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By David M. Knowles, R. Gordon Gastil

"The Precambrian sedimentary series of the Labrador geosyncline, including iron formation, extends into southwestern Labrador and adjacent Quebec. The iron formation consisted of primary oxide, silicate, and carbonate facies which were deposited simultaneously in an irregular basin in response to migratory environmental conditions. The iron formation isochemically recrystallized to coarse-grained quartz-iron oxide, iron silicate, and quartz-iron carbon-ate rocks during prolonged regional metamorphism. The rocks are deformed on two deformation axes intersecting at large angles, and are characterized by isoclinal to recumbent folds. Parts of the formation have been profoundly affected by a post-metamorphic leaching and oxidizing environment."

Jan 1, 1959

By J. Keith Haddock

"IntroductionThe Bienfait Mine is operated by Bienfait Coal Company Ltd., one of the Luscar Limited group of companies. Situated 5 km southeast of the town of Bienfait, Saskatchewan, it can produce 2.0 million tonnes of lignite annually in addition to 158,000 tonnes of char from a carbonization plant located on the property. Geology The economically mineable coal seams of the Estevan area are found in the Ravenscrag Formation. The lignite-bearing sands, silts and clays were deposited in Early Tertiary age, in an inland sea centred in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The top of the Ravenscrag is an erosional surface, overlain by Tertiary or Quarternary sands and gravels or glacial till. The regional structure is a gently plunging syncline which dips to the southeast at about 0.3 degrees. There are minor undulations in the Bienfait area which are due to differential subsidence during deposition. Sporadic faulting is probably a result of glacial pressures, and preglacial and glacial channels are responsible for washout zones and the abrupt irregular subcrop found in the area. There are two economic coal seams in the Bienfait area, an uppe; seam locally known as the Roche Percee, and a lower seam, the Estevan. Both seams have been extensively mined since lignite mining began in the area in the late 1800s. The Roche Percee remains only in a small portion of the Bienfait Mine and comprises a very minor portion of the reserves. It averages 1.74 m thick under 8.1 m of overburden. The till rests on top of the Roche Percee and due to weathering the seam is generally of poorer quality. The Estevan seam comprises the majority of reserves at Bienfait. The main seam which is being worked on consists of an upper bench averaging 2.75 m, a carbonaceous parting of 0.21 m, and a lower bench of 0.92 m. Overburden depth above this seam varies from 21.0 m to 38.0 m."

Jan 1, 1985

By L. Rosato

In the past decade, as a result of increasing iron loads, Canadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZinc) has become a pioneer in understanding the critical factors that affect the roasting of concentrates with high pyrite contents as well as those factors governing the effects of high iron loads on the leaching circuit. De-bottlenecking efforts in the roaster and acid plant section of CEZinc have given rise to a better appreciation of the impact of iron on roaster productivity. High standards for impure solution quality, zinc recoveries and residue disposal have all led to an increased comprehension of the limits of the leaching circuit and the optimization potentials with respect to iron and ferrites. In this paper, the impact of iron on the roasting and leaching circuits of CEZinc will be reviewed and special emphasis will be given to some of the more recent process optimization and improvement activities.

Jan 1, 2006

By T. A. Wedge

This paper suggests a crude correction for the impact of raw material quality on factor productivity in the Canadian mining industry. Such a correction would give a figure more dependent on the changing efficiency of the use of labour and capital, and less dependent on the effects of unquantified changes in inputs.

Jan 1, 1973

"The Upper Mannville unit commonly consists of interbedded marine and non-marine sands and shales, but in northwestern Alberta the unit consists of marine shales of the Spirit River Formation. A thick tongue of marine shale (Clearwater Formation) ex-tends eastward into the Athabasca area below sandy Grand Rapids beds. Correlation of Upper Mannville rocks to the southeast is difficult, but in the Cold Lake area a thick sandy depositional cycle (Mannville ""C"" of this paper) appears to be approximately correlative with the Clearwater Formation. In the Lloyd-minster region, tongues of marine sedimentary rock occur in the lower part of the Upper Mannville unit. Most of the Upper Mannville oil occurs in the Grand Rapids Formation at Wabasca, in the thick ""C"" unit and younger Mannville sands at Cold Lake, and in the Sparky and General Petroleums sands of the Lloydminster region (Figure 2).The Lower Mannville unit was deposited on an erosional surface of considerable relief that truncated the Jurassic and older strata of the Western Canada basin. Continental, probably fluviatile, sedimentation persisted over much of the Western Canada basin during deposition of the Lower Mannville unit, but an Arctic or Boreal sea lay over part of northern Alberta. At the end of the depositional episode, the sea transgressed southward and eastward (Figure 3) and re-worked the Bullhead and McMurray sands of northern Alberta into the glauconitic Bluesky and Wabiskaw sands. Topography on the sub-Cretaceous erosion-al surface had a considerable effect on the deposition of the Lower Mannville (Rudkin, 1965), and the highest hills on this surface were not completely on-lapped by Lower Mannville sediments (Figure 3). The coarser elastic material was derived both from a western Cordilleran region and from an eastern Canadian Shield region (Glaister, 1959, p. 620; Mellon, 1956)."

Jan 1, 1966

By L. L. Sirois

Because segments of the Canadian mineral-based economy are dependent totally or in part on foreign sources of certain minerals, their well-being may well be affected by inability to obtain these minerals. Where such dependency exists, it is therefore important that contingency plans be available to counteract possible price increases or lack of supplies by means of technology, developed well in advance of any pending crisis . Canada is vulnerable to possible future real or artificial shortages of certain foreign-produced mineral commodities, and science and technology can provide information for the development of policies for counteracting efforts by foreign exporters to control prices or limit supplies.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. A. Nemchek

Over the years, concentrator plant design has evolved from a large number of small grinding mills to a small number of large mills. In many cases, all of the tonnage runs through a single mill (typically a large SAG mill), so that the plant?s performance hinges on the productivity of this one machine. Industry specifications attempt to address the critical nature of today?s grinding mills in a manner that is often overly complex, neglects economics, and is not clearly focused on the end user?s goals. This paper surveys current industry practices, and proposes an improved approach to standards writing recognizing that product design, procurement, manufacturing, and quality are all inter-related in contributing to a project?s success. The lessons learned here can be extended to specifications for all types of machinery.

Jan 1, 2012

By K. Koyama

As a study to establish a new energy-saving copper recycling process, the copper deposition at a cathode and oxidation of copper(I) at an anode from ammoniacal alkaline solutions containing Cu(I) or Cu(II) were investigated in order to examine the feasibility of electrolysis in this solution.. The current efficiencies were greater than 95% in the current density range of 200 to 1000 A m-2. The current efficiency decreased with the increasing Cu(II) concentration and temperature. In the batch-type electrolysis at the anode, during the initial stage, the current efficiencies were 100%, and the anode potentials ranged from 0 to 0.15V vs. SHE at a current density of 100 A m-2. During the subsequent stage, the current efficiency decreased with time, and the anode potential was around 1.35V vs. SHE where oxygen evolution at the anode surface was observed. As a result, the present electrolytic method can be the core technology in the said copper recycling process.

Jan 1, 2007

By C. T. Bischoff

Introduction Air conditioning is a term which has come into common use only during our generation. By definition, it means the positive and accurate control of temperature, humidity, movement, purity, and component constituents of the atmosphere within an enclosure. Claiming such results for Noranda's ventilation system, or for that of any other large mine, at present would be an idle boast. However, we are working toward that end with considerable success. Modern underground ventilation at Noranda dates back about six years. The later development of air conditioning is in its fourth season, but still in the experimental stage. Various ingenious methods have been devised to cool mines which, because of climatic or geological conditions or depth, are excessively warm. A few installations have been made to warm intake air during the winter months where this is necessary. However, the method currently in use at Noranda is unique in that it accomplishes both ends by one process. This method utilizes the freezing and melting of ice to equalize year-round temperatures. Mining Methods While a discussion of mining methods at Noranda is not proposed in this paper, a brief summary may be in order. The Horne mine of Noranda Mines, Limited, has been developed by six shafts, four of which are now active. The most recent, an internal shaft, extends to 6,000 feet below surface, but all of the ore mined to date has come from above the 3,000-foot level. Figure 1 shows a model of principal ore bodies. The area mined is relatively small in plan, considering its vertical extent and the tonnage per vertical foot. Most of the ore lies within an ellipse about 600 by 1,000 feet. While this has certain advantages, the mining of such massive orebodies has presented many problems.

Jan 1, 1947

By G. E. Murray

Introduction The development of the method for recovering zinc from lead blast-furnace slags at Trail is interesting and important in the history of both lead and zinc metallurgy. Many efforts have been made in the past, particularly in Germany, to make economic recovery of zinc from slag. The Pape process on Oker slags was successful and is being worked at the present time. More recently the Waelz process has come to the fore. One effort at Cockle Creek, Australia is of special interest in view of subsequent developments. This was re-ported in detail by Guy Courtney in 1920(1). It deserves mention as it shows how, as in many other instances in the metallurgy of lead and zinc, important pioneering work has been done in Australia. These experiments, started over 25 years ago, comprised reduction with coke, powdered coal, and eletrothermically in carbon-lined furnaces. The so-called slag eye furnace, which volatilised the metals from a blast furnace running with a hot top, was also investigated.

Jan 1, 1933

By H. J. McQueen

The modeling of the extrusion of 6061 alloy and its composites with 10 to 20 vol% Al203 or SiC by two techniques. The uniaxial finite element method FEM (DEFORM" ) provided force-stroke curves and temperature rise over the range 450-500 °C, 2.6-5mm/s and extrusion ratios of 31 and 64. The traditional technique considers ideal work and redundant work as well as friction and uses average temperatures and strain rates. The two techniques are used to clarify each other and to extend the analysis to 400 and 350 °C. The calculated efficiencies are compared to measured values in extrusion trials and to values derived for 7075 extrusion analyses. The analyses are based on constitutive equations determined by torsion testing tests.

Jan 1, 2004

By C. W. Jr. Waterman

INTRODUCTION MY SUBJECT is one which would require several speakers and many hours of time for adequate presentation in all its many facets. Because of the widely varying market requirements and coal seams mined, the coal industry of the United States bas of necessity employed many types of preparation facilities to satisfy its needs. Predominance of Baum-type jigs, however, bas marked the mechanical cleaning installations since the early thirties, and these machines continue to hold the lead. CLEANING As a matter of record we find that, at the end of 1948, we had 480 mechanical cleaning plants in operation. Of these, 19 used air cleaners only,?400 used water washers only, . and 61 used dry and wet washers in combination . Due to the increased use of spray water underground on cutting and mechanical mining equipment, there has in recent years been a marked downward trend in dry cleaning installations. In fact, the moisture in dry-cleaned fines has been increased to such an extent by spraying that recent dry cleaning installations have incorporated thermal drying ahead of the dry cleaning units in an effort to overcome the varying and increasingly higher moisture percentages in their raw coal feeds. While on the subject of dry cleaning, it might be well to bring to your attention one of our most recent developments in this art. I refer to the McNally-Brusset vacuum jig.

Jan 1, 1951

"THE GOLD MINING REGION of Timmins - Val d'Or, astride the Ontario-Quebec border, has long suffered the effects of rising costs during the period when the U.S. price of gold was fixed at $35 per ounce. The federal government, through such assistance programs as that set up under the Emergency Gold Mining Assistance Act (E.G.M.A. ) in 1948, has subsidized the gold mining communities of Canada for a total of over $300 million to March 31, 1972. Of this, the Timmins - Val d'Or ""gold belt"" has received more than twothirds, almost $220 million. In spite of these continuous subsidies, only 12 gold mines are still producing in the Timmins - Val d'Or belt, whereas 71 mines have received subsidies for some period since 1948. The vital question is how the communities previously supported principally by the mining of gold will survive in the long run, as many of the older mines either are already depleted or are quickly becoming so. With the rising price of gold on the 'free market in recent months, prospects look a little brighter for the time being. Even with the increased official price of U.S. $38, which made the maximum government subsidized price about $48 per ounce, gold mines have not sold any gold to the government since January 1972 and some stopped doing so months before that. The populace of the region has not been enthusiastic about relocation nor about extensive retraining programs in the past and probably will not be in the future. So, when the remaining gold mines become depleted, the old problems of community depression will remain."

Jan 1, 1973

By A. J. Pearce

MOST mines have a model of some kind to illustrate either geological structure, mining operation, or some special condition or feature of the property. The type used depends on the particular feature or use for which it is intended. At Dome Mines we have developed an interesting and practical application of the horizontal-type model. This model shows the workings of each level horizon plotted on glass. These glass panes are set in frames which, in turn, rest on drawers equipped with rollers which can be pulled out as desired into a light chamber. The features of this model are its rigid steel construction and that any desired number of level plans can be pulled out, eliminating any other interference from other levels. Figures 1 and 2 are photographs of the model cabinet and show its construction and general features. The cabinet is of steel construction with the following overall dimensions: width, 6 ft. 5 in.; depth, 6 ft. 7 in.; height, 5 ft. 2 in. When not in use it can be completely closed-in, making the cabinet practically dustproof. There are 30 drawers, one for each of the 29 levels and one for the surface. The glass in each drawer is divided into two panes, 36 in. by 36 in., of flatdrawn double-diamond 'lustraglass' with about l/32 in. between adjacent edges. The panes are held rigidly in the frames, which are lined with felt strips, and may be adjusted by set screws, four of which on each drawer are shown in Figures 1 and 2. The level workings, on a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet, are traced in ivory black Windsor & Newtons artist oil paint. Co-ordinate lines are shown in crimson lake, and main geological contacts are shown in their respective colours. Figure 3 is a photograph looking down on one of the levels. The lighting consists of 14 30-watt fluorescent bulbs, with reflectors, under frosted glass. These lamps are much more satisfactory when operated by 60-cycle rather than 25-cycle and, as we had available nearby a source of direct current, this was used. The electrical unit consists of a rotary converter from d.c. to 60-cycle. This arrangement gives perfect lighting, allowing most colours to be easily distinguished. Figure 1 was photographed using this source of light, Figure 2 using an outside floodlight.

Jan 1, 1945

By I-H. Jung, J. Kim

"Mg alloys are extensively used as light structural materials in modern industry. Mn and RE (rareearth) metals are effectively used as alloying elements to enhance the properties of Mg alloys. Therefore, the thermodynamic database of those alloys is important in the Mg alloy design and processing. Critical evaluation and optimization of all available literature data for the Mn-RE systems were conducted to obtain reliable thermodynamic functions. The Mn-RE systems shows systematic changes in the phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties with increasing atomic number in the lanthanide series. This systematic approach for all RE elements allows to resolve inconsistencies in the available experimental data. INTRODUCTIONRare Earth (RE) metals are widely used in many industrial fields including permanent magnet, electronic materials and structural materials. As a small addition of RE can enhance magnetic, electronic, optical and mechanical properties of numerous materials, the usage of the RE is still expanding regardless of the strategic control of their supply.Magnesium alloys are getting great scientific and industrial attention as the lightest structural materials. One of the drawbacks of Mg alloys is their poor formability at room temperature due to the limited slip system with hcp crystal structure. Recently, several studies (Farzadfar et al., 2011; Sandloebes et al., 2010; Stanford, 2010; Stanford et al., 2008; Yan et al., 2010) show that the additions of small amounts of RE can considerably enhance the ductility of Mg alloys. Therefore, a lot of research on Mg-RE alloys is undergoing to clarify the role of RE on the enhanced deformation mechanism and to find out the most optimum Mg alloy compositions. In order to respond to the need of Mg-RE alloy development, a large thermodynamic database for Mg alloys containing RE has been developed with critical systematic analysis and optimization of the entire RE series data. This includes the thermodynamic database of the Mg-RE (Kang et al., 2009), Mg-RE-RE (Kang et al., 2009), Mg-Al-RE (Jin et al., 2011; Jin et al., 2010), Mg-Zn-RE and Mg-Mn-RE systems."

Jan 1, 2012

By Z. Jun, L. Kerning

Jinlong copper smelter and refinery, originally designed for 100,000tpa primary copper and started up in 1997, has been expanding its capacity on the basis of operational optimization and by modifying its facilities. Currently it is producing 210,000tpa primary copper, and the new phase of expansion project with a target capacity of 350,000tpa primary copper is ongoing. This paper reviews problems and improvements made with operation and equipment in the past years. Recent plant operation is briefly described. The expansion projects completed are summarized and the ongoing expansion project is present.

Jan 1, 2007

By A. Dave Mackintosh

The Current demand for potash has pushed world prices to record levels and allowed Saskatchewan producers to operate at maximum capacity. Several years of strong demand has resulted in a permitting rush not seen since the 1960?s. Even though Saskatchewan has a huge potash resource, mining and processing constraints will limit the areas of economic development. Introduction In 1969 M. E. Holter prepared a report ?The Middle Devonian Prairie Evaporite of Saskatchewan?, published by the then Dept. of Mineral Resources. Holter?s report has remained the bible of geologists working in potash ever since. It is astounding that a report written before there was really much potash mining history in the province, is as valid today as when it was first published. This paper re-iterates much of Holter?s report and adds a little mining experience to essentially confirm the importance of his work.

May 1, 2008

By D. F. Coates

Slope problems arise on mining properties from cuts for roads and railroads and from open pits. When it is 'realized that 1,000,000 extra tons of waste may have to be mined as a result of an average slope being reduced by 1 ° it is easy to appreciate that the slope problems connected with open pits are of far greater importance than the others. The type of slope failure that can occur can be classified in different ways. The most useful classification would be one that separates the causes in such a way as to provide a basis for studies to deal with problems of prevention and control. Using this criterion the types of slope failures are classified into four groups. Having classified the problems in this way an understanding can be gained of the various mechanisms involved in failure ..

Jan 1, 1961

By J. M. Ríos

"Without conscious effort and understanding, a number of factors unique to mineral exploration often hinder building sustainability in host communities. These include the episodic and transitory presence of an exploration team in the community and the inherent uncertainty of outcomes— most projects fail from an exploration perspective. Experience in rural communities across Mesoamerica, however, has shown that it is possible to go beyond pragmatic philanthropy and infrastructure improvements to promote positive, sustainable outcomes in communities. Examples are provided of lessons learned and proven practices that improve quality of life and support a strong social license to operate.RÉSUMÉ Sans une compréhension et un effort réfléchis, de nombreux facteurs uniques à l’exploration minérale nuisent souvent à l’établissement d’un développement durable dans les communautés d’accueil. Ces facteurs comprennent la présence épisodique et transitoire d’une équipe d’exploration dans la communauté et l’incertitude inhérente des résultats – la plupart des projets échouent après l’étape de l’exploration. L’expérience dans les communautés rurales à travers la Méso-Amérique a toutefois démontré qu’il est possible de dépasser la philanthropie pragmatique et les améliorations des infrastructures pour promouvoir des résultats positifs et durables dans les communautés. Des exemples qui améliorent la qualité de vie et soutiennent un solide permis social d’exploitation sont présentés; ils sont tirés de leçons apprises et de pratiques éprouvées."

Jan 1, 2015

By J. Kochhar, Robert G. Cooper

"The Cape Breton Development Corporation is a federal Crown corporation which was formed in 1968. Initially, the Corporation had two divisions - the Industrial Development Division, whose purpose was to stimulate Cape Breton Island's economy, and the Coal Division with a mandate to phase out the operating coal mines. However, that strategy changed in the early 1970s with the Middle East oil crisis. As a result of that crisis, Nova Scotia Power Corporation adopted an ""off oil"" policy. Today, approximately 700/0 of Nova Scotia power needs are met by generation of electricity from coal. Therefore, since the early 1970s, emphasis has been on the rehabilitation of the Cape Breton coal mining business with the opening of three new mines.Today, Devco is solely a coal mining company which employs 3300 people.Physical DescriptionThe mines operate in the Sydney coal field which is located on the eastern tip of Cape Breton. The Corporation leases the deposit from the province of Nova Scotia and its leases cover all coal from the outcrop to the 4000 ft depth. The seams outcrop along the shoreline and dip beneath the ocean floor at dips varying between 5% and 100%.There are eleven seams, of which three - the Harbour, Phalen, and Hub - have been extensively mined."

Jan 1, 1990