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By K. Wyper

"Gulf Minerals (Canada) Limited' s Rabbit Lake Uranium Operation is located in the northern portion of Saskatchewan, 198 miles southeast of Uranium City and 134 miles northwest of Lynn Lake Manitoba.This paper describes flow sheet changes to solve operating problems and briefly describes future changes to accommodate the new ""B"" Zone ore.The Rabbit Lake mill was designed to process 1600 dry tons per day of uranium ore, with an average grade of 0.370 percent u3o8. In 1981, the mill processed 2040 tons per day at a grade of 0.231 percent u3o8 . The process modifications and flow sheet changes that allowed this increase in tonnage will be discussed in relative chronological order. Mill feed was introduced on June 10, 1975, the original equipment consisted of an Ingersoll Rand hydraulic breaker mounted over a 24"" square grizzly. The - 24"" ore was fed to a 2011 X 6"" seflli autogenous grate discharge mill close circuited with 20"" cyclones, the mill discharge was screened on a tyler double deck screen with the undersize (8 rnesh) reporting to the cyclones, the screen oversize was returned by conveyor belt to the mill feed chute.The cyclone overflow (28 mesh) was thickened in a 100' diameter thickener to obtain 55 percent solids for the leach circuit.The leach circuit consisted of two slurry holding tanks and five leach tanks."

Jan 1, 1982

By Donald C. Craighead

"Overland conveyor systems to transport bulk materials from mines to processing plants or load-out stations have to be seriously considered as the viable alternative to truck and train haulage systems. With the ever-increasing price of diesel fuel, conveyors with their electrical drives generally prove to be the least costly when operating and maintenance expenses are analyzed for the life of the installation.IntroductionOverland conveyor systems are now considered as one of the viable alternatives which should be closely investigated when a mining company and its engineers initiate studies on methods of transporting raw materials from a mine to a processing plant or rail load-out station.This paper will generalize the overland conveyor and compare it with alternative handling systems. Each installation must be carefully studied to determine the best route, type of foundations river crossings; amount of excavation work for cut and fill, maintenance roads, etc. No two locations are the same nor are the principles of operation of an overland conveyor the same as those of a normal plant or mine belt conveyor. The proper time and effort must be put into the study of the system to evaluate the costs for comparison with other systems.The length of the overland conveyor depends on the layout of the mine and plant and the topography of the terrain between the terminals. Individual lengths may be up to 20 km, and a series of conveyors may extend 100 km or more.Advantages of Overland ConveyorsThe main advantage of overland conveyors is the low operating and maintenance costs which will be realized over its years of operation. Although truck haulage probably will permit lower capital investment during the initial phases of the mine development when the annual capacities have not developed to the design level, their operating and maintenance costs will be considerably higher. When evaluating the total costs per ton of material to be handled during the expected life of the operation and the projected increases for diesel fuel versus electricity, overland conveyor systems will generally prove to be economically more viable."

Jan 1, 1982

By Erwin L. Zodrow

"For 25 chemical elements in electrostatically precipitated fly ash (Lingan coal-fired power station), concentration changes are studied as a function of increasing proportions of fines (ash particle diameter less than 45 micrometres). Elements that are involved when concentrations increase as the proportions of fines increase are likely to escape into the atmosphere. These are Th, U, As, S, P, Sb, Na, Ag, Zn, Pb, Ni, Ba, Sc, AI, Mo (and Bi, Ge, Ga, F and Li), i.e., more or less highly volatilized elements. Of the less volatilized metals such as Fe, Ca, Cu, Ti, K, Co, Mn (and lanthanides), certain portions presumably also escape as stack emissions. Diadochy and spinel formation in bottom slag is presented as an emission-reducing agent for certain metals.IntroductionThe Lingan coal-fired power generation plant, owned and operated by the Nova Scotia Power Corporation, produces annually about 140,000 metric tons of ash (the residual mineral content after burning coal). The tonnage is based on a 15 per cent average ash content of Cape Breton coal.For purposes of this report, samples of the hard, fused slag (bottom slag) that is accumulated at bottoms of boilers, and electrostatically precipitated fly ash (ep ash), were collected and investigated. Bottom slag is a minor component of the produced ashes.The ashes were surveyed and the presence of over 75 major, minor and trace elements is reported. From this survey, 25 elements were selected to establish elemental enrichment/depletion trends when the proportions of the less than 45 micrometre <45µm) fractions in ep ashes increase. The results are significant in that, taking the case of elemental enrichment, the elements involved are likely to escape into the atmosphere, i.e, highly volatilized elements. Depletion trends for elements are presumably associated with less volatilized elements during coal-firing. Quantification of the emission of atmospheric pollutants is not considered part of this work. ""Igneous"" minerals generated during coal combustion include spinels (found mainly in the bottom slag), quartz, glass and mullite."

Jan 1, 1982

By John C. Loretto

"The paper identifies two of the main problems encountered in recent hydrometallurgical plants for the recovery of gold and silver: firstly, the plant recovery is lower than anticipated from the testwork; secondly, the metallurgical accounting figures cannot be reconciled.The principal reasons for the plant recovery being lower than the testwork are discussed, together with solutions that can minimize these problems both during the design stage and during the plant operation after the problems have manifest themselves.The reasons for the difficulties in metallurgical accounting are analyzed by reviewing the various components of the plant figures. Recommended solutions are given for minimizing this problem and the realities of obtaining accurate figures are discussed.IntroductionThe start-up over the last few years of new hydrometallurgical plants for the recovery of gold and silver has brought to the surface again a number of problems. Most of the problems have existed for some time and they manifest themselves mainly in two ways. Firstly, the plant results do not agree with the metallurgical testwork figures; secondly, the metallurgical accounting figures do not balance.Metallurgical TestworkThe plant results not agreeing with testwork figures are mainly due to:a) testwork samples not representative of the eventual plant feed;b) misinterpretation or misunderstanding of testwork ;c) plant losses;d) plant design not allowing testwork results to be achieved;e) operating deficiencies."

Jan 1, 1982

By R. Ricketts, D. G. Vanderveer, F. Kirby

"A program of mapping, sampling and testing to determine the potential of the aggregate resources throughout Newfoundland and Labrador was commenced in 1978. A 6-km-wide corridor parallel to all transportation routes was selected as the study area.The study consisted of a preliminary surficial interpretation followed by field mapping and sampling. Granular resources were sampled at a 500-m interval and non-granular materials were sampled at a 1.5- to 2-km interval. Data were gathered on landforms and stratigraphy as well as a field description of the sample and deposit types. Particle-size and lithologic analyses of the samples were also conducted.The locations of samples and deposits were mapped on 1:50,000 topographic base maps and summarized for publication at a 1:250,000 scale. Surficial geology maps were produced at a 1:50,000 scale. A computer program is being developed for the search and retrieval of field data.The first phase of the Inventory of Aggregate Resources program is nearing completion and to date has collected information on approximately 9,500 samples throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. This data will be used to provide f or the effective management of these vital non-renewable aggregate resources.The mineral aggregate industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is very competitive, but undercapitalized when compared to other provinces. The demand for aggregates is forecasted to increase to in excess of23 million tons per annum by the year 2002.In terms of over-all mineral production, the extraction of sand, gravel and stone has a significant impact when compared to other minerals in terms of value and tonnage produced.IntroductionThe province of Newfoundland has approximately 18,000 km of coastline. A large proportion of the population lives in coastal communities where, traditionally, beaches have been a major source of construction materials. Beaches have, therefore, often been subjected to overutilization, resulting in erosion of back beach areas or adjacent headlands."

Jan 1, 1982

By P. E. Weidmark

"PART 1-Published PapersAllcott, G.A., and Archibald, D.E.; ""Description of pillar behaviour at Heath Steele Mines""; Can Min Metall Bull; 74:834:80-87; 1981.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of rock Mechanics; 3:32-33; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:37-38; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:38; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses"" ; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:41; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:42; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 1: ""Physical properties of intact rock and rock masses""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:46; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 2: ""Tectonophysics""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:60; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3: 116; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:116-117; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:117; 1979.Baar, C.A. &apos;; Discussion of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:118-119; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussions (2) of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress lntnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:119; 1979.Baar, C.A.; Discussion of Theme 4: ""Underground openings""; Proceedings 3rd Congress Intnl Soc of Rock Mechanics; 3:120-121; 1979."

Jan 1, 1982

By William B. Coker, Vladimir J. Sopuck, J. S. Fox

"Preliminary investigations indicate that organic lake sediments offer some potential for gold exploration within the Canadian Shield of northwestern Saskatchewan. It is also apparent that certain precautions must be taken.Gold is primarily related to the organic fraction of the lake sediments, which, although giving consistant Au contents to those sediments, may restrict the dispersion of Au within the lake itself. It may be necessary to carry out selective extractions on the lake sediments to differentiate between Au related to organic sequestration, indicative of hydromorphic and/ or chemical dispersion, and Au related to inorganics, indicative of mechanical dispersion.Lake sediments are probably only of use for very detailed exploration (i.e. every lake). One to three samples per lake should be appropriate, although a single centre-lake organic-rich sediment sample may be adequate in very small lakes. Each lake sediment sample should be analyzed at least twice and the analytical data carefully monitored and evaluated.The use of As in lake sediments as a pathfinder element for gold is applicable in the search for certain types of gold occurrences.Following detailed lake sediment sampling, basal till sampling can possibly be used to localize areas of potential gold with or without base metal mineralization."

Jan 1, 1982

By C. J. Farrow, M. J. Smith

"Bechtel has managed a number of test programs to establish autogenous grinding circuits and size mills for a variety of ores.This paper outlines the procedures whereby bench scale and pilot plant tests are used to select the most efficient circuit to grind the range of ore types likely in the mill feed.Five examples are given. One example traces the development of a pilot plant program; it shows how bench scale Work Indices provide a target for the grinding power requirement of an ore and relates how pilot circuits are changed as a result of interpreting the results from preceding tests. The other four examples relate the interpretation of the test results to provide design data; they illustrate a number of phenomena which have been observed.INTRODUCTIONConventional crushing and grinding circuits can be specified from bench scale test data such as Bond Work Indices. Bond Indices have been correlated to a large number of rod and ball mills and by applying appropriate factors, mills can be sized from the Work Index.For autogenous or semi-autogenous grinding circuits, bench scale tests are not sufficient to be able to specify the circuit and size of the mills for a commercial plant. It is necessary to run a series of pilot plant tests to determine how the ore behaves."

Jan 1, 1982

By Robert B. Parsons

"Several recent cases indicate that the Courts may be leaning toward a more favourable treatment of mine closing and related costs. In this article, we look at two recent cases, Burnco Industries Ltd. and Nomad Sand & Gravel Ltd. The former was heard before the Federal Court - Trial Division and the latter before the Tax Review Board.It appears that in certain situations mining companies may now be able to sustain current deductibility of estimated mine closing costs during the productive years of the mine, rather than waiting until either the date on which mining ceases or the reclamation and similar activities commence. This would be of great benefit to the mining industry, as waiting until the bitter end often means that there are no revenues available against which the expenses may be offset and, hence, no tax relief.IntroductionUnder the Income Tax Act in Canada, taxpayers are not permitted any deductions in respect of an outlay or expense in determining income from a business or property, except to the extent that such expenditures are made or incurred by the taxpayer for the purpose of gaining or producing income. In addition, no deductions are permitted for amounts transferred or credited to a reserve, contingent account or sinking fund except as expressly permitted by the Act.In large measure, these provisions are relevant to the mining industry to the extent that they determine the periods during which expenses may be charged against revenues for income tax purposes. Several recent cases have indicated that the Courts are leaning toward a more favourable treatment of accrued costs in the mining industry than was previously considered to be the case."

Jan 1, 1982

By M. A. Vos

"Cretaceous sands and clays underlie an area of approximately 5,000 km2 in Northern Ontario, southwest of James Bay. The deltaic deposits occur as a wedge of continental sediments to the north of an east-trending fault scarp referred to as the Precambrian Escarpment. They rest on older sedimentary formations of the Moose River Basin (Jurassic, Devonian) and are covered by glacial tills and marine sediments of the Quaternary period. Outcrops are restricted to occasional exposure in the deeply incised riverbeds.In 1975 and 1978, drill programs sponsored by the Ontario Government provided new information on the extent and quality of the deposits. Fourteen holes at approximately 12-km intervals were drilled to a maximum depth of 189 m by reversed- circulation chip drill methods. Some core was obtained as well. Analytical results show that the thickness of Cretaceous deposits exceeds 100m in several instances. Abundant kaolinitic clay and quartz sand of glass-grade quality, both unique materials in Ontario, are available in an area where hydroelectricity and lignite resources combine to enhance the energy outlook.IntroductionThe presence of refractory clay in deeply incised riverbeds in Northern Ontario was known to geologists travelling the rivers as early as 1875. Robert Bell (1877) reports outcrops of clay and lignite on Coal Brook, a tributary of the Missinaibi River. E.B. Borron in 1880 collected a sample of clay from the bed of the Missinaibi River which H.H. Croft of the University of Toronto considered to be ""nearly if not quite, equal to the Cornish clay used in the manufacture of English porcelain"" (Keele, 1920, p. 42). The Cretaceous age of the clay, sand and lignite deposits was determined with the help of plant remains collected by Keele. He referred to the deposits as the Mattagami series, which later became the Mattagami Formation."

Jan 1, 1982

By M. P. Brameld, R. H. McCorkell

"Overburden covering bedrock uranium deposits was sampled to depths of 29 m and Rn concentrations measured at the same depths. Total-alpha activities, V concentrations and Rn emanation (J) of the samples were measured. The U-flux into the overburden was greater in the past: oxidation and dissolution has since removed most U, leaving decay products which indicate the presence of U deposits when U itself does not. Distributions of U and decay products and their ratios to each other reflect U-migration and degrees of U-removal. Rn distribution in overburden is related to the J of overburden samples and the presence and movement of groundwater. Simple, rapid methods of total-alpha and J measurement are described.IntroductionThe overburden drilling apparatus developed by Bondar-Clegg and Company makes possible sampling and radon measurement in overburden from the surface down to about 50 metres. This apparatus was used here to study the diffusion of uranium and its decay products from ore deposits into over lying overburden at the N deposit of the Amok Ltd. property (Cluff Lake, Saskatchewan) and on the Imperial Minerals Ltd. property at Gooderham, Ontario. These ores are enclosed in bedrock; the overburdens were deposited by glaciers or streams. The migration of uranium and its decay products in such situations and the factors which affect it have been little studied in the past, as readily usable techniques for mapping it in three dimensions have not been available. The results reported here are somewhat sketchy and preliminary, but they indicate the value of the methods used and some of the patterns to be expected. Surface and subsurface sampling and measurements were carried out on 3-line grids crossing known zones of mineralization. The lines were 60 metres apart at Gooderham and 40 metres apart at Cluff Lake."

Jan 1, 1982

By P. W. Udo Graefe

"An interactive computer model of a dragline, windrow and spoil pile has been developed for modelling oil sands mining operations. The model is to be used in conj unction with models of other oil sands mining equipment, such as bucket-wheel excavators and reclaimers, conveyors, hoppers, bins, trucks and shovels, to study mining operations on a minute-by-minute basis. From the orebody description and mining selectivity, layers of ore and reject are determined and mined by the dragline. Reject is dumped on the pit floor; ore is either dumped on a windrow for later removal by a bucket-wheel reclaimer or directly dumped into a hopper feeding a conveyor. The model allows for the presence of pads as a dragline base, key cuts and a number of interruptions to the mining operation such as shift changes, boom checks, engineering services, repairs, delays, preventative maintenance, etc. A CRT display keeps the model operator informed about equipment status and performance. The model operator can direct the course of the simulation by issuing commands to the model at any time during the simulation.IntroductionThis paper describes an interactive computer model of a dragline, windrow and spoil pile. The model was designed by the author based on information and specifications provided by Canstar Oil Sands Ltd. The model design was implemented and tested on Petro-Canda&apos;s IBM computer system by DMR and Associates Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta.The model was designed to form three components of an oil sands mining operations model, described in reference I. Figure 1 shows the interaction of those components with the remainder of the oil sands mining model.An ""Ore/Waste Body"" data base provides information to the dragline model about the location and composition of or e and waste in the mine. The dragline model is used to simulate mining this ore/waste body, to build up spoil piles for center reject (waste) and to dump ore onto windrows or hoppers (situated over conveyors) to deliver the ore to the extraction plant. The windrow model component provides a data base which will be used by a model of a bucket-wheel reclaimer which simulates the loading of ore from the windrow on to a conveyor via a bridge."

Jan 1, 1982

By R. W. Pugh, D. G. Bellow

"This paper will describe how cultivator shanks are made in one company and how the manufacturing was studied with a view to increasing product consistency and reducing manufacturing cost. The product: which is used extensively in the agriculture industry, was analyzed to determine which geometric parameters optimized its design and whether there was justification for the great variety of styles and shapes that are available in the market. Finally, an extensive series of field trials were undertaken which showed that it is advantageous to the manufacturer to be better aware of the loads and forces that his product is subjected to by another industry.IntroductionStelco maintains a Research Group for its Western Region operations headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. Because of the small staff, a location that is isolated with respect to its Burlington, Ontario centre and a diverse set of processes and products, a university relationship has developed which may be different from that which would be developed at a larger integrated Steel Works. This paper outlines the type of cooperative studies carried out by Stelco Inc. in Edmonton and the University of Alberta. .To meet the research needs covering a wide variety of steelmaking processes and steel products produced in Edmonton would require more staff and equipment than the sales volume in the West justifies. The gap is filled by cooperation with university personnel. This cooperation has provided these benefits to Stelco Inc.:• access to specialized test equipment and a trained staff to operate it; and• assistance from experts in the areas of product testing and problem solving.Moreover, the close proximity of the university to the plant allows frequent meetings and ensures that practical solutions are developed and implemented. A good example of the ongoing university I industry relationship developed is the joint work on improving cultivator shanks."

Jan 1, 1982

By R. S. Fukuhara, M. J. Allan

"Highmont, a wholly owned subsidiary of Teck Corporation, operates a 25,000 ton/day mine and concentrator located in the Highland Valley of British Columbia. Construction of the plant commenced in the spring of 1979, and production from one grinding line began in late December 1980. The second grinding line began production in March 1980.The ore body consists of two main zones, the east and west pits, containing 134 million tons of ore, averaging 0.26% Cu and 0.27% Mo. Mineralization consists mainly of chalcopyrite (2/3), bornite (1/3), and molybdenite.The concentrator design incorporates an A-B-C grinding circuit (auto mill ball mill - crusher), followed by bulk flotation, copper-moly separation and leaching for moly concentrates. The two grinding and bulk flotation circuits are parallel and independent. Concentrate storage is provided between bulk flotation and copper¬moly separation and also ahead of molybdenite leaching. The plant design has been previously described in some detail. (""THE HIGHMONT CONCENTRATOR"" by C. V. Sibbald, CIMM Bulletin, March 1981).This paper will outline some of the problems associated with the construction, startup and early operation phases of the concentrator. The objective is to help others avoid some of the potential pitfalls by outlining those areas where problems occurred, or where things went well. Criticism of design or equipment is not intended."

Jan 1, 1982

By N. Kacira

"Canada&apos;s largest known chromite deposit occurs in a layered intrusion in the Bird River area of Manitoba. However, numerically most of the chromite occurrences are in the Appalachians. Few, apparently minor, occurrences are also known in the Cordillera.In the Appalachians, chromite occurs as lenses and pods in dunite; they are of ""podiform"" type. The individual concentrations vary in size from a few pounds to tens of thousands of tons. Locally, chromite concentrations form discontinuous zones extending several hundred feet along strike and presumably down dip, therefore resembling boudinaged layers. Chromite layering and lineation are commonly concordant to those of the host rocks.The Appalachian chromite occurrences are thought to have been formed by fractional crystallization and perhaps also by liquid immiscibility. Their present shape and distribution are largely the result of deformation mostly prior to complete solidification of their host rocks. Therefore, the attitude of layering, foliation, lineation and other features related to deformation provide valuable guides in predicting the probable distribution of chromite, and hence are helpful in exploration.Chromites fulfilling the requirements for metallurgical, refractory and chemical grades occur in the Appalachians. Although the Appalachian deposits are similar in size and grade to some of the chromite deposits being mined elsewhere, they are unlikely to be economic, at present, in the higher wage Canadian environment. However, in case of shortages in chromite ore supply which may result, among other reasons, from increasing tendency to further processing in the producing countries, the Appalachian occurrences may become sources of ore. Such eventual shortages combined with relative abundance of electricity in Canada and recent innovations in oxide ore reduction technology may hasten the time when ferrochrome manufacture based on local chromite sources becomes economically viable."

Jan 1, 1982

By Douglas A. Sloan

"Recently, a number of major mining companies seemed unable to find a president from within the industry, and were searching outside the industry. From this, one could conclude that managers within the industry are either not being prepared or are not preparing themselves for presidential responsibility. Opinions were sought from a number of senior executives, to attempt to define the skills a prospective president should acquire and what actions a company could take or that a prospective president could take to acquire these skills.This paper contains summaries of the opinions obtained, along with the author&apos;s comments. The paper also describes the actions some companies are taking and the actions that an aspiring president can take to prepare himself for corporate management.IntroductionA manager is promoted up the management ladder when the manager&apos;s superiors believe that he is capable of handling a more senior position. Normally, the manager acquires this credibility by outstanding performance in his current management post, whether it be in a junior management (supervisory) or in a vice-presidential capacity.In most instances, the skills required for promotion can be acquired in the current position or, at worst, the abilities exhibited in a candidate&apos;s current role will convince his superiors that the necessary expertise for the more senior position can be acquired on-the-job. This is particularly the case when the new skills are felt to be an extrapolation of the old skills.However, in the case of appointment to presidential rank, there appears to be a need for new expertise which often is not acquired in normal management progression or, at least, boards of directors of some mining companies seem to believe this to be the case. The objective of this paper is to attempt to define the new skills that should be acquired by a manager who aspires to be the president, and to describe what actions might be taken by him to acquire them."

Jan 1, 1982

By J. H. Crocket, J. Andy Fyon

"All gold deposits within the Tisdale Group are spatially associated with carbonate alteration zones; however, not all carbonate alteration zones are host to gold mineralization.Within the komatiitic and magnesium tholeiitic volcanic rocks at the base of the Tisdale Group, discordant and stratabound carbonate alteration zones occur throughout. The alteration zones consist of a ferroan dolomite - quartz inner assemblage which is enveloped by calcite-quartz and an outer chlorite-rich subzone. Factors which control the distribution of carbonate alteration include joint systems, flow contacts, synvolcanic faults and bulk composition of the host rock.Two environments of carbonate alteration can be recognized: 1) The subsea-floor alteration zones developed within the volcanic rock succession where hydrothermal fluids did not discharge directly onto the sea floor. Insignificant gold production has come from this alteration environment. 2) Seafloor zones, which represent points of hydrothermal fluid discharge into the hydrosphere, are spatially associated with felsic volcanic rock complexes and are host to syngenetic, auriferous cherty dolomite.Carbonatized, magnesium tholeiitic basalts, which are host to the auriferous, cherty dolomite, are enriched in antimony (>0.35 ppm), boron (>30 ppm), gold (>5 ppb) and lithium (> 35 ppm), but are depleted in copper ( < 70 ppm), with respect to carbonatized basalts not associated with gold. Orerelated, altered komatiitic flows can be screened using gold (>5 ppb), lead(> 10 ppm), arsenic(> 70 ppm) and antimony (>1 ppm).The habit, petrographic characteristics and certain geochemical characteristics of the altered volcanic rocks suggest that the hydrothermal fluid was of sea-water origin."

Jan 1, 1982

By A. L. Rutledge, R. S. Nichols

"Waste dump development at the Fording River Operation s in British Columbia began in 1971. In 1981, several unique as well as unplanned situations provided an opportunity to study water flows through waste dumps.The key to the drainage is naturally segregated rock sizes .created by end dumping from the crest of a pile. The largest size material accumulates at the toe. Flow rates along the base of the studied dumps varied from 2,800 to 13,500 m3/day or 0.032 to 0. 156 m3/s (1.2-5.5 cfs}. Sediment concentrations in the water ranged from 1 to 1,800 mg/I.This paper describes water flows through dumps of varied lithology and maturity. The results suggest that neither long-term water flow nor contained sediments in small streams are jeopardized when crossed by end-dumped fills.IntroductionThe Fording River Operations are located in southeastern British Columbia approximately 115 km north of the United State s and 10 km west of Alberta, within the medial range of the Rocky Mountains. All production is carried out at elevations ranging between 1,600 and 2,200 m above sea level.The property is within a continental climatic zone, with temperature extremes of - 40°C in January to +35°C in July. The average annual precipitation of 335 mm of rainfall and 390 cm of snowfall feeds the numerous seasonal, small drainage courses along the Fording River valley.Since start-up in 1971, 149 million bank cubic met res of waste from truck-shovel and dragline mining have been placed in numerous dumps or ""spoils"". The dumps were developed to the point that several unique situations could be studied. During the peak run-off period of May-June 1981, water flow studies were performed on dumps of varied lithology and maturity. This paper describes the results of the study."

Jan 1, 1982

By G. M. Ritcey, K. E. Haque

"Laboratory-scale sulphuric acid leach tests were conducted on Elliot Lake and Rabbit Lake ores in the presence of various oxidants, namely: Fe2(SO4)3, CI2, H2O2, NaClO3, MnO2, H2SO5, HNO3, Oxon e, K2Cr2O7, KMnO4, O3 and O2. Uranium extraction is significantly accelerated when an oxidant is present in the leach slurry. Uranium extraction of 96-99% can be achieved by maintaining the oxidation potential of the leach slurry in the range of400 to 500 m V (S.H.E.). A rough cost comparison of all the oxidant s indicates that the use of Fe2(SO4)3, 02, O3, C12, HNO3 or MnO2 is far less expensive than NaClO3 and the uranium extraction rates are similar to or better than with NaCIO3. For uranium extraction, it is concluded that gaseous oxygen (i.e., air or oxygen) would be the most effective and economical oxidant for the 24- to 36-hour leach of Elliot Lake ore; whereas for the 8- to I2-hour leach of Rabbit Lake ore, a strong chemical oxidant (e.g. NaCIO3, H202, 03, K2Cr2O7, H2SO5 or HNO3) would be a logical choice.IntroductionThe common practice for the treatment of uranium o res is leaching with sulphuric acid or with a carbonate-bicarbonate mixture. Generally, the latter process is ad opted when an excess (> 18%) of acid-consuming components (e.g., carbonate) is present in the ore. Irrespective of the nature of the leachant, the addition of an oxidant to the leach mixture is necessary to obtain a high uranium extraction.The maximum extraction of uranium can only take place when all the uranium is in the highest oxidation state (i.e.,U +6-uranic ion) . Because a certain percentage of uranium present in the ore is invariably in the lower oxidation state (i.e.,U+4-uranous ion) , the addition of an oxidant to the leach slurry is necessary to oxidize uranous ion to the uranic state."

Jan 1, 1982

By D. Duff, R. A. Cameron, R. E. S. Whitehead

"Although CO2 content indicates the quantity of carbonate in altered basaltic rocks, it does not measure the intensity of carbonate alteration. CO/CaO molar ratios, which correlate with the relative proportions of individual carbonate species, measure the intensity of carbonatization. The Timmins gold area is characterized by pervasive carbonatization, with large parts of the area having CO2/Ca0 ratios greater than 1, representing C02 supersaturation relative to CaO. The mean CO/CaO in the Timmins area is0.67, compared to 0.13 in two unmineralized control areas. Regional arsenic abundance in the gold-bearing area averages 4 ppm, compared to about 0.35 ppm for the non-mineralized areas. The average K20 and Rb abundances are similar in both mineralized and non-mineralized areas (about 0.30% K20 and 7 ppm Rb). Although there appears to have been no wholesale addition of K20 or Rb to the mineralized area from external sources, these alkalies have been redistributed internally, resulting in patterns of local enrichments and depletions which are characteristic of the mineralized region.Local target anomalies associated with known mineralization consist of CO2/Ca0 > 1.5, As > 10 ppm and K2O > 0. 75%. Not all three values are required to be above these thresholds in order to identify local targets. Combinations such as C02/ Ca0 > 1.5 and As < 10 ppm, CO/CaO 1-1.5 and K20 > 0. 75 or K20 > 0. 75 and As > 10 ppm are equally indicative of proximity to gold occurrences. Gold-bearing veins and associated anomalies occur throughout the entire volcanic succession and are not restricted to any particular stratigraphic horizons. The levels and patterns of alteration and occurrences of gold appear to be structurally controlled."

Jan 1, 1982