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By J Davidson

Ion exchange using strong base resins is a well established technology for the recovery and purification of uranium from sulfuric acid leach liquors. Production of uranium at the Beverley Mine in South Australia includes acidic in situ leaching, ion exchange and uranium precipitation. The salinity present in the groundwater results in a relatively high concentration of chloride in the leach liquor reporting to the ion exchange plant. The impact of chloride on the ion exchange process is discussed in this paper. The results presented show that an increased chloride concentration in the lixiviant solution feeding the ion exchange plant leads to increased uptake of chloride by the resin during the loading cycle. At the highest chloride concentration studied (7.5 g/L Cl) chloride took up to 60 per cent of the resin loading sites. The impact of the chloride can be summarised as follows: for a given uranium concentration in the lixiviant feed solution, the uranium loading decreased with increasing chloride concentration; a consequence of decreased uranium loading is an increase in the frequency of elution, with an associated increase in elution reagent costs; and for a given elution efficiency, the uranium concentration in the barrens is expected to increase with increasing chloride concentration.A few options were examined to counteract the impact of chloride: an increase in elution efficiency was targeted to reduce the amount of uranium returning to the loading circuit; increasing the pH improved uranium loading, but this was found to also increase iron extraction; and preliminary screening of alternative resins showed that the higher the theoretical ion exchange capacity of the strong base resin, the higher the uranium loading.Work is continuing on uranium recovery from saline leach liquors, specifically investigating the performance of alternative resins.

Jan 1, 2005

Mr. P. F. THOMPSON said this matter was one of very great importance to producers of lead. His association with the matter was that he happened to be the Institute representative on the Committee of the Standards Association of Australia charged with formulating a standard for chemical lead, that is, lead used in technical chemistry for acid chambers and the like. The British standard had this test incorporated in it, but those on the committee felt that it should not be included in the specification. The main objection was that in an accelerated corrosion test one was endeavouring to do in a few seconds what in natural conditions would take years; and it was now being recognised that such tests were of little value in assessing the corrosive properties of a metal.The flash point test was carried out with boiling hot strong sulphuric acid; but no chemical manufacturer would be likely to use such in contact with lead. There were many factors such as the formation of steam, the chemical reduction of sulphuric acid, the evolution of hydrogen, the catalytic effect of the surface lead, affecting this test, other than the presence of the segregated impurities upon which this test throws the onus of the whole imperfection of the lead. Mr. Russell had shown that lead which had stood the test of time often gave a low flash point. They were endeavouring to find rapid methods of estimating minute amounts of the more important impurities, which would eliminate the labour and expense of a full analysis.Mr. H. St. J. SOMERSET thanked Mr. Thompson for his remarks. He supposed some of those present knew that the Broken Hill Associated Smelters was responsible for Mr. Russell's investigations at the University, and he could only agree with Mr. Thompson that the flash point test, which had been accepted at the present time...

Jan 1, 1930

By S Yang, J Wang, J G. Ning

A series of conventional dynamic uniaxial compression (CDUC) tests and coupled static-dynamic loading (CSDL) tests were conducted using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system to explore the dynamic mechanical behaviour and fracture characteristics of medium sandstone on a microscale in the laboratory. In the CDUC tests, the dynamic uniaxial compressive strength of the medium sandstone was rate-dependent, while the dynamic elastic modulus was not dependent on the strain rate. Then, we proposed a generalised model to characterise the rate-dependent strength from 17.5 s-1 to 96.8 s-1. In the CSDL tests, with increasing initial pre-static stress, the dynamic elastic modulus and dynamic strength increased nonlinearly at first and then decreased. The results show that two classical mechanical types (ie Class I and Class II) are observed from the dynamic stress-strain responses of the CDUC and CSDL tests. By means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the micro difference of post-loading microfracture characteristics in Class I and Class II behaviour was identified. In Class I behaviour, intergranular fracture (IF) usually initiates at or near the grains, most cracks deflected along the grain boundaries, resulting in a sharp angular edge, then coalesces to the main fracture surface that splits the specimen along the direction of stress wave propagation. In contrast, Class II behaviour results from the combined IF and transgranular fracture (TF).

Nov 29, 2022

By W Y. Guo, L X. Chen, D X. Zhang

To obtain the rock type-I crack propagation process accurately, a novel fixture is used to make the prefabricated crack of rock propagation along the predetermined direction. In this study, the crack propagation process of rock is monitored with the digital image correlation method (DICM), and a mechanical model of crack directional propagation was established. The results show that the simple crack directional propagation device can effectively realise the stable propagation of type-I crack along the predetermined direction, the crack initiation angle is less than 10°, and the deviation between the peak strength of crack propagation calculated by a simplified mechanical model and the tensile strength of Brazilian splitting is 22.76 per cent and 7.53 per cent, respectively. According to the deformation field evolution law, crack propagation can be divided into three stages: microcrack development, main crack propagation, and main crack propagation. As for the rock type-I crack initiation and propagation mechanism, before reaching the peak strength, the prefabricated crack tip is subjected to maximum tensile stress; the elastic energy increases rapidly, and the dissipation energy increases slowly; after the peak strength, elastic energy exceeds its energy storage limit and released rapidly, and most of the input energy is converted into dissipation energy, which makes the crack propagation rapidly. The crack directional propagation device will be further optimised and improved, and it is expected to provide a new method for the study of crack propagation mechanism, rock failure precursor information and crack arrest principle, etc. It will also provide theoretical references for the optimisation of coal strata directional blasting, fracturing, fracture arrest, and other related technologies in geotechnical engineering.

Nov 29, 2022

It is a very great privilege for me to be able to address you tonight and I am deeply sensible of the honour which has been done me. I am equally sensible of the inadequacy of my training for the position of President of your Institute.May I say at once what a very great pleasure it is to have so many members from the mainland States visiting us here in Tasmania. We do hope that you will find pleasure and profit in your stay.Since the Annual Conference is always held in the vicinity of one or other of the great mining fields, it has become the practice for the Presidential address to review the history of the particular field and t(j) indicate its place in the economic structure of the country.I propose to follow this practice and to try and present to you a short picture of thÇ mineral industry as it has existed in Tasmania. None of the information is new it is available in diverse and remote geological reports and in publications such as Witham's Western Tasmania and the more recent Peaks of Lyell. The last composite approach was written twenty years ago by P. B. Nye and published as a Geological Survey Bulletin.I have enjoyed preparing this address because on occasion I find it refreshing to look back and see what was known and what was accomplished in the days when the going was a little tougher than it is now, and to speculate upon the reasons that drove men to do what they did. I shall therefore discuss the search for minerals in this State; the discoveries over the years; the elation with which the new fields are greeted; the disappointments attending some of them; the mines that have come and gone; and the...

Jan 1, 1958

By B Brattli

The dispersion pattern of heavy metals in soil and water is a consequence of complex geophysical and geochemical processes. Metal release from mining sites and subsequent migration occur primarily through acid mine drainage and erosion of waste and tailings dumps. Water plays a significant role in heavy metal mobilisation. Whilst it acts as a storage buffer for the pollutants, it is also the medium in which most of the reactions take place, and is undoubtedly the most significant transport vector in the pollution process. The intrinsic properties of the acidic drainage such as chemical composition, speciation of key mineral components, redox potential and pH are master variables controlling metal release, transport, deposition, reactivity and availability to biota. The mobility of heavy metals is strongly increased by acidification from acid mine drainage, and the discharge of these metals into the receiving waters results in numerous physical, chemical and biological responses in which the environment can affect the metal and vice versa. The result is an overwhelming number of association/dissociation, substitution, adsorption/desorption reactions, giving rise to a complex migration pattern. The attempt to understand and describe the dispersion pattern of heavy metals is complicated by the nature and level of interaction between the geochemical and hydrodynamic processes that generate and control the movement of the pollutants in the geosphere. Transport models which can be used to predict the behaviour of metal pollutants in a natural environment are still in the initial phases of development and their application to real life situations is limited. The Biochemical Cycle adds another dimension to the mobility of heavy metals. Metals form an important component of the food chain for man and plants. Biological uptake of metals from the bedrock and soil by organisms can result in migration paths very difficult to follow. Biodegradation or assimilation is just a tip of the iceberg.

Jan 1, 2003

By Z R. Guo, Y Qiu, X F. Wang

Mechanical damage leads to the increase of effective stress of sediments, and pore closure hinders the discharge of methane gas. Ignoring the influence of mechanical damage leads to an excessive prediction of hydrate gas production. Therefore, a fully coupled model considering mechanical damage-chemical decomposition-gas-water two-phase seepage-temperature was developed in this study, and the model was verified by Masuda experiment. Based on the fully coupled model, the temporal and spatial evolution of the whole process of hydrate decomposition under the influence of three initial absolute permeabilities, three pressure drops and three water saturations were considered. The results showed that: • The gas production rate reached the peak value in a short time after depressurisation, and the peak value increased with the increase of the absolute initial permeability. The larger the initial absolute permeability was, the faster the damage variable reached the peak value. The porosity increased gradually before the damage variable reached its peak, and the gas flowed more easily. • When the pressure drop was low, the hydrate remained stable in solid form. As the pressure drop increased, the hydrate gradually began to decompose. The greater the pressure drop was, the faster the initial decomposition rate of the hydrate was. So the damage variable increased rapidly and the porosity increased continuously, resulting in a large gas production rate at the initial stage of decomposition. • The larger the initial water saturation was, the smaller the effective stress wss, resulting in the slow growth of the damage variable and the small change of porosity.While the gas relative permeability was small, it resulted in a smaller gas production rate, and hydrate decomposition was slower. • The damage variable showed a process of rapid growth first, then slowly increased to the peak, and then gradually decreased to a stable state. When the damage was considered, the hydrate decomposition time to the steady state was longer, and the gas production was about 80.68 per cent of that without considering the damage.

Nov 29, 2022

Mispah form (FAO: Lithosol) soil contaminated with >380 000 mg kg-1 creosote was co-composted with sewage sludge and poultry manure for a period of 19 months. The soil was mixed in a ratio of 1:1 (v/v) with wood chips to improve aeration. The soil-wood chips mixture was then mixed in a ratio of four soil-wood chips mixture: one compost material (sewage sludge or poultry manure). Compost heaps were set up in triplicate on wood palettes overlaid with double layers of nylon straw bags. Control experiments, which contained the contaminated soil-wood chips mixture without sewage sludge or poultry manure were set up in triplicate. Moisture, temperature, pH, ash content, C:N ratio of the compost and the creosote concentration of the soil was monitored monthly. The concentration of selected creosote components in the soil was also determined at the end of the incubation period. Temperature was observed to rise to about 60¦C in the poultry manure and about 58¦C in the sewage sludge within two months of incubation, while temperature in the control fluctuated between 15¦C and 35¦C throughout the incubation period. Creosote concentration in the control was reduced by 17 per cent at the end of the incubation period while concentration of creosote in the sewage sludge and poultry manure compost was reduced by about 99 per cent. The percentage rate of creosote reduction in the poultry manure compost was initially lower than observed in the sewage sludge compost. However, the reduction rate became similar towards the end of the treatment period. The concentrations of selected creosote components were reduced by about 100 per cent within the same period. Respiration of compost microorganisms and counts of microbial populations showed that microbial activity correlated with reduction in creosote concentration.

Jan 1, 2004

By R H. Sibson

Magmatic and/or hydrothermal fluid systems in island or mountain arcs self-organise to critical states subject to perturbation by changes in the regional stress, which plays a controlling role in the containment of overpressured fluids. Whether the magmatic arc is under compression (eg Andes, northern Honshu) or extension (eg Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand) is a key factor controlling the ease of magmatic or hydrothermal fluid ascent. Abrupt changes in the stress regime have the potential to induce major episodes of fluid redistribution. Large earthquake ruptures along plate boundaries may induce such changes over broad areas, also contributing to fluid redistribution by renewing fault permeability along the causative rupture zone or reactivating distant fault-fracture permeability by shaking from radiated waves. High-resolution geophysical investigations of active arc systems and the subduction thrust interface underlying their fore-arcs reveal repositories of overpressured hydrothermal fluids. In active magmatic arcs under compression such as NE Honshu or Cascadia, there is evidence for a heterogeneous distribution of overpressured hydrothermal fluids in the middle-to-lower crust trapped around the base of the upper crustal seismogenic zone. Investigations of the subduction thrust interface responsible for great (Mw = 8.0) ‘megathrust’ earthquake ruptures has revealed in some instances (Cascadia, SW Japan) the existence of a belt of non-volcanic tremor (NVT) with accompanying slow slip episodes defining the base of the megathrust interface at 40 ± 5 km and 350°C??-??550°C. Aqueous fluid at these depths is likely derived from dehydration reactions accompanying the basalt-eclogite transition in subducted oceanic crust. NVT sequences in the hanging-wall above the interface may be defining migration pathways into the overlying crust.The potential for eruptive episodes in magmatic arcs and redistribution of hydrothermal fluids is assessed in the light of the stress changes that followed the 2011 Mw9.0 Tohoku subduction thrust rupture which extended along strike for over 500 km and down-dip for over 150 km, with maximum slip of c 50 m.

Aug 22, 2011

By K Watters

API Management Pty Ltd (API) is currently developing the West Pilbara Iron Project (the ‘Project’). The Project is a substantial greenfi elds mining and infrastructure development proposed for the west Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Project will establish API as a new and independent supplier of direct shipped iron ore. API manages the Australian Premium Iron Joint Venture (APIJV) on behalf of joint venture participants Aquila Resources Ltd and American Metals and Coal International Inc. The APIJV was formed in February 2005 with the objective of developing a long-term iron ore export operation in the west Pilbara region.Development of Stage 1 comprises a 30 million tonne per annum (Mt/a) channel iron deposit (CID) operation scheduled to commence in the second half of 2014 subject to approvals. JORC compliant CID resources total nearly 700 million tonnes and the Stage 1 mining area comprises eight iron ore deposits located between 30 km and 85 km south of Pannawonica. Run-of-mine ore from the eight deposits is transported to a central processing facility for crushing, screening and blending into a sinter fines product, which API has named West Pilbara Fines or WPF. Construction of a 282 km main line heavy haulage railway from the Stage 1 mining area to the proposed greenfields multi-user port at Anketell Point near Wickham, is capable of accommodating large Capesize bulk carriers and providing export facilities for other third parties. Capital investment in the order of $A6 billion includes essential support infrastructure including power, water, accommodation, roads and an airport at the mine.A feasibility study for the development of the Stage 1 mine, rail and port infrastructure has been completed along with environmental surveys of the mine, rail and port areas with Public Environmental Reviews (PERs) for each submitted for public review by end 2010. Consultation and cooperation with various stakeholders of the Project areas, and early engagement with traditional owners of the respective areas has commenced. Various sampling and metallurgical characterisation programs combined with independent institute and steel mill based testing have confirmed the positive sintering characteristics of WPF ore, which is higher in alumina (3.37 per cent) than typical Pilbara ores. *This is an abstract only. No paper was provided for this abstract.*

Jul 11, 2011

The following is a brief summary of the Bulli Colliery and its method of operation when Australian Iron and Steel Ltd. took control.Bulli Colliery is situated about a mile west of the village of Bulli and is some 10 mUes north of the Australian Iron and Steel Company's Steelworks at Port Kembla.The mine is owned by Australian Iron and Steel Limited, who purchased it in 1936 from the liquidators of Bulli Colliery and Coke Works.It is one of the oldest working coal mines in Australia, having been opened about 1858 and has worked more or less continuously since that date.The seam worked is the No. 1, or Bulli, Seam, which outcrops along the escarpment of the Illawarra Range and is generally operated by tunnels, the portal at Bulli being some 440ft. above sea level.The colliery holding is fairly extensive, but the coal seam over a large portion of the area within two miles of the outcrop has been more or less destroyed by an intrusion of basalt.At present there is no coal being worked within a distance of about 21 miles from the surface, the farthest workings being about four miles from the tunnel mouth.The existing main haulage road, for the first two miles from the portal, is not straight; it is very narrow over fairly long stretches and has many changes of grade varying from 3% in favour of the load to 13% against the load.The dumping station and screens are situated close to the portal of the haulage tunnel, and at this point the coal is loaded into railway hopper waggons, which are then hauled by rope to the top of a self-acting incline. The waggons are lowered down the incline, a distance of approximately! mile, the ruling grade being about 18 %.From the bottom of the incline, waggons are hauled by Company's steam locomotive to exchange sidings from whence they are taken by New South Wales Government Railway engine to the Company's Steelworks at Port Kembla.

Jan 1, 1947

By I Neilsen, A Walker, A Hooper

Final landform planning in Deswik software was used to determine if integration into the mine plans could achieve better closure outcomes. Using the dump surface outputs from the Deswik Landform and Haulage Simulation (LHS) and the Reshape Landform tool, the project intended to:1.Review costs to achieve the final landform for several grade criteria scenarios;2.Quantify reshape volumes at several stages of the mines development with the objective to contribute to margin ranking inputs; and3.Identify rehabilitation cost reduction measures such as backfilling ramps and pits.CITATION:Neilsen, I, Walker, A and Hooper, A, 2018. Case studies for integrating rehabilitation planning with mine planning in strip mining, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 93–95 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By R L. Brathwaite

The rocks of New Zealand can be grouped into three main elements: the Early to Mid Paleozoic Western Province, Late Paleozoic to Early Cretaceous Eastern Province, and several overlying Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic sedimentary basins. The Western and Eastern provinces were formed on or near the margin of Gondwanaland, whereas the Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic sedimentary basins developed after the separation of New Zealand from Gondwanaland in the Late Cretaceous.   The Early to Mid Paleozoic Western Province rocks are exposed in Nelson, Westland and Fiordland and include metamorphosed sandstone, mudstone, limestone, and volcanic rocks, intruded by granite batholiths and maficultramafic igneous complexes. The main associated mineral deposits are gold-quartz lodes hosted by Paleozoic greywacke and argillite. Other type of deposits present include: volcanogenic massive sulphide lead-zinc; vein and greisen tungsten and tin; and magmatic nickel-copper sulphide, platinum group element, and magnetiteilmenite deposits. Granite stocks and batholiths, intruded during the Cretaceous, have associated porphyry molybdenum deposits.   The Late Paleozoic to Early Cretaceous Eastern Province includes the greywacke rocks forming the axial ranges of the North and South islands, and a belt of schists in Marlborough, the Southern Alps and Otago. The schists host many shear-zone related, gold-quartz lodes and, in the Southern Alps, lenses of serpentinite with talcmagnesite and nephrite jade. Volcanogenic massive sulphide copper deposits and volcanogenic manganesechert deposits, occur in both the schist and greywacke, and a belt of Permian age ultramafic rocks (Dun Mountain Ophiolite) has associated copper, chromite and chrysotile asbestos deposits.   The Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic rocks are found in a number of sedimentary basins onshore and offshore of the North and South Islands. Many of these basins developed during the rifting of New Zealand from Gondwanaland in the Late Cretaceous. They contain New Zealand's economic petroleum, coal and limestone deposits. Uplift and erosion of the mountain ranges shed gold into rich placer deposits in the South Island.   From the Miocene, volcanic rocks feature prominently on the eastern South Island (e.g. Banks Peninsula southeast of Christchurch and the Otago Peninsula northeast of Dunedin) and northern North Island (Northland and Hauraki), and volcanism continues today in the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The North Island volcanic rocks have associated epithermal mineralisation, mainly gold and silver, but also copper, lead, zinc, mercury, and antimony, as well as deposits of sulphur, perlite, pumice and zeolite. Porphyry copper style mineralisation is associated with subvolcanic intrusive rocks. Erosion of the volcanic rocks has shed titanomagnetite onto the west coast of the North Island forming significant coastal placer deposits. Similarly, erosion of the Alpine schists in the South Island has resulted in placer ilmenite deposits on the coast of Westland.

Jan 1, 1997

Stringent environmental benchmarks imposed by governments and successful legal challenges in the country of origin have changed the risk profile for all mining companies over recent years. In developing countries, however, where high government standards may not always be in place, direct community action has often made worthless substantial investments in otherwise viable mining operations. Real limitations are therefore imposed from these risks on all areas of mining activity, wherever they may be. Thus, the bar has been raised for all companies developing or operating mines. This paper argues real financial and global industry reputation benefits accrue when all known environmental risks, where practical, are managed. In response, among major international mining companies, as the industry moves towards greater global consolidation, senior management teams have increasingly adopted corporate governance standards including æTriple Bottom LineÆ (shareholder/government/community) sustainability reporting. Sustainability reporting is encouraged by improved international stockholder and financial investor perceptions by contributing to lowered social, community and geopolitical risk which lowers the cost of access to funds as well as improving staff morale and productivity. New mines must not only be primarily financially viable but must operate throughout in a sustainable way. Case studies of some recent mining operations, who have not foreseen or proactively managed major environmental risks, demonstrate the dire financial and personal implications for managers, directors and shareholders from not identifying and managing these environmental risks. Merely having a corporate policy statement on environmental standards or high level Government approvals process for a mining activity does not preclude mining operations from the risk of direct action by local populations or future adverse legal implications from risks which were perhaps identified but not mitigated effectively. Methods and processes for the identification and active management of environmental risks in the global arena are discussed to add a practical element to sustainability, based on the authors recent strategy development processes with governments and major mining houses such as BHPBillition, Rio and Xstrata. Emphasis is placed on proactive, innovative yet practical solutions which, where possible, show positive contributions firstly to the financial bottom line but also the community at large.

Jan 1, 2003

The variation of austenitic grain size with temperature for the steels XKSlSO and XK9261 was determined using the vacuum ctching technique.It is shown that the effect of temperature on the mean grain intercept is relatively small, up to approximately 950°C. Above this temperature the rate of increase of grain size rises sharply.Within the limits of the 1-4 hr vacuum etching times used the effect of time at temperature is relatively small on the ASTM grain size of the steels.

Jan 1, 1967

By B Tadesse, L G. Dyer, K Ward

The Golden Mile ore deposit in Western Australia is one of the largest gold telluride deposits in the world. Approximately 20 per cent of the contained gold in the deposit is present as gold telluride minerals, the most prevalent being calaverite (AuTe2) and petzite (Ag3AuTe2). Telluride mineralogy in the Golden Mile orebody is fine grained and complex having formed due to hydrothermal deposition in the late paragenetic sequence. Nineteen tellurium bearing minerals have been identified including gold and silver as well as mercury, lead and nickel tellurides (Shackleton, Spry and Bateman, 2003). Extensive work has been completed on the flotation of gold, gold-silver alloys and gold ores however there is a lack of information detailing the difference between flotation of native gold and individual gold minerals (Dunne, 2016). Studies on the flotation behaviour of gold ores have focused primarily on the flotation of free gold and refractory sulfides (Teague, Van Deventer and Swaminathan, 1999).

Aug 24, 2022

By Frazer E. J, Lwin T

Measurements of coulombic efficiency (QE) for zinc electrodeposition were carried out under mass-transfer-controlled conditions using a rotating disc electrode in synthetic acidic zinc sulphate solutions. Various methods of solution preparation and purifi- cation were investigated using reagents vary- ing from analytical grade to high purity; the purest solution was obtained-by dissolving 99.9999% zinc (Koch-Light) in sulphuric acid solution (BDH Aristar). Improvements in sol- ution purity did not necessarily increase QE, especially where apparently beneficial impur- ities (e.g., Pb) were initially present. The maximum QE obtainable through variation of temperature (T), current density-(i) and elec- trode rotation rate was established using a statistical optimization technique. The QE was determined principally by T and i, with significant interaction between these factors in the highest purity solution. QE contours, which gave an overall view of solution per- formance, were constructed and predictions about the response under conditions similar to plant practice were made. Wark's Rule (the dependence of QE on zinc/acid ratio) was obeyed in the purest solution over the range of composition commonly encountered in zinc plants. High concentrations of Na2SO4 and K2SO4, which occur in some plant solutions, were found to increase QE marginally ("1.2%). The intrinsic effects of individual impurities such as Cu and Ni were evaluated by additions (up to 5 ppm) to the purest solution. Decreases in QE were found to be minimal at the impurity levels normally encountered in zinc plants.

Jan 1, 1987

The Martha Mine is an open cut operation situated in the midst of Waihi town which has been operating since 1987. Since then it has produced some 700,000 ounces (oz) of gold and 4,000,000 oz of silver from an epithermal vein system. It was previously worked by underground methods from 1880 to 1952 to a depth of 600 m producing 5 million ounces (Moz) of gold and 30 Moz of silver. The licensed reserves are scheduled to be mined out early in the year 2001. An additional economic resource of over 750,000 oz of gold has been identified which can be accessed by deepening the pit a further 50 m along the main Martha vein. This would extend the mine life to the year 2007. Applications were lodged on 4 July 1997 for the necessary resource consents, discharge permits and variations for the current Mining Licence conditions. The extension project requires approval from the District Council, Regional Council and the Ministry of Commerce. The consent and permitting process is extensive because of the urban setting of the mine. An approach to keep the extension as similar as possible to the current operations was adopted to give the community and authority confidence in the proposed extension. This paper summarises the extension detail and the permitting requirements it has had to address despite the extension being "more of the same". The permitting process has been exhaustive with little recognition of the standards already achieved in protecting the environment which are recognised worldwide.

Jan 1, 1997

Australian mining practice operates at the forefront of technology. In recent times Australian designers, contractors and operators have shown many examples of technical "entrepreneurship" in solving geological mining and metallurgical problems. Developments have occurred in the fields of equipment, processing, operating techniques and training which have relevance to the mining industry in other countries. Our mineral exports play a key role in main- taining the viability of the Australian economy. Although the export potential of our specialised equipment and technology is at a much lower level it is a growth area. The export of our mining technology can continue to be basically the result of individual efforts but the question of whether it would be war- ranted and desirable, to establish a coordinating structure should be examined. Existing and new initiatives by the Federal Government indi- cate the Government's interest in the export of technology. The mining industry should take a proactive role formulating policy and programs within its technical jurisdiction.

Jan 1, 1988

My paper presents a discussion of the legislative and departmental requirements in connection with the acquisition of exploration rights for minerals (other than petroleum and coal) in the Independant State of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Queensland and he practical problems associated with land entry and land ownership associated therewith. In general there are many similarities in the methodology and philosophy behind the legislation in each country and the contractual requirements established thereby between the exploration company (the explorer) and the government and the mines department or equivalent in each place. There are also a number of differences. I have prepared the paper on the basis that my audience will largely consist of -experienced explorers and the paper is intended to act as a brief refresher and a guide to the philosophy and the practicalities behind the legislation and practices in ground entry in each case. I will deal in turn with New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and then Queensland.

Jan 1, 1987