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By CIM Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve Committee

The CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines (MRMR Best Practice Guidelines) were prepared by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's (CIM) Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Committee (CIM MRMR Committee) to update an earlier version that was accepted by CIM Council on November 23, 2003 (CIM, 2003). These 2019 MRMR Best Practice Guidelines supersede and replace the November 23, 2003 version of the MRMR Guidelines. These 2019 MRMR Guidelines are not intended to be prescriptive and are not intended to provide detailed and exhaustive instructions for preparation of Mineral Resource and/or Mineral Reserve (MRMR) estimates. Rather, they are intended as general guidance to assist professional geoscientists (or equivalent) and engineers (or equivalent) in preparing high quality estimates of MRMR that incorporate sound geoscientific, engineering, evaluation and design practices. They are based on well-established estimation and mine planning principles and are designed to provide general guidelines of best professional practices employed in the preparation of MRMR estimates. Although the 2019 MRMR Best Practice Guidelines are intended for use by Canadian-based mining/exploration practitioners, many of the concepts and practices presented herein are in general agreement with current industry practices in jurisdictions with membership in the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO). For this document, persons preparing MRMR estimates are called Practitioners. Preparation of MRMR estimates should be carried out by Practitioners who either hold the status of Professional Geoscientist (or equivalent) or Professional Engineer (or equivalent), or who prepare the estimates under the supervision of a Professional Geoscientist (or equivalent) or Professional Engineer (or equivalent). For the purposes of this document, all references to reporting describe such necessary reports and related documentation that are created as part of the normal-course work flow of preparing MRMR estimates for internal purposes. For clarity, all public disclosure of MRMR estimates made by, or on behalf of, an issuer and intended to be, or reasonably likely to be, made available to the public in a jurisdiction of Canada must comply with the requirements of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), as amended from time to time. At least one Qualified Person (QP) must take responsibility for each part of the estimation process when publicly disclosing the results of MRMR estimates. The intended audience for these 2019 MRMR Best Practice Guidelines includes Practitioners at all levels of skill and experience, government agencies, academic institutions, and the public.

Nov 29, 2019

By Alun J. Davies

This paper describes a design-build project for the construction of a tanker wharf for 150,000 dwt vessels. The tankers deliver oil from offshore oil fields to a Transshipment terminal on the south coast of Newfoundland. The project described is an expansion to a previously constructed facility, adding an additional berth. The first berth was designed conventionally as concrete structures supported on groups of independent, single piles. The second berth was awarded to Peter Kiewit Sons' Co. Ltd. based on an alternate design which utilized a "jacket" concept whereby prefabricated steel frames are placed on the seabed and serve as permanent templates and also give lateral support to the piles, thereby increasing their load capacity. This led to economies and time savings. Discussed herein is the design process and the field installation, covering the jackets, driven pipe piles, and the rock anchors.

Jan 1, 2000

By W. Greg Maybee

Separations, which form along stratigraphic boundaries in the roofs of potash mines, pose a serious safety concern. If these separations go undetected they can lead to falls of ground. The current method of identifying the location and extent of these separations is through manual scaling (sounding) using an aluminium rod. The potash mining companies would like to have a tool, which could quickly and reliably detect these separations and distinguish between them and clay seams. This paper presents the results of field trials undertaken at various potash mines in Saskatchewan belonging to the member companies of the Saskatchewan Potash Producers Association. A ground penetrating radar instrument from RST called SUSI (stepped frequency, ultra-wideband, synthetic aperture radar instrument) was used. SUSI has the ability of working over various frequency bandwidths. Four mines were chosen for these field trials, covering the different geological characteristics encountered in the Saskatchewan potash mines: Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan?s (PCS) Allan and Lanigan Divisions, Agrium?s Vanscoy Potash Operations and IMC Potash?s K2 Mine. These field trials indicated that stepped frequency ground penetrating radar technology could be ?tuned? to identify both separations and clay stratigraphy in the softrock, potash mine environment, based on the different spectral responses of the features.

May 1, 2004

By W. Vorster

Bateman Engineering Project's acid-plant track record goes back to 1977. Bateman Engineering can design sulphuric plants based on gas from sulphur burners, metallurgical off gas as well as pyrite roasting systems. Bateman Engineering has a technology marketing agreement with NORAM Engineering Ltd of Canada to provide state-of-the-art, well-proven acid plant technology, and also has access to roaster technology from several sources, including Chinese technology. Utilising the Noram technology agreement, Bateman was awarded the Engineering and Procurement (EP) contract for the Ambatovy Nickel Project, Sulphuric Acid Facilities in 2007. This is the first Greenfield sulphuric acid plant Bateman has designed for many years, producing a combined 5,500tpd, and is one of the largest sulphur burning acid plants in the world. This paper gives an overview of the sulphuric acid plant for the Ambatovy Nickel Project, advantages of Noram?s unique technology on offer, an overview of work conducted on a recent study of an pyrite roasting acid plants as well as a new technology currently being developed by Bateman for the direct combustion of solid sulphur to form sulphur dioxide.

Jan 1, 2009

By Mikhail P. Nesterov

The paper presents the results of the research that can forecast the development of subsidences and deformations of the earth surface with time in the permanent marginal areas of the movement troughs arising when mining sylvinite beds in the Upper Kama deposit of potash ores where the rock formation support is made by means of interchamber (rib) pillars of various yieldability.

Jan 1, 1997

By Peter J. Nicholson

Since the reintroduction of soil mixing to the United States over 10 years ago, the work installed by soil mixing technology has grown dramatically. From an annual turnover of less than ten million dollars per year the volume of soil mixing put in place has grown to an estimated $40 million per year in the year 2000. The majority of work done to date has involved walls, either for excavation support, permanent retaining structures or hydraulic cut-off walls. The other major use for soil mixing has been for mass stabilization of soils whether for isolation of contaminants or for retaining structures. This paper will discuss the uses of and costs of typical soil mix structures. BACKGROUND Soil mixing is defined as the in-situ combining of reagents, typically cement, with native soils, the purpose being to modify or improve the ground. This history of soil mixing covers only the use of cement slurry, aggregated with soil in-situ by mechanical mixing methods only. Soil mixing by use of high-pressure hydraulic means, also known as Jet Grouting, will not be discussed. In addition this will not cover ex-situ (above ground) mixing, or mixing dry reagents with soil. Only mixing applications for building, civil and heavy construction applications will be discussed, with only passing reference made to uses of soil mixing for environmental remediation work.

Jan 1, 2001

By Peter Chou

A total of 117 slope stabilization drilled piers were installed as part of a major hillside revitalization project. The 110-million dollar development, known as Stratford at Kenwood, included an 18-story upscale senior residential tower, a 3-story healthcare building, and 4-story condominium buildings, offering approximately 580,000 square feet of living space with panoramic views of Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. In an effort to establish a flatter hillside plateau for the new 4-story condominium and to create a cut and fill balanced jobsite environment, an 800-foot long row of drilled piers and a 600-foot long multi-tiered shear key system was used to terrace existing 1.5H to 3H: 1V steep slopes and support the new fill. These slope stabilization features reduced the amount of spoils needed to be wasted off-site and mitigated the risk of slope instability. An ODOT/FHWA research indicated that spacing of stabilization piers and necessity of top-connecting elements are highly dependent on pier diameter, spacing, soil type, depth to potential failure surface, surcharge loads, and pier deflection. Due to pre-existing deep buried swales, various load combinations, and the complex mechanism of soil arching effects between adjacent piers, both analytical and numerical computer modeling was performed to estimate the loading on each pier. New generation multiplexed, 3-Dimensional, Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System based inclinometers were installed between selected piers to confirm the pier design, and monitor the fill placement, as well as long-term slope stability.

Jan 1, 2009

By Jacob Masliyah, Zhiang Zhou, Tshitende Kasongo, Jianjun Liu, Zhenghe Xu, Jeawon Choung

"Slime coating is a recognized challenge in fine particle flotation, not only in decreasing recovery, but also in reducing the selectivity and hence froth quality. In this presentation, a novel method based on electrophoretic mobility distribution measurement to study slime coatings is described. By measuring electrophoretic mobility distribution of individual minerals and their mixtures, the interactions between these minerals can be evaluated.For illustrative purposes, a model system of fine coals, or oil sands with two different types of fine clays was studied. Flotation tests showed a significant decrease in coal (bitumen) flotation recovery with montmorillonite but not with kaolinite clay addition. When electrophoretic mobility distribution of a fine coal/montmorillonite clay mixture was measured, a single modal zeta potential distribution was obtained, in contrast to a bimodal distribution for fine coalkaolinite clay mixture. This finding suggests a stronger adhesion of montmorillonite than kaolinite clays on fine coal surfaces. In the case of bitumen, the bimodal zeta potential distribution was measured for the mixture of bitumen emulsion and kaolinite or montmorillonite, indicating a weak attraction of the clays by bitumen. In the presence of calcium, however, a single modal zeta potential distribution was obtained in the mixture of bitumen emulsion with montmorillonite but not kaolinite clays. These findings are in excellent agreement with bitumen flotation results, demonstrating that the electrophoretic distribution measurement is a powerful tool to study slime coating phenomenon in a complex fine particle flotation system."

Jan 1, 2002

By Claude Bazin, François Robichaud

"The control of the operation of semi autogeneous grinding (SAG) mills is mainly achieved through adjustments of feed rate, water addition and speed of rotation. With the introduction of image based sensors it is possible to have on-line measurements of the size distribution of the ore feeding a SAG mill. This information could be used for the development of a control strategy to regulate a SAG mill feed size distribution to a set-point. The control of the size distribution is carried out by adjustment of the speed of the ore extractors underneath the ore stockpile. The potential and difficulty associated with the implementation of such control are assessed using a multivariable statistical analysis of data collected from the operation of the grinding circuit of the Agnico-Eagle Goldex mine in Val d’Or, QC. A control strategy for the ore feed size distribution is assessed using a simulator of the ore stockpile operation.INTRODUCTIONThe popularity of autogeneous (FAG) and semi autogeneous (SAG) grinding mills has been increasing over the last 20 years (Napier Munn et al., 1996). These mills use the ore or a combination of ore and steel balls as the grinding media. Since the ore is used as a media for the size reduction the mill ore feed size distribution impacts the performance of the mill. Several papers were recently published on this subject (Dance et al.,2011; Wennen & Murr, 2011; Dance & Valery, 2011; Allaire et al., 2011) showing the advantages of preparing the feed size distribution to maximize the circuit throughput or mill efficiency (Wennen & Murr, 2011; Dance & Valery, 2011; Allaire et al., 2011). With the availability of particle size sensor based on image analysis of the ore on a conveyor (Partanen et al., 2001; Bobo et al. 2004; Edwards et al., 2002; Wei & Craig, 2009) it is possible to control the size distribution of the ore feeding autogeneous or semi autogeneous mills (Partanen et al., 2001).This paper describes a method to control a size distribution index to a set point via the manipulation of the speed of the extractors that withdraw the ore from the stockpile feeding the grinding circuit. The paper consists of 4 sections. The first section describes the considered grinding circuit. A statistical analysis of the collected data on the grinding circuit is presented in the second section. This analysis demonstrates the necessity of using real-time adaptation mechanisms to develop a control strategy for the size distribution of a grinding circuit. The third section describes the method used to simulate the ore stockpile operation and the last section describes the preliminary development and assessment of a control strategy of size distribution of the ore feeding a SAG mill."

Jan 1, 2013

The 1969 Lignite Symposium was held at Grand Forks, N. Dak., on May 1-2, 1969. Cosponsored by the University of North Dakota and the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, the meeting was the fifth in this series. Registrants from many States and Canadian Provinces attended the meeting representing many segments of energy-oriented companies, State and Federal Government, and universities. At 2-year intervals, these symposia provide a common meeting place where recent research and developments in technology and utilization of energy resources with emphasis on solid fuels (lignite) are presented. Proceedings3 of the previous symposia including a Forum held in 1958 have been published.4

Jan 1, 1970

By W. S. Steinberg

In 1963, the full-scale engineering study for the development of an iron, steel, and vanadium plant was initiated. This was the birth of Evraz Highveld and its process flow as it is known today. Highveld started out as a steelworks that produced steel and vanadium-bearing slag from a titaniferous magnetite iron ore mined from its own mine site near Steelpoort. The process utilized co-current rotary kilns for prereduction, and submerged-arc furnaces for the production of pig iron with approximately 1.15% vanadium. Because of various technical challenges that the submerged-arc furnaces experienced over the years, a decision was taken in 2004 to convert the furnaces to open slag bath (OSB) operation, in order to enable the maximum production of iron and vanadium while improving the control over operational parameters. The conversion proved to be highly successful and, since 2005, three furnaces have been converted to OSB operation. The fourth furnace will be converted in the first half of 2011. The conversion to OSB furnaces not only yields higher vanadium recovery to the metal at the iron plant, but also improves the overall throughput of the steel plant. This is the result of the higher carbon content of the liquid iron from the OSB furnaces, eliminating the need for anthracite addition to the shaking ladle process. This reduces the blowing time by approximately 60%. The conversion of the furnaces to OSB configuration is seen as an enabling technology change and a prerequisite to the implementation of other plant improvements that are envisaged. The long-term vision of EHSV is to convert five furnaces to OSB mode, and permanently decommission the two remaining submerged-arc furnaces. This will allow EHSV to maintain current steel and vanadium production but at a significantly improved overall efficiency.

Jan 1, 2011

By D. M. Muir

Thiosulfate offers a non-toxic alternative to cyanide for processing gold ores. The mechanism of leaching gold using ammoniacal thiosulfate solution is driven by the Cu(II)-Cu(I) redox couple and is complicated by competing ligands such as NH3 and S2O32-. It is shown that an understanding of the copper speciation and sulfur speciation is required to optimise this system. This paper presents Eh-pH and speciation diagrams for varying concentrations of Cu(II), S2O32- and NH3 and discusses the conditions under which various copper and sulfur species are stable.

Jan 1, 2001

By S. D. Hill

To help insure the continued viability of the minerals and materials sector of the U.S. economy, the Bureau of Mines is conducting research and disseminating technology that will result in more efficient minerals extraction. As part of this effort, a process is being investigated that involves an aqueous chlorine-oxygen leaching procedure to treat complex sulfide concentrates to produce ZnCl2. Subsequent fused-salt electrolysis of the ZnCI2 produces high-purity zinc metal. Previous reports described preliminary, small-scale research on the chlorine-oxygen leaching system and fused-salt electrolysis of ZnCl2. This report discusses the details of design, construction, and longterm, continuous operation of both monopolar and bipolar fused-salt cells. The effects of temperature, electrode gap, current density, electrolyte composition, and electrode configuration on current efficiency and energy consumption were determined for a ZnCl2-KC1-NaCl electrolyte system. Zinc metal was produced at the rate of about 50 lb/day in a monopolar cell which was operated continuously for 60 days with current efficiencies from 85.8 to 98.6 pct and an average power consumption of 2.1 kwhr/lb. Bipolar cells with several different electrode configurations were operated for 90 days. A current efficiency of about 70 pct and power consumption of about 1.7 kwhr/lb of zinc were achieved using a three-electrode-pair, bipolar assembly with a chlorine gas lift pump to circulate electrolyte.

Jan 1, 1981

Triboelectric Charge and Separation Characteristics of Industrial Minerals The basic principles of triboelectric charge and separation of minerals and the factors affecting the entity of the charges developed on mineral surfaces are discussed and the surface pretreatment methods by which the electrophysical properties and thereby triboelectric charging and separation of minerals can be artificially altered/modified are reviewed. Furthermore, the triboelectricfication theory of materials is envisaged from the chemical concept of acid-base donor-acceptor and an attempt is made to correlate the physical concept of triboelectrification with the donor-acceptor properties. The triboelectric charge characteristics of the quartz, calcite and wollastonite mineral samples for different size classes were defined using different tribocharging medium. Based on the triboelectric charges acquired by mineral samples their energetic work function values are estimated. In addition, the main electrophysical properties, ie dielectric constant and electrical conductivity, of different size fractions of the mineral samples are measured and their donor-acceptor chemical properties were defined. A series of triboelectric separation tests were conducted to explore the possibilities for separation these mineral from each others. The results from the triboelectric charge and separation of the single mineral systems showed promising prospect in separating quartz, calcite, and wollastonite from each others. Finally, attempts were made to explore the possibilities to implement triboelectric charge and separation process to real ores. Promising results achieved when separation of calcite from silicate impurity was sought from a carbonate ore. A very high purity (99 per cent) calcite product was obtained at a recovery of 80 per cent. Interesting results were also achieved to concentrate wollastonite from a complex silicate ore containing quartz, different feldspars, wollastonite and other Mg-Fe silicates. In this case conditioning of the ore with salicylic acid at defined temperature and relative humidity was found to be essential to concentrate wollastonite. The outcomes indicate despite the fact that triboelectric charge and separation process has not been completely perceived, it pronounced to be an environmentally friendly and economically viable technique for minerals and wastes beneficiation. Being a dry beneficiation technique the process has special appeal, which must be explored further in particular for treating industrial minerals.

Sep 13, 2010

By Sam Kangwa, Thomson Sinkala

In the mining industry, drilling accuracy has a significant effect on the economy of operations. In this paper, results from the Nkana Division of the former Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines are presented. For the stope investigated, it was found that the extra operational costs alone were 462% of the planned costs! Clearly, there is more than good reason to pay attention to drilling of good quality holes.

Jan 1, 2004

My selection of the Australian coal industry as the theme of this Presidential Address arose from the fact that it is one of our most important mineral industries. The industry is presently prospering.M.ore coal, mostly of better quality (except for certarn power-house types), is being produced more cheaply in terms of real money than at any time in the past, and exports overseas are currently at a highlevel.In. spite of this, concern has been expressed in certam quarters about the future of some phases of the industry; for example, there has been some public comment on the selling price of our coking coal to Japan, the possible over-export of our coking coals from New South Wales, the introduction of foreign capital to develop large-scale mining ventures in Queensland, and the proposed export of substantial quantities of coking coal from the same State.Furthermore, proposals for the introduction of atomic power plants into several States well endowed with reserves of coal have given rise to comment, and recently the Department of National Development(1968) warned that insufficient attention is being paid to "orderly development and careful husbanding of the nation's coal.To reach a balanced judgment on whether these views are well founded it is essential to make a broad survey of the present position of the coal industry in the Australian economy. I therefore propose to deal briefly with several aspects, and to comment, in particular, on the important subjects of exploration and research in progress at present on Australian coals.Detailed descriptions of the Australian coalfields are to be found in existing technical publications (e.g.. Andrew, 1965; McLeod, 1965) and the data on coal reserves have been progressively revised as more accurate information has become available. In New South Wales detailed knowledge of the coal reserVes is limited to under 20 per cent of the sur...

Jan 1, 1969

By Frederick W. Slack

This paper will discuss the inherent value engineering associated with the design and construction of approximately 184,000 SF of anchored tieback wall, installed as part of the widening and drainage improvements for KY9 in Campbell County, Kentucky. The total project is 2.2 miles in length. The anchored walls, excavation grading and drainage total to a complete project cost of $28.4 million. This is one of the largest design-build projects undertaken by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It also features another first for the Transportation Cabinet - the general contractor is responsible for quality control/quality assurance. The project is located just south of Cincinnati, OH and is situated along the east bank of the Licking River. The slopes along this stretch of the river have had a long history of movement and instability. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet advertised the anchored wall portion of this project to be designed and constructed by pre-approved specialty contractors. The Transportation Cabinet provided the basic design parameters to each specialty contractor. Aspects to be discussed include the site and project history, previous attempts at slope stabilization along existing KY9, the technical proposal and bidding process, and the actual design and construction.

Jan 1, 2003

By Hamid Maleki

Roof falls are one of the leading ground control problems that adversely influence productivity and worker safety in underground mines, construction sites, and nuclear waste repositories. To control roof stability problems, the operator needs to have practical methods for measuring changes in strata conditions and criteria for defining the timing of secondary support installation. The objective of this study was to develop measurement techniques and criteria for assessing roof conditions at the mining face. An integrated rock deformation and tomographic imaging method was developed and applied at two sites in a western U.S. trona mine. It was shown that rock damage occurred at a deformation of 30 to 60 mm (1.2 to 2.4 in) (2 to 4 pct strain) and was associated with a significant (16 pct) reduction in wave velocity. Thus, supplementary support may be installed when there is a measured change in wave velocity of at least 16 pct. Tomographic measurements can be obtained in rocks rapidly, thus providing a powerful tool for analyzing growth of failure and for installing supplementary support systems in a timely manner.

Jan 1, 1996

By Boyd Guthrie

As the American petroleum industry surveyed its position in early 1937, it had many reasons to be optimistic concerning its future. The industry had emerged successfully from the depression, and for the first time since 1929 it had produced over one billion barrels of crude oil in a single year. The demand for gasoline and fuel oils was up, and reserves of crude petroleum and production capacity seemed adequate for the future. Although production of crude oil dropped slightly in 1938, the oil industry was still in a good position with respect to its supply of raw material, which improved economically in 1939 with the decrease of crude-oil stocks in storage above ground. However, by 1940 a threatening cloud (the invasion of France and its rapid surrender) had appeared on the horizon. This aroused Somme fears as to the industry's immediate future, and these fears were intensified the following year when the United States entered World War II. As the war progressed, more and more ships, planes, and vehicles were produced, and the problem of obtaining enough liquid fuels to supply them intensified. Hearings were held in August 1943 before a subcommittee of the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys of the 78th Congress to determine the advisability of passing legislation to promote the development of synthetic liquid fuels.

Jan 1, 1951

By O. Schumacher

Guidelines for publication of information defining the amount and grade of resource material available in a deposit are well established in Australasia?s JORC Guidelines, Canada?s National Instrument 43-101 and similar documents in South Africa, Peru, Chile and elsewhere (Table 1). These guidelines provide standards to apply regarding the geologic and geostatistical basis for describing the level of confidence to be assumed for an estimate of the amount and grade of material. All of them provide for a strict distinction between material that has been demonstrated to be economically mineable and that which has not, and all of them provide terms such as ?resource? or ?exploration information? to be applied to data regarding material that has not been demonstrated to be economically mineable. It is not until an economic study has been completed that we are allowed to apply the powerful terms ?reserves? and ?ore? to our deposit material. Indeed, the application of these eye-catching labels immediately tells the reader that an economic study has been completed by a qualified person, and that the results of the study were positive. While extensive guidelines are established for describing the level of confidence in published geologic data, and the nature of the economic study that should be accomplished before using the terms ?reserves? or ?ore?, surprisingly little guidance is provided regarding the process to use, and the level of detail to attain, for estimating capital and operating costs for the study. The intent of this paper is to lay the groundwork for development of suitable guidelines for the cost estimating process. While the codes do not provide specific instructions for the cost estimate, they do provide numerous hints and clues to help determine the level of detail expected and the type of procedure to apply in preparing the estimate. This paper will first review the various codes to gain an insight into the thinking of the drafters of the codes regarding their unstated expectations for the cost estimating process. Based on this review, a series of guidelines are proposed for this purpose.

Feb 27, 2013