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When Matthew Flinders entered in his log `This land forms the South side of the large bight; and besides projecting beyond the coast line, and being a little higher than usual is remarkable for having some reddish cliffs in it, and deep water near the shore', he was commenting on the deposit of bauxite at a place now known as Weipa. This sighting took place on 9 November 1802, and probably represents the first direct entry in Australia acknowledging a potential mineral deposit. Flinders, of course, had no idea as to what he was looking at, nor did he land to determine its content. If he had, he probably would have had no idea of the substance, and even less knowledge of its use. Nothing further was done to this for about 150 years.

Jan 1, 1993

By P Minkkinen

"Pierre Gy showed in his early works that the results in estimating the variance of the mean value of continuous lots depends on sampling mode (random, stratified or systematic), except in the theoretical case that the measurand is randomly distributed in the lot. The experimental variance estimate calculated from samples taken from the lot is independent of sampling mode but depends on sample size and the type of the lot heterogeneity. Variography can be used to estimate the variance of the lot mean for different sampling modes.Gy also defined weighting error, which is made if a simple average is calculated from the assays of samples taken from a continuous object (eg from a process stream) where the flow rate varies with time and is correlated with the concentration of the analyte in the stream.The effect on sampling uncertainty of the three sampling modes and their interaction with the following factors in estimating the uncertainty of the mean concentration is studied using simulated lots, and lots having heterogeneity patterns similar to those of real data sets, including the effect of: the type of heterogeneity (random, grading and clustered heterogeneity patterns) increment size and number employing composite sampling weighting error. CITATION:Minkkinen, P, 2017. Dependence of the variance of lot average on the sampling mode and heterogeneity type of the lot, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending, pp 319–330 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

May 9, 2017

For some time the-mining industry has been criticised, completely unjustifiably, by certain people who style themselves conservationists but are actually preservationists. The criticism of the mining industry - and indeed all developmental industries has an emotional background and is not supported by facts. Some claims have been so disturbing that the Australian Mining Industry Council considered that the industry should do more in stating its position and attitude than has been done to date. It was therefore decided to request the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (which is a technical organization) to join with it in presenting this seminar so that the subject could be examined on a scientific and factual basis, removed from the pressures of, emotion, and so that the media and the public could be presented with some basic factual data and, I trust, convinced of the soundness of the industry's attitude and policy. Many of the individuals in the mining and metallurgical industry are men who chose mining as a career because the location of mines gives an opportunity normally available only in the more remote areas. "These men do not want to see their countryside despoiled. '-The mining companies they manage and w rk for have accepted a responsibility to the environment which grows out of their close relationship with the earth.

Jan 1, 1971

By C Woodall, G Jardine

The Henty Gold Mine, located in Western Tasmania uses innovative solutions to effectively manage a mining operation in an environmentally sensitive setting and has been presented with several environmental awards. Fill is required as part of the mining method to provide passive ground support, minimise rock exposure and ensure maximum recovery of the small but high-grade orebody. The use of the whole portion of leach residue in the backfill reduces the surface tailing disposal requirements. Therefore, High Density Paste Fill (HDPF) has been selected as the most appropriate fill method to meet these objectives. Additional benefits include the minimisation of excess water from fill and the subsequent need for the collection and treatment of water and slimes. There are minimal equipment requirements during placement, thereby optimising mine resources for production. This paper covers the development of a suitable paste fill system to meet the specific needs of the Henty Gold Mine and the successful commissioning of this system for the first time in Australia.

Jan 1, 1998

By Williams ID

Ore and coke of various size fractions (1 to 11 mm) were packed in a column (146 ó) and resistance to air flow measured under a range of conditions. Results have shown that layered charging results in an interface having essentially a directional structure the thickness of which is directly proportional to the coke and ore size ratio and whose flow resistance exceeds that of the coke layer many times its thickness. Friction factor - Reynolds number plots showed large positive departure from the Ergun equation for all components investigated whilst functional analysis and that in terms of bed constants, showed a strong dependency of the pressure gradient on bed properties and the actual particle size as well as the size ratio. It is also shown that pressure gradient in mixed beds follows previously reported behaviour and that a directional interface offers higher resistance to flow than a mixed interface having the same volumetric ore/coke ratio. Significance of results to practice is discussed.

Jan 1, 1975

It is usually the case that the short-term plannerÆs role is occupied by the younger site mining engineer. ThatÆs because mine scheduling is generally seen as a mundane and thankless task. But, short-term planners play an extremely important role in maximising the value of the mining resource, generally the companyÆs biggest asset. A look at any mining operation today will expose the competing drivers behind the operational and strategic plans. Operations are too often faced with pushing short-term constraints. It is the responsibility of the short-term engineer to answer the question of æWhere to next?Æ. In answering this question the young mining engineer is in an environment overflowing with urgency and constraints. Hasty decisions made at this time may have significant adverse consequences to the long-term value of the resource. Long-term strategy must address a broad and expanding number of issues that are generally overlooked by the short-term planner. It takes a holistic, rather than the prescriptive approach of short-term planning to determine the best strategic direction for the operation. To better understand the consequences of decisions made at the operational level short-term planners need better vision of the whole business. The key to improving the mining business is a planning process that integrates the short-term planners role with the overall mining strategy. Future developments in the mine planning process will focus on bridging this ædisconnectÆ between the operational objectives and the long-term goals. Improvements will come from the tools which planning engineerÆs use, and the planning methodology surrounding them. There will be significant hardware improvements to improve the speed with which a short-term planner can evaluate plausible options. Software that maximises the use of the improved hardware will be developed. Complimenting these technological improvements, conceptual methodologies of mine planning will improve to allow strategic planning to be brought within the focus of the short-term planning engineer. In todayÆs mining industry the young mining engineer is embarking on a career where business processes are paramount. This paper discusses the ædisconnectÆ that occurs today between the operational planning and long-term strategy and how this is driving developments in mine planning today.

Jan 1, 2003

The Drake-Rivertree area lies in the far north east of the New England district of New South Wales. Drake is some 500 miles north of Sydney by road and 36 miles west of Lismore. Rivertree is situated 24 miles north of Drake.The Drake deposits were first worked in 1878 for gold which occurred in a very fine state in ferruginous gossan but at depth copper ore became more significant. The lodes at Rivertree, discovered in 1887, were worked for silver but mixed sulphides became more prominent in deeper levels.Several mines operated at each centre and each locality smelted its own ore.The mines at both centres were operated sporadically for many years though production was not particularly substantial.A number of the larger mining companies have shown a recent interest in this mining field with special emphasis on the Drake locality.GENERAL GEOLOGYThe two mining centres are situated to the north and south respectively of a belt of Permian marine sediments and volcanics similar to, and probably representing an easterly extension of, the rocks of the Emmaville district further west.E. C. Andrews (1907) recognized two stratigraphic units within what he called the Drake Series. The Lower Division consists of rhyolite flows, tuft's, breccias and agglomerates, followed by trachytic and andesitic tuft's containing cladochonns, thanmopora willcinsoni and other Permian forms.

Jan 1, 1962

By R Berthelsen

The Peak Gold Mines Pty Ltd (PGM) operations are located approximately 9 km south of Cobar, NSW. PGM currently mines and treats ore from three separate orebodies within 5 km of the original plant. Production from the original Peak orebody ceased in April 2002, with ore currently sourced from underground at New Occidental and Perseverance, while New Cobar supplies ore from an open cut mine. In March 2003, Wheaton Minerals Asia Pacific purchased the operation from Rio Tinto who operated the mine for around ten years. The Perseverance deposit is situated between 600 and 1000 m south of the Peak orebody. Access is via shaft from Peak to 630 m below surface and then by decline to the northern end of the deposit locally known as Zone A. Development of the resource commenced mid 2002 to set up for a long hole open stoping operation at 25 m level spacing. The first production stope was successfully brought on line December 2003. The Perseverance deposit is hosted by sediments and volcanics along the eastern margin of the Devonian Cobar basin and is one of many deposits with the Cobar Gold Field. The Cobar Gold Field has produced approximately 2.5 million ounces of gold since 1880. The Perseverance area had long been considered prospective due to the presence of old workings at the southern extensions of Peak line of lode. Significant mineralisation was first discovered at Perseverance in 1994 when PGM drilled a hole targeted 950 m below the historic workings. The target was based on an apparent plunge to the stratigraphic controls to the Peak Orebody. Subsequent exploration within and around the ægreaterÆ Perseverance area has been significantly aided through the use of downhole electro-magnetic surveys due to the close spatial association between gold and sulfide mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2004

The history of the physical chemistry of steelmaking is reviewed through international conferences, and compared with the Japanese contribution. Subjects remaining to be solved are discussed. Several steelmaking technologies developed recently in Japan are surveyed.

Jan 1, 1980

By Morley I. W

Offshore minerals legislation has been introduced to provide jurisdiction over the exploration and recovery of mineral resources, particularly petroleum, from the territorial waters and parts of the continental shelves adjacent to coastal states. Ratificat- ion of the 1958 Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea has provided some measure of international agreement amongst signatory powers. Because the relationship of the Australian States to the Commonwealth in their federal system, the Australian offshore petroleum legislation is of particular interest. The customary role of the States in mineral resources management, which has extended to the offshore, is under challenge from recent unilateral Commonwealth Government legislative actions in the fields of mineral resources jurisdiction. Environmental considerations provide an additional issue, as yet unresolved, with the delay in submission of the Report of the Great Barrier Reef Petroleum Drilling Royal Commissions

Jan 1, 1974

The impulsive loading tests under confining pressure were performed to investigate the dynamic fracture properties of rocks in a triaxial stress state. The apparatus in this study consists of the Split Hopkinson pressure bar, a pressure vessel and hydraulic actuator. Magnetite-quartzite and limestone were selected for the test. The stress-strain curves and fracture strength under confining pressure obtaind in the tests were compared with those of the conventional triaxial tests. Finally it is concluded that on the effect of dynamic that on the effect of dynamic compressive strength of rock, dynamic elastic coefficient of rock and confining pressure etc. on the blasting result

Jan 1, 1990

By J Ralston, G B. N Kaggwa, L Huynh

Three polymers of varying chemistries and molecular weights have been used to depress talc in a model sulfide ore consisting of talc, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite. Flotation testing revealed a distinct hierarchy of effectiveness of the polymers in the depression of talc (HP Starch > Polymer-H > Dextrin WY) but a different order of effectiveness for depression selectivity (Dextrin WY > Polymer-H > HP Starch). Adsorption isotherm determinations for the gangue and valuable mineral phases indicate that the differences in selectivity are partially due to adsorbed amount variations, with Dextrin WY adsorbing marginally less on the sulfides than Polymer-H. Contact angle measurements on packed particle beds have revealed that the polymers have differing abilities to reduce the contact angle of talc and the sulfide minerals. An explanation of the observed trends is given in terms of the binding mechanisms of the polymers on the talc and the sulfide mineral phases. Order of addition effects between collector and depressant were also investigated using adsorption isotherm determinations for the polymers in the presence of a pre-adsorbed layer of collector and vice versa. Adsorption of the polymers was not affected by the presence of the collector. Similar results were obtained for the adsorption of collector in the presence of pre-adsorbed layers of polymer.

Jan 1, 2005

By Spark R. F

The copper deposits at Pernatty Lagoon are predominately djurleite-digenite bodies beneath the permanent water table, and chrysocolla-atacamite-malachite above the permanent water table. The minerals havebeen deposited as sheets, lobes, and pods in zones suggestive of permeability channels or permeability basius with respect to groundwater circulation.Pyrite is deposited in the form of framboids, which reflects its biogenic origin. Copper-iron sulphides deposit by replacement of pre-existent pyrite, and rarely by direct deposition. The latter mode of formation results in complex crustification bandings of chalcopyrite, bornite, sulphur rich bornites, digenite, and blue remaining covellites. The copper-iron sulphides appear to reequilibrate under constrained oxidation, resulting in an iron depletion and associated copper enrichment, the final product of which is a djurleite-digenite assemblage and associated with goethite. Where copper mineralization/ host rock relationships have rendered the rocks entirely impermeable to post ore groundwater movement, then the copper-iron sulphides are preserved as the ore assemblages.Minor and trace minerals observed include sphalerite, carrollite, galena, wittichenite, and possibly tetrahedrite in the primary ores. In the oxidized ores cllprite, tenorite, and trace brochantite have been found.

Jan 1, 1976

Alcoa of Australia Limited owns and operates a 150 MW power station adjacent to the coastal township of Anglesea in south western Victoria.The power station was constructed in the mid 1960s to supply electricity to the Company's smelter at Point Henry, near Geelong, and is fuelled by high quality brown coal mined at the site in Alcoa's lease area.The open cut mine, producing approximately one million tonnes of coal per year, utilises a backfilling method and has carried out progressive regeneration of those completed areas since the mid 1970s.

Jan 1, 1992

By J van Niekerk

The BIOX« process for the treatment of refractory gold ores and concentrates has been commercially in operation for 18 years. A total of six BIOX« operations have been successfully commissioned since the commercialisation of the process. Four of these BIOX« plants are still in operation today. There has been a renewed interest in the process the past few years with two BIOX« plants, the Suzdal plant in Kazakhstan and the Fosterville plant in Australia, scheduled for commissioning during 2004. Four new projects are also in various stages of development and are currently scheduled to be commissioned during 2005 and 2006. Research into the process are currently focussed on the two highest operating cost items for the commercial operations, namely power for agitation and air dispersion and cyanide consumption during leaching. Laboratory aeration and agitation testwork using the A340 up-pumping agitation system has shown that similar mass transfer rates can be achieved at slightly higher agitator power. The up-pumping system, however, eliminates the need for a separate blower and sparger system as air is introduced into the slurry from the slurry surface. The use of the thermophile bacteria as the final oxidation step during biooxidation has shown great promise. Reductions in cyanide consumption of up to 50 per cent were achieved when using the combination mesophile and thermophile process compared to standard BIOX« product solids. The combined process takes advantage of the milder oxidising conditions of the well known BIOX« process for the bulk of the oxidation and then uses the high temperature thermophile bacteria to complete the oxidation. The ASTERÖ process for the biological degradation of cyanide and thiocyanate containing effluent solutions has been proven to be efficient and stable. The process uses an activated sludge system with a residence time of approximately six hours in the sludge reactor. Heavy metals and metal cyanide species have also been shown to be removed successfully from solution.

Jan 1, 2004

Pipe Jacking has been a recognised method of tunnelling in the U.K. since the early 1950's, although I understand that pipes were pushed blind by the soldiers in the first World War from trenches on the Allied side to, or adjacent to, trenches on the German side, thus allowing explosives to be used with a certain element of surprise! 'However, on its more conventional to the U.K. in the 1950's, Pipe Jacking made considerable inroads into the tunnelling market place as an alternative to timber supported headings. This success was, unfortunately, fairly short lived because, owing to its simple method of operation, contractors paid insufficient detail to the engineering (or surveying) aspects and as such the system soon had a bad reputation for unreliability and lack of accuracy. Due to these failings, the market was not exploited and, therefore, there was a lack of investment by contractors, pipe manufacturers and also by any client, or research organisation, which is client associated. The effect of this meant that the system stagnated for a number of years and was used generally only for short crossing work (i.e. railways, canals and motorways), and then only in good homogeneous ground. Albeit, a limited number of full scale sewage disposal contracts were carried out, but with the lack of knowledge and experience of the clients, contractors and suppliers, (particularly the pipe suppliers), no reasonable success, either physical or financial, was achieved on any such contract.

Jan 1, 1987

The mining industry was one of the first to be directly regulated by legislation in the 19th century when British public opinion was mobilised by reformers seeking social change. In the next wave of mining safety legislation, account was taken of technological advances in the industry, but again, the amendments were in large measure driven by public expectations following a series of disastrous mining accidents with great loss of life. The result was the prescriptive and detailed type of regulation that has, to a great extent, remained with and become a way of life in the mining industry of today. In 1970, the then British Government appointed Lord Robens, a former Chairman of the National Coal Board, to head a Committee of Inquiry to consider the arrangements then in place for preserving the safety and health of people at work and to consider and make recommendations on the need for change in the legislation governing such matters. The result was the 1972 report Safety and Health at Work which, in turn, resulted in the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (UK). This Act, which embodied the now familiar concepts of consultation with the workforce on matters relating to health and safety and the statutory application of the previously existing Common Law concept of the duty of care, became the model for much occupational health and safety legislation in many places around the world, including the various States of Australia. As a result of the `Robens style' of legislation, the regulators of the mining industry have had the opportunity to become less prescriptive and to introduce an `enabling' style in their statutes. This has not always been welcomed by the industry which has, to some extent, missed the comfort of knowing exactly what is required of it in order to ensure compliance with the legislation while appreciating the `self-regulatory' opportunities that the new style of regulation offered.

Jan 1, 1995

By Mutmansky J. M, Organiscak J, Qin J, Bhaskar R

The results of a two-year research study into the relationship between quartz dust levels in host material and in respirable dust in continuous mining sections are presented in this paper. The experimental design and sampling procedures for underground data collection are outlined. The sample analysis procedures for quartz determination, the analysis results and conclusions of the study are discussed.

Jan 1, 1988

An experimental study of the influence of surface active agents on the dewatering of fine coal was undertaken with a view to evaluating the usefulness of such materials in reducing the residual moisture contents of filter cakes. Experimental evidence is presented which suggests that while polymeric fiocculants have a beneficial effect on settling, they can have adverse effects on the filtration of the thickened underflow. Detergent addition, on the other hand, was shown to reduce filter cake moisture, and the magnitude of this effect was determined, in part, by the prevailing electrochemical equilibrium at the solid-solution interface.

Jan 1, 1976

By Johnston S

A blending trial was conducted on 60 per cent Perseverance/40 per cent Rockys Reward underground ore at WMC Resources Leinster Nickel Operations to compare the benefits between batching and blending treatment of the two ore sources. Milling, f

Jan 1, 1997