International Mining

Metso to supply grinding equipment to Newcrest gold mine in Australia

International Mining — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:00:47 +0000

Metso will supply two complete grinding mills and related equipment to Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Valley gold mine, near Orange in New South Wales, Australia. The value of these two orders is over EUR16 million, and the delivery will be completed by June 2010. The orders comprise two grinding mills. The first is a ball mill that will be the most powerful ball mill supplied into Australia. The second is a vertical stirred mill and it is the first of this size to be installed in the world. The ball mill will be installed in the Newcrest Cadia concentrator and the vertical mill to the company’s adjacent Ridgeway concentrator. (more…)

Free mineral exploration archive available from MineralsUK.com

International Mining — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:00:49 +0000

Relative to its size, Britain is well endowed with mineral resources. Considerable mineral exploration was carried out by the British Geological Survey (BGS) over a 25-year period as part of its Mineral Reconnaissance Program (MRP). This provided geological, geochemical, geophysical, mineralogical and metallogenic information on prospective areas across Britain. By the end of the MRP in 1997, 146 reports had been issued covering localities across the UK; over the next year, all of these will be made available to download from the BGS website, MineralsUK.com, which has been relaunched this month. (more…)

Bucyrus VFD controls improve performance of room & pillar mining equipment

International Mining — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:01:25 +0000

Adding a variable frequency drive (VFD) to a compatible Bucyrus machine has a positive impact on the bottom line. Costly DC motors are replaced by more efficient brushless AC motors which require less maintenance and have a longer service life. A Un-A-Hauler^®with VFD control transports more tonnes per shift. A VFD-equipped Vers-A-Trac^® completes longwall moves faster. Feeder breakers with VFD allow hauler operators to unload faster without fear of costly downtime. And in continuous miners, VFD traction control improves non-productive move times as well as sump and cut performance. (more…)

Combating acid rock drainage (ARD): industry collaborates on ARD Guide

International Mining — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:56:04 +0000

The Global Acid-Rock Drainage (GARD) Guide is a recent development to support sustainable management of ARD. This internet-based global best practices guide for the prevention and mitigation of ARD was recently published by the International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP). INAP is an international consortium of major mining companies, working collectively to combat the issue of ARD. The guide’s objectives are to promulgate best practice in the prediction, prevention and mitigation of ARD. It endorses a risk-based, proactive and consistent approach by encouraging the reduction and control of ARD at its source by incorporating best-management practices into a mine’s operation throughout its lifecycle, as part of a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ approach. (more…)

High technology products from methane: Australian/Indian joint venture

International Mining — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:26:52 +0000

Eden Energy has executed a non-binding terms sheet with Indian Oil Corp (IOCL) through which, subject to certain conditions being satisfied, the two companies will enter into a farm-in agreement to scale up a new Pyrolysis technology jointly developed by Eden and the University of Queensland, to produce hydrogen and ultra-strong solid carbon fibres and nanotubes from methane gas. (more…)

Chile’s gold riches: Maricunga and its big three - El Morro, Cerro Casale and Caspiche

International Mining — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:52:00 +0000

By Marc Davis, www.BNWnews.ca As the gold market continues its lustrous trend, the corporate elbowing and shoving to get at the richest buried treasures is getting increasingly cutthroat. A prime example involves northern Chile’s clutch of mostly prolifically sized gold/copper deposits. Located in the Maricunga Gold Belt, five deposits are in various advanced stages of development while a trio of mines is already making money. All of them represent rich veins of opportunity for supply-hungry gold and copper producers. (more…)

RIEGL’s fully integrated VMX-250 mobile laser scanning system ready for serial production

International Mining — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:39:19 +0000

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems’ VMX-250 Mobile Scanning System, which was first introduced at the INTERGEO Exhibition, Karlsruhe, 2009, is now readily available. It consists of two RIEGL VQ-250 ‘full circle’ laser scanners, which combined can achieve 600,000 measurements per second, enabling extremely fast, efficient and highly mapping. (more…)

High altitude Sandvik Mining and Construction partnership with Barrick in Pascua-Lama

International Mining — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:33:11 +0000

Sandvik has come to an agreement with Barrick regarding the supply of several classifications of equipment for its Pascua-Lama project. Sandvik says: “Barrick’s positive experiences with Sandvik products in the past and the results generated by the proactive relationship between and within the two organizations will benefit both companies. At Pascua-Lama’s 5,200-m altitude all equipment must be able to operate under these low-oxygen and cold conditions - requirements that Sandvik was able to meet across all product categories. (more…)

Leading mining companies commit to support partnerships for development to alleviate poverty

International Mining — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:20:13 +0000

At the Mining INDABA in Cape Town, the Honourable Minister Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister for Land and Natural Resources - Ghana, and Mark Cutifani, CEO of AngloGold Ashanti, jointly launched a new initiative. Mining: Partnerships for Development is a global initiative to enhance mining’s contribution to development and poverty reduction through multi-stakeholder partnerships. (more…)

New MSHA program to focus more attention and enforcement during mine inspections

International Mining — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:00:18 +0000

Karen Johnston at Jackson Kelly PLLC advises us that on January 27, 2010, Joseph A. (Joe) Main, Assistant Secretary of Labour for Mine Safety and Health, and MSHA unveiled an upcoming enforcement program to prevent fatalities within the industry. The program will be titled “Prevent Fatalities - Rules to Live By.“ MSHA plans to start implementation of the program on March 15. MSHA has developed a system of what it is calling ‘Priority Standards’ to be adhered to. (more…)