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By T. R. Ellis

The valuation of mineral properties in the U.S. is only partially regulated. The regulations which have jurisdiction or impact appear to have such mainly as a consequence of unintended fallout, since the regulations were designed for other purposes. Court case history can also be important. The combined results are a mixture of bad and good, with important lessons to be learned. Since 1981, the Securities and Exchange Commission has prohibited U.S. listed companies from reporting quantitative estimates of mineralization and the value of mineralization, other than proven and probable reserves. This results in the minerals appraiser (valuator) working with a shortage of data in his everyday work, both on the subject property and in sales analysis. Between 1989 and 1995, all 50 states and essentially all federal agencies adopted the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for real property appraisals (valuations). The major national appraisal societies also require their members to abide by USPAP. A significant portion of minerals appraisals must now follow these standards. This paper will discuss the content of USPAP. It provides a very good framework for the valuation of a minerals property or a mine, both as real property and as a business. However, the credentialing standards for real property appraisers are now prohibitive for minerals appraisers.

Mar 1, 2002

By T. R. Ellis

"The valuation of mineral properties in the U.S. is only partially regulated. The regulations which have jurisdiction or impact appear to have such mainly as a consequence of unintended fallout, since the regulations were designed for other purposes. Court case history can also be important. The combined results are a mixture of bad and good, with important lessons to be learned.Since 1981, the Securities and ExchangeCommission has prohibited U.S. listed companies from reporting quantitative estimates of mineralization and the value of mineralization, other than proven and probable reserves. This results in the minerals appraiser (valuator) working with a shortage of data in his everyday work, both on the subject property and in sales analysis.Between 1989 and 1995, all 50 states and essentially all federal agencies adopted the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for real property appraisals (valuations). The major national appraisal societies also require their members to abide by USPAP. A significant portion of minerals appraisals must now follow these standards. This paper will discuss the content of USPAP. It provides a very good framework for the valuation of a minerals property or a mine, both as real property and as a business. However, the credentialing standards for real property appraisers are now prohibitive for minerals appraisers."

Jan 1, 2002

By Trevor R. Ellis

"The valuation of mineral properties in the U.S. is only partially regulated. The regulations which have jurisdiction or impact appear to have such mainly as a consequence of unintended fallout, since the regulations were designed for other purposes. Court case history can also be important. The combined results are a mixture of bad and good, with important lessons to be learned.Since 1981, the Securities and Exchange Commission has prohibited U.S. listed companies from reporting quantitative estimates of mineralization and the value of mineralization, other than proven and probable reserves. This results in the minerals appraiser (valuator) working with a shortage of data in his everyday work, both on the subject property and in sales analysis.Between 1989 and 1995, all 50 states and essentially all Federal agencies adopted the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) for real property appraisals (valuations). The major national appraisal societies also require their members to abide by USPAP. A significant portion of minerals appraisals must now follow these standards. This paper will discuss the content of USPAP. It provides a very good framework for the valuation of a minerals property or a mine, both as real property and as a business. However, the credentialing standards for real property appraisers are now prohibitive for minerals appraisers."

Jan 1, 2003

By D G. Jefferies

This paper covers National Grid's role in the electricity market, the growth of competition in both generation and supply in that market, and the resulting impact on fuel usage, prices and the environment. It also considers other, external influencing factors on the electricity supply industry, as well as the growing trend towards globalization.

Jan 12, 1997

With production at Olympic Dam scheduled to commence in June 1988, it has been necessary to install a complete underground ore handling system capable of removing two million tonnes of material annually from the mine. The system comprises mucking from stope drawpoints, truck haulage to underground storage, primary crushing, conveying and hoisting. On the surface, material is conveyed to stockpiles at the Metallurgical Plant. Mining of the numerous special excavations within the system was incorporated into the mine's ongoing development program prior to the underground construction phase. Utilisation of a decline from the surface enabled versatile construction equipment to operate at the underground sites as well as simplifying the transportation and delivery of construction Materials.

Jan 1, 1988

By J E. McMynn

The development of the Granduc mine presents a number of problems which are peculiar to its location and surrounding terrain. Because the development tunnels portal onto an area which is covered by an extensive glacier, and the mountain-side is subjected to dangerous snow slides, it was decided to construct an underground powerhouse to supply the necessary electric power and compressed air. This paper deals with the special problems inherent in the design and -construction of an underground plant. It involves the installation of diesel-electric generating equipment having an aggregate capacity of 1,050 kw.,and of air compressors with a total capacity of 2,400 cfm. Items dis-cussed include the selection of equipment to meet site conditions, the ventilation and cooling of the underground room, and the protection of personnel and equipment from explosions and fire. A short discussion on the automatic supervisory and alarm installation is also included. THE Granduc mine is located 135 miles north of Prince Rupert and 25 miles north of Stew-art. This seems quite accessible, mileage-wise, but, due to mountains,

Jan 1, 1963

By David J. Leeds

Increased interest in the utilization of the underground environment for water conveyance tunnels, vehicular tunnels, room and pillar type storage chambers, and military installations has focused attention on the possible effects of seismic activity on the stability of these types of structures. Earthquake experience has generally been related to the seismic stability on the surface of the earth. To establish aseismic design criteria, we attempt to predict the seismic exposure of a given site, both in terms of the spectrum of motion to which the structure must react favorably, and the recurrence rate of that motion. Experience gained from studying the effects of the Plowshare underground nuclear tests on existing tunnels and mines, coupled with the experience of the behavior of tunnels and mines in earthquake regions, provides us with an insight to predict the possible effects of earthquakes on underground openings and to establish design criteria. The type of damage ranges from minor fracturing and movements along pre-existing joints or faults through deformation of openings to collapse. The methods used to establish the seismic design criteria for an underground opening require modification of surface criteria to account for the difference in both amplitude and spectra underground. An aseismic evaluation should be performed on all important projects in areas exposed to possible earthquake motion. To perform this evaluation, information is required pertaining to the geometry and properties of structure and ground. Dynamic as well as static properties are required. A prediction of performance can be derived by exposing a model of the site, expressed in terms of its properties and geometry, to a design earthquake.

Jan 1, 1997

By K S. Smith

Mineral-deposit geology, geochemical processes, and biogeochemical processes are fundamental controls on the environmental conditions that exist naturally in mineralised areas prior to mining, and that result from mining and mineral processing. Input from economic geologists and geochemists is therefore crucial to effectively predict, assess, mitigate, and remediate the environmental effects of mineral-resource development. Recent open pit gold mining at Summitville, Colorado , has received intense public scrutiny for a variety of environmental problems, most important of which has been extreme acid drainage. Now a Superfund environmental cleanup site, Summitville exemplifies how economic geology and geochemistry principles: 1. could have been better utilized to first predict and minimise the environmental problems, and 2. can now be used to optimize the environmental cleanup.

Jan 1, 1995

By Smith KS

Mineral-deposit geology, geochemical processes, and biogeochemical processes are fundamental controls on the environmental conditions that exist naturally in mineralized areas prior to mining, and that result from mining and mineral processing. Input from economic geologists and geochemists is therefore crucial to effectively predict, assess, mitigate, and remediate the environmental effects of mineral-resource development. Recent open pit gold mining at Summitville, Colorado, has received intense public scrutiny for a variety of environmental problems, most important of which has been extreme acid drainage. Now a Superfund environmental cleanup site, Summitville exemplifies how economic geology and geochemistry principles (1) could have been better utilized to first predict and minimize the environmental problems, and (2) can now be used to optimize the environmental cleanup.

Jan 1, 1995

By C. Gordon Saunders

"The ungraded-fibre mill is located at the mine site and has a rated capacity of 6,600 tons of ore input and 1,200 tons of ung1•aded fib1 •e product per day. Power for operation is obtained from a diesel generating plant located on the site, which has a capacity of 5,300 kW. The preliminary milling process consists of prima1•y and secondary crushing, drying and temporary storage of plus-1 1h -in. material. The final milling processes are two stages of crushing and three stages of screening, with air-lift separation of the fibre from the host rock. The central mill building also houses a machine shop, mill maintenance shops, a mobile equipment overhaul shop, an engine and majo1•-component overhaul shop, and a warehouse. Major changes to the milling ci1•cuits since start-up have been the addition of a larger secondary cone crusher, ct third dryer, adding a rotary distributor to the feed of the screening section and adding an automatic start-up sequence for all equipment except crushers and fans. The operation of the mill is coordinated from a central control room, where a ""mimic"" panel indicates the operation of all major units in both the ore preparation and the screening sections. Product quality is controlled by continuous sampling and frequent labo1•atory analysis, which provide data fm• the adjustment of aspirating hoods and mill feed rate. Operating problems unique to this location, and common to a sub-arctic environment, are discussed."

Jan 1, 1976

By D. L. Babbitt, Sniezek

"This paper deals with the varions methods for the rapid Joading of unit trains which are being: used by ore procossors to move their product to dock-s1de storage facilities or their ultimate customer. Some of the techniques that have been used include (1) volumetrie loading, both in motion and static, (2) batch weighing into moving cars and (3) batch weighing into cars that have been stopped. Particular emphasis shall be placed on the two systems now in use at the Adams Mine facility of Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation and at Cliffs of Canada's Sherman Mine. Typical ""turnaround"" times, loading rates, types of cars, weighing accuracies, material handling concepts and maintenance considerations shall be discussed."

Jan 1, 1969

Australia as a leading producer of mineral sands has also occupied a leading position in many areas of research'in the processing and applications of these minerals. Research in upgrading ilmenite to produce synthetic rutile has resulted in the develop- ment of many processes, e.g,., Becher, Murso, Chlorine Technology, and ICI processes. Studies on the reducibility of ilmenites, aqueous leaching of reduced ilmenites, Fe-Ti-O system, leachability of natural and treated ilmenites in hydrochloric acid and selective chlorination of iron from ilmenites have been carried out in order to develop and improve the efficiency of the above processes. While research on the processing of zircon sand to produce high purity (99.99% ZrO2 zirconia powder and zirconium chemicals started only recently, research by CSIRO in the early 1970s led to the discovery of the phenomenon of transformation toughening in partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) ceramics. Australia, with very significant resources of lanthanide-containing ores, pro- duces substantial quantities of monazite each year but research in processing and appli- cations of rare earths was neglected in recent years in this country. However, research to improve processes for the recovery of rare earths is now under way and studies on the production and testing of Nd-B-Fe magnets which are 1.5-2 times stronger than the strongest magnets (Sm-Co) currently available, have also commenced.' An overview of the research in the pro- cessing and applications of mineral sands during the last two decades in Australia and its implications for the industry are pre- sented in the paper.

Jan 1, 1986

By A Parry, C Fitzmaurice

After conducting laboratory ore sorting testwork on samples of a low grade nickel ore stockpile at Western Areas’ Flying Fox nickel mine, a mobile crushing, screening and ore sorting plant was located adjacent to the stockpile. An initial two month trial of the ore sorter program proved successful and was extended to process the entire Flying Fox low grade stockpile in a further four month campaign. A total of 167 660 t of low grade ore was processed, providing highly upgraded feed trucked 26 km to the Cosmic Boy concentrator. A more than three-fold grade increase was achieved on ore sorter accepts. The moderately upgraded fines that by-passed the mobile ore sorter were also subsequently blended into plant feed. This paper describes the mineralogy of the Flying Fox low grade ore, the mobile ore sorting campaign and provides some commentary on the economic and environmental benefits achieved in the ore sorting campaign. The ore sorting campaign demonstrated the benefits of being able to utilise mobile ore sorting equipment temporarily located adjacent to sub-economic low grade stockpiles in order to effectively treat these stockpiles and produce viable plant feed.CITATION:Parry, A and Fitzmaurice, C, 2018. The upgrading of low-grade nickel ore stockpiles at Western Areas Ltd Forrestania operations, using a mobile ore sorting plant, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 541–550 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By Bryn Harris, Liming Huang, Andre Laplante

"This paper reviews flowsheets generally used in gold rooms to upgrade primary gravity concentrates particularly those of Knelsons. It is concluded that even for small operations, which treat between 250 and lo00 kg of concentrates per day, there is a strong economic incentive to include in the flowsheet magnetic removal of tramp iron, at least two shaking tables, screening of either table feed or table tails at 150-212 um, and scavenging of table tails with a small centrifuge. Headroom, rather than floor space, is often inadequate in most gold room designs, and limits gravity flow and flowsheet flexibility. Experimental data are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of a small Knelson Concentrator to scavenge significant amounts of gold (up to 91 %) from fine table tails.RésuméCet article examine les schémas d’évolution généralement utilisés pour traiter les concentres gravimétriques d‘or, en particulier ceux produits par concentrateur Knelson. Nous en venons à la conclusion que même pour un petit circuit d’une capacité de 250 A 1000 kg/jour pourrait bénéficier des opérations unitaires suivantes : concentrateur magnétique pour extraire la feraille, au moins deux tables A secousses, criblage de l’alimentation ou du rejet d’une ou des tables i une maille de 150-212 um, et épuisages des rejets fins de table avec un centrifuge de petite capacité. C’est l’espace vertical du lieu où se fait cette concentration qui représente la contrainte la plus importante, plutôt que sa surface, puisqu’il faut maximiser l’écoulement par gravite des pulpes et s’offrir une certaine flexibilité quant à l’agencement final des opérations unitaires. Nous présentons également des données expérimentales pour démontrer l’efficacit6 d‘un Knelson de laboratoire pour récupérer jusqu’ à 91 % de l’or contenu dans les rejets fins de table."

Jan 1, 1999

By A. Mykytiuk, I. E. Puddington, W. D. Macleod, F. W. Meadus

"A laboratory-scale continuous procedure for the up-grading of naturally occurring tin ores, based on the principle of spherical agglomeration, is described. High recoveries are indicated. A proposed second stage suggests useful fractionation steps.IntroductionA LABORATORY-SCALE batch process for the upgrading of a tin ore using the principles of spherical agglomeration has already been described (1). This procedure consisted of milling, for about an hour, a precrushed ore with at least 200 per cent water, 0.2 per cent of a reagent such as tall oil (to render the de-sired ore particles hydrophobic) and about 3 per cent of a viscous petroleum oil. The feed material passed an 8-mesh Tyler sieve, and the percentages of re-agents are based on the dry weight of the feed. Du-ring the grinding, the hydrophobic particles transfer into the oil phase to produce coherent semi-solid bodies while the gangue stays preferentially in the aqueous phase. The concentrate can be separated from the gangue easily by a mechanical operation. Using an ore containing about 0.3 -0.5 per cent tin, grades of from 1.5 to 7.0 per cent were obtained by varying the pH of the system. Recoveries fell from about 80 per cent to as low as 50 per cent as the grade in-creased."

Jan 1, 1966

By William D. Macdonald

The Upper Devonian Kettle Point black shale of southern Ontario is poorly exposed. Structural maps pre-pared from the data of numerous wells show that the upper surface of the formation has low regular relief, and that the lower surface reflects domes in the Middle Devonian and also local subsidence of the Devonian rocks due to solution of salt in the Silurian Salina Formation. The appearance of minor amounts. of marcasite, pyrite, and calcite, m that order, as interpreted from the evidence of concretions from the type locality at Kettle Point is thought to have been influenced by a rise m the pH within anaerobic sediments preceding compaction.

Jan 1, 1960

By Jennifer King, Julius Strid, Steve Brandon

The Upper Hidden Basin Diversion (UHBD) tunnel was driven approximately 1.2 miles by the drill-and-blast method primarily through massive granite bedrock geology for the Kodiak Electric Association, Inc. (KEA) in Kodiak, Alaska. The tunnel was driven from both portals with a constant 11-ft straight-leg horseshoe cross-section. The design and construction of the tunnel was driven by logistics and weather conditions due to its remote location and the rugged terrain of the project setting. This paper will discuss the successful completion of a challenging project over a ve-year period from preliminary planning through the design and construction phases.

Jun 23, 2024

By Budiselic C, Hefter G

The uptake of gold by activated carbon from acid chloride solutions involves the reduction of gold(IIl) to metallic gold. Deposition occurs only on the surface of the carbon at localized active sites at first, and subsequently at less active areas. The rate of uptake depends on the surface area of activated carbon, which confirms results from a recently published study (de Siegel and Soto, 1984). Increased rates of uptake were observed at higher temperatures and lower chloride concentrations due to the decreased stability of AuCI4-, the major gold(IIl) species present. Recoveries of gold approached 100 per cent for a contact time of 60 minutes at 20°C in a well stirred solution initially 5 ppm in gold(III) and containing 0.5 per cent w/v coconut-shell carbon. The presence of 0.25 Mnitric acid or 100 ppm iron(IIl) had no detectable effect on either rate or efficiency of gold uptake.

Jan 1, 1985

By H. Mischo, R. Ellmies

Uranium has been mined in Namibia since the 1970s. The worldwide increasing need for energy in the early 2000s has led to the development and opening of a second uranium mine in 2007 and has triggered an increased interest in uranium exploration, often referred to as “the Namibian Uranium Rush.” In all, four mining licenses have been granted by the Namibian Government, which currently has two mines in operation, a third undertaking trial mining and the fourth in project finance negotiations. In addition, highly intensive prospecting activities at additional deposits are at an advanced stage. The finalization of the strategic environmental impact assessment (SEA) on uranium mining in 2010, the first of its kind and scale in the world, has enabled the Namibian government to assess this uranium rush and its tremendous legal, socioeconomic and environmental impacts and to prepare for the different future scenarios conceivable when this article was written in 2011, including both a skyrocketing and a complete breakdown of demand scenario. The Fukushima disaster and plans of the Namibian government to significantly increase royalties and company taxes in 2011 have threatened the market situation, forcing investors to reevaluate Namibian uranium mining projects. However, with the tax and royalty increase initiative since withdrawn, most projects are back on track at this point in time.

Jan 1, 2012

While there have always been mining activities on the outcrops of the copper deposits around Tsumeb, large scale mining activities in Namibia only started in colonial times. Originally focusing on the known deposits, the then German Geological Survey and independent geologists soon discovered significant deposits all over the country. This eventually lead to intensive mining operations all over the country on copper, gold, diamonds, fluorspar and finally uranium. Ever since those days, mining has been one of the major economical factors of Namibia?s development, as shown in picture 1. In the Central Namib Desert mining on base metals started in 1901, and first uranium deposits were discovered as soon as 1910, later followed by others, this did, however, not lead to any mining activities on those uranium deposits in the following decades. [ ] The upswing in the use of nuclear energy in the 1960s and early 1970s triggered some extensive uranium exploration worldwide and also in Namibia. Several airborne radiometric overviews were conducted by the Geological Survey at this stage and eventually the first uranium mine was commissioned in 1976. In the following three decades, the focus of prospecting activities in Namibia shifted away from uranium again. However, since 2000 the forecast for a developing and growing global economy and its even stronger growing energy demand have triggered a large number of nuclear energy projects worldwide, thus increasing the installed nuclear energy generation capacity from 387 GW today to more than 490 GW in 2025.

Jan 1, 2011