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By Paul Staples, Fred Woodcock, Robert Grant, Mike Cooper

"Noranda's Brunswick Mining Division, near Bathurst, New Brunswick, processes 10,500 TPD of complex Cu-Pb-Zn bearing ore. Brunswick uses conventional rod and ball milling techniques to achieve a flotation feed size of 75% passing 400 mesh. Over a two year period, testwork was performed using a Marcy pilot plant ball mill to assess the impact of several key variables on secondary grinding efficiency. Four graded mill charges were used to compare balls and slugs at 25 and 29 mm sizes. Data was evaluated by determining grinding rates using a commercially available steady state simulator. Results were critical in Brunswick's efforts to achieve finer grinds while minimizing cost per tonne.IntroductionBackgroundThe Brunswick orebody is an extremely fined grained volcanogenic massive lead, zinc, copper, silver, iron sulphide body between two metamorphosed sedimentary and felsic volcanic rock units. Pyrite content is about 60% with 20% non-sulphide minerals, mainly silica and chlorite.Size reduction at Brunswick is performed by three separate parallel lines consisting of rod mills, primary and secondary ball mill circuits, all in series. The line 3 grinding circuit is presented in Figure 1."

Jan 1, 1997

By Glenn Clarke, Ben Holloway, Barry Lumsden

"BHP-Billiton’s Cannington mine in Northwest Queensland produces a silver-rich lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate. The plant has the capacity to treat 3.1 mta and for the year to June 2006 mean feed grade was 10.3% Pb, 461 g/t Ag and 3.7% Zn. Recovery losses of lead and silver are primarily in the fine fractions. In 2001, the plant was modified when it was determined that splitting the lead feed into two size fractions, and floating the two fractions separately increased fine lead and silver recovery. The fine lead fraction (called the split float) is 80% <16µm and about a quarter of the lead and silver is in the finest fractions. In 2006 to further improve lead and silver recovery a statistical plant trial of magnetic aggregation conditioning of the split float feed was undertaken. While pure galena is diamagnetic the Cannington galena contains iron within the galena mineral resulting in the galena having a paramagnetic, magnetic susceptibility. The trial demonstrated to greater than 98% statistical significance an increase in lead recovery, and to 99% statistical significance an increase in silver recovery, and to greater than 97% significance an increase in the lead in concentrate in the split float circuit. These economic recovery benefits with magnetic aggregation of the split float feed, has led to the incorporation of this technology in the plant.INTRODUCTIONThe BHP-Billiton owned Cannington silver, lead and zinc mine is located in the Australian state of Queensland about 800 kilometres west of the coastal city of Townsville. This is a pastoral area characterised by large cattle farms, low population density and very little infrastructure. The area has two seasons, a wet, hot summer and a dry, mild winter. Because of its isolation and lack of infrastructure the mine has always operated on a fly in fly out basis.Geological drilling defined the resource as 43.8 million tonnes grading 11.6% lead, 4.4% zinc and 538 ppm silver (Walters and Bailey, 1998). At times during its history Cannington has held the crown as the single largest lead and silver mine in the world (Torrisi and Smith 2003). Another unique characteristic of the operation’s history is the rapid progress from discovery to operation. The first drill to intersect the ore body was in 1990 and the mine and plant was commissioned in 1997."

Jan 1, 2008

By V. Coffin, T. Cienski

"(Figure 1) Reagentized pulp enters into the column at about 1/4 of the distance from the top. Inside the column it meets with a downward flowing stream of water and with an upward flowing mass of air bubbles. Flotation takes place in this counter current system while at the same time fine gangue particles are washed off the froth before it reaches the overflow lip at the top of the column. The main operating features of the column flotation are as follows:a) No moving parts. Solids are kept in suspention not by an agitating action of a propeller but by settling down against the rising air bubbles.b) Wash water. Spray pipes are installed a few inches below the froth surface and deliver required volume of water. The purpose of this water is twofold:(i) it keeps in balance the flow of material through the column and(ii) it washes rising froth in the froth layer as well as removes unwanted fines attached to the bubbles at the lower flotation section. As a result the concentrate produced is of higher purity than in the conventional flotation. Column is characterized by very high up-grading. However, even temporary disruption of wash water supply results in a drastic drop of concentrate grate.c) Flow balance. (Figure 2) For the correct operation volume of the underflow (tail) is larger than that of the feed. The difference is made up by the wash water. This difference called bias is predetermined and ranges from some 4 to 15 USGPM depending on the size of the unit and process requirements."

Jan 1, 1981

By V. A. Ettel

Current practices in electrolytic winning and refining of copper , nickel and zinc are reviewed from the point of view of their respective energy requirements. The electrical energy requirements of these processes are broken down in to the individual components, which belong to two basic categories: (a) thermodynamic energy requirements (G of the desired reaction) : (b) energy losses (anode and cathode polarizations, ohmic drops in the electrolyte and in the cell hardware, energy losses due to unwanted side reactions and electrical shorts). The individual energy components are separately examined for each electrolytic process and the potential for energy saving in these processes is discussed. It is shown that many potential energy-saving measures are uneconomical at the present time, as they increase over-all operating costs. The discussion is focused on those approaches which hold most promise for the future.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. Dahlke, J. A. Finch

"A campaign was undertaken during the greater part of 2001 at Noranda’s Brunswick Mine Concentrator to investigate the role of gas (air) superficial rate distribution (Jg profile) to the cells in the final Zn cleaning stage (bank of seven cells). Three profiles were tested: Balanced (each cell with same Jg), Increasing (from cell 1 to 7), and Decreasing, along with an “as found” profile in a parallel control bank. The experimental design allowed for two confounding factors, changes in ore type and circulating load. The Increasing profile consistently gave the best metallurgy (down-the-bank grade / recovery). The reason for improved performance was traced to the response of the first few cells. The Increasing profile gave the highest selectivity of sphalerite against non-sulphide gangue (NSG) in these cells with relatively even recovery per cell down the bank (10-15% based on feed to each cell). The other profiles gave lower selectivity and higher zinc recovery in the first cells (up to 25% in cell 1), which combined to reduce overall bank performance. The increased selectivity with the Increasing profile is attributed to the low gas rate in the first cells reducing water recovery and hence limiting entrainment of NSG gangue. The Increasing profile was subsequently configured for all four stages in the zinc cleaner circuit.INTRODUCTIONThe performance of a flotation circuit is largely the result of the operator’s response to visual clues. This includes manipulation of the gas (air) input and how it is distributed to cells in a bank. A lack of sensors prescribes this approach. Over the past ten years the Mineral Processing Group at McGill University have developed a set of gas dispersion sensors including one to measure gas superficial rate (or simply “gas rate”), i.e., volumetric gas rate per unit cell crosssectional area, Jg (Gomez and Finch, 2002). The device collects bubbles in a tube immersed in the pulp and infers Jg from the pressure-time curve generated after a valve is closed and air starts to accumulate. The usual units are cm/s. It is robust, reliable and suited for plant use.A version of the Jg sensor was tested extensively during 2000 at Noranda’s Brunswick Mine Concentrator (Dahlke et al., 2001). The results were sufficiently encouraging that a sensor was fabricated to suit local requirements (Insta-Jg). The sensor detected malfunctioning field instruments and flotation mechanisms, and demonstrated that gas distribution to cells in a bank “as found” had no particular pattern, or profile. Preliminary testing suggested that a balanced profile (i.e., all cells with the same gas rate) gave superior metallurgy (grade / recovery down the bank) than the “as found” profile. This observation prompted a focused campaign to explore the impact of the gas rate (Jg) profile, introducing the notion of “gas distribution management”."

Jan 1, 2004

By Roe-Hoan Yoon

"Industrial flotation columns often suffer from low recoveries and high maintenance requirements because of poorly-designed air spargers. The MicrocelTM bubble generators were developed at Virginia Tech to overcome these problems. In this system, small air bubbles are generated by circulating a portion of the flotation pulp through a set of static in-line mixers. The small bubbles improve flotation kinetics and allow a higher recovery (or capacity) to be achieved. Other advantages of the system include reduced air consumption, plug-free operation and on-line maintenance. This article discusses the advantages of the MicrocelTM bubble generators and presents examples of successful in-plant demonstrations.IntroductionColumn cells are widely accepted in industry for cleaner operations because they are more selective than mechanically-agitated conventional cells. The improved selectivity can be attributed to the use of wash water which minimizes the entrainment of fine gangue particles into the froth product. Columns may also produce higher recoveries if the air sparging system is properly designed and steps are taken to minimize back-mixing. Furthermore, the quiescent conditions afforded by column cells may be beneficial for recovering coarse particles that are readily detached from bubbles under more turbulent conditions. Also, properly-designed columns offer advantages in terms of savings in floor space, reduced operating and capital costs, and simplified circuitry.It is unfortunate, however, that some of the advantages of columns are not fully realized in industrial practice. Some column circuits are unable to achieve their design capacity, while others require extensive maintenance programs. These shortcomings can usually be attributed to deficiencies associated with the design, scale-up and operation of the air-sparging system. In this article, some of the basic problems associated with commercial air sparging systems are discussed and alternatives are suggested."

Jan 1, 1994

By K. G. Stowe

"1. Introduction Mattagami Lake Mines and Orchan Mines operate zinc copper mines adjacent to one another near Matagami, Quebec, situated approximately 300 kilometres north-east of Rouyn-Noranda. (Note: Mattagami Lake and Orchan are in the process of being absorbed by Noranda Mines and will become Noranda Mines-Matagami Division). Both concentrators began operations in late 1963.The Mattagami Lake concentrator is capable of treating up to 3,500 metric tons per day of massive sulphide ore with a mineral composition shown in TABLE 1. The Orchan concentrator consists of two separate circuits - the Orchan circuit with a capacity of 1,050 metric tons per day and a custom circuit with a capacity of 825 metric tons per day. Throughout its operation, Orchan has custom milled ore from several smaller deposits in the Matagami district."

Jan 1, 1979

By E. W. Johnson

"The title of my paper is ""I 'Wonder Where The Yellow Went"". As you can readily guess, it is not related to an old-fashioned ""Pepsodent"" sales pitch! Rather, it concerns a situation which arises all too frequently in some gold milling operations, namely when actual ounces of gold production do not come up to estimated or projected ounces. The boss man scratches his head and wonders where the missing gold has gone and how it has disappeared. The problem, if one exists, is amplified if one forgets that an estimate is just that - an estimate - and not a hard fact - even though the numbers are produced by computers. And yet, from the point of view of engineering; financial and production planning and security; it is most desirable to tie together all data relating to production estimates, losses and actual production.In the course of this paper reference will be made to the term ""variance psychology"", to a few of the physical properties of gold and to the nature of its occurrence in Canadian ores, in relation to the topic under consideration. Activities which have a bearing on production estimates will be reviewed. These include: weighing, sampling, assaying, estimating residual losses and, in cyanide plants, gold precipitate production. Mention will be made of apparent, unaccounted for and unknown losses. In conclusion, I shall draw from personal experience and relate three examples of ""Where the Yellow Went''."

Jan 1, 1986

By Bryan A. Bartley

"Jim Macdonald was promoted from Waterworks Engineer to Streetworks Engineer for the Wellington City Council. He thus took over the City quarry and responsibility for its performance. The crushing plant needed upgrading and he thought it would not be difficult to make a crusher to overcome a problem. If he had a longer association with the quarry industry he would have used conventional methods and equipment, so his invention arose from a fresh view of crushing.He invented the Barmac Rotopactor after observing a wear resistant chute with a lining of dead stone trapped above a piece of angle. This idea led to a rotor lined with trapped stone, rotating on a vertical spindle. In trying - a model rotor he observed the impact against a circular rill of stone in half an oil drum and thus was started a very fertile new area of developement in comminution. The writer helped in the developement and shares in the patents. Jim died in January 1982, just as the machine was becoming known and some 200 were in use in various countries. Most were working in hard rock quarries et that time but recent uses have carried the machine into the mining and mineral processing field. This paper is directed at that industry."

Jan 1, 1985

By Claude Bazin, Patricia Obiang

"The slurry density (pulp percentage of solids) and the size of the grinding media are often used for the optimization of an operating ball mill. In many cases a change of ball size is made at the slurry density used with the original ball size. But is the optimum slurry density changing with grinding media size? Laboratory grinding tests were conducted to answer that question and results indicate that more than likely there is no need to adjust mill slurry density when adjusting the size of a grinding media in a ball mill. Full scale behaviour could be different because slurry density affects the slurry transportation through the mill and the classifier operation.INTRODUCTIONOre preparation begins with a fragmentation step that liberates valuable minerals or exposes mineral surface to the environment. The size reduction step of a mineral processing operation is energy demanding and the optimisation of this process should always be an objective for the plant metallurgists. Various approaches could be considered for improving the operation of a grinding circuit. For a close grinding circuit an adequate tuning of the classifiers operation may lead to substantial savings (McIvor, 1988). Once a grinding mill is in operation, few variables remain to be considered for process optimization. The ball charge is usually maintained to achieve a target power drawn by the grinding mill motor. The rotation speed is seldom considered (McIvor, 1983; Bazin and Lavoie, 2000) as a change of mill speed usually implies a costly pinion change. If the liner and lifter configuration is critical for SAG and AG mills (Latchireddi et al., 2005), few discussions are available for ball mills (Fuerstenau and Abouzeid, 1985; McIvor, 1983). The mill feed size distribution can also be adjusted but this implies changing the upstream processes, which transposes the optimization process to another level. Modification to grinding media shape is a possible avenue (Cooper et al., 1994), but it remains that slurry density and grinding media size are probably the most frequently considered variables for the optimization of a ball mill."

Jan 1, 2007

By J. Miettunen

"The lining of a grinding mill has an important role in creating the conditions for the grinding process. The main purpose of the lining is to transfer the energy taken by the mill motor to the contents of a mill. The power draw curve of the mill, if measured with sufficiently short intervals, describes how well the lining works in lifting and mixing the material to be ground.The power draw curve can also be used for determining the volumetric filling of a mill. This new measuring technique was developed at the Pyhasalmi concentrator in 1989-90. The measuring device with its PC-connections offers an excellent tool for controlling volumetric mill filling, for maximizing throughput and for research purpose (e.g. process studies, mill linings design).The paper describes the new method and the results achieved at Outokumpu's concentrators.INTRODUCTIONVarious methods have been developed for measuring mill load; weighing, noise, etc. Weighing is one of the most reliable methods but installing the sensor to existing mills is often difficult. Besides the load measurement does not indicate the volumetric filling if the specific gravity of the mill feed fluctuates. Noise measurement has often failed with its sensitivity to various disturbance sources.As known, the power draw measurement is one of the most accurate measurements in grinding circuits and therefore it has been utilized in sophisticated control, e.g. in power peak seeking algorithms for maintaining maximum grinding efficiency.About 10 years ago power oscillation measurement was developed at Pyhasalmi concentrator. In this method the amplitude of the oscillation caused by the lifters was measured. The oscillation amplitude and the mill filling has quite a good correlation and together with the power draw measurement it could be used for maximizing mill throughput (Koivistoinen and Miettunen, 1989). The main difficulties in this method were that the dependence between mill filling and the amplitude is unlinear and that the dependence also is individual for each mill.The method developed during 1989-90 is also based on the power oscillation but on its phase shift. In principle level of the material in a mill is measured. The method has been successfully used for maximizing throughput at Pyhasalmi and Enonkoski concentrators and at Harjavalta slag concentrator."

Jan 1, 1991

By J. T. Furey

"A pilot plant study was conducted to evaluate the performance of column flotation in the recovery of gold from a gold/tellurides bearing sulphide ore, and to compare the performance of column flotation to conventional ""mechanically agitated"" flotation.Tests were conducted in a 60 liter glass column with ground flotation feed split from a concurrently operating conventional pilot plant, thus permitting direct comparison between the two processes. During the test program, the effects of wash water rate, gas holdup, froth depth, residence time and flow bias were examined in detail.The ore had an average ""as tested"" feed grade of about 5 g/t gold and 1 % sulphur, with the gold occurring primarily as inclusions of montbragite (Au2Te3) in pyrite, with minor amounts of native gold. Conventional flotation using 60 minutes residence time across four roughing stages recovered about 97% of the gold into concentrates grading about 50 g/t Au. A single stage of column flotation roughing using 25 minutes residence time matched the conventional circuit recovery of 97%, but produced grades of+ 150 g/t Au. INTRODUCTIONColumn flotation is the most significant innovation that has occurred in the mineral processing industry in recent years and has become an important alternative to mechanical flotation. Column flotation has been most widely accepted and applied in cleaning service where it has frequently proven to be superior to mechanically agitated flotation. Roughing in columns has not been ignored, but early testing indicated that columns may not be capable of achieving adequate recovery and, to date, columns have not been seen as serious competitors for mechanical roughers."

Jan 1, 1990

By Ernest Baafi

A simulation model RoadSIM using the ARENA modelling system has been developed to evaluate roadway development options for a given development panel configuration. The RoadSIM simulation system has provisions for variability/randomness in operations including cutting and loading at the face, tramming and discharge of coal to the boot end and availability of equipment. The modelling system provides a means for assessing the operational limitations of roadway development practices at a particular coalmine. It is a ?what if? tool that allows a range of equipment, configurations and operating practices to be assessed in terms of achievable advance rates and equipment utilisation. Output from the system is in the form of a dynamic visualisation as well as summary reports and detailed logs of operations over time.

Oct 1, 2009

By S. McPhail, D. Richardson, G. J. Simandl, C. Akam, S. Paradis, M. Yakimoski, A. Teucher, Y. Cui, F. Ferri

Historically, extracting dissolved solids from formation water was economically motivated. Today, main drivers are environmental benefits and regulations, as large volumes of water needed for hydraulic fracturing require treatment before reuse or disposal. The concentration of dissolved solids in flowback water increases with each use and may require treatment prior to disposal. Element recovery from produced water is not profitable unless market conditions are favourable, recoverable elements are abundant, and economical recovery methods are established. Sale of recovered materials could offset recycling and disposal costs. This paper describes markets for Cl, Na, Ca, K, Sr, Mg, Br, Ba, I, B, and Li, and their concentrations in produced water from oil and gas wells in British Columbia. It recommends revising sampling protocol for produced water.

Jan 1, 2018

By Mario E. Rossi

The full economic evaluation of a mining project requires a block model that provides an estimate of the tons and grades of available resources. The model must be representative of the mineralization to be found at the time of mining for specified extraction periods and within acceptable error margins. In an operating mine, there may be a reasonable understanding and estimates of actual dilution and ore loss. This paper discusses the issue from the perspective of a project at a feasibility or preproduction level of development. Three types of dilution are discussed. Internal dilution (or change of support) is function of the spatial distribution of the mineralization and its relation to the operation?s selectivity. Geologic contact dilution is the unavoidable mixture at contacts or boundaries of material with different geologic characteristics, grades, or metallurgical performance. Operational planned and unplanned dilution should also be considered, sometimes incorporated by factoring the resource model, but more accurately by mimicking the grade control process. The resource estimation process always carries uncertainty, which is sometimes significant, and usually caused by several factors. These include quantity and quality of drill hole information; quantity and quality of geologic data; grade estimation methodology; dilution and mining recovery factors applied; etc. A key decision is to whether estimate as accurately as possible the in-situ geologic resource or to estimate the tons and grade of the material to be fed to the processing plant. The geologic modeling and grade estimation methods used are conditioned by this decision.

May 1, 2009

By V. L. Eardley-Wilmot

Introduction We are all familiar with the bright and attractive colours of the roofs of our suburban houses and country cottages, but few of us fully appreciate the complex and highly technical nature of the business which produces these roofings. Roofing granules consist of small broken particles of certain types of rocks, burned clay products, or slag. They are used either in their natural state or artificially coloured and are affixed onto one surface of asphalt sheeting. Their main functions are to protect the roof against external fire hazard, prolong its life, and enable it to withstand extremes of weather over a period of years without deteriorating. Pleasing designs and colours are added attractions. The reverse, or inner side, of the sheeting is coated with a film of talc or fine mica to prevent it sticking when rolled up for convenience of handling for transport. The finished sheets or strips are cut into a variety of shapes for roofing shingles, or for sidings which resemble rows of bricks separated by mortar. In Canada, the consumption of roofing granules has increased fourfold in the past decade and indications are that the industry will continue to expand. At present, fourteen plants are engaged in manufacturing granule-coated roofings, but, apart from a relatively small output of natural granules by two producers in British Columbia, only one eastern producer makes both natural and coloured granules in Canada, and these only for its own use. The annual consumption is now over 77,000 tons of roofing granules valued at more than $1,600,000, but about 62 per cent of the tonnage is imported. It is thus apparent that the production of Canadian-made granules, both natural and coloured, could be considerably increased. This paper is presented in order to give an outline of the industry and at the same time to point out its difficulties and pitfalls.

Jan 1, 1946

By Rick Moignard

Relationships between Information Technology providers and their clients are often segmented according to job specific tasks. As a consequence, technology providers tend to focus on automating repetition and complexity, resulting in software that improves individual productivity while failing to address the interdependency of mining functions. For this reason, technology vendors like Gemcom are following partnership approaches with their clients, engaging corporate and operational stakeholders to better understand mining business objectives. This presentation examines some of the approaches that help foster the development of solutions that leverage the information produced during mine operations to improve downstream process control and tactical decision support.

May 1, 2006

By M. J. Michaud, M. J. Lavigne

"A cornerstone of any successful mining project is an understanding of the mineral assemblage and metal distribution comprising the deposit. Knowledge of the precise mineral/ metal zoning enables an operation to utilize different mining and processing methods optimized for different parts of the deposit. The Lac des Iles mine, located in northwestern Ontario, is one operation that depends on a good understanding of these issues. Current resources for the Roby Zone total 94.1 Mt grading 1.66 g/t Pd, 0.18 g/t Pt, 0.14 g/t Au, 0.062% Cu, and 0.053% Ni.The Roby Zone occurs within the gabbroic portion of the Lac des Iles intrusive complex and consists of three compositionally and texturally different ore types with variable PGE, base and precious metal contents. PGE occur as sulphides and bismuthotellurides in net-textured sulphides, coarse sulphide blebs and as finegrained inclusions within secondary silicates.Knowledge of the precise mineral/metal zoning has directly and indirectly improved several operational aspects, including resource modelling, mining, and processing. For example, metallurgical recoveries have been increased by up to 3% to 5% and concentrate grades have increased by up to 100%. IntroductionLac des Iles Mines Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of North American Palladium Ltd., owns and operates a 3000 t/d open pit mine and concentrate facility, located 100 km north of Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario. The Lac des Iles PGE-gold-copper-nickel mine has been in commercial production since 1993 and in 1997, produced 1.8 million grams of palladium, 127 000 g of platinum, 114 000 g of gold, 438 000 kg of copper and 354 000 kg of nickel (North American Palladium Ltd., 1998).Under the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), a two-year study of the mineralogy of the Roby Zone was undertaken with a goal of improving the profitability of the mine. Geological mapping, petrography and geochemistry of the Roby Zone were completed during this study. Utilization of the detailed mineral/metal zoning identified as part of this study was implemented at the mine and shown to positively impact many operational aspects including mining and processing."

Jan 1, 2003

By Euler De Souza

Backfilling in Canadian mines has been practised for close to 100 years and evidence anticipates the application of mine fill technology at an increasing rate during the foreseeable future. The evolution of backfill technology is closely related to the advancement of modern mining methods and the development of new backfill technology continues to evolve. The authors, after conducting extensive surveys of backfill practices in underground mines across Canada, have concluded that, because backfill operations employ large quantities of cement and experience large costs associated both with backfilling practice and cement use, opportunities exist for reducing backfill energy costs and enhancing the application of alternative cementing agents in backfill. Consequently, the authors have developed an alternate, equally effective and lower cost binder agent replacement for cement, and incorporated waste glass into the development of a lower cost backfill (glassfill). This paper presents the results of two design stages associated with the development of glassfill: strength development and flow performance. The advancement of this technology has reached a stage that should promote industrial implementation within the Canadian mining industry. A number of Canadian mining operations exhibit potential for plant optimization through possible binder source replacement, and might thus realize associated reductions in backfill and energy costs.

Apr 1, 2005

By W. Roy Dunbar

"The Porcupine area is in northern Ontario at the intersection of N. Lat. 48° 30' and 81° W. Long. It is 125 miles due north of the Sudbury nickel range. Practically all the mineral production of this area has come from the townships of Tisdale, Deloro, Whitney, and Ogden, in order of importance. The accompanying map of the Porcupine area and its extensions to the east and west (Fig. 4) has been included to show what I consider to be an essential objective of this paper, a perspective for exploration.The discovery of gold ore in the Porcupine area at such an early date resulted from the extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway and exploratory survey lines north into unexplored territory, for the early history of Porcupine is inextricably tied to the exploration along Niven's survey lines and the extension of the railway north from Cobalt to Nellie Lake. The following are the more significant events leading to the discovery of gold in Porcupine.1896-E. M. Burwash, employed by the Ontario Bureau of Mines, examined the country along Niven's base line and noted quartz veins that carried traces of gold. He was attached to Niven's survey party.1899-The late W. A. Parks reported on the geology of the portage route from Mattagami river to Night Hawk lake, for the Ontario Bureau of Mines. He noted the occurrence of gold in quartz veins and reported “I regard the region south of the trail to Porcupine lake as giving promise to the prospector"". He also was attached to Niven's survey party.1901-Charles Camsell, while prospecting for the Algoma Central railway, did some work on a vein occurrence carrying low gold on ground now known to be part of the Hollinger mine (3).1907- Extension of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway to Nellie Lake.1909- Bannerman followed up Indian story about occurrence of coal, and found iron formation. He remained to prospect and found the gold-bearing vein of the Scottish Ontario property."

Jan 1, 1954