)2/1000 n exponent of the back-pres-sure curve Figure 1 is a graphical presentation of the back-pressure equation; the coefficient is the rate of flow at a difference in squared pressures of 1, in this case 2250 Mcfd, and the exponent defines the manner in which the rate of flow changes with a change in the difference in squared pressures. In Figure 1, the exponent of the back-pressure curve is 0.554 which means that for a 10-fold change in the difference in squared pressures, there will be a 3.58-fold (10 raised to the 0.554 power) change in the rate of flow.

Jan 1, 1961

By R. A. Frith

"Belts of Yellowknife Supergroup volcanic and sedimentary strata in the Slave Structural Province are separated by granitoid complexes. The strata and most intrusive rocks are 2.7 and 2.5 Ga old, but rocks around 3.1 Ga have been recognized in some of the complexes and are believed to represent a once-extensive sialic crust. Volcanics were erupted along rifts in this crust and the rifts became sites of crustal foundering and the development of troughs that filled with turbidites of volcanic and granitoid provenance. Present margins of the granitoid complexes may be close to the original margins of deposition of volcanics, with associated mineral deposits, and close to the thickest parts of basins of sedimentation.The Hackett River volcanic belt extends 100 kilometres between Mara River and Back River and is crudely S-shaped, with a northern sector surrounding a core of granitoid basement rocks, a northeasterly facin g central sector and a southerly facing southern sector. Up to 8 kilometres of andesitic volcanics with intercalated felsi c volcanic rocks are preserved within the central sector. The f elsic rocks include thick lenses of volcaniclastics with large, quartz-eye-bearing clasts, but the known metal deposits are not associated with these. Both of the deposit areas, the Hackett River area in the northern domal sector and the 'A itch ' Lake area 40 kilometres to the south in the central sector, are near the tops of relatively thin atypical volcanic sequences above suspected basement rocks. The Yava deposit near 'A itch , Lake overlies a unit of subaerially deposited, welded, andesit ic ash flows and the Hack ett River deposits overlie highly metamorphosed volcaniclastic rocks that include suspected ignimbrites.The deposits are notably argentijerous and lead-rich. They consist of stratigraphically zoned sheet-like bodies of iron sulphides, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite underlain by altered rocks containing chalcopyrite stringers. The Yava deposit was formed where hydrothermal fluids exuded through the fractured floor of a flooded caldera basin. The Hackett River deposits may have been formed in a similar setting and it is not inconceivable that all the known deposits in the belt were formed in a single large caldera basin, although there is no independent evidence for the required major fault separation between the Hackett River dome and the 'Aitch' Lake area."

Jan 1, 1980

By R. D. Brown

"An adequate level of R & 0 is crucial to achieve gains in productivity and to strengthen Canada' s position in an increasingly competitive world ." So stated Finance Minister Jean Chretien in his April 10, 1978 budget speech, on announcing a new measure designed to increase the productivity of Canadian industry and to assist in the creation of new technology. The effect of the new measure, which permits an income tax deduction of 150% of certain research and development (R & D ) expenditures , can reduce the after-tax cost of a marginal dollar 's worth of such expenditures to as little as 20 cents . This article discusses the income tax treatment of R& D expenditures in general, and describes in particular the income tax incentives which relate to R& D.

Jan 1, 1978

By Laurence D. Burke

The electrocatalytic behaviour of gold in aqueous media is surprisingly complex and a novel view of gold electrode surfaces is proposed to explain the observed electrochemical responses. The metal surface is considered as a chemically (or redox) modified electrode, with equilibrated, low energy, surface gold atoms functioning as a relatively inert support and low coverage, high energy, protruding gold atoms (or minute clusters of same) functioning as electrocatalytic redox mediators. The protruding atoms are viewed as surface active sites and the complex electrocatalytic behaviour is attributed to the basic instability of the mediators, the diversity (and poor control) of same, and the acid/base (or hydrolysis) behaviour of the oxidized states of the mediators. It is assumed that major advances in the application of gold in the heterogeneous catalysis of gas phase reactions will be accompanied by similar advances in the use of gold in the electrocatalysis area; however, this will require considerable work of both a practical and theoretical nature.

Oct 1, 2003

By Ramesh Subramanian

Overview Background / History Undergraduate Programs Mining Engineering Chemical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Graduate Programs and Research Student Enrolment (2002 -) Future Plans

Oct 1, 2010

By Nordau R. Goodman

"IntroductionTHE HISTORY of Nova Scotia's gypsum industry goes back about two hundred years. The extensive deposits found in the Windsor formation, which is Lower Carboniferous, were the first discovered in North America and were known to the earliest .settlers. There has been a steady increase in production from these beds, except for minor setbacks in years of wars and depressions, but at the same time there has been a decrease in the number of operating quarries. This decrease reflects the change from the days of horse-and-cart recovery to the modern, large-scale, highly mechanized operations. In the beginning, almost any outcrop could •supply the tonnage requirements and the most •convenient were selected, but the millions of tons needed to meet present-day needs are not easily found.Despite the size and importance of the Nova Scotian deposits there has been little detailed geological work. Sir Charles Lyell, in 1843 ( 10), established that the beds are Lower Carboniferous and this was confirmed by Sir William Dawson (3) a .few years later. Both Lyell and Dawson agreed the calcium sulphate beds were an original part of a bedded series .but did not consider they resulted from a concentration of sea water. Lyell reached the conclusion that the gypsum was related to volcanic action in the form of heated vapours or hot springs. Dawson believed it was formed by the action •of sulphuric acid on calcium carbonate. The acid, derived from the oxidation •of iron pyrites which was abundant in the older formations, was carried by rivers into basins which were rich in shells."

Jan 1, 1954

By H. Dean

"Mine hoisting machinery, of which wire rope is an essential part, is developing, in Canada as well as in other parts of the North American continent, into highly sophisticated equipment. Heavier payloads are now required to be raised from steadily increasing depths at higher rates of speed and production. These hoisting conditions have, of necessity, brought about a major change in the production of steel roping wires and the wire ropes manufactured from them.Operators and designers of hoisting equipment are requesting a very much more efficient ratio of strength to weight in hoisting ropes, so that heavier loads may be raised from greater depths by ropes which will provide a predeterminable life span on which the operator may depend.The cost of wire rope to the operator is very low indeed, usually less than $0.01 per ton of payload, but the cost of unexpected shutdown periods, due to rope maintenance or change, can be extremely high -particularly in operations where a continuously high rate of production is an absolute necessity. Mine hoist ropes with a higher strength to weight ratio are now being made and used in some areas of Canadian mining, and a general understanding of the performance we may expect from them is required."

Jan 1, 1968

By M. Dupuis

It has been previously demonstrated [1,2] that using selective collector bar rodding has a big impact on the uniformity of the current density at the top surface of the cathode block and hence on the intensity of the horizontal current in the metal pad, The present study investigates the impact of using selective collector bar rodding on the MHD stability of a 500 kA aluminium electrolysis cell, For this purpose the recently developed MHD package for the aluminium reduction cell time dependent behavior is used.

Jan 1, 2005

By Greg M. Hollyer

The search for minerals in the future will be dominated by deeper exploration and the need to accurately target ?blind? deposits as more and more of the ?easy? near surface targets are exhausted. In this context, key technologies are emerging for deep exploration both in grassroots and minesite exploration, including the Titan 24 Deep Penetrating geophysical technology. Introduced in 2001, this technology has grown rapidly into an accepted approach for exploration in a variety of geologic environments, including brownfield environments where discovering additional reserves would most quickly benefit companies. Titan 24 belongs to a new class of sophisticated Distributed Acquisition Systems (DAS) which record high-volume, high-quality data simultaneously at multiple receiver stations. This data is then processed digitally, modeled using specialized inverse modeling software, and interpreted according to geologic and other parameters. The result is a robust, high-quality, high-volume data sets which provide a basis for improved imaging to depth. In this paper, the Titan 24 distributed technology is discussed. Illustrations of the vast improvement to overall exploration are showcased through results in several case studies. These include examples from two gold deposits, a porphyry deposit and a minesite. These examples show the range of applicability of the technology and the ability to effectively image mineralization, lithology, structure and alteration to depth as an aid to understanding prospective mineral deposits and targeting drills more accurately.

May 1, 2008

By B. E. Halbert, K. T. Himbeault, S. L. Fernandes, R. L. J. Phillips, B. J. Topp

The Beaverlodge uranium mining and milling facilities operated from 1952 to 1981 with about 94% of the ore extracted from the main underground mine and 6% from smaller satellite deposits. Decommissioning work occurred from 1982 to 1985 involving periods of shutdown, salvage and reclamation. Transition phase monitoring, leading to eventual delicencing commenced in July 1985. Over the last 15 years, discharge from the tailings management facility (TMF) and a fresh water stream, impacted during the operational phase by tailings spills, has improved in water quality for most parameters of concern. Loadings to the environment of three key contaminants (radium-226, total dissolved solids, and uranium) have consistently been less than during the operational phase with radium-226 having the greatest variability. Outstanding environmental issues associated with the recovering drainage system formerly used for tailings disposal, are being addressed in an enhanced environmental monitoring program to commence in 2000. Changes in water chemistry and the natural re-introduction of aquatic organisms are issues of concern. In the meantime, application for release from selected satellite areas commenced in 1999. This paper reviews the issues which have arisen during the transition phase, outlines how they have and are being addressed, and provides a comparison of original and current predictions of the recovery process under way at the former Beaverlodge mine site.

Jan 1, 2000

By M. Celikin, M. Isac, R. I. L. Guthrie, S. Ge

Horizontal Single Belt Casting (HSBC) is a near-net-shape casting process in which molten metal is directly cast into thin strips, at high cooling rates (order of several 100°C/s), with the potential for high volume, friction-free, continuous production of metal strips. This casting process was used in the present work to produce strips of Al-Mg alloys in the AA5000 series, with additions of Sc and Zr. Such aluminum alloys show exceptional potential as a structural material for transportation/aerospace applications. To demonstrate the suitability of the HSBC process to manufacture competitive strip products of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr, the mechanical properties and microstructures of the strips produced using the HSBC process were compared with conventionally cast products. The effects of annealing on the mechanical properties of the strip-cast Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys were also investigated.

Jan 1, 2014

By C. W. K

This little sketch of the late Willet G. Miller, Provincial Geologist of Ontario, is intended to be neither a biography of his career nor a eulogy of his life. His biography has already been written in an incomparable manner by Mr. T. A. Rickard, his eulogy by Canon Cody. What more can be said of Dr. Miller than is summed up in the words of that great Canadian divine, Canon Cody, that he was "Big in body, big in heart, and, as we learned, big in brain." This article, then, will merely record a few personal reminiscences of the man himself, and while they are necessarily disjointed, they may at least serve to illustrate certain traits in his character which are not generally known or appreciated outside of the circle of his intimate friends. In the latter part of May in the year 1904, Willet G. Miller, with two? assistants, set out for the small village of Haileybury to begin his geological work in the area a few miles to the south which he was soon to name Cobalt. At that time the Timiskaming and Northern Ontario railway was not finished, although the right-of-way was cleared and partly graded. The nearest railway station was on the Canadian Pacific at the south end of lake Timiskaming, from which point the old steamer Meteor carried passengers and freight up the long, narrow and deep waters of lake Timiskaming, a very pleasant trip of some sixty miles. On this particular trip there was a fairly large crowd on board consisting of settlers going into the clay belt north of lake Timiskaming, of lumbermen, and of a few merchants and commercial travellers who were interested in the small business centres of Haileybury, New Liskeard and Ville Marie. Scarcely any attention was paid to the reports of the newly found silver deposits, although the daily papers had announced discoveries in the district six months before. As a matter of fact, the chief excitement on board was afforded by a moose, which, in swimming from the Ontario to the Quebec shore of the lake, crossed the bow of the boat, the captain steering to within a few yards of the terrified animal.

Jan 1, 1925