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In April, 1961, a large pillar was removed by blasthole mining methods at Inco's Murray mine. More than half a million pounds of explosives were used to break 2,120,000 tons of ore in a single underground blast. The 5, 10 2-inch boreholes, involving 435,815 feet of drilling, were loaded over a three-week period, using conventional explosives and short-period electric caps. From this blast, more than half a million tons of ore have been removed to date (April, 1962) through slusher trenches situated in the footwall of the ore body. T HE Ontario Division of The International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited, operates six underground mines and two open pits in the Sudbury district in the north-central part of the Province. This paper describes the removal of a large pillar at the Murray mine (Figure 1), where 2,120,000 tons of ore were broken in a single underground blast by the blasthole mining method. This is the largest underground blast achieved to date (April, 1962) at Inco mines.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. D. Campbell

"Coal is one of Alberta's major fuel resources, but its distribution, especially in the flat plains region, has been somewhat obscured by surficial deposits. After a period of neglect, easily strippable plains coal is presently approaching a position of dominance in electrical power production, a position it is likely to retain for a number of decades in the face of strong competition from hydro and nuclear power. Accordingly, the Research Council of Alberta has undertaken an inventory survey of the province's supplies of this resource.In the southern part of the province and in the north-central forest-fringe area, some strippable coal is found in the Belly River Formation and its equivalents, but major strippable coal reserves in large areas of central Alberta occur within the Edmonton Formation. The survey is planned on a reconnaissance scale, drilling test holes at 2-mile intervals in selected large areas. It appears to show that, in well-settled regions, large reserves of strippable coal are only to be expected where they have long been known; major presently unknown bodies of coal must be sought in unsettled regions or at depths too great for strip mining. However, such bodies might still be economically competitive with hydro and nuclear power in the production of electric power for some time to come."

Jan 1, 1967

By G. Bylapudi, K. Mondal, J. Hirschi

ABSTRACT: Rock bolts are the main form of defence against rock falls in mines. Conditions under-ground are conducive to corrosion. A perception exists about American coal mines that bolt corrosion is not an issue, especially when bolts are fully grouted. This perception is not necessarily accurate due to the formation of micro-cracks as the resin sets and to subsequent rock movement that breaks the resin column’s continuity. Corrosion should be considered when designing rock bolt support in long-term excavations. This paper explores the problem of corrosion, outlines a method to determine the corrosion potential of bolts, and suggests ways to mitigate such effects.

Jan 1, 2010

By A. Hynes, T. Skulski, D. Francis

The Archean volcano-sedimentary succession in the LG-3 area has undergone two phases of deformation and has been metamorphosed to upper greenschist and amphibolite facies. Marine, fine-grained sediments and mafic pyroclastics comprise the lowest observed stratigraphic unit. These sediments are overlain by a thick sequence of submarine basalts and minor basaltic andesite. The lavas are characterized by high Al/Al+Si, Ti values, low Mg numbers and flat REE profiles (lOx chondrite). A sedimentary prism of coarse elastics which was deposited close to an exposed plutonic highland, overlie the volcanics. Massive lavas of basaltic andesi te and associated volcano-sediments comprise the uppermost stratigraphic unit. These lavas are characterized by high Mg numbers, Ni, Cr, LREE (lOOx chondrite) but low Ti, Al/Al+Si and HRee. The supracrustal rocks were intruded by tonalites and tonalitic gneisses.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. M. Hillary, D. F. Sangster

"Abstract - As a contribution to the World Minerals Geoscience Database Project, an index-level database comprising information on 142 SEDEX Pb-Zn deposits and occurrences was constructed in Microsoft Access 95 format. Although consisting of only basic information, the compilation, with full referencing of all data, is possibly the largest non-corporate SEDEX Pb-Zn database in the world. It thus provides an opportunity to make geoscience queries of SEDEX Pb-Zn deposits on a scale not previously available. This report provides a summary of the results of a few such queries both as a contribution to a better understanding of SEDEX lead-zinc deposits and as a demonstration of what even such a simple database can offer.During the compilation process, it became apparent that SEDEX Pb-Zn deposits could be assigned to one of the following three sub-types: Type 1 (53.5% of total) in which sulfide minerals are the only exhalative components; Type 2 (33.1%) in which the exhalative components are sulfides plus chert, siderite/ankerite, and/or barite; Type 3 (13.4%) which contains any components of Types 1 and 2 plus abundant iron-oxide minerals (commonly magnetite) and/or is associated with iron oxide-rich sedimentary rocks.Highlights of systematic queries of the database reveal that:1. a majority (84%) of the world’s SEDEX Pb-Zn deposits are not underlain by a discordant footwall feeder zone or vent complex;2. 63.6% of deposits occur in Proterozoic strata followed by a second peak in the Devonian (16.8%). Of those in the Proterozoic, 83% of Type 3 deposits occur in the Gondwanaland supercontinent, whereas only 42% of Type 2 and 39% of Type 1 are located in this large paleo-landmass;3. median (Pb+Zn) grades in Types 1 and 2 fall between 9% and 10% with a majority clustering within this range. Type 3 grades, however, range from ~1% to ~20% (Pb+Zn) with a median of 5%; 4. median size of Type 3 deposits is ~33 Mt, whereas Type 1 and 2 median sizes are ~7 Mt and ~8 Mt, respectively.The report concludes with a brief discussion of how an index-level database such as this can be used in conjunction with other, similar databases to reveal interesting and instructive relationships for guiding both research and exploration."

Jan 1, 1998

By Peter McGoldrick

This Talk ?Australian deposits in world context ?Geological setting: the importance of the basin fill ?Key deposit features using HYC (McArthur River) and Century as examples ?The difference between Aussies & Canuuks(that is between Australian & Canadian sedexdeposits!) ?Timing of mineralization ?Sources for metals and ore fluids ?What makes a super giant sedexdeposit?

May 1, 2006

By M. Kowalczyk

The successful application of color sorting machines has established sensor-based sorting in the mineral industry in recent years and is considered today as a significant innovation in processing technology. However, we are only at the beginning of the (market) introduction. New sensor systems have been developed, which exploit material properties such as electrical conductivity, magnetization, molecular structure, thermal conductivity etc. This opens up new exciting pre-concentration and upgrading possibilities for many applications such as nickel, gold, copper and other ores as well as for industrial minerals, diamonds and other gemstones.

Jan 1, 2009

By Pierre Laliberté

Introduction ??Mine ventilation is a major consumer of power in underground mining, including air heating (winter) and air conditioning (deep mines). ??Any advances, including the development of low emission vehicles, that can improve underground air quality can reduce ventilation demand, and likewise reduce costs and energy consumption, including their associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Nov 1, 2011

"As part of a series describing the nickel operations of Vale Canada (formerly known as Inco), this paper focuses on the 1973 to current operations of the Copper Cliff nickel refinery in Ontario, Canada. The process used there employs the formation of Ni tetracarbonyl at high CO (gas) pressure and its subsequent decomposition at somewhat elevated temperatures to produce highly pure Ni pellets and powders. Personal sampling of workplace aerosol dusts is reported, with information on specific Ni compounds in the aerosols.RÉSUMÉ Dans le cadre de la série d’articles décrivant les opérations de nickel chez Vale Canada (anciennement Inco), le présent article cible les opérations de 1973 à ce jour à l’affinerie de nickel de Copper Cliff en Ontario, Canada. Le procédé utilisé à cette usine est la formation de tétracarbonylnickel sous une pression élevée de CO (gaz) et sa décomposition subséquente à des températures plutôt élevées pour produire des granules et des poudres de Ni pur. Un échantillonnage par l’auteur des poussières en aérosol est présenté ainsi que de l’information sur les composés spécifiques de Ni dans les aérosols."

Jan 1, 2015

By C. Acuña

The case is presented that the key role of frother is control of bubble size in the pulp zone. Compared to water alone, the addition of frother produces a narrower distribution and finer bubble size. An empirical model is presented for bubble size as a function of frother type using a normalized concentration. The model provides a benchmark for assessing operations. There is no agreed upon mechanism of how frothers act to reduce bubble size. Prevention of coalescence is a common explanation and this action is illustrated. The case against the 'coalescence' model alone is presented and a breakup mechanism is introduced based on pilot cell and single bubble studies. Phenomena associated with bubble shape, velocity and surface flows are used to illustrate the force associated with surface tension gradients. Breakup mechanisms resulting from this force are proposed. The concept can be extended to high salt concentrations which also promote small bubbles.

Jan 1, 2007

By A. I. Gorshkov, Y. A. Bogdanov, O. Y. Bogdanova

Abstract - Detailed crystal-chemical study of iron and manganese oxides and some other minerals from low-temperature hydrothermal deposits in a newly discovered inactive mound in the TAG hydrothermal field were used to determine the precipitation sequence of mineral phases during lowtemperature processes and their post-sedimentary transformations. Particles of primary sedimentary X-ray amorphous proto-ferrihydrite with high silica content were replaced in situ by nontronite, ferrihydrite, or goethite during alteration. Ferrihydrite is the only proto-hematite phase. The transformation of the iron minerals, related to change in the physicochemical environment, is an important characteristic of low-temperature hydrothermal processes. The occurrence of hydrogenetic Fe vernadite and Mn feroxyhyte in the uppermost part of low-temperature deposits and bottom sediments near the base of the mound is evidence for cessation of low-temperature hydrothermal processes. Among the investigated mineral phases, goethite, nontronite, and hematite are stable in reduced sediments only.

Jan 1, 1999

By F. Ajersch, A. R. Hekmat

Apparent viscosities of hypo-eutectic (Al-7% Al) and hyper-eutectic (Al-35% Si) binary alloys were measured in the semi-solid state using a Couette type viscometer at variable shear rates. Analysis of the microstructural evolution demonstrates the differences in the rate and degree of attrition of the primary phase particles which are characteristic of the thixotropic nature of the semi-solid alloy. It was observed that the Si primary phase in the hyper-eutectic alloy is much more difficult to fragment than the dendritic a-Al phase in the hypo-eutectic alloy. For the case of the a-Al, the dendritic structure is broken down by attrition and fracture of the dendrite arms whereas the fracture of the Si hexagonal crystals in the hypereutectic alloy occurs along the {100} and {110} cleavage planes. Results are presented for fixed solid fractions of the primary phase at isotherm condition for each type of alloy.

Jan 1, 2006

By Michael DeLallo

Clean Coal Technology (CCT) ?Technologies designed to enhance both the efficiency and the environmental acceptability of coal extraction, preparation and use?. These technologies reduce emissions, reduce wastes, and increase the amount of energy gained form each ton of coal extracted and converted into energy. ?? Carbon Capture and Sequestration are an integral part of CCT either as constructed or on a future retrofit basis.

May 1, 2008

By A. A. Ruitenberg, L. R. Fyffe

"This paper compares several distinct types of mineral deposits associated with different families of granitoid rocks in the New Brunswick Appalachians. Porphyry copper deposit s are associated with late-stage differentiates of Lower to Middle Devonian I-type igneous complexes. Contact metasomatic deposits were formed where these plutons intrude carbonate rocks and they gave rise to vein deposits in fracture zones near wrench faults. The I-type granitoids were emplaced mainly in areas of thin continental crust and locally along prominent faults in areas of thick continental crust.In contrast, tin-tungsten-molybdenum-bearing greisen deposits and skarns, and antimony-bearing quartz veins are associated with predominantly S-stype granitoid complexes ranging in age from Middle Devonian to early Carboniferous. The mineral deposits occur within or along the contacts of very fractionated (specialized) late phases of these intrusive complexes, which are characterized by high K2O/Na2O, Rb/Sr and Rb/Ba, and low Fe, Mg, Zr and Ti contents. These specialized granitoids are in a large wrench fault zone that cuts across thick continental crust in southwestern and central New Brunswick.IntroductionA great variety of igneous intrusions and subvolcanic stocks were emplaced in the New Brunswick Appalachians during the latter stages of and immediately after the Acadian Orogeny (late Lower to Middle Devonian) and during the subsequent Hercynian Orogeny (Carboniferous). The presence or absence and characteristics of mineral deposits associated with these intrusions reflect the level of intrusion, the composition of the associated igneous rocks and the composition of the invaded sequences.Nickel-copper sulphide deposits occur in mafic intrusions in the St. Stephen area of the southwestern Magaguadavic - St. Croix Zone and in the Goodwin Lake area of the northeastern Mirarnichi Zone. Contact metasomatic and vein-type copper-rich base metal sulphide deposits and porphyry copper deposits with or without molybdenum are related mainly to high-level granitoid stocks of intermediate composition in the Matapedia-Tobique and northwest Miramichi zones. Tintungsten - molybdenum deposits with or without base metal sulphide minerals and antimony-uranium deposits are mainly associated with Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous biotite-muscovite granites and related 'subvolcanic intrusions that occur in an arc-shaped belt extending from the southwestern Magagaudavic - St. Croix Zone into the central Mirarnichi Zone."

Jan 1, 1982

By Robert H. Clark

Introduction During the last twenty years, science and industry have been strenuously endeavouring to discover new sources and new kinds of liquid fuels and to work out suitable chemical methods for their production. One of the new possibilities for the production of liquid fuel on a large scale is law-temperature carbonization of various grades of coal. The use of alcohol as motor spirit, in spite of its relatively low calorific value, is being widely investigated. Its production by fermentation of sugars, its recovery from the sulphite liquors of the paper industry, its production directly from wood and also from calcium carbide, have all been considered. At present the most promising line of investigation would appear to be the further development of those technical processes which yield liquid fuels from coal; since science has shown the possibility of preparing all kinds of liquid fuels and even the complete conversion of coal into oils. The present paper will consider briefly: 1. The production of primary tar by low temperature carbonization of coal. 2. The hydrogenation of coal. 3. The synthetic processes of Dr. Franz Fischer.

Jan 1, 1928

By G. A. Bezuidenhout, J. Davis, S. M. Bradshaw, J. P. T. Kapusta, D. K. Chibwe

"This research work forms part of an assessment to complement the feasibility of implementing high pressure sonic injection into relatively small (2.25 m I.D by 3.66 m I.L) Peirce-Smith converters (PSC) used at Lonmin Plc. Work has been carried out to characterize the fluid dynamics of three-phase (air, matte and slag) fluid flow in these converters using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The investigation has been done to study the flow pattern of the three phase system at high air pressure injection achieving sonic velocity at the tuyere exit into the converter. The 2-D and 3-D simulations of the three phase system were carried out using the volume of fluid (VOF) and realizable k -e turbulence models to account for the multiphase and turbulence nature of the flow, respectively. These models were implemented using the commercial CFD numerical code FLUENT. A detailed study of the flow pattern has been presented in the form of contour plots and the results obtained are useful for understanding plume extension and velocity distribution, shear wall stress distribution, and phase distribution characteristics in the system. The results provide a basis for further development of sonic injection technology into relatively small industrial Peirce-Smith converters with the ultimate objective of achieving lower energy consumption, improved process efficiency and increased throughput of the converting process. INTRODUCTIONPeirce-Smith converters (PSC) have been used in copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) making smelters for more than a century for the purpose of removing iron (Fe) and sulphur (S) chemically associated with copper-nickel mattes through exothermic oxidation reactions. This process is commonly referred to as conversion. In principle, conversion is a submerged injection process, where typically air (or oxygen enriched air), at subsonic velocity (typically < 150 m/s), is laterally blown into liquid matte (Cu-Ni-Fe-S system). Oxygen preferentially reacts with Fe and S to produce iron oxide (FeO), which is slagged off, and sulphur dioxide (SO2), which reports to the process off gas."

Jan 1, 2012

Presentation Overview Corporate Overview Kutcho Project History Exploration Development Permitting Capstone -Pursuit of Value Building a mid-tier copper producer focused in the Americas Two operating copper mines; Cozamin& Mintomines High grade and low cost 2010 forecast: 80-85 million pounds of copper in concentrates Total Cash Costs* of ~US$1.10/lb to US$1.20/lb of payable copper produced Significant by-products of gold, silver, lead & zinc Growth potential Further expansions at existing Cozamin& Mintomines High grade copper development: Kutcho project, BC Investments in Nevada Copper & Silver Wheaton 100% North American assets Low risk ?Canada & Mexico ?Conventional operations

Oct 1, 2010

By Laszlo Imreh, Pierre Trudel, André C. Tessier

"The Siscoe gold mine is ranked as the fourth largest mine in the history of the Val d' Or mining district with a total production of 27.4 tAufrom1929 to 1949. Most of the gold mineralization occurred in quartz veins, hosted in a small (.69 km2) intrusion of altered quartz gabbro known as the Siscoe stock. The southern contact of the Siscoe stock is crosscut by a major shear zone (the ""K"" zone) trending 295/80 NE and from which gold mineralization was also exploited within the limits of the stock. Field and petrographic observations of the Siscoe stock combined with chemical analyses of major, trace and rare earth elements of the stock and its volcanic host rocks (Dubuisson Formation) suggest that:The Siscoe stock comprises four alteration facies formed from a homogeneous precursor: 1) the actinolite - Mg-chlorite facies, characterized by low FeOt,Na2O andTiO2 , and highAlp3 and MgO; 2) the albite- Fe-chlorite facies, containing high concentrations of FeOt and Nap; 3) the Mg + Fe-chloritefacies, which is transitional between the actinolite- Mg-chlorite and albite- Fe-chloritefacies; 4) the carbonate-chlorite facies, which consists of rocks that were subjected to extreme hydrothermal alteration, is spatially associated with mineralized veins and part of the K-zone. The first three facies are depleted in SiO 2, CaO and Au, and enriched in MgO, relative to fresh rocks of the Siscoe stock and the equivalent rocks of the Dubuisson Formation.Hydrothermal fluids introduced mainly along the K-zone ""channelway"" induced three types of element remobilization, resulting in the various alteration facies: 1) redistribution of elements within the stock from one facies to another (e .g., FeOt, Nap, Ti02 migrated from the actinolite- Mg-chlorite facies to the albite- F e-chlorite and Mg + Fe-chlorite facies); 2) remobilization of elements from the intrusive rocks into veins (e.g ., SiO 2 and CaO ); 3) introduction of elements by hydrothermal fluids in rocks of the Siscoe stock (e .g., Al2O3, MgO, H2O, CO2 and FeOt).The Siscoe stock and the Dubuisson Formation form part of the same tholeiitic suite. Similarly, the Bourlamaque batholith and the Val d'Or Formation belong to a single calc-alkaline suite. In view of this relationship, dissimilarities between the petrochemistry of the Siscoe stock and the Bourlamaque batholith suggest that the two intrusions are not co-magmatic.Finally, gold may have been leached from rocks of the Siscoe stock and remobilized into the quartz-carbonate mineralized veins. In order to account for the total production at the Siscoe mine, approximately 1.2 km3 of the Siscoe stock is thought to have been partially leached of its gold."

Jan 1, 1990

By George M. Douglas

The southeastern shores of Great Slave lake present a curious anomaly in geographical and geological exploration, in that an area so large and important, and withal so comparatively accessible, should nevertheless have remained unexplored, unmapped, and indeed almost unknown, until quite recent" times On their return from the famous journey to the mouth of the Coppermine, the band of Indians with whom he travelled led Samuel Hearne across Slave lake. He was the first white man to see that great body of water and it is rather curious that it should have been seen first from the north rather than from the south. Hearne&apos;s account of the lake is vague, and he made no attempt ?to map the part through which he travelled. About 30 years later John Franklin, on his first journey to the Arctic, crossed the lake from the mouth of the Slave river to the Yellow Knife river. Franklin&apos;s maps show all of his route in accurate detail, except that part of it which lay through Slave lake. In 1833-34, Captain, afterwards Sir George, Back made the first exploration of the eastern end of the lake. Captain Back was then on his way to the Arctic coast by way of the Great Fish river, and his Indian guides led him through Great Slave lake by the route they had followed from time immemorial. This route, partly because of its directness, and partly because of its sheltered character, lay through the great mass of islands in the middle of the lake to the Talthei narrows, and thence along the sheltered north shore with its many coves and harbours. Pere Petitot made extensive journeys in Slave lake as well as other parts of the far north.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. M. Brownell

Introduction The Flin Flon mine is located on the boundary line between the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan at a point about four hundred miles northwest of Winnipeg. A branch of the Canadian National railway provides the town of Flin Flon with direct transportation facilities. The property was staked in 1914 and, after a considerable amount of exploration; the Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Company was organized and brought the property into production in November, 1930 (1). Mining is carried on by open pit and underground methods at the rate of about 4,400 tons per day. Production for the year 1934 was: 99,334 ounces of gold; 1,335,319 ounces of silver; 37,486,054~pounds of copper; and 49,427,280 pounds of zinc; in addition to small amounts of cadmium and selenium. The Flin Flon deposit is one of the largest low-grade ore deposits in Canada with complete hydro-electric and metallurgical plants for the production of blister copper and electrolytic zinc. Previous Work The development of the Flin Flon mine into one of the major mining operations in Canada has created a need for a more detailed geological study of the area. Practically all of the information published to date concerns the general surface features. It is the purpose of this paper to deal more specifically with the ore-body and its relationship to the enclosing rock as revealed by studies made possible through recent underground development. The earliest published report on the area is by E. L. Bruce (2), who made a reconnaissance geological investigation of the region for the Geo-logical Survey of Canada in 1914 and established the main. petrological units. Several years later the area immediately around Flm Flon was mapped in greater detail by F. J. Alcock (3). In the summer of 1934, the area of Missi sediments to the north and east of the mine was studied by J. W. Ambrose. His report has not yet appeared in print but his findings are of importance.

Jan 1, 1935