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The locality from where these specimens come is distant about 12 miles due south from the township of Bingara New South Wales, and is known locally as Carney's Reef, Barrack's Creek, Top Bingara. The formation traverses the western side of a serpentine spur from the main range, which runs through the country from the other side of Tamworth to Inverell, in the New England District. It has a due north and south trend, with an easterly underlay slightly out of the vertical. The formation has been opened up at different points for a distance of over two miles, and each place showing gold in the stone, and no place more than three to four chlins apart, the whole distance along the line of Reef being leased. The formation varies in thickness, the smallest being about 1 foot and the widest about 10 feet. The following is a list of properties, and description of work done on them at present. First south, and about one and a half miles from Hanion Brothers' old BalIarat claim due north, Court and patty hold a tenacre lease. The formation outcrops near the south boundary, and gold is obtainable in the stone. In the centre of the lease a costeen pit has cut the capping, which shows gold, and about two chains from the north boundary another one cuts the capping, also showing gold. The reef averages, where exposed on this property, 3 feet wide.

Before proceeding to the main portion of the above subject, a few remarks as to the general question of our mill slimes seem called for, and, with this in view, it is intended to briefly refer to the salient, points connected with their production, treatment and disposal at the mills.It is well known that, owing to the inticate mixture of the constituents of our sulphide ore, 'a very great deal of crushing and grinding is required to detach the particles of galena from the zinc blende and gangue of the ore, and it will be readily understood that, in this operation, a considerable amount of the material is converted into a slime which consists of minute, but ,(as can be see~ under a glass) well definied particles of all the constituents· 6f the ore arid combinations thereof, the relative proportions of which depend on the dual characteristics of hardness and abundance of the different constituents. An analysis of the slime shows the contents to be as follows :-Galena (PbS)Blende (Zn S)Pyrites (Fe Sll)Ferric Oxide (Fell Os)Ferrous Oxide (Fe 0) contained in garnetsOxide of Manganese (Mn 0) contained in rhodonite and garnets

Jan 1, 1903

By Gadd D. E

Since October 1972, New Zealand Steel Mining Ltd has loaded around 10 million tonnes of ironsand concentrate from single-point mooring buoys located off-shore at Taharoa on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Before the first off-shore loading system was installed a considerable research effort was applied to proving the slurry loading technique. Subsequently the system has been expanded and a new buoy, pipelines and pumping system were installed in early 1978. Since then 110,000 DWT class ore carriers have been loaded at rates of around 2600 tonnes per hour through twin submarine pipelines. This paper reviews the operation of the shiploading system and attempts to answer the question: "If the Taharoa operation were to be planned in 1980, would the same research spending be necessary or have published research results since, made such practical tests unnecessary?".

Jan 1, 1980

The exploration industry generally has a low opinion of the quality of the service supplied to it by government departments. In particular, the academic research-related emphasis of the Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) and the relatively low level of explora- tion assistance offered by several Mines Departments are of concern. In a number of areas of geoscience research, the industry perceives a mixup of priorities and a lack of understanding on the part of governments as to its needs. While government's sights are, and should be, set on the future needs of the community at large, the industry doubts that government budget allocations to the BMR and Mines Departments are either large enough or being cost-effectively spent. This is certainly the case for such areas as exploration assist- ance, provision of basic exploration data, and applied geoscientific research. On balance, the exploration industry's perceptions are misguided in a number of respects because of a lack of communication with government. However, this reinforces the need for changes in the manner in which govern- ment departments communicate with industry and, in particular, the criteria upon which research priorities are based. At a time of contracting oil and mineral exploration expenditure, and near-record levels of geoscientist unemployment, the government's role is critical and should be open to question.

Jan 1, 1986

By J Pan, B-J Shi, X-B Li

The granulation behavior of specularite fines which possess poor ballability was studied with limonite fines as a function of nuclei particles and adhering fines. The results show that the permeability of granules deteriorated as the ratio of specularite fines increased in the mixture, and the optimal granulation moisture content also decreased. The granulation kinetics results demonstrate that the adhering load of specularite fines increases rapidly within three minutes and then levels off. With increasing specularite fines ratio, the adhering speed is accelerated but the granulation duration needs to be longer to reach adhering balance. The microstructure of granule quasi-particles indicates that the fine limonite particles act as binders to bond together the specularite particles which are dispersed in the adhering layers. This can improve the adhering strength of the granules. Hence, the granulation behaviour of specularite fines can be improved by blending them with fine limonite ores which have high adhering capabilities.CITATION:Zhu, D-Q, Li, X-B, Pan, J and Shi, B-J, 2015. Granulation behaviour of specularite fines in ferrous sinter mixtures, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 91–96 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By Borsaru M, Wylie AW

A neutron irradiation technique has been developed which is suitable for the determinat- ion of the iron and aluminium content of iron ore fines (-6 mm particle size) on a moving rubber conveyor belt. The determination of iron entails measure- ment with a NaI(Tl) gamma ray detector of the characteristic prompt gamma rays (7.64 MeV) due to thermal neutron capture in iron, while the determination of aluminium is based on thermal neutron activation analysis. For the latter a second detector must be placed down- stream to monitor the 1.78 MeV gamma radiation emitted after activation of aluminium. Although conveyor speed has no effect on the Fe measurement, it has an adverse influence on the aluminium signal, and the belt speed should not exceed 0.1 m/s if good accuracy is required. Static trials on a 460 mm rubber conveyor belt with constant ore geometry indicate that for iron an accuracy of ¦ 1.2% Fe (2a) can be achieved for crushed run-of-mine ore at

Jan 1, 1978

By A Densten, C Gimber

Surface water management and drainage is a key aspect of mine rehabilitation and closure planning. In the authors’ experience, drainage related problems are amongst the most common forms of failure in mined landscapes. The appropriate design of surface water infrastructure is therefore a key focus of practitioners. While there is currently a trend towards distributed drainage networks and avoiding hard engineered structures, in many situations (especially for existing landforms) engineered drainage structures cannot be avoided. CITATION:Gimber, C and Densten, A, 2018. A risk-based approach to drainage design standard selection for mine rehabilitation and relinquishment, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 116–118 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By R B. Venugopal, P Staples

The selection of the mode of transport for moving bulk materials is never a simple task as there are various concerns/considerations applied to the selection of the most practical and cost-effective mode of transport to be used to move bulk materials. This paper examines various alternatives for moving ore from a mine at the top of a mountain to a process plant below (some 5000 m apart and a vertical drop of 650 m). The terrain of the mountain section of the route has added its own specific requirements, resulting in the final selection of a pipe conveyor for this application. The paper further addresses the final selection of hardware used in the implementation of the solution.

Jan 1, 2005

By W G. Rowley

The Fortescue Metals Group story began in 2003 with a vision to establish an infrastructure project that would connect the stranded iron ore deposits of the Pilbara region of Western Australia with the steel mills of Asia. Following exploration successes in the Chichester Ranges using their new exploration model, Fortescue established significant iron ore resources at Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek during 2004 and 2005. By May 2006 the definitive feasibility study for mine, rail and port was completed, many of the key government approvals had been obtained, product development and market acceptance were complete and 1.07 Bt of total proved plus probable iron ore reserves were defined to support a 20 year mine life from the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek deposits. Project construction commenced in September 2006 following a successful $3.2 billion capital raising. By April 2008, the mine and processing plant at Cloudbreak were completed along with the Herb Elliott port facility at Port Hedland and 256 km of heavy haul railroad linking the mine with the port. Mining of overburden commenced at Cloudbreak in late 2007 and by 15 May 2008 the first shipment of iron ore had departed for China. In the first 12 months of operation total shipments amounted to 24.6 M wet metric tonnes with weighted mean composition of 58.9 per cent Fe (64.4 per cent Fe calcined), 4.3 per cent SiO2, 2.0 per cent Al2O3 and 0.047 per cent P. Exactly 3.5 years between the Cloudbreak discovery hole and commercial production. The project success depended on many technical breakthroughs including a new exploration model, application of the surface miner as the main mining production unit, design of a new marketable fines product called æRocket FinesÆ, a highly efficient ædesandÆ flow sheet for upgrading of 2.4 per cent alumina run-of-mine to 1.9 per cent alumina Rocket Fines, 40 t axle loads for the heavy haul railway and a high capacity-highly automated port facility.

Jan 1, 2009

By K Guilfoyle, A Robertson

In the mid-1970s, trucking ore from 400 m depth to the surface was perceived to be the practical and economic limit for metalliferous underground mines. Improvements in truck design and decline development resulted in the economic depth of haul exceeding 600 m by the mid-1990s. Today, mine operators and contractors are planning to use trucks for ore haulage from depths in excess of 1000 m. The authors of this paper estimate that there are in excess of 300 diesel-powered trucks operating in mines in Australia, and that by the year 2005 more than five per cent of these trucks will be æroad trainsÆ (ie trucks towing powered trailers or truck-trailer combinations). This paper examines the road train concept, presents cost and performance data and describes the advantages and disadvantages of the road train system as well as proposing the types of applications for use of road trains in Australian metalliferous underground mines. Truck performance is based on payload and average speed (expressed as tonnes x kilometres per engine hour (t km/h)). A road train with a powered trailer has a large payload capacity and two engines to provide a high ratio of power to gross weight. Thus it is possible to exceed 300 t km/h per cycle for an average haulage gradient of 1:9 compared to 250 t km/h for conventional articulated dump trucks (ADTs). It is likely that road trains in excess of 100 t capacity will have application for level ore haulage at large mines in Australia.

Jan 1, 2002

By Muge F, Pereira H

In the early stages of the planning of a new exploitation, the error in ore reserve estimation is an important factor that must not be disregarded. As this error can be computed by geostatistical methods, the risk of the venture can be calculated for different recognition patterns in a certain assumption of economical conditions. A case story is described for an open pit phosphate deposit in which grade/tonnage curves and their confidence intervals are related to an economic function for three drilling patterns and decisions are taken on the basis of cost and value of supplementary information.

Jan 1, 1977

By R Valenta, I Fahey, M Klawitter, N Spanswick

Zinc-Lead-Silver (Zn-Pb-Ag) mineralisation at the George Fisher Mine occurs in multiple structurally-disrupted stratiform orebodies hosted within a mid-Proterozoic sequence of calcareous siltstones and variably pyritic shales (e.g. Valenta, 1994; Chapman, 2004). The geological model for the mine has been constructed based on a large number of stratigraphic domains which have been defined using recognised patterns of the constituent rocktypes, aided by recognition and mapping of K-rich tuff marker beds (TMBs). The continuity of these domains has been affected by the presence of several sets of faults which are extensional in the plane of stratigraphy, leading to the common occurrence of fault-related stratigraphic gaps in drillholes. Recent improvements to the detail of the geological model have led to significant improvements in the head grade of ore at George Fisher, with relatively small loss of metal. Recognition and accurate logging of these domains requires a high level of knowledge and expertise amongst mine geologists. In order to aid this process, the George Fisher mine installed a Minalyzer CS (core scanner) on site, with the aim of using high resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF) geochemical data and core photography to increase the speed, accuracy and consistency of the site geological logging system. This contribution describes some preliminary results from a research project aimed at using the Minalyzer CS XRF data to perform high-resolution rocktype identification and domain boundary mapping in drillcore at George Fisher. CITATION: Spanswick, N, Klawitter, M, Valenta, R and Fahey, I, 2018. Rocktype classification and domaining of complex stratiform Zn-Pb-Ag mineralisation at the George Fisher Mine using high resolution XRF Core scanning, in Proceedings Complex Orebodies Conference 2018, pp 58–59 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 21, 2018

The Department of Conservation (DOC) manages public conservation land throughout New Zealand in terms of section 6 of the Conservation Act 1987. In brief, this requires DOC to manage the natural and historic resources of the land; promote the benefits of conservation to present and future generations; provide information about conservation; to foster recreation on the land; and allow for its use for tourism.   Locally the department's Tauranga Area Office manages approximately 60 000 hectares of Conservation Park (known as the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park) which includes early gold mining relics and former bush tramways associated with the logging and the mining industries. The Department has recently developed the Kaimai Heritage Plan which seeks to restore some of the relics and encourage involvement by the local communities in the restoration and interpretation of their history in the hills. It provides a unique opportunity for the Department to help bring alive for New Zealanders an important, and often overlooked, part of our history as a nation in a stunning natural setting.   The purpose of this presentation is to: +        display the endeavour and ingenuity of the early miners and loggers, the relics of those industries and the dramatic environment in which they worked; +        identify the linkages between those early industries and gold mining today; and +        promote a co-operative approach to heritage and recreation management involving all facets of the community.

Jan 1, 2006

An account of milling "methods and costs at Mount Isa Mines Limited up to the year 1938 has been published. The present paper outlines the methods since adopted in the milling of lead-zinc ores and presents a description of the equipment now being provided for the milling of copper ore.The programme approved for the mining, milling and smelting of both lead-zinc and copper ores involves the milling 9f 50,000 tons of lead-:-zinc ore and 35,000 tons of copper ore per month.The crushed ores will be delivered to the surface from alternate levels through No. 2 Ore shaft and conveyed to their respective crude ore bins at the crushing plant. The ores will be crushed and milled in separate circuits in common buildings and the tailings will be stored on a common tailings dump. The water services to the two circuits will be separate.LEAD ZINC PLANTCrushing PlantThe crushing plant described in the previous paper was located adjacent to the Urquhart shaft. The crushing plant had grown considerably over the years by the addition of a 4ft. BY-mons shorthead crusher and a set of Traylor 72 in. x 20 in. crushing rolls and, whilst operating satisfactorily, was difficult to maintain and cramped in many places. As a satisfactory layout for the new copper crushing plant could not be made in the vicinity of the, existing plant, it was decided to construct a new plant on the western side of theconcentrator building and provide identical equipment in...

Jan 1, 1953

By M Bettison, R Wright, N Taylor

The primary mine planning focus during early study phases of future mining projects is Life of Asset ore production and grade quality, this will always be the situation. While waste schedule optimisation is generally considered in the latter study phases nearing execution for a limited number of schedule periods only and not a true optimisation considering all attributes such as waste destination location, design, cycle time and closure. This can be particularly applicable in large multi-pit bulk mining operations where one approach to meet Life of Asset ore tonnes and grade targets has been to maintain pit development flexibility resulting in large open pit areas and substantial expit Overburden Storage Area (OSA). The value opportunity is to develop a Life of Asset waste schedule source-to-destination optimisation prior to mine development considering all applicable attributes and routinely review throughout the Life of Asset taking account of improved ore and waste knowledge.CITATION:Taylor, N, Wright, R and Bettison, M, 2018. Utilising mine planning to deliver closure landforms through productive movement, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2018, pp 96–99 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 25, 2018

By B Shen

The Wambo Rail Spur located near Singleton, New South Wales, Australia, runs for approximately 14 km linking the Mt Thorley rail loop and the Wambo Coal Mine. The project involves a 260 m long tunnel in weathered sedimentary and intrusive materials. The tunnel has a low cover and runs under a main highway. This second paper on the project looks into one aspect of the tunnel in detail: the use of shotcrete arch as the primary support for part of the tunnel excavation. The use of shotcrete instead of steel arch, formulation of the material specification, construction sequencing, installation at the excavated face and material testing for verification related to this facet of the project will be discussed in this paper. The tunnel opened in April 2006, and two years on, we briefly reflect on the impact of this design decision on the overall project.

Jan 1, 2008

In Australia, current production of rare earth element (REE) minerals, monazite and xenotime, occurs as by-product from titanium-enriched placers and beach sands. Undeveloped REE resources are associated with carbonatites, alkaline igneous rocks, pegmatites, phosphorites, cemented fluvial sandstones, and uranium mineralisations. The REE are held within a range of minerals including silicates, phosphates, a1uminophosphates, carbonates, and oxides. The development of these REE resources may require new processing and extraction methods. The distribution of REE in the currently mined ore minerals, monazite and bastnaesite, does not match that requested by the market. Exploration for new REE resources should be focused on ores with more marketable REE distributions, particularly with heavy REE, neodymium, samarium, europium and yttrium enrichments. Such ores occur within alkaline igneous rocks, in laterites overlying carbonatites and alkaline igneous rocks, and in placers derived from low-grade regional and contact metamorphic sediments. Lateritic REE deposits may be easily and economically mined by shovel in open pits and are unlikely to require extensive crushing and milling. In addition, lateritic REE clay deposits may be processed by simple hydrometallurgicaltreatment mehtods.

Jan 1, 1991

By F Anthes, U Barow

Two tunnels are being bored using a æHydroshieldÆ in section 3.1 of the extension of the Underground railway line 5. At the end of the two tunnels, directly in front of the Hotel Adlon, the shields cannot be retrieved. The steel shell of the shield will be left in place within a sealed concrete block and the reusable components taken out through the completed tunnel. For the first time in Germany, an Underground tunnel is being lined solely by means of UNI rings. BerlinÆs Underground network is 165 km long and has 167 stations. Some 450 million passengers are transported annually. On account of the urban planning modifications that followed reunification, the network has to be adjusted, particularly in the city centre. The most significant project is the extension of the U5 from Alexanderplatz to the Lehrter Bahnhof. After completion, the U5 will be a continuous east-west traffic artery. It will provide a direct link with the new parliamentary and government district, open up new business districts and the cultural centre of the city.

Jan 1, 1999

Introduction The mine winder is an essential element in the mining of ore in deep level mines and therefore requires a high degree of reliability to avoid interruption of production. Failure of any component on a winder may also be dangerous and expensive to repair. The larger the failure the larger the stoppage. The failure of a winder drum is the ultimate catastrophe, not only because of the cost of replacement, but also because of the lead time in procuring a new drum. Today these types of failure are not as common but many failures have occurred in the past and even today many an old winder is con- sidered for a new and often more arduous duty. As far back as the turn of the century a lot of information had been gathered to try and clear up the complexities of the multi- layering effect of coiling rope under tension onto a drum. Before comparing results obtained by various researchers the nature of the pressure distribution between rope and drum due to multi-layering will be discussed briefly.

Jan 1, 1987

By K Grohs, A Satriawan, S R. Pearce

Martabe gold and silver mine is operated by PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR) and is situated in northern Sumatra and comprises several deposits in steep terrain, and in a tropical climate, that are required to be developed in the optimal sequence for the best possible Net Present Value (NPV) return on the project. In addition, the waste rock from excavations and tailings from processing is a by-product to be scheduled and used for a number of purposes identified as part of life-of-mine planning. These uses include construction of the current integrated tailings storage facility (TSF) as well as future engineering construction and waste disposal projects which includes plans for a program of in-pit backfilling. These plans need to be aligned to ensure the waste rock and tailings can be contained relative to the production rate. Given that the site will have multiple open pit voids upon cessation of mining activities opportunities for integration of in-pit disposal of mine waste have now been assessed with technical studies to review the practicality of the approach with respect to operational challenges and conformance with closure planning requirements. This includes assessment of disposal of waste rock, tailings (including consideration of filtered tailings) and co-disposal of waste rock and filtered tailings.

Aug 2, 2023