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By J. A. Vonhof, R. O. van Everdingen

Since 1949, a total of 59 disposal wells have been installed in Canada to inject liquid wastes from refineries, mining operations and chemical plants into subsurface formations at an ever-increasing rate. Well depths range from around 600 feet to almost 5,500 feet; injection rates range from 0.5 (U.S.) gpm to more than 1,000 gpm for individual wells; wellhead injection pressures range from a slight vacuum to over 500 psi. Apart from strictly technical considerations of well design, the geological, hydrodynamic and hydrochemical conditions at the disposal site have a strong bearing on the safety and success of such operations. Prevailing hydrogeological conditions in large portions of the country do not allow safe subsurface disposal.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. Olaf Sund

"The New Brunswick gypsum and an-hydrite deposits make up part of the Windsor group in the Upper Mississippian. The present deposits were formed by surface hydration of the underlying anhydrite beds. The sub-hydrate, hydrate, and di-hydrate stages of gypsum are formed from the anhydrite by this hydration. The anhydrite was precipitated from sea water in embayments that were separated from the sea by a reef or bay-mouth bar. The anhydrite is the original form of the calcium sulphate precipitate.One gypsum deposit near Plaster Rock in northern New Brunswick was precipitated from sea water directly as gypsum, which is its present form."

Jan 1, 1960

By Keith Jones, Largo Albert

"Decelerometer testing of a rigid guide system in a mine shaft pro vides usefuI information to operating and maintenance people. High acceleration/deceleration rates can lead to high maintenance costs to bath conveyances and shaft and can also present an operating risk . Possible disastrous results in the shaft have been avoided by restricting the maximum conveyance speed until the shaft and/ or conveyance problems have been solved.The test instrument is a valuable aid especially during commissioning or updating of a hoisting installation. High acceleration/deceleration rates also lead to reduced hoist rope life. During the past fourteen years, a total of 15,000,000 feet of testing was performed in 74 assorted shaft compartments.Based on this experience, it is possible to establish acceptable conveyance maximum speeds provided that all other conditions in the shaft compartment are normal. The body of the paper will present examples of several tests made under actual operating conditions.IntroductionMore and more mine operators are recognizing the real value in the use of the decelerometer for determining the state of shaft guide alignment in their shaft compartments , not only during the initial mine start-up periods, but also on a regular basis while the mine is in production.Decelerometer testing, is a technique in which an accelerometer , commonly known as a decelerometer, is used for measuring conveyance acceleration/deceleration in a lateral plane. lts purpose is to determine the severity of shock loads produced by misaligned shaft guides. Testing is performed by mounting the instrument on the conveyance and operating the conveyance (empty and loaded) at various speeds up to and including full speed . However, full speed may not be attained due to conditions indicated by the tests. These conditions may present an operating risk to the plant."

Jan 1, 1984

By C. Jay Hodgson, Adrienne C. L. Larocque

Abstract -The Mobrun VMS deposit in northwestern Quebec does not fit the classic Noranda­ type model, but exhibits characteristics more consistent with a Mattabi-type deposit. The orebodies are underlain by fragmental volcanic rocks indicative of explosive volcanism in shallow water. Felsic volcanic rocks are more abundant than mafic rocks. Alteration assemblages comprise chlorite, carbonate, sericite, and quartz. Broad semi-conformable alteration occurs high in the footwall to the 1100 lens. Mobrun occurs higher in the stratigraphic sequence than most of the other deposits in the Noranda camp. In this part of the stratigraphy, zones of pervasive carbonatization may be more useful guides for exploration than zones of silicification.

Jan 1, 1993

By John A. Hansuld

Geochemical dispersion of metals under various environmental conditions is discussed within the frame-work of Eh (oxidation potential) and pH (acidity). In general, two aspects are considered -(1) the oxidation of certain primary sulphides in the outcrop or sub-outcrop environment, and (2) the movement of metals in different dispersion media. Practical applications of each are illustrated by means of exploration case histories representing environmental conditions in the Canadian Shield, the southwestern United States and the Caribbean.

Jan 1, 1966

By John Tribe

"This paper gives the organizational history of Luscar Ltd. and its various coal producing operations. Each 0/ the operations is then described individually. They include the Bienfait Mine, the Boundary Dam Mine, the Diplomat Mine, the Luscar Mine and the Coal Valley Mine. The company's plans/or expansion are also discussed. IntroductionLuscar Ltd. is an Edmonton-based energy company formed in 1967 through an amalgamation of two pioneer coal companies-Mountain Park Collieries and Luscar Coals Ltd. In 1912, Mountain Park Collieries initiated the development of an underground mine in the Coal Branch area of Alberta. This mine necessitated the establishment of a townsite and the provision of rail access. The second operation, Luscar Coals Ltd., was established in 1921 at Luscar, Alberta. This was also an underground operation and required the development of a rail spur and townsite. The product from both mines was used to fuel railway steam locomotives until the 1950's. The market demand for coal decreased as the use of the diesel locomotive increased, so that these operations were finally closed in 1954. Through the amalgamation of the two companies in 1967, however, Luscar Ltd. was formed to become an active participant in the revival of coal operations. Western Canadian Luscar Ltd. is involved in the exploration, development, production and marketing of coal, coal products, oil and gas. Luscar Ltd. is currently participating in five producing mines (Fig. I). The Diplomat Mine, approximately 125 miles southeast of Edmonton, was in production when it was acquired in 1949 by Luscar Coals Ltd. In 1966, the Bienfait Mine and char plant were added. The Luscar Mine, which is a 50/50 joint venture of Luscar Ltd. and the Consolidation Coal Company of Canada, and is operated by Cardinal River Coals Limited, started production in 1969 on the original Luscar Coals Ltd. mine site. The Boundary Dam Mine was opened in 1974. Both the Bienfait and Boundary Dam operations are located in the lignite coal fields of southeastern Saskatchewan. The most recent addition to the group is the Coal Valley Mine, 40 miles southwest of Edson, Alberta. It commenced commercial production in July, 1978 under the operation of Luscar Stereo (1977) Limited."

Jan 1, 1980

By M. L. Haider

Introduction I Appreciate very much the opportunity of discussing with you tonight oil developments in western Canada. These developments are of importance to all of us, first because of their great economic significance to all of Canada, and second because of the location of the new oilfields. Situated as they are in the west and northwest, they are of considerable strategic value from the standpoint of continental defence. The story of oil development in Canada covers a span of almost a century, during which time success in finding reserves of petroleum was barely sufficient to maintain interest in continuing the search. Finally, in 1947, a well of the first importance was completed in Alberta and, judging by discoveries made since then, it appears that Canada, at long last, is to become an important producer of petroleum.

Jan 1, 1950

By K. Soldenhoff, D. Wilkins, E. Ho

In the processing of rare earth ores, a pure, mixed rare earth chloride solution is usually produced and used as the feed to solvent extraction circuits to separate the individual rare earths. Cerium(III) may be separated from the other rare earths by oxidising it to cerium(IV), which precipitates as cerium(IV) hydroxide in chloride liquors. This oxidation step may be inserted either before rare earth separation by solvent extraction or between solvent extraction circuits. Although oxidation of cerium by sodium hypochlorite has been known for many years, detailed conditions for oxidation are not readily available. The effect of hypochlorite addition, temperature, pH and cerium concentration on oxidation of cerium(III) from synthetic solutions was investigated

Jan 1, 2014

By I. Thobadi, C. Pawlik, K. Bisaka, S. Mokoena, M. Erwee

The PyEarth™ process developed at Mintek has been demonstrated successfully at pilot scale. Nine tons of ore containing 2.3 mass % of total rare earth oxides (TREO) from a dormant mineralogically complex iron-rich ore deposit, was subjected to a concentrating smelting step in a 200 kW DC open-arc pilot furnace and the rare earths from the resulting slag were extracted via a hydrometallurgical route. This ore deposit is practically not amenable to extraction by conventional methods. The testwork results proved that the PyEarth™ process was able to optimize the extraction of rare earths while minimizing waste through the removal of iron as a saleable iron alloy. Reduction of iron to the alloy in the smelting step was found flexible, efficient, and controllable, while rare earths were left virtually unreduced in the slag phase. The slag chemistry is selected to optimize both the smelting and leaching performances as well as the alloy composition. Leaching of the resulting slag was found possible and most efficient in hydrochloric acid amongst other lixiviants tested.

Jan 1, 2017

By R. H. Sheaphim

THE RECENT and continuing activity in the Boundary district, British Columbia, makes the publication of this paper timely. The following description and discussions are based on two years' experience in the district as Field Manager and Geologist for Attwood Copper Mines, Limited. The Attwood project was organized by Dr. D. F. Kidd to re-examine the Boundary mining camp. Thanks are due to Dr. Kidd, both for his intelligent guidance during the project and for his permission to publish this paper. Much of the data and many of the interpretations presented are credited to the work of, and to discussion with, Dr. W. H. White, Consultant Geologist, who worked for two field seasons on the project. However, the author assumes the responsibility for this presentation. Dr. C. D. A. Dahlstrom worked with the author during the latter stages of the project. His assistance and advice are gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1956

By John L. Bonus

"WITHIN THE BROAD PARAMETERS implied by the title of my speech, I propose to deal more particularly this evening with a subject the many aspects of which have constituted the essential elements of one of the main thrusts undertaken by the MAC in the past two years, i.e., to create among Canadians a much greater awareness of the importance of mining and to demonstrate to them what are the many and varied benefits they derive from mining activities across their country. In other words, MINING - WHAT IT MEANS TO CANADA.I also intend to discuss some aspects of government-industry relationships.I am very conscious of the fact that I am speaking to an audience made u in large part of experts in several fields of mining and exploration activities. They will be familiar with many of the points I intend to discuss. However, without in any way suggesting that familiarity breeds contempt, might I emphasize that even in this particular forum there is justification for reiterating some of our basic philosophies and suggesting ways whereby they might be better understood and promoted.Let us first summarize the present dimensions of the Canadian mining industry."

Jan 1, 1971

By Roméo Roussin

"The yearly production from the Asbestos Hill pit is 1,550,000 tons of asbestos ore, with a yield varying between 18 and 20 % . The orebody was exposed at the top of a hill, and initial production started without having to remove any overburden. The projected ratio of barren rock to ore, based on the present orebody, was 2 to 1. However, as it was necessary to push back the upper benches, this ratio has changed to 3 to 1. The final pit will be 2,300 feet long by 1,000 feet at the longest and widest points. The final depth will be 680 ft. A pit slope stability study was carried out and an average wall angle of 60-70 degrees must be maintained. Preshearing of final pit limits will produce good wall stability. Permanent access ramps will be 60 ft wide, with an 8 % maximum grade. Geological conditions and the low rock temperature are the major causes of the operation's drilling and blasting problems."

Jan 1, 1976

By Ron Jessulat

"IntroductionBrunswick Mining and Smelting Corp. Ltd. is a IO 500 tid base metal producer. Development is carried out by Jarvis Clark MJM-21 3-boom development jumbos, using Tamrock E400, 410 and 550 pneumatic drills. Typical drift size is 13 ft by 18 ft with a 12-ft advance per round. Blast holes are 1 ½ in. in diameter while reamed holes are 3 in. in diameter. AN/FO is the principal blasting agent, being loaded by C-I-L model60R intermediate loader. The detonators are NONELS and DETINELS. Sulphide dust explosions occur during blasting when dusts from certain minerals such as pyrite and pyrrhotite are ignited by name from the detonating shots. The result is a secondary unwanted explosion with a characteristic shock wave and name front that are very destructive to mine services such as ventilation ducting, electrical cable, and ventilation control doors.A typical reaction in the Brunswick orebody occurs according to the chemical formula:4FeS 2 + IIOs-2Fe2O3 + 8SO2 + 3458--(Enright , 1988)The hematite (FeO3) is deposited as a red dust in the blast area while the toxic sulphur dioxide gas (S00 contaminates the underground workings . The presence of S02 gas disrupts production until it is purged from the area by the mine ventilation system or dissipates slowly in those areas where the vent ducting has been melted by the name front or torn down by the shock wave.Sulphide dust explosions exact a high economic toll. Direct costs in damaged materials and wages are probably exceeded by the value of lost production and disruption to the mining cycle. In addition, the health and safety concerns associated with sulphide dust explosions cannot be ignored."

Jan 1, 1993

By J. E. Gill

Discovered in 1952, the deposits have been explored by diamond drilling on and near a group of islands in lake Nipissing and from under-ground workings. The ore mineral is a uranian pyrochlore. It occurs in breccia zones in association with calcite, apatite, a?cmite, feldsiiars, biotite, magnetite, sulphides, and fluorite in varying amounts. The pyrochlore concentrations occur in a steeply-dipping gneiss series with some crystalline limestone. Trends indicate a ring structure 114 miles in diameter. The main ore zone shows evidence of repeated brecciation and a succession of replacements .giving rise to a complex of rock types. Pegmatite and lamprophyre dykes cut the ore as do calcite-fluorite veins and later faults with small displacements. Columbium and uranium occur al-most exclusively in pyrochlore, but the proportions vary. There is no tantalum and only small amounts of titanium.

Jan 1, 1957

By K. Hambrice, E. Fauveau

"When it comes to measuring the level of bulk solids, liquids, and everything in between, guided-wave radar technology now offers more level-detection capabilities than ever before. For an ever-widening range of previously hard-tomeasure products such as molten sulphur, liquid ammonia and petrochemicals, guided-wave radar transmitters provide accurate level measurements even under harsh chemical environments, wide variations in operating temperatures and pressures, and low dielectric constants.Great strides have been achieved in making these units easier to configure to a variety of process applications coupled with the simplicity of integrating these devices with most digital communication protocols. These improvements come as welcome relief to process engineers within an expanded range of level applications across several different industries that seek solutions to measuring the contents of tanks, silos, hoppers, bins, mixing basins, and vessels.Because radar transmitters have no moving parts, radar has already established a dominant niche in level measuring that quickly distances itself from mechanical means, which do not hold up as well in dirty service. Radar achieves its nonmechanical level detection capability by measuring the time of flight of the transmitted signal.Known more accurately as time domain reflectometry (TDR), the process involves sending microwave energy down into a vessel. When the pulse of radar energy reaches the product (indicated by a change in impedance), part of the pulse is reflected back toward the transmitter.A receiver measures the exact duration of time between the transmitted and reflected signal — the “time of flight.” The device analyzes this time and ultimately displays the level of the product as a distance in feet, metres, or other engineering units."

Jan 1, 2003

By G. Zárate, G. Tapia

Anglo American Chile has been doing copper concentrate leaching studies at the laboratory and small pilot plant scale since 1992. Among the processes evaluated are bacterial leaching and pressure leaching using Mantos Blancos, Salobo Project and Quellaveco Project concentrates. Late in the nineties, it was decided to focus the research on pressure leaching, either medium or total pressure oxidation. Preliminary scouting tests were run with Mantos Blancos concentrate samples during 2000, which were repeated during 2003 together with samples of Los Bronces and El Soldado concentrates, in order to define the most suitable concentrate for running a pilot plant campaign at AARL, which was carried out in two campaigns, a first one from November 2003 through January 2004 and a second one during April 2004. Mantos Blancos was the selected concentrate and the laboratory and pilot plant results are discussed in this paper together with some preliminary economic estimates.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. E. White

The depletion of higher grade mineral reserves will accelerate the trend toward production from progressively larger and lower grade deposits. The discovery of adequate reserves of leaner ores will require the development of improved exploration techniques with a greater depth range. The principal challenges to the Canadian mining industry are to find the mineral resources required to meet fast growing world demand and to develop mining methods and equipment to ensure production costs which will strengthen our position in export markets in the face of in-creasing world competition. The challenges cannot be met without intensive efforts to attract more technical men to the industry and to improve their training.

Jan 1, 1967

"Real-time, on-stream analysis of the metal content of process slurries is an essential prerequisite for process monitoring and advanced control of mineral processing circuits. On-stream X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) sensors for base metal applications are available commercially and form the basis of many plant monitoring circuits. To date, these commercial technologies have been insufficiently sensitive to measure precious metals such as gold and platinum group elements, typically present at part-per-million (ppm) and sub ppm levels. CSIRO has developed a novel X-ray based technology, called UltraGold, which enables detection of gold in slurries on a real-time basis with a precision below 100 parts-per-billion. This technology is based on the use of advanced X-ray optics, extensive Monte Carlo computer modelling for analyser design, high accuracy X-ray spectrum fitting where the X-ray intensities are matrix corrected. In this paper, we will introduce this technology and discuss the results of a proof of principle study performed in the laboratory with plant slurries (tailings and concentrate) from an Australian beneficiation plant. Finally, we will discuss further planned improvements. As projected grades in (gold) mining around the world fall and several large-scale mines approach the limits of their economic reserves, this method can enable significantly reduced operating costs by rapid analysis to improve circuit efficiency and hence improve recovery significantly.INTRODUCTION This paper describes a study undertaken to explore the feasibility of applying CSIRO?s UltraGold XRF technology to the on-stream measurement of gold in process slurries. The provision of rapid, accurate information of gold grade in feed, tailings and concentrate streams would facilitate significantly improved process control and early detection of plant upsets, resulting in substantial cost-savings. CSIRO have patented X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques for the analysis of key elements in slurries present at part-per-million (ppm) and sub-ppm levels. Conventional, commercially available on-stream XRF instruments generally have detection limits in the tens of ppm range, precluding their use for analysis of elements like gold that are mined and processed at much lower concentrations."

Jan 1, 2017

By S. Manning, W. Morris

Mineral exploration assessment file information has long been considered a useful resource for developing mineral exploration strategies, and one of the most common data sets fled in assessment reports is ground magnetic surveys. The new Earth Resources and Land Information System database (ERLIS) now provides a method for rapidly accessing all references to a specific area through a series of raster images. The ERLIS provides access to the Assessment File Research Imaging (AFRI) database which comprises geo-science mineral exploration assessment file data, Mineral Deposits Inventory (MDI), together with provincial aeromagnetic data from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines(MNDM). Conversion of the raster images of ground geophysical data to vector data files together with the concatenation of grids from adjacent claims provides a method for constructing high resolution magnetic regional images. The value of this resource is demonstrated through the construction of a single composite magnetic image derived from eight assessment file grids for an area south of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, within Pacaud and Catharine Townships. The composite grid of magnetic data provides a map with resolution that is not achieved by currently available Ontario Geological Survey airborne data sets. Details contained within the new high resolution image, permit the differentiation of lithologies and their boundaries, fault orientations and the location of alteration zones with magnetic response.

Jan 1, 1997

By H. R. Oliveira, C. R. Aragonez de Vasconcellos

Pipeline operation and maintenance necessarily involves geotechnical studies at points and areas with deflagrated instabilities or still to map and monitor areas prone to geotechnical problems. Landslides, erosions and debris flows are some examples of natural hazards, that not rarely, can bring high consequences to pipelines, sometimes leading them to high stresses levels and ruptures. Bolivia-Brazil Natural Gas Pipeline has 2.593 kilometers since Rio Grande City in Bolivia until Canoas City, in south Brazil. The pipeline crosses a lot of types of geological fields and difficult topography. The south spread of the pipeline has the most prone areas to geotechnical hazards because of its hard topography combined with the variety of geological materials, such as, colluvium deposits and debris flow areas. The aim of this paper is to present the right-of-way geotechnical risks that affect pipelines, presenting some practical remedial works done by TBG at Bolivia-Brazil Natural Gas Pipeline as well as the integrity plan and the adopted actions in way to prevent geotechnical accidents.

Jan 1, 2005