Search Documents

By A. J. Reed, W. R. Bergey, Carr. J. M.

"The Highmont copper-molybdenum deposits are at Gnawed Mountain in the Highland Valley porphyry copper district, 125 miles northeast of Vancouver. This district is near the center of the lower Jurassic Guichon Batholith, where a north-trending swarm of porphyry dikes is crossed by west-northwesterly structural belts in which fracturing, intrusion of porphyry and breccia, and mineralization areconcentrated.The Highmont deposits are 2 miles southeast of, and in the same southernmost structural belt as, the Lornex deposit. The main deposits occur on either side of a composite dike of granodiorite, porphyry and breccia which strikes west-northwestward in fractured quartz diorite. North of the dike, the adjacent Nos. 1 (East) and 2 (West) zones together contain 150 million tons of open-pit ore mineable in two separate pits. These two zones will support a 25,000-tpd mill with a grade in the first five years of approximately 0.46 per cent copper equivalent. South of the dike, the Nos. 3 and 4 zones are partly explored and will provide large additional reserves. In these various zones, chalcopyrite, bornite and molybdenite form disseminations and fracture-fillings accompanied by quartz, K-feldspar, tourmaline, sericite, specular hematite and other minerals. Bornite extends for varying distances north of the dike, beyond which chalcopyrite is locally accompanied by pyrite. Higher-grade mineralization tends to coincide with fracture swarms, or with shear zones and faults which largely parallel these swarms. The ore zones are reflected by geochemical soil anomalies which show some glacial dispersion. LP. surveys gave weak but significant responses, expressed as per cent frequency effect. The ore zones occur within a strong magnetic gradient, but do not show a significant magnetic response."

Jan 1, 1971

By Š. Šachlová, T. Lokajícek, M. Petružálek, T. Svitek, A. Štastná

During the past 20 years, alkali silicate reaction (ASR) as a cause of concrete deterioration has been studied by a wide range of experimental methods such as microstructural and macrostructural analysis, bulk chemical analysis, X-ray and neutron diffraction analysis, etc. All of these data are compared with expansion values of mortar bars (following ASTM standard C 1260). Recent studies indicate the useful application of non-destructive methods with the aim of better reflecting mechanical properties and the degree of deterioration of real concrete. Ultrasonic testing methods (including ultrasonic pulse velocity UPV) are widely used to determine material mechanical properties and the changes induced by a variety of mechanical or chemical processes. However, only a few laboratory studies of ASR focused on ultrasonic testing of mortar bars. Due to this fact, a heating chamber was designed and constructed to enable ultrasonic sounding of mortar bar specimens while stored in accelerating solution. Regular ultrasonic sounding of mortar bars reveals significant dependence of ultrasonic data such as longitudinal P-wave velocity, signal energy, signal amplitude and signal frequency on mortar bar storage time. Ultrasonic data were subjected to time domain as well as frequency domain analysis. Different storage conditions were used to determine the effect of ASR on ultrasonic parameters. Mortar bars, prepared in the same manner with one type of aggregate, were stored in cold or warm water or in an accelerating warm medium. Ultrasonic data accurately reflects the differences in hardening and deterioration of tested mortar bars due to different storage conditions. Ultrasonic results showed very good correlation with the results of ASTM standard expansion tests and much higher sensitivity to ASR-induced concrete deterioration. Expansion tests showed 1% measured length differences in comparison with up to 80% resolution of ultrasonic data. The ultrasonic testing proved to be a suitable laboratory method for investigating ASR-related processes and could lead to an improvement of standard testing procedures.

Jan 1, 2015

By A. G. Darnley

"IntroductionTHE PURPOSE of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to drawn attention to recommendations which have been accepted by the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning radiometric reporting methods and calibration in uranium exploration, and secondly to emphasize the benefits that- will stem from adopting them. These recommendations are contained in an IAEA Technical Report, No. 174, which has been prepared with the intention of serving as a general guide to the subject. The existence of this specialized report is likely to be unknown to most of those who can benefit unless it is given some publicity by an organization such as the CIM. The recommendations were prepared by a small international committee consisting of Dr, P. H. Dodd , U.S .A. , Dr. R. L. Grasty. Canada, Dr. L. Levborg, Denmark, Dr. M. Matolin, Czechoslovakia , Dr. S. D. Simov, Bulgaria, and the writer.The fact that there are standard scientific units of mass, distance and time is taken for granted, It is also accepted that the type of instrumentation used to measure one of these parameters is irrelevant to the way the measurement is reported. Geophysical parameters such as magnetic field strength and gravity have generally accepted units, the gamma and milligal, which are defined in SI terms. These units are employed irrespective of the operating principle, or manufacturer or organization involved in the measurement."

Jan 1, 1977

By J. F. Davis

Pegmatite dykes containing lithium minerals and beryl occur dose to the borders of intrusive masses of granitic rock in the Winnipeg River area of Manitoba. Both vertical and flat-lying dykes are present. Most of the pegmatites consist of zones, containing characteristic mineral assemblages, arranged more or Jess parallel to the borders of the dykes. Five important lithium minerals are present; each occurs in a separate zone, but all the lithium-bearing zones are situated toward the centres of the pegmatites. Spodumene is the most abundant and widespread of the lithium minerals and occurs as small crystals intimately intergrown with quartz. Beryl is not an important constituent of the lithium pegmatites, but when .present, occurs outside the lithium zones, toward the margins of the -dykes. Beryl is most common in dykes containing few or no lithium minerals. The mineral assemblage in the beryl zone of the lithium dykes is the same as that of the beryl dykes. The attitude and internal structure, particularly zoning, of the pegmatite dykes, and the texture and assemblages of the constituent minerals, have an important bearing on exploration, development, and mining of these pegmatites, and on the extraction of various mineral products from them.

Jan 1, 1958

By D. J. Cheung, V. N. Kazakidis

ABSTRACT Seismicity and rockburst problems in hard-rock mines negatively impact safety and profitability. The authors propose a design risk methodology as a relative risk assessment for underground excavations vulnerable to rockburst damage. It considers rock mass conditions relating to mininginduced stress, geological structure, rock mass properties, and mining influence. Application of the methodology to rockburst cases involving seismically active fault zones at the Craig mine in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, demonstrates that design changes can reduce exposure and economic risks. Mines with high geotechnical risk can use the design risk methodology to evaluate design alternatives as a risk management strategy.

Jan 1, 2014

By E. A. Brown

"IntroductionBACK IN THE nineteen-thirties, when Eldorado was a private company and was preparing to become Canada's first radium producer, the Mines Branch in Ottawa did much work on the development of chemical processes for the Port Hope refinery (1).In 1945, after the Canadian Government had taken over Eldorado for •atomic energy reasons, the Mines Branch was called upon again, this time to help out by looking into ways and means of improving ore treatment methods for the mine at Great Bear Lake. A group of technical men was assembled to devote full attention to this work, which was known as the Eldorado Project.Three years later, in 1948, the Government decided to reopen the development and operation of uranium properties to private enterprise.Since it is a function of the Mines Branch to assisit private development of Canadian mineral resources, this new uranium policy made it important for the Branch to be in a position where it could provide up-to-date services, technical assistance, and information relating to treatment of radioactive ores, mineralogy of radioactive ores, and assay methods for radioactive ores.At the same time, .because of the demand for increased uranium production, lower grade ores had definitely come into the picture, ores that might be of decidedly lower grade than, say, Eldorado pitchblende, and of entirely different nature."

Jan 1, 1953

By M. D. Scott

"Highland Valley Copper recently installed a semi-mobile in-pit crushing and conveyor system designed to feed both the Bethlehem and Lornex concentrators with a feed averaging 120000 tonnes per day. The system installed with a rated capacity of 12000 tonnes per hour is the highest capacity hard rock semi-mobile crushing and conveying system currently in existence.The system is designed in a manner that the crushers can be moved easily as the pit is developed in depth with conveyors extending deeper into the pit, and conveyors being moved radially from a surge pile located at the rim of the ultimate pit as the pit increases in size laterally.The system consists of two 6000 tph, 60 by 89 Krupp semimobile crushers feeding two moveable 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long feeding a 7500 tonne live storage surge pile. Two 96 in. belt feeders installed in reclaim tunnels under the pile feed two parallel 4500 hp, 60 in. conveyors, 1.25 km long on a 12 per cent uphill grade to the two existing Lornex plant feed conveyors. A third 96 in. belt feeder, under the pile, feeds a 60 in. conveyor, loading trucks hauling crushed ore to the Bethlehem mill.A description will be given: (1) of the system's design features in which climatic extremes, operating, and maintenance characteristics were of primary importance; (2) of the way the system was constructed from components purchased internationally on an extremely tight construction schedule; and (3) of the way the system has operated during the first few months in operation during which time it demonstrated that it has met various design criteria."

Jan 1, 1988

By H. A. Oaks

FROM 1921 to 1939, the aeroplane played an increasingly important role in Canadian prospecting and mine development. This service has been interrupted by the war, but undoubtedly it will be accelerated in the postwar years, if suitable aircraft are available. The purpose of this paper will be to review the uses to which the aeroplane has been put in prospecting and development in the past, and its future possibilities as an aid in prospecting. If by review, and deduction, we get a clear picture of what we expect the prospecting plane to do, we may be able to arrive at a very close approximation of its required characteristics and, from this, an idea of costs. 'Function' is defined as the mode of action by which it (the aeroplane) fulfills its purpose. We will endeavour, therefore, first to find what this purpose is, or should be, so that our expectations will not be too limited nor too great-and then find, by analysis, what performance we require in an aeroplane to meet our reasonable expectations at an economic price.

Jan 1, 1945

By A. Brown

THIS P APER has been pre-pared as a progress report on Mines Branch investigations into problems of ground stress in certain co al mines of Western Canada. As such, it should be considered as a companion report to the one ( 1) presented to the Mining Society of Nova Scotia in 1956 and which dealt with similar investigations in the coal mines of Eastern Canada. For the past 50 years, dynamic incidents in the form of 'bumps' and 'outbursts' have been occurring in the coal mines of the Inner Foot-hills belt of tl1e Canadian Cordillera. As these phenomena generally become more frequent with in-creased thickness of overburden, a limiting depth of mining of 2,500 feet has been set (2) for estimating recoverable reserves of coal. If such a view were accepted, from a long-term viewpoint very large resources of coking-grade ?coal -in a part of the continent deficient in such coals -would not be available to the nation. The terrain in which these in-6dents take place may be described in geological terms as being dominated by pronounced structure in strata ?consisting of a large proportion of highly indurated rocks. The Geological Survey of Canada has co-operated by carrying out structural studies (3) at the mines, supplemented lithological by stratigraphic observations.

Jan 1, 1958

By K. Duckworth

"AbstractA new electromagnetic depth sounding technique was applied to the measurement of salt thickness above the workings in the Central Canada Potash Mine at Colonsay, Saskatchewan. The initial tests indicate that this new technique can measure salt thickness and that the technique possesses operational feature s which make it possible to monitor trends in salt thickness throughout the mine. The technique can be applied using existing equipment, but the tests do indicate the desirability of developing equipment with features specially suited to the mine environment.IntroductionTESTS were conducted in the Central Canada Potash Mine at Colonsay, Saskatchewan during 1974 and 1975 to determine if a new technique in electromagnetic depth sounding could provide a convenient means of measuring salt thickness above the workings. This new technique, which was described by Duckworth (1975), offers operational features which appear to be advantageous in this particular situation.The problem requires that soundings be made upward from the mine workings to the base of the second red shale. This shale forms an impermeable seal on top of the Prairie Evaporite. A knowledge of this salt thickness is of interest due to the need to avoid any possibility of the workings rising to cut the red shale. Another desirable objective is the detection of any disruptions of the red shale. Ideally, this should be done ahead of the workings in order that such areas of disruption may be avoided."

Jan 1, 1977

By M. Zanini, D. Wong

ABSTRACT: Metals market improvements in 2005 drove the desire to increase nickel throughput and the production of nickel oxide sinter at the Vale Ltd. Copper Cliff smelter. Significant difficulties were encountered due to the unreliable quality of Bessemer matte being produced. Concentrate feed changes and the loss of technical and operational expertise during the previous market downturn contributed to the challenge of making the required improvements. Significant progress has been made in the converter aisle by focusing on employee engagement and standardizing best operating practices for a new generation of skimmers. This paper documents these initiatives and seeks to balance the art and science of converting.

Jan 1, 2012

By S. Constantinides

"A major use for many of the rare earths is in permanent magnets. While alternate technologies are in research or already exist, rare earth magnets are unlikely to be supplanted as a major input to clean technologies and high efficiency consumer and industrial devices. We’ll examine where and how the magnet rare earths are utilized and the size of the market. Market growth forecasts based on global markets will be presented. A brief explanation of materials research in the US completes the material.INTRODUCTIONRare earth magnets, first commercialized c.1969, have become essential for a wide range of consumer, industrial and military devices. They are used in the speakers and vibrator motors of cell phones. Rare earth magnets spin the hard discs within the drives and rare earth magnet voice coil motors position the read/write head over the spinning platter. Rare earth magnets are the heart of motors and generators used on airplanes – they are smaller and lighter weight than alternative materials/devices. Now rare earth permanent magnets are being introduced into electric vehicles and wind power generation.Rare earth minerals are difficult to extract from the ores and to separate from one another. The increase in use of rare earth magnets has placed a severe strain on established sources of supply. The establishment of new mines and processing facilities is costly and requires upwards of 15 years to become productive. The combination of rapid rise in use of rare earth minerals coupled with supply shortages has caused rapid price increases and threat of non-delivery of product. The result of this disruptive situation has been a profound response at several levels: corporate, industry-wide and governmental. Let’s learn more about why rare earth magnets are so important to modern society."

Jan 1, 2012

By PAUL L. DEAN

Industrial mineral deposits are widespread in Newfoundland and Labrador and a variety of commodities are produced. The province has the only pyrophyllite mine in Canada and also produces asbestos, gypsum, silica, barite, limestone, gemstones, cement and other structural materials. Large reserves of these and other industrial minerals are known and several deposits are likely future producers. Most producers are wellestablished and have large tonnages of ore reserves.

Jan 1, 1984

By George J. Cymerman

Since 1978, Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been expanding steadily its oil sand mining and processing capacity while reducing unit energy requirements. At the current rate of ~180 M tonne/year oil sand, the originally adopted Karl Clark?s 80°C version of the Hot Water process would require some 53 PJ (53 x 1015 Joule) heat. If this amount of heat were to be derived from burning natural gas it would cost $369 M/y (at $7/GJ). Fortunately, effective recovery of waste heat from the upgrading operations at the Mildred Lake site obviated the need for water heating with natural gas. The oil sand hydrotransport technology, first utilized commercially in the mid-nineties at Syncrude?s North Mine, reduced slurry temperature from ~80°C to ~50°C, cutting the unit heat requirement from 293 MJ/tonne to 183 MJ/t. However, in the new 100 Mt/year Aurora Mine even a 50°C process temperature would still require 18 PJ of heat energy per year. Only limited quantity of 65°C water could be imported from Mildred Lake site and some waste heat would be available from Gas Turbine Generators. A new, Low Energy Extraction (LEE) process was developed to minimize heat requirements by further reducing process temperatures to 25°C in the slurry pipeline and 35°C in the Primary Separation Vessels (PSV). Unfortunately, when applied to certain ore facies in Aurora, the LEE process yielded disappointing bitumen recoveries, necessitating an increase in slurry temperatures from 25°C to 35°C in the pipeline and from 35°C to 42°C in Primary Separation. In 2004, an Optimized Low Energy process (OLE) was developed and piloted at Syncrude Research using a 2000 kg/hour pilot plant. In the OLE process, most available heat is applied up-front to produce 45°C pipeline slurry at a density of 1.58 kg/l. Once the pipeline conditioning process is completed, the slurry is flooded with cold (10°C) water, resulting in PSV temperature of 34°C. The overall heat and water requirements are the same, or slightly lower, compared to those of the LEE process ? but without the penalty in bitumen recovery. Processing 100 Mt oil sand at 34°C (96 MJ/t), rather than at 50°C (183 MJ/t), will save $61 M/y (@ $7/GJ) and reduce green house gas emissions by ~47 %. The OLE process is currently being implemented at the Syncrude Aurora Mine.

May 1, 2006

By O. B. Horne, R. O. Morgan, C. E. Anderson

"Air-photo interpretation and photogrammetry are two of the most effective and versatile tools available to the petroleum industry. The techniques have proven successful in providing solutions to many of the problems encountered in the design and construction of oilfield projects.Although most technical personnel are aware that air-photo interpretation and photogrammetry are useful in the selection of routes for roads and pipelines, few realize the true scope of the techniques or the wide variety of areas in which they are applicable.This paper briefly describes the principles involved, and reviews a number of typical applications of particular interest to petroleum companies. Excessive detail is avoided, rather the emphasis is placed upon the wide spectrum of possible applications. It is stressed that on-the-ground examination generally is a necessary adjunct, and that there are certain limitations to the techniques discussed.Properly applied, however, air-photo interpretation and photogrammetry can offer significant advantages in terms of time, flexibility, secrecy and economy."

Jan 1, 1968

By R. J. R. Schaller

NO. 3 winze, the sixth shaft to be sunk on the San Antonio property, is practically a duplicate of No. 3 shaft, which was the main shaft prior to the installation of the larger hoisting equipment in 1939. It is collared on the tenth, or 1,500-ft., level, and goes down vertically to the sixteenth, or 2,500-ft., level, with a loading pocket, spill pocket, and sump below this. It is 1,000 feet east of No. 3 shaft. All ore, men, and materials are handled through the latter. The winze location with reference to the rock formation is shown in Figure 1. (In plan, this section strikes N.30°E. and cuts most of the main orebodies of the mine normal to their strike.) It is collared eighty feet inside the footwall contact of the basalt and cuts through it before reaching the eleventh level. In this location there will be no ore tied up in shaft pillars, as the closest ore to the shaft is on the tenth level, and here it is eighty feet northeast of the collar. The winze headframe and hoist-room straddle the main haulage to the No. 3 shaft, on the tenth level (see Figure 2). At no time during the excavation for the headframe and hoist-room was the general routine work of this haulage held up.

Jan 1, 1941

By E. Bonsall, J. J. Brummer, A. R. Graham

"A method and device are described for sampling diamond-drill core by cutting a continuous fillet of constant cross section from the cylindrical surface of the core throughout appropriate sample lengths. The apparatus employs a tapered, abrasive-set, cutting wheel, the conical cutting surface of which projects slightly into a rectangular core-guiding trough set parallel to the axis of rotation. The depth of fillet and thus the amount of sample per unit length can be regulated by adjusting the core guides. The freshly cut fillet itself, by engaging in a guide beyond the cutting wheel, acts to prevent rotation of the core during operation of the device.The cuttings which form the sample are normally collected in a tray below the cutting-wheel and appear at about 80 per cent -100 mesh. They require little or no further treatment or comminution before analysis. Speed, economy and convenience of sampling are thus greatly increased as compared with conventional sampling by im-1>act breaking or sawing, followed by crushing, grinding and sub division for assayAssays from fillets (about 1/20 the cross-sectional area of the core) and from 180-degree segments, from the same ninety-three core-samples, representing 431 feet of nickel-copper mineralization, gave the following results:"

Jan 1, 1968

By M. J. deBastiani

The uranium producing division of Denison Mines Limited operates a 6,000-ton-per-day integrated mining unit in the Algoma area of Ontario. The property is located approximately one and one-half miles from Highway I 08, eight miles north of the town of Elliot Lake. The property was staked in 1953, diamond-drilled in ?late 1954 and 1955, and put into production in 1957. Since that date, the operation has produced $250,000,000 worth of uranium oxide from approximately 11,000,000 tons of ore milled, and paid $18,000,000 in dividends to its shareholders. The operation employs about I000 people, and monthly operating costs are approximately one million dollars. From these figures alone, it is obvious that it was necessary to develop and institute an adequate set ?of controls for effective management at all levels of supervision over a period of four years, a system of production and cost control was developed that enables us to effectively measure the pulse of the various phases of the operation at any given time.

Jan 1, 1963

By E. S. Moore

GOLD was discovered previous to the year 1900 on the east shore of Emerald lake, Afton township, Timagami Forest Reserve. It was found in a small cavern in banded iron formation, close to the water's edge. This occurrence of gold was mentioned in several reports that referred briefly to this area, and prospectors evinced considerable interest in the region. It was not, however, until the Golden Rose Mining Company, which was incorporated in 1909, started operations that much work was done on the property. In 1915-16, this Company, under the direction of E. J. Townsend, the President, did a considerable amount of work. A small mill was built and ore was extracted from pits, trenches, and a one~ hundred-foot shaft. In 1927, Afton Mines, Limited, was incorporated to take over the property, and about thirty men were employed for a time. During 1934, the New Golden Rose Mining Company was organized to handle the property, and the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited, undertook to develop the mine. In March of the following year, this Company began deepening the shaft from 100 feet to 500 feet. A considerable amount of drilling had previously been done on the hill of iron formation in which the mine is located. Further drilling was done from the surface, and altogether about twelve holes have been put down to test the formations. Over 2,000 feet of drilling has also been done from the underground workings. The mine is now known officially as the New Golden Rose mine, although to many it is better known as the Afton. To reach the property during the summer months, there is a boat trip of about thirty miles from Timagami, a wagon-road portage of one mile to Obabika lake, a boat trip of ten miles on this lake, and finally a wagon-road portage of one and one-quarter miles to Emerald lake. The mine lies about three-quarters of a mile down the east shore of the lake. A 75 h.p. Diesel engine and compressor were taken in over this' route last summer, and it is evident that the transportation problem is quite a serious one. Airplanes have been much in use, and a winter road runs from the mine to Chudleigh, on the .Canadian National railway near Sudbury.

Jan 1, 1936

By Pierre St-Julien, Réjean Hebert, M. Racine, Roch Gaudreau, Pierre Lacoste, Michel Rocheleau

"Les unités volcano-sédimentaires de la ceinture de l'Abitibi à l’est de Val-d' Or ont été regroupées en quatre domaines litho tectoniques. Du nord vers le sud, nous reconnaissons les domaines d'Assup, de Garden lsland de Val-d' Or, de Trivio et de Villebon. Deux de ces domaines (Garden Island et Trivio) correspondent à des couloirs de déformation, d’envergure régionale et d’orientation approximative E-W. Les trois autres domaines sont caractérises par des volcanites defond océanique de type MORB (tholéiites et komatiites) qui sont en position inferieure; ces volcanites sont surmontées par des sédiments marins de type turbidite (domaine de Ville bon) ou évoluent dans le temps, soit vers un volcanisme bimodal d'affinités tholéiitique et calco-alcaline ( domaine d'Assup), soit vers un volcanisme d'arc insulaire (domaine de Val-d'Or). Il n'existe aucune certitude de corrélation litho stratigraphique entre les différents domaines et l'on doit considérer la possibilité que ceux-ci représentent l'accolage tectonique de terranes de nature et d'origine différente.Les principales caractéristiques structurales de la région sont regroupées en quatre étapes de déformation dont trois sont archéennes et la quatrième attribuée à l'orogenèse grenvillienne. Au moins cinq facies métamorphiques ont été reconnus: I) un facies régional faible propre à la province du Supérieur, 2) un facies de cornéennes a amphibole en périphérie du pluton de Pershing, 3) un facies hydrothermal dans la zone tectonique de Cadillac, 4) un facies régional moyen dans la zone de bordure de la province de Grenville, et 5) un facies régional élevé a l'intérieur de la zone structurale du front de Grenville.Le front de Grenville est défini dans la région par l’apparition subite des ortho gneiss au faciès métamorphique élevé et par la disparition du grain tectonique E-W. Le contact brusque entre les deux provinces pourrait correspondre à une zone de chevauchement de la province de Grenville sur la province du Supérieur. La région étudiée est l’hôte d’un gite majeur de sulfures massifs et de plusieurs gites et indices aurifères; elle présente des cibles favorables pour l’exploration minière dans le contexte tectonométa-morphique de l'influence grenvillienne. L'intérêt de la Formation de Val-d' Or pour les métaux de base et le potentiel aurifère des couloirs de déformation d'orientation approximative E-W, sont bien connus. Les structures grenvilliennes NE-SW, qui se développent vers l'est, représentent aussi des cibles intéressantes, en particulier dans les secteurs ou elles intersectent des cisaillements E-W kénoriens."

Jan 1, 1990