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By Henri-Louis Jacob et Marc Bélanger

La province de Québec est un important producteur de roches et de minéraux industriels. En 1998, la valeur de cette production se chiffrait à 1,26 milliard de dollars canadiens (données préliminaires). Les minéraux industriels produits comprenaient: l'amiante extraite des gisements de chrysotile associés aux complexes ophiolitiques de Thetford Mines et d'Asbestos; l'ilménite et les scories enrichies en titane produites à partir du gisement d'ilménite massive du lac Tio associé au complexe anorthositique du lac Allard; le talc produit dans la région de Thetford Mines, à partir des roches à talc-carbonates associées à des feuillets de serpentinite; le mica broyé produit à partir de l'intrusion de suzorite du lac Letondal; le graphite en paillettes extrait du gisement du Lac-des-Îles; la wollastonite extraite d'une zone de skarn dans un lambeau de roches métasédimentaires enclavé dans le massif d'anor-thosite du LacSaint- Jean; le sel extrait aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine d'un gîte associé aux évaporites du Croupe de Windsor. Les nombreuses carrières dans le sud du Québec produisent, en plus de la pierre concassée, diverses substances incluant la pierre dimensionnelle (granite surtout); le calcaire pour la chaux, le ciment ainsi que divers usages industriels; la silice extraite à partir de formations de grès ou de quartzite. Le Québec est aussi un important producteur de tourbe de sphaignes qui est extraite de vastes tourbières qui se sont formées un peu partout dans le sud du Québec à la suite de la dernière glaciation. Les autres ressources en minéraux industriels comprennent des gîtes déjà exploités de brucite, de chromite, de magnésite dolomitique et de feldspaths ainsi que des gîtes de magnésite, de barytine et d'apatite faisant présentement l'objet d'évaluation.

Jan 1, 2001

By James Mackie

The Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE) has been providing venture capital for start-up companies since 1907. Ninety years' experience in the junior mining industry has enabled the VSE to develop policies and procedures tailored to the unique needs of start-up companies. Policies and procedures applicable to listed companies are documented in the Corporate Finance Services Department "Policy and Procedures Manual." Approximately 50% of the companies listed on the VSE are in the mineral exploration and development business. The largest number are exploring base metal, precious metal or diamond properties. A recent count shows that about 20 companies are exploring industrial mineral or non-metallic deposits. The minerals sought by these companies include limestone, decorative stone, building stone, lava rock, wollastonite, zeolite, garnet and graphite. There are two basic routes to obtaining VSE financing for an industrial mineral property. The owner can either sell an interest in the property to a listed company or form a company and have it listed on the VSE. In each instance, the listed company is responsible for raising funds to develop the property. A typical financing consists of the sale of company securities byway ofeitherprivate placement or prospectus offering.

Jan 1, 2001

By D. Roy Eccles

A multi-element geochemical response, with contrasts of up to 29 times background, was obtained in soil above the Mountain Lake Diatreme, northwestern Alberta. The overall geochemical signature is indicative of an ultramafic source; geochemical responses contain elevated concentrations of Co, Cr,O, Cu and Ni with the presence of high Ba, Ga, HI, PO,, Rb, Ta, Ti and light rare earth elements suggestive ofa kimberlite or lamproite body. The shape, or morphology, of the enzyme leach-based geochemical signature over the Mountain Lake Diatreme combines moderately strong to strong oxidation halos, or a rabbit's- ear geochemical profile, with a sharply-defined apical geochemical profile. Because some Alberta diatremes discovered to date form positive topographic highs, the resultant geochemical signature may express the soil development profile that forms directly on top of kimberlitic and lamproitic bodies. The enzyme leach technique, which has proven to be a useful tool in base metal, precious metal and petroleum exploration, may have a significant impact on exploration for kimberlite, lamproite and related rocks in Alberta by providing industry with a useful and cost effective tool to probe blind and/or buried anomalies identified by airborne and ground magnetic surveys in areas of glacial overburden.

Jan 1, 2001

By Zdenek D. Hora

British Columbia is an important producer of a variety of industrial minerals for both domestic and export markets. Some commodities such as limestone, dolomite, gypsum, calcium carbonate, silica, barite and magnetite are raw materials for well-established industries located in British Columbia, Alberta and northwestern USA. Others, like magnesite, sulphur, jade, asbestos, dimension stone and clay products, are mainly exported in processed form to overseas customers. Companies are developing markets for relatively new mineral products, including pumice, volcanic cinder and zeolites. A number of attractive geological targets have been identified by industry while research by government geologists has outlined the potential for refractory minerals, gemstones, garnet, nepheline syenite, carbonatites, residual kaolin, igneous apatite and peat.

Jan 1, 2001

By W. Melnyk, L Pokhilenko, J. A. McDonald, A. Hall

The Camsell Lake property comprises 270 000 acres located about 240 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Kimberlite has been located in two areas of the property:

Jan 1, 2001

By Ross I. Kelly

Carbonate rocks are widespread throughout Ontario and provide raw material for more uses than perhaps any other rock type. The principal carbonate rocks that are used by industry in Ontario are Paleozoic era limestone and dolostone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is composed mainly of the mineral calcite (CaCO,) while dolostone, also a sedimentary rock, is composed mostly of dolomite [CaMg (CO,),l. The majority of the province's limestone and dolostone extraction occurs from Paleozoic era rocks located in southern Ontario. Calcite and dolomite are also found in Precambrian marbles, calcite veins and carbonatites, however, utilization of these rocks by industry has been less common. Calcite and dolomite-rich rocks are utilized for a wide variety of uses including raw materials for cement and lime manufacture, chemical and metallurgical stone, fillers and construction aggregates (Derry, Michener, Booth and Wahl and OGS 1989a). For some uses chemical and physical requirements are very important. In the manufacture of glass, for instance, the chemical requirements of source materials are very important and very stringent. In other uses physical criteria such as whiteness may be more important. Although carbonate rocks are quite plentiful within the province, deposits that contain high concentrations of calcite or dolomite are somewhat limited. For that reason, this paper focuses on deposits that are known to, or may contain, a high percentage of calcite and/or dolomite. The paper emphasizes potential sedimentary limestone and dolostone resources, as these are the carbonate rocks most commonly utilized by industry in Ontario.

Jan 1, 2001

By Jon A. Carlson, W. Scott Williams

The EKATI"" Diamond Mine commenced operation in October 1998. It is operated by BHP Diamonds Inc., which is a part of the Non-Ferrous and Industrial Materials Division of BHP Minerals, a business unit of BHP Company Ltd. of Melbourne, Australia. The EKATI"" Diamond Mine is a joint venture of BHP Diamonds Inc. (51%), Dia Met Minerals Ltd. (29%), Charles E. Fipke (10%) and Dr. Stewart L. Blusson (10%). In December 1993, an office was opened in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories specifically for the then Northwest Territories Diamonds Project (EKATI"" Diamond Mine) development. EKATI"" Diamond Mine is located 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife and 200 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories of Canada (Figure 1 ). The site is located in a remote tundra area of continuous permafrost, north of the tree line, which is part of the Canadian Shield. Wekweti (Snare Lake), a Dogrib community approximately 180 kilometres southwest of the project, is the closest neighbour. The mining area and facilities lie within the 10 960 hectares land leases held by the joint venture. The total claim block (core zone and buffer zone joint ventures) covers 344 000 hectares. To date, more than one hundred kimberlite pipes have been identified within the claims. Five of these provide the basis for the present mine plan. Total capital investment in the project is over C$700 million. At full production employment will be about 600, including employees and long-term contractors, with over 33% being Aboriginal from the Northwest Territories.

Jan 1, 2001

By George J. Simandl, Donald F. Gunning

At the beginning of the 20 century, British Columbia produced a wide variety of quality dimension stone products for both domestic and foreign markets. The industry flourished until the 1930s when most of the producing quarries closed as a result of the Depression. During the 1990s, British Columbia experienced the resurgent North American dimensional stone production trend. The industry benefited from increased prospecting activity and from substantial new investment in processing equipment, particularly in the granite sector. These activities resulted in new quarry developments, the reopening of abandoned quarries such as on Granite and Fox Islands <www.quadrastone.com>, and a renaissance in downstream value-added activities. British Columbia has reestablished itself as an important, reliable and innovative source of high-quality stone products.

Jan 1, 2001

By Richard J. Wardle, Ambrose F. Howse

The industrial minerals industry in Newfoundland and Labrador is a significant contributor to the provincial economy. The variety ofcommodities produced reflects the diverse geological environment from which they come. A highlight of the past decade has been the continuing development of dimension stone quarries, with producers now active in anorthosite, gabbro, granite and sandstone. Other dimension stone prospects have been identified and are in various stages of assessment and development. Western Newfoundland hosts a large resource of limestone, dolomite and marble. It provides raw material for industries that produce Portland cement, agricultural limestone and aggregate, as well as chemical-grade limestone and dolomite products. In western Labrador, dolomitic marble is quarried for use in the production of self-fluxing iron ore pellets. The recent opening of a new gypsum quarry at Fischells Brook signalled the beginning of a new era in the commercial production ofgypsum, a commodity which the province has produced since the 1950s. Hopefully it will emulate the nearby Flat Bay Quarry (now closed) which was a long-time exporter to markets along the U.S. eastern seaboard, in addition to supplying local demands. Oil production and continuing exploration in the Newfoundland offshore has renewed interest in local barite deposits for potential use in drilling fluids. Already there has been some production from the Collier Point deposit, and at Buchans, an existing plant is being refurbished to recover barite from a large tailings pond. Emerging new industries include the development of an antimony mine in central Newfoundland, the development of silica deposits near Labrador City for silicon metal production, and reactivation of the St. Lawrence fluorspar mine. The province has many deposits with development potential such as rare metals at Strange Lake, white marble at Roddickton and salt deposits near St. George's Bay region.

Jan 1, 2001

By Rómulo Salirrosas

La administración de la base de datos de muestras exploratorias conlleva una función de responsabilidad en Newmont, Perú. En este sentido, las etapas de dicha base van desde el muestreo, envío de muestras al laboratorio, ingreso de la información la sistema de base de datos, recepción de resultados luego del análisis que el laboratorio retorna por correo electrónico en un formato especial diseñado por Newmont; ingreso de resultados a la base de datos; Análisis de estándares; presentación y difusión de resultados a los usuarios, a través de mapas, planos, reportes y gráficos. Por ello, el presente trabajo señala el manejo de la información de muestras exploratorias a través del software STONES FOR WINDOWS, el cual es utilizado desde la etapa de enlace e ingreso de los resultados en la base de datos, hasta la impresión de planos con información superpuesta como Geofísica, percepción Remota-Imágenes de satélite, topográfica, catastral etc.; y en la presentación superpuesta que al activar o desactivar items, representa los diferentes tipos de información; como el análisis de estándares y análisis estadístico de valores de los diferentes elementos analizados. Así también se muestran perfiles con la información de taladros, como de valores de elementos, geología, alteración, anotaciones textuales, gráficos.

Jul 17, 2000

By Julio Villón

Actualmente las empresas que utilizan software minero, necesitan desarrollar metodologias propias para hacer posible que reciba información valida en ciertos formatos, y que esta sea procesada por el software y su resultado. Este resultado se determinará en función a la calidad de la información con que se alimente al software. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala el modelo tridimensional como aquel que se ajusta al tiempo, conforme se desarrollen labores, se tomen más muestras, se hagan más sondajes diamantinos o se realice el desbroce y minado de los bancos del yacimiento.

Jul 17, 2000

By S. K. Kawatra

La reología de las pulpas genera efecto en el desempeño de los espesadores -en tanto la adición de floculantes para mejorar el asentamiento de partículas tambien puede retardar la tasa de sedimentación al incrementar la viscosidad de la pulpa. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala la introducción de un nuevo reómetro desarrollado en la Universidad Tecnológica de Michigan, el cual puede ser usado en flujos de partículas. Asimismo, es capaz de generar curvas de flujo de una suspensión concentrada, a partir de la cual, la reología detallada de la suspensión puede ser determinada. El reómetro fue instalado en la línea de descarga del espesador de la planta y puede ser usado para mejorar el desempeño de los espesadores, debido a que la viscosidad en un buen indicador del grado de floculación y al medirla en una baja tasa de corte, la adición de floculante puede ser optimizada.

Jul 17, 2000

Mintek's Measurement and Control Division has been developing and supplying control systems to the Minerals Processing industry for many years. This paper will focus on the development of a third generation control system, PlantStar 2000, for mineral processing applications. Case studies of a flotation and milling circuit illustrate the success of the technology.

Jul 17, 2000

By W. Greuer

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how site-specific slope stability analysis can be performed entirely from the desktop with satellite images, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and slope stability software packages. This type of analysis would effectively eliminate or restrict the need for expensive field testing of geotechnical properties of a hillside, pit wall, berm, or embankment, and would be particularly useful for slope failure mitigation at remote or otherwise inaccessible locations.

Jul 17, 2000

By Vicente Gutiérrez

La actual capacidad de proceso y almacenamiento de los ordenadores personales en la empresa, genera el marco adecuado para el desarrollo de la implantación de medidas de seguridad y productividad, así como el diseño de procesos de manera óptima. Por ello, el presente trabajo señala la aplicación de técnicas de simulación y realidad virtual en la empresa HUNOSA para dar solución a dos problemas diferentes. El primero refiere al desarrollo de una herramienta, donde se busca introducir al usuario en un ambiente que represente el escenario de trabajo, mientras que el segundo, pretende ayudar a la planificación del transporte de interior. Para ello, se desarrolla una aplicación software que permite la configuración de los parámetros de la red de forma sencilla y su posterior simulación en el ordenador.

Jul 17, 2000

By Jean-Michel Rendu

Computer systems are an integral part of the mining industry. Before a new operation is started, software requirements, and the need for hardware and communications must be determined. The personnel required to use the software, and to support the necessary infrastructure, must be hired and trained. In this sense, this paper emphasized the needs that geologists and mining engineers have for technical software. Similar requirements apply to all other aspects of a mining operation. These requirements will become even more critical in the years to come, and must be fully assessed before construction of a new mine begins. Dependency of a mine operation on its computer systems must never be underestimated.

Jul 17, 2000

By Claudio Ballota

Los sistemas de gestión empresarial son importantes -en tanto las estrategias de negocios acompañadas del apoyo de sistemas de información, permiten planificar, ejecutar y controlar el desempeño empresarial. Por ello, la integración de la información en una empresa a través de reportes gerenciales y herramientas de análisis, son fundamentales para cualquier ejecutivo que quiera desempeñarse exitosamente en el mercado moderno. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala la eficiencia del outsourcing de sistemas integrados en la administración de las empresas como un proyecto tecnológico de negocios que está dirigido a todos los empleados de la empresa que interactúan con sistemas para realizar sus tareas operativas diarias y para los gerentes que buscan información para tomar mejores decisiones.

Jul 17, 2000

By Dae S. Young

The paper point out a new procedure to calculate the volumetric distribution of rock fragments. The method combines the practicality of digital image processing of the rock surface with the theoretical volume calculations based on principles and laws of fractal geometry. The final volumetric distribution curve is compared with the results from traditional sieving indicating close agreement.

Jul 17, 2000

By Jorge Navarrete

La Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile produce cobre y otros subproductos a través de sus yacimientos y líneas de producción como las pirometalúrgica, hidrometalúrgica y biohidrometalúrgica. En este sentido, el presente texto señala la implantación de un LIMS para la industria minera de cobre. LIMS es una abreviatura genérica para los software de Administración de Información de Laboratorio, cuyo objetivo es relacionar la Informática, Quimiometría y Calidad.De forma que cumpla con los objetivos de adquisición y gestión de la información de pesaje, muestreo y análisis químico producida por diferentes áreas, tanto internos como externos y unidades funcionales.

Jul 17, 2000

By Carlos Soria

El presente texto describe los Sistemas de Gerencia de la Información y su aplicación en la industria minera con el objetivo de optimizar la gestión total de la empresa. Dichos sistemas manejan información del proceso y sus valores de producción, cálculos, consumos de energia, emisiones de plantas, tiempos de funcionamiento de equipos, eventos, alarmas, mediciones de laboratorio y control estadístico, etc. De forma que dicha información pueda ser reunida y consolidada, convirtiéndose en materia de significado y relevancia disponible en base a análisis, reportes, listas, tendencias y gráficos para que el usuario final de una planta o en sus oficina pueda tomar mejores decisiones.

Jul 17, 2000