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By Jesse L. Duke

Outline ?Understanding the context ?The Business, political, social and legal environment ?Recipes for Success (three Ps) ?Develop effective Partnerships/relationships ?Plan carefully ?Actively Manage the ?Process? Business Environment ?Nunavut?Impressive mineral potential ?Emerging diamond industry ?Dominated by Juniors ?NWT ?Maturing Diamond industry ?Emerging oil and gas industry ?Yukon ?Alaska Highway Pipeline ?Junior-dominated exploration and development ?Growing acknowledgement in Canada of the importance of northern resources ?Shift of thinking: north-south infrastructure (vs. East-west)

May 1, 2006

During the past decade, the miner-al industries have been faced with an increasing shortage of engineers. The point has now been reached where the shortage may be termed critical. This shortage may be attributed directly to declining enrollment in the mineral science programs offered by the universities on this continent. Although the reasons for declining enrollment are undoubtedly many, two major hypotheses may be postulated. The first is that high-school graduates are either unaware of the mineral industries and the opportunities in them or that they are aware of them but have somehow obtained a false image of their true nature. The second is that they are aware of the true nature of these industries and the opportunities they offer but find them exceedingly unattractive. The problem of dwindling enrollments has, in recent years, been subjected to a concerted attack by the industries and professions concerned. However, their efforts to date have been based essentially on the first hypothesis. Sufficient results are now available to suggest that either the methods of attack are inappropriate

Jan 1, 1965

By C. J. Allen, L. Battiston

"Introduction It has long been recognized by the hot-dip galvanizing industry that the characteristics of the galvanized coating can be influenced significantly by steel and pro cessing variables. Probably the variable of most concern to galvan izers today is steel chemistry. More specifically, the problem is the excessive reactivity of continuously-cast, silicon-bearing steels. In the past, structural steels processed by general galvanizers were in the low-to-medium ca rbon category and contained silicon at either low impurity levels (as with rimmed steels), or less than approximately 0.10% (as with semi-killed steels). The structures of the coatings produced on such steels are characterized by dense, compact layers of delta and zeta iron-zinc alloy phases and a distinct outer layer of eta zinc, which usually imparts a bright shiny appearance to the coating. The presence of silicon in steel, above the so-called semi-killed levels, is known to cause marked stru ctural changes in galvanized coatings. Such coatings are characterized by a relatively thin delta layer, a thick , coarse zeta layer and frequently an absence of the eta layer. The eta phase, comprising zinc which is carried out of the bath during withdrawal of the work, can be consumed by the continuation of the coating reactions until its temperature drops to the solidification point. This results in a dull grey and often mottled surface instead of the usually bright metallic appearance. These galvanized coatings are usually much thicker than coating specifications requ ire and they are usually more brittle and have poor adhesion to the steel. In service, these coatings tend to develop a rust-like discolouration. With the wider use of continuous casting by the steel producers and the associated additions of silicon in this process, the problem is becoming more important and receiving greater attention from the galvanizing industry ."

Jan 1, 1987

By G. Styles, K. Lye, R. Tenbergen, M. Mayhew

Requirements to produce a higher bulk concentrate grade have necessitated extensive use of on-stream analyser data and computer programming to obtain the targets set for Frood Stobie Mill as required by overall milling considerations.A brief history of milling process changes associated with the changes from a low grade (3% Ni) bulk concentrate in the sixties to a high (6 to 8.5%). Nil bulk concentrate currently will be presented.The heart of the presentation will be the computer control schemes for ""self optimisation"" of the distinct flotation sections in the plant within certain restraints to achieve targets set by the mill metallurgist.

Jan 1, 1985

By Arun .. J. Basu

The paper introduces Intelligent Air Management (IAM) as the core activity of M&I Group of Companies (M&I) for providing a total solution to any air management problems for mining and mineral processing operations implementing a comprehensive systems approach through a world-wide network of strategic alliance partners and in-house engineering team and manufacturing facilities in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Recommendations for energy-efficient ventilation in a vibration and noise free environment are made with the patented and innovative solutions supported by extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. The solution scope extends from an intelligent and integrated exhaust silencer to a complete ventilation sys-tem solution including inlet and outlet control design and ducting for diffusers and silencers.

Apr 1, 2005

By L. Li

The rock quality designation (RQD) was initially introduced by Deere (1963) for civil engineering. But, its application has been largely extended to rock mechanics and has become a fundamental parameter in geotechnical engineering (e.g., Hoek & Brown 1980; Milne et al. 1998). The success of this definition is due, in great part, to its simplicity. However, this index includes a number of limitations. Among these limitations, a critical one is associated with the arbitrarily selected threshold value (e.g., Priest & Hudson 1976). Consequently, the RQD value would vary with different threshold length for the same core. Also, using the customarily and universally adopted but very arbitrarily selected threshold value of 10 cm (for NX cores) in the assessment of RQD, the RQD values usually tend to be either high or low in most rock engineering. Some intermediate values (50%) are less frequently encountered (Harrison 1999). The original definition of RQD does not well represent the actual quality of rock masses. In this paper, an improved definition of rock quality designation (RQDc) is given.

May 1, 2009

By E. Henry, C. Mayer, H. Rott

Hangingwall deformation monitoring at Kiruna mine is a major concern for Luossavaara- Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) since underground production is deepening toward the town of Kiruna. In the quest for more effective monitoring techniques, LKAB decided to evaluate the ability of satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry to monitor ground subsidence by generating continuous deformation maps from satellite radar images. While adopted by other geoscience-related industries, SAR interferometry is still relatively untested in the mining industry. This paper describes the basic principles of SAR interferometry and describes how subsidence is monitored at Kiruna mine. The encouraging results are discussed as well as the benefits (continuous deformation mapping, low cost, fast, etc.) and limitations (sensitivity to snow and vegetation cover) of the technique.

Jan 1, 2004

By D. J. Hutchinson, M. Lato, M. Diederichs

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-based applications for geomechanical purposes have recently proven to be a highly reliable and accurate form of remote analysis and documentation. The ability to remotely collect, process and evaluate rockmasses for structural geomechanical applications has benefits ranging from safety to efficiency, and provides a permanent record that can be assessed before and after an excavation has been completed. With the collaboration of Queen’s University and Rio Tinto, the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) mines in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, evaluated the practical application of the I-Site 4400 LiDAR equipment, in conjunction with the Vulcan geotechnical module for geomechanical purposes. The project provided a comparative analysis between conventional hand-mapping and digital analysis. The analysis indicates that digital mapping could be employed as an active tool within the general geotechnical workflow, where results would be used in pit wall and rockmass support designs. As well, the field work enabled the generation of effective operational guidelines and protocols to maximize scanning efficiency.

Jan 1, 2009

By O. D. Maurice

"This paper will essentially update the information that is already known and published on the limestones of the Province of Quebec. The excellent report by M. F. Goudge (1935)m is difficult to improve upon and the areas of limestone quarrying are generally the same as they were at the time of Goudge's report. Our knowledge of the limestones of Quebec has been improved considerably in recent years by the publications of T. H. Clark, 2 who, since 1938, has been mapping and reporting on these lime-stones and has discussed their stratigraphy, their structural features, their history and their economic value. One economic aspect is the presence of natural gas in these formations and the possible occurrence of oil. A total of 150 test holes had been drilled to a depth of more than 500 feet by the end of 1967 and, in addition, at least 256 more shallow holes had been put down in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. The information from these test holes has greatly improved our knowledge of the thickness and extent. of the various formations of Paleozoic limestone and shale in Quebec.This paper will then review briefly the limestone occurrences in Quebec, using the old as well as the more recent reports as principal references"

Jan 1, 1970

By Tad Crowie, Victor Delgado, Nick Katsikaros, Tim Hughes

"A number of silver producers have identified a need for a system to recover silver and gold from base metal flotation concentrates on site rather than sending the concentrate to third party smelters to improve mine economics. Historically intensive cyanidation has only been used for coarse gold gravity concentrates in batch machines but Gekko have applied the InLine Leach Reactor (ILR) to these difficult to leach concentrates.The ILR’s unique ability to operate at various solid to solution ratios, high mass capacity, the ability to handle fines, the use of peroxide to aid silver leach kinetics and simple operation has resulted in significant economic benefits to Hochschild PLC’s Selene and Arcata operations. This paper describes the commissioning phase of the ILR5000BA intensive cyanidation reactors on concentrates from the Selene mine at the Ares Concentrator.INTRODUCTIONIntensive leaching of high grade concentrates in gold ore treatment is now commonplace and is considered an essential feature of most gold circuits (Lane, Fountain and LeBrooy, 2008). The devices commonly used for intensive leaching (InLine Leach Reactor, Acacia Reactor, etc) are specifically designed for the typical coarse nature of the concentrate.In some of these intensive leach applications, significant amounts of silver are co-recovered with the gold. In fact, the intensive leaching conditions of 1 to 2% NaCN in solution and high dissolved oxygen levels, overcome the issue with silver’s slow dissolution rate in traditional CIL/CIP circuits and avoids the formation of insoluble silver sulphide minerals on the surface of the gold (Marsden, 2006).There are a significant number of mine operators producing silver in the form of mixed base metal sulphides flotation concentrates. Typically the mine operators are paid for the silver after processing of the concentrate by the base metal smelter whom recovers the silver during the refining process."

Jan 1, 2010

By Hazel Lyman Nickel

Daring to try where others had failed, Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover translated from the Latin the principal (and first) textbook on the mining and metallurgical profession, De Re Metallica, 1556, which had been in use for two centuries and then had lain dormant for 350 years in a language unreadable except by a chosen few. Thus the Hoovers enriched the English tongue with a vitally important contribution to history in the fields of mining, metallurgy, and chemistry. To them it was a joint hobby, because they were actively interested in the beginnings of the mining profession in which they had both been trained. Illuminating the years of toil to perfect this translation shone their ideal of service to humanity, since, in the Preface, they refer to their task as "a labour of love", which had to find the moments for its execution in night hours, weekends, and holidays, extending over a period of about five years. And they add: "If the work serves to strengthen the traditions of one of the most important and least recognized of the world's professions, we shall be amply repaid". While a student at Stanford University, during the years of 1891-95, Herbert Hoover had become familiar with a copy of this Latin mineralogy classic, De Re Metallica, a rare book in the private library of Dr. John C. Branner, at that time head of the department of geology and mining. Another Stanford student in geology was also examining and studying the ponderous volume of twelve 'books'. She was Miss Lou Henry, of Monterey, who graduated in 1898, and the following year became Mrs. Herbert Hoover. Interwoven through the tapestry of their life experiences gleamed the silver thread of their interest in this mediaeval Latin textbook. Just nine years lacer, the Hoovers had commenced their translation, while they were in temporary residence in London after the seething years in China under the shadow of the Boxer rebellion.

Jan 1, 1949

By Carol E. Jones

Outline ? Reclamation is a primary mitigation. ? Understand baseline environment and land use. ? Determine reclamation goals. ? Selecting reclamation technology. ? Determine technical risk. Reclamation ? Primary Mitigation ? Through land and water disturbance, mining can have significant local and regional environmental impacts. ? Impacts can also result from associated land use changes. ? Reclamation is a primary tool that the mining industry uses to manage its environmental impacts.

May 1, 2008

By K. J. R. Ford, Botz. M. M.

Porphyry copper ores are frequently a source of low-grade gold ore, but gold in these ores is often associated with significant levels of cyanide-soluble copper. Cyanide leaching of such ores increases flowsheet complexity and operating costs, and requires thorough planning to satisfy environmental requirements for tailings disposal and mine closure. This paper presents a review of the chemistry of cyanide leaching of gold-copper porphyry ores, carbon adsorption phenomena and means of removing base metals from leach solution. The primary economic drivers behind the processing of such complex ores are also analyzed.

Jan 1, 2011

By Kristie Tarr

Portland cement is primarily used to solidify backfill in underground mine workings and it represents a major cost in mining operations. CANMET-MMSL has invented an alternative binder technology that does not contain any amount of Portland cement and is made using waste materials, such as development rock and smelter slag. The technology has been successfully tested with many types of base metal and ferrous slag. Research conducted in collaboration with several mining operations in Canada has shown that the CANMET-MMSL binder has considerable potential as a replacement for Portland cement in mine backfill. An integral part of the overall mining operation, backfill is used for two main purposes: safety and environmental remediation. Depending on the mining method used, backfill provides a working surface, stabilizes stope and pillar walls, as well as the surrounding rock mass, and controls caving of stope backs. There are several benefits associated with the replacement of Portland cement in backfill, including reductions in (i) the footprint by placement of slag waste underground, (ii) the environmental effects and long term liability resulting from disposal and containment of slag waste on surface such as acid rock drainage, (iii) GHG as a result of reduced Portland cement usage (the production of 1 ton of Portland cement produces 1 ton of GHG), and (iv) the significant costs associated with reduced Portland cement usage.

Oct 1, 2010

By Costa

The fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) mining model has significant implications for the industry as it plays an important role in fulfilling the economic, social and workforce needs of the contemporary mining industry. It has increasingly been adopted in countries such as Canada and Australia, but is the current nature of the FIFO model challenging the place women have achieved in the mining workforce? Research in the mining and oil and gas industries reveals that major sources of stress for fly-in-fly-out mining workers are the times of parting and of reunion, the challenges in defining roles within the family, parenting, and conflict between spouses over the use of the leave time and money. So how are women in the industry coping with the FIFO schedules and consequent intermittent relationship with families and partners? How is the mining industry adapting to recruit and maintain female employees in FIFO operations? This paper describes an exploratory study conducted in Canada, which intended to provide some initial insights that might help us answer the questions above. There are several inferences made from this exploratory study. It is clear that FIFO poses significant challenges for both female and male workers. It is largely seen as rigid, extremely challenging for employees with young families and workers who are single mothers, and it is generally incompatible with starting a family and caring for small children. FIFO creates severe stress on relationships and on workers psychological well-being. It seems to be indeed harder for women, since they are often in lower paying positions and therefore have less financial reward for the FIFO lifestyle. On the other hand, FIFO creates the opportunity for young women, including Aboriginal women, to jump-start their careers, as well as opportunities for mature women to work while pursuing other personal interests during their time off. This paper concludes with recommendations to improve the FIFO system in order to increase the ability of mining companies to hire and retain women

May 1, 2006

By Tom Gabardi, Peter Clarke

"MillMapperTM is a new 3D laser scanning technology that has only recently been introduced into the North American mining industry. It enables mill operators to gain a much more complete understanding of the condition of their mill internals and to more accurately predict how liners will perform in the future. This paper describes the technology and techniques used to obtain data on internal mill conditions, how this data is processed into meaningful information which enables better prediction of liner life and gives examples of the reports provided by the software. Examples are given, using client sites data, on how this information is being used to reduce the costs and improve the revenue from SAG and ball mills.INTRODUCTION Scanalyse Pty Ltd developed the MillMapperTM technology in Australia over a number of years and has recently introduced it into North America with a significant take-up in Canada. The technology was commercially released in Australia in late 2006 and there has been significant technical development in the features provided since that time. MillMapperTM has been accepted as a useful technology in the Australasian region and more recently has been introduced to sites in Chile, Peru, Brazil, USA, Canada, Laos and South Africa. Over 100 different mills have been scanned and the technology has been thoroughly tested and validated. It has become an integral tool in condition monitoring and improvement programs for SAG and Ball mills across many sites and is now providing significant and measurable benefits to the mining industry. Some of these benefits will be described in this paper using actual examples."

Jan 1, 2012

By A. J. Magerowski

Energy consumption is a main component of operational costs for the comminution of mineral bearing ores. Reduction of energy consumption has continually been addressed by mill operators and equipment manufacturers. Our testing over the last few years strongly indicates that the overall energy needed to comminute a mineral bearing ore can be brought down significantly, if more work is done in the crushing stages of the comminution circuit.This calls for uprating of the conventional crushing equipment into a new generation of crushing equipment to produce finer products. This will result in the emergence of new ideas in the design and application of equipment and corrnninution circuits.

Jan 1, 1986

By H. D. B. Wilson, D. T. Anderson

"Canadian sulphide deposits generally have characteristic compositions. Metal associations in ore deposits and in igneous rocks are similar.Nickel: sulphur ratios, copper-nickel ratios, and nickel :cobalt ratios in copper-nickel sulphide ores are characteristic for most orebodies. Nickel, as sulphide, is highest in ores associated with ultrabasic rocks, whereas copper is highest in ores associated with gabbros. Cobalt is relatively constant. The metal ratios in copper-nickel ores are due, first, to the composition of the related igneous rock or magma; second, to the partition ratios of the metals into the sulphides when separating from the silicate rock or magma; and third, to the conditions at the time of deposition. Each factor is discussed and the evidence indicates the Frood orebody is a magmatic segregation in place and Falconbridge is an injected sulphide melt. Many Canadian orebodies containing copper, zinc, or lead also have relatively constant compositions. •Copper and zinc are concentrated in gabbro and diorite, and copper-zinc ores in northwestern Quebec are spatially related to gabbros and diorites. The same three factors con-trolling metal ratios in. copper-nickel deposits should control the metal ratios in copper-zinc deposits if the metals come from the gabbro-diorite intrusions.The ratios of base metals in common sedimentary rocks are not similar to the ratios in orebodies. Base metal elements are mobilized during high-grade metamorphism, but much fundamental research is needed before the relation between metamorphism and ore deposits can be established on a sound basis. The distribution of elements in sulphide orebodies suggests that cop-per, zinc, and lead are deposited simultaneously .in relatively constant proportions rather than successively in a paragenetic sequence. Zoning may be due to different ratios of metals being deposited under changing temperature, pressure, and chemical environment, or may be the result of other processes."

Jan 1, 1959

By Lori Kormos, Jhonny Carrión De la Cruz, Dominic Fragomeni, Elizabeth Whiteman, Jorge Oliveira

"Process diagnosis, flowsheet design and optimisation are most effectively and efficiently achieved through the use of metallurgical testwork combined with more modern quantitative mineralogical techniques. Integration of the mineralogical data in testwork programs provides a resolution that cannot be obtained from assays alone and can direct the flow of work to result in optimized conditions more quickly than would otherwise be possible. At Xstrata Process Support (XPS), QEMSCAN (Quantitative Evaluation of Materials by Scanning Electron Microscope) and EPMA (Electron Probe Micro Analyser) information can be employed to diagnose specific issues in a plant or lab scale test and are routinely combined with other metallurgical data sets to benchmark performance, design and optimise flowsheets. Representative sampling protocols for ore bodies or test products, the use of geometallurgical unit classification and high confidence metallurgical test programs are key components of the strategy. Two case studies from Xstrata Zinc’s Antamina Mine and Concentrator in Perú, and Xstrata Nickel’s Nickel Rim South Mine in Sudbury are described to show how the use of quantitative mineralogy were used to diagnose a plant issue and how the data can be integrated into metallurgical programs to assist mineral processing engineers to design and optimise flowsheets.INTRODUCTIONOver the past decade, there has been a shift away from metallurgical testing that employs only chemical assays to quantify performance; the use of empirical observation in order to optimise a flowsheet; and the extraction of bulk samples for testing or piloting. The integration of geological information into the planning and execution of testwork programs including the use of quantitative mineralogy has improved the overall quality and predictability of metallurgical programs. At the same time, improvements to metallurgical testwork protocols such as rigorous statistical assessment of results, the use of factorially designed experimental strategies (DOE), and replicate flotation with appropriate quality controls, has improved the confidence level in these results.Process diagnosis, which utilizes quantitative mineralogy, can clearly define the root cause of the metallurgical issue. Whether used on its own to diagnose an issue or in combination with other metallurgical testwork, the use of mineralogical data has become the standard in the mining industry."

Jan 1, 2010

By C. O. Aksoy, H. Kose, K. Heasley, E. Yalçin

"In Turkey, the growing demand for lignite has resulted in increased lignite production and an emphasis on improving underground recovery. This has resulted in a gradual increase in the application of the retreat longwall mining method and also in the extraction of the safety pillars protecting permanent underground structures (drifts, shafts) in mines prior to their abandonment.Extracting these safety pillars presents a special hazard to mine employees and the stability of the mine. Often subjected to high stresses, the behaviour of these pillars is not always predictable. Special care must be taken to ensure that infrastructure does not collapse prematurely, and that working conditions remain safe. Otherwise the extraction must be halted, and the remaining coal lost.This investigation reports on a study of the stability of safety pillars during the final extraction phase of the Hustas mine in Soma, Turkey.” The model construction was based on mine plans, and material properties were derived from physical properties testing. Observed subsidence effects from other mining events were used to calibrate the overburden lamination thickness.The model results compared well with surface physical disturbance occurring as a result of mining, as well as with conventional longwall stress redistribution theory and underground observations. The study has shown that properly calibrated models can be useful in assessing mine safety during remnant pillar extraction. The LAMODEL results demonstrate the convenience of this easy to use software."

Jan 1, 2004