In the area of Bukit Asam, South Sumatra, hard brown coal and higher-ranking coal have been mined in open pits since 1942. Open-pit mines in this area must contend with heavy surface run-off caused by servere tropical storms. After several years of preparatory work, Air Laya open pit started to remove overburden in late 1985; coal has been produced since early 1987. Questions concerning mine dewatering have been of decisive influence in all phases of the project, i.e. planning, development and operation. The climate and surface run-off, the drainage concept, its implementation and problems are gone into. (MOS).

The uses and applications of high-speed photography in open pit and strip coal mines are described. Topics covered include cameras, blast photography accessories, equipment selection factors, set-up procedures, film analysis; the use of photography to enhance blast fragmentation, select delays and maximize blast throw in dragline coal mines is also discussed.

The paper explores how electric drive haul trucks and mine management technologies can combine to maximise haulage and productivity in open-pit mining. It describes operations at TransAlta's coal mine in Centralia, Washington, USA. Two of Komatsu America Corp's 320 t, 930E-3 haul trucks were commissioned in 2003. Operations are further streamlined by an advanced mine management systems installed by Modular Mining systems, the MineCare{reg_sign} and DISPATCH{reg_sign}systems. 4 figs.

This work takes place into the Bierzo Region, located in northeast of the province of Leon (Spain). In this area numerous open-pit and underground coal mines exist. Some of them are still in activity but almost have been abandoned. In any case, mining implies the presence of coal adits, spoil dumps, tailing dams, and coal-washing plants at the river bank. Most of them persist when mining have finished. (Author)

The bucket wheel reclaimer type Ld (3800x2600)/60 described in the following, will be operating the coal stockpile situated between the open pit mine and the power station, and as of September 1983 will continuously reclaim the coal from the stockpile at a daily output of 120,000 t.

The Drmno deposit is located in the eastern part of the Kostolac coal basin of Serbia. This paper discussed the characteristics of the open pit Drmno coal mine for long-term thermo power plant supply regarding desulphurization device. The paper provided background information on the Drmno deposit, including geologic exploration; rock type; coal layers; and a systematization of characteristics of coal. Several charts and figures were presented, including the boundary of the Drmno open pit mine on the terrain and the roof of the coal seam; a map of combustible sulphur content in the third coal seam; and exploitative quality of coal exploitation periods. It was concluded that decreasing of the emissions of sulphur oxides from the thermal power plant will be one of the highest priority tasks of EPS. 3 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs.

Shovel-truck systems for loading and hauling material in open pit mines are now routinely analysed using simulation models or off-the-shelf simulation software packages, which can be very expensive for once-off or occasional use. The simulation models invariably produce different estimations of fleet sizes due to their differing estimations of cycle time. No single model or package can accurately estimate the required fleet size because the fleet operating parameters are characteristically random and dynamic. In order to improve confidence in sizing the fleet for a mining project, at least two estimation models should be used. This paper demonstrates that the Machine Repair Model can be modified and used as a model for estimating truck fleet size in an open pit shovel-truck system. The modified Machine Repair Model is first applied to a virtual open pit mine case study. The results compare favourably to output from other estimation models using the same input parameters for the virtual mine. The modified Machine Repair Model is further applied to an existing open pit coal operation, the Kwagga Section of Optimum Colliery as a case study. Again the results confirm those obtained from the virtual mine case study. It is concluded that the Machine Repair Model can be an affordable model compared to off-the-shelf generic software because it is easily modelled in Microsoft Excel, a software platform that most mines already use.

Presently, Vietnam is on the way of industrialization and modernization. The coal mining sector has a noticeable role in this task, because it is an important power for the development of heavy industries. Open pit mining has been contributing a great deal to the total output of coal produced in Vietnam now. They are confronted with major problems in terms of output, technology and environment. In order to secure their stable position in Vietnam's coal mining sector in particular and in the country's coal mining sector in general also in the future, the surface coal mines should gear their technology, equipment and management to future demands and need to adapt the appropriate strategy for their development in the future. This is by no means the responsibility of the Vietnamese surface coal mines alone, but that of the Vietnam Coal Corporation as well as the Ministries and Government, too. (orig.)

Vietnam's coal industry is being forced to increase production to meet demands. Production may increase from 33 million tons in 2006 to 75 million tons in 2025. All increased production may have to come from underground as oppose to open-pit production and deepening of underground mines may be inevitable. The author presents some apprehensions on safety management that will need consideration in mines are deepened. 2 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.

In 1985 China set a new national production record of 847 Mt of raw coal, an increase of 9.8% on the 771.6 Mt produced in 1984. Coal contributes some 70% of the country's total energy resources. The government has set a target of raw coal production amounting to 1000 Mt/y in 1990. At that time 56% of the coal cutting in major mines is to be semi- mechanised and another 29% will be fully mechanised. Mine safety and environmental protection will also be improved significantly. The current trend is to emphasise the modernisation of established underground mines in major coal mining areas to meet short term production goals. Development of open pits will continue but at a slower pace. The paper describes production in the following mining areas; Pingshuo, Luan and Jucheng, Zhugeer coalfield, NEIMCC, Panxie, Jisrig, Yimiske, Huakig, Xiangning and Shenmu.

Open-pit slopes must be stable under varying engineering-geological conditions. Basic difficulties of coal mining are related to the estimation of engineering-geological conditions and structural circumstances in the deposit. During preliminary exploration these conditions may be estimated in relation to final slope stability by examination of a number of characteristics; the strength of lithological members, orientation of areas weakened by loose rock, thickness, pressure, etc. The development of an analog exploration information system in a computer is discussed.

Using two methods of numerical simulation and similar simulation, the failure problems of an open-pit slope under the condition of combining open-pit mining with underground mining were analyzed and discussed. The results show that the failure of an open-pit slope is a gradual process. In order to guarantee that normal open-pit mine production works well, the explored boundary must be controlled properly by the vertical stature of safe mining. By analysis of a similar simulation, the mining order can be optimized. 14 refs., 8 figs.

The article illustrates the need for Thailand to make use of potential domestic energy resources, with data on the gross domestic product, economic growth, and in balance of trade, as well as Thailand's gross energy consumption over the last decade. Government policy aimed at reducing Thailand's dependency on imported oil by encouraging the use of coal is reviewed; the Mah Mon Mine, with a projected tonnage making it one of the world's largest open pit mines is described. Also covered are coal reserves, production, imports, end use markets and future plans.

To extract the oil at these locations, oil producers remove the sand in big, open- pit mines, ... Great Canadian Oil Sands opened the first large-scale mine in 1967, but growth was ... Forests must be cleared for both open-pit and in situ mining.

Equipment selection is one of the most important factors in open pit design and production planning. Equipment selection also affects economic considerations in open-pit design as a function of plan location and depth. Furthermore, equipment selection is a complex multi-person, multi-criteria decision problem. The group decision-making process can be improved by a systematic and logical approach to assess priorities based on the inputs of several specialists from different functional areas within the mine company. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can be used by decision-makers with different conflicting objectives to arrive at a consensus decision. In this paper, the selection of a loading-haulings system using an AHP-based model was evaluated for coal production in an open pit coal mine located Orhaneli, in western Turkey. The use of the proposed model indicates that it can be applied to improve group decision making in selecting equipment that satisfies optimal specifications. Also, it is found that the decision process is systematic and that using the proposed AHP model can reduce the time taken to select optimal equipment.

For the purpose of making effective technology exchanges and surveying levels of technology in Indonesia and the needs and possibilities of technology transfer from Japan, workshop was held in Jakarta city on March 1, 2001. Subjects were the following seven: subjects on coal resource and technical strategy in the 21st century, challenge in coal development in Indonesia, geological structure survey at Tanjung Enim coal mine, waste water treatment in Indonesia, outlook for underground mining coal mines, joint research on the centralized monitoring system, and introduction of the optimum high wall coal mining system into open pit mining coal mines in Indonesia. The coal production amount in Indonesia was 75 million tons, and the domestic demand was 22 million tons. Japan imported 14 million tons from Indonesia. In coal mines in Indonesia, most of the coal preparation plants have no waste water treatment facilities. Considering that waste water treatment facilities are necessary for the plants in future, the joint research was made on the simple coal preparation waste water treatment system. (NEDO)

A method of distributing investments to obtain a productive effective increase and to maintain it is examined. The methodology is to be used to determine the absolute efficacy of investing in open-pit mining. The dynamics of the absolute efficacy of investing in a Kuzbas open-pit mine for a 20-year period are presented.

The objective of the Cerrejon Coal Project is to mine and export a minimum of 15 million metric tons per year of bituminous coal from the Guajira Pennisula in Colombia, South America. Major components of the project will include an open pit mine, 150 km railroad, marine terminal for storage and shipping, and accommodations for the support personnel. This paper primarily reviews the coal handling facilities at the mine and port which will include crushers, conveyors, silos, stacker/reclaimers, and a shiploader. Of special interest is the design concept for unloading bottom-dump railcars, a programmable controller control system with automatic stacking and reclaiming, a linear-type shiploader, and 2.4m wide conveyors running at 5 m/sec.

Slope design in an open pit mine includes determining bench height, bench face angle and berm width. Case histories are presented of two highwall slopes (160 and 220 m or 525 and 720 ft high) excavated in dipping strata in an operating coal mine, Manalta Coal`s Gregg River mine in West-central Alberta. These examples illustrate the influence that bench face angle can have on the stability of an entire slope. The two highwall slopes, the lower of which experienced significant instability, were excavated in approximately the same lithologic and structural environment. The main differences between the slopes were the angle at which the bench faces were excavated and the excavating methods that were used. Relevant aspects are also described of the engineering geology, slope design and excavation procedures. 6 figs.

Features: OPEN PIT COPPER MINES, GREEN VALLEY, SAHUARITA ... The mine pits are recognizable by the concentric lines of benches cut into the pit sides. ... access to the fresh ore (gray) exposed at the bottom of the excavation.

This astronaut photograph illustrates three open-pit mines located ... The mine pits are recognizable by the concentric lines of benches cut into the pit sides. ... personnel access to the fresh ore (gray) exposed at the bottom of the excavation.

Pingzhuang Basin is a semi-grabenal fault basin of early Mesozoic age in China. Yuanbaoshan Formation of Lower Cretaceous is the main coal measure of the basin. The thickness of coal seams and the number of coal seams in each mining area vary through out the basin. The main coal-forming environments of the basin are lacustrine, lake-margin-fan-delta, lake-margin-delta, alluvial fan and fluvial faces. The coal-forming environment of different mining areas and seams in the basin varies. Ershijiazi Mining Area, which is located in the northeastern part of the basin, is mainly forefan-marsh and lakeside coal-formation; Silongtougou Mining Area, which is located in the southwestern part of the basin, is mainly lake-margin-delta coal-formation; Gushan Mining Area and West Open Pit Mining Area, which is located in the center of the basin, are mainly lakeside, lake-margin-delta-plain, lake-margin-fan-delta coal-formation. The distribution of element contents of coals in different mining areas and seams differs. At Silongtougou, the contents of most minor and trace elements are low except strontium. At Ershijiazi, the contents of some elements, such as Fe, Co, Ni, As, Sb, Sc, Cs and U, are high in the basin, and the contents of Ba, Sr and Hf are low. At West Open Pit, the contents of most elements, such as Fe, Zn, Co, Ni, As, Sb, K, Sc, Cs, Zr, U and Hf, are stable in the different seams, and the contents of these elements are intermediate in the basin. The contents of other elements in the area are low. At Gushan, the contents of all elements in seam 5 are low, and in seam 6 are high. The elements similar in geochemical characteristics have good correlation. The main correlated elements are due to the formations of the organic molecular structures of coals and/or the formations of inorganic minerals in coals. The rare-earth-element (REE) contents of coals in different mining areas and seams also differ, but the REE distribution patterns of all coals are alike. This indicates that the coal-forming conditions of the basin are stable. There is a good relationship between the contents of minor and trace elements and the coal-forming environments.

Overburden benches in the Libik open pit mine in the Sokolov bituminous coal basin since 1979 have been partially located in the Gustav-1 open pit mine, which in the 50s was filled in with alluvial overburden rock. The excavation of this rock, which today comprises 60 percent of the total volume of overburden, is very difficult. The significant volumes of alluvial piles must be worked with sufficient lead time so as not to delay the remaining excavation and coal mining in the Libik open cut mine. The research and operational experience has made it possible to come to the following conclusions: 1) it is best to excavate the alluvial deposits using small machinery 2) the single-bucket excavators must progress along special wooden planking 7 meters in length, 3) the height of the benches in the alluvial deposits must be between 3 and 6 meters and be no less than 50 meters in width, 4) it is necessary to avoid as much as possible the excavation of alluvial deposits below the operating rail route, 5) the working of the upper bench should proceed with maximum advance time, 6) primary attention should be devoted to the benches in contact with the rock massif and the alluvial materials, 7) across the entire area of the alluvial banks it is necessary to create a thick network of drainage channels.

Ferm classified lithological units have been identified and described in the Waikato Coal Measures in open pits in the Waikato coal region. These lithological units have been classified geotechnically with mechanical tests and discontinuity measurements. Using these measurements, slope stability probability classification (SSPC) have been quantified based on an adaption of Hack's SSPC system which places less influence on rock quality designation and unconfined compressive strength than previous rock mass rating systems. An attempt has been made to modify the Hack weathering susceptibility rating by using chemical index of alteration values from XRF major element analysis. Another major component of this adapted SSPC system is the inclusion of rock moisture content effects on slope stability. The paper explains the systematic initial approach of using the adapted SSPC system to classify slope stability in the Waikato open pit coal mines. The XRF major element results obtained for lithologies in the Waikato coal region may be a useful mine management tool to quantify stratigraphic thickness and palaeoweathering from wash drill cuttings. 14 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

In the LAUBAG open pit mines, lignites with xylite contents of approximately 3% to 15% are extracted. In coal upgrading factories and power plants, xylite is not desired since it can cause various operating problems and partially impairs product quality. Lignitic xylite has many advantageous material properties. These can be used for the production of new, high-grade building or basic materials made of xylite. Under optimal breaking up and briquetting conditions, moulded pieces with a very high compression and bending strength, high hardness, and high water resistance are generated from the fibrous xylite. (orig.)

Subbituminous coals, taken from a freshly mined open pit as well as from nine drillholes in the Whitewood Mine, Alberta, were analyzed for their elemental and radionuclide concentration. Furthermore, the coal ash was analyzed for major oxides, and a comparison was made with coals of similar rank and present only 12 km away, in the Highvale Mine. The Whitewood Mine coals are clean by world standards and do not contain any environmentally deleterious elements in excess amounts. They are suitable for utilization, but care should be taken to minimize the negative opacity effects on the electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). The low Na{sub 2}O content in the coals, particularly in the open-pit samples, may affect ash resistivity. This could result in a decrease in the flow of current and thus a decrease in the precipitator efficiency. Certain trends of major oxides in the coal ash are observed in a north-south direction and are discussed, with particular emphasis on the Na{sub 2}O distribution in the six coal seams. The Whitewood Mine drillhole samples contain the following mean concentration of elements in ppm, unless stated otherwise: As (4.7), Br (15.1), Cl (21.5), Co (3.3), Cr (7), Mo (4.8), Na (710), Ca (1.5%), Mn (110), Th (6), U (2.5), V (19.3), and Sb (0.7). In the surface samples, the mean concentrations of the above elements are as follows in ppm: As (4.5), Br (196.2), Cl (38.4), Co (5.4), Cr (200), Mo (16.7), Na (263), Ca (1.4%), Mn (120), Th (5.2), U (1.6), V (14.3), and Sb (0.7). The open-pit surface samples are much enriched in Br, Mo, and Cr, slightly enriched in Cl and Co, much depleted in Na, and slightly depleted in Th, U, and V compared to the drillhole samples. Both sets have similar concentrations of As and Mn. There is a slight increase in As concentration in the north and south ends of the pit; a slight increase in a northern direction was also noted for Si, U, and Na. All rare earth elements are within the world range for most coals.

The initial colonization phase is the crucial start point for succession and therefore for restoration. However, little is known about abiotic factors that influence the early stages of revegetation dynamics on restored coal mines, particularly in a Mediterranean climate. This information is crucial for improving our ability to reclaim land despoiled by mining. Here, we characterized the short-term plant community development in the first 3 years after hydroseeding on a topographically diverse reclaimed open-pit coal mines in Spain. Topography influenced both community composition and diversity producing different trajectories between the three different aspects (north-facing, south-facing, flat). Hydroseeded species provided most of the initial vegetation cover, which brought about most o...

Simulations replicating urbanization and/or different landscapes following the cessation of open-pit mining were performed with a non-hydrostatic meso-beta-scale model. Except for cloud and precipitating particles the daily domain averages of the variables of state hardly differ under calm wind conditions. Nevertheless, the `single land-use changes` which are associated with urbanization, open-pit mines or the flooding of open-pit mines may appreciably or even significantly affect the local processes of the atmospheric water-cycle over and downwind of the land-use changes.

Individual sedimentation cycles in the Miocene coal basin in Northwest Bohemia, where many of open-pit brown coal mines are situated, sometimes contain some sideritic mudstone interlayers. In order to facilitate continuous operation of the large excavators, these hard layers must be blasted prior to coal seam exploitation. Dynamic effects of these blasting operations on the rock slope stability are evaluated according to the critical values of particle velocities for sliding and failure of stripping slopes in the open-pit mines. The source of seismic waves was, in the experimental measurements, modelled by a cylindric charge of explosives which was put into the boreholes and tamped by sand. Seismic waves, namely radial component of particle velocities, generated by explosions were recorded at three sites of observation in the near zone of the seismic source using pairs of velocigraphs with different sensitivity at each of them. Resulting values of particle velocities were compared with macroscopic effects of individual explosions on the state of rock slopes which were documented by photos before and after every explosion. 3 refs., 4 figs.

This paper describes the structure and activities of Aurora, a mining company which owns uranium mines, open pit mines at Michelin, Jacques Lake and Rainbow and underground mines at Michelin and Jacques Lake. The paper discusses issues such as economics, mining, processing and environmental impacts.

...disposal of hazardous waste and radioactive wastes. EPA requested additional...storage and disposition of wastes will need to be addressed...an Open Pit Mine and Processing Facility, Located in...Thermal-Electric Power Plant, San Bernardino...

Residues of brown coal upgrading processes are problematic substances that require extensive monitoring. In East Germany, these residues were usually stored above ground in abandoned open pits and industrial waste dumps. In the Land of Thuringia, the most urgent poblems are posed by the ''Neue Sorge'' abandoned open pit near Rositz and the Rusendorf industrial waste dump. In both cases, large volumes of highly polluted waste materials must be disposed of. The method of choice recommended for disposal is the combustion in a hazardous-waste incinerator in accordance with the specifications of the Waste Management Technical Guide (TA Abfall). Preliminary studies are currently being made for the construction of a waste incinerating plant in this region. An alternative option for disposal would be underground storage in an abandoned salt mine. Thuringia has a number of abandoned potassium mines that appear to be well suited for this purpose. On the other hand, there have been no systematic investigations so far on the long-term behaviour of hazardous waste under the geogenic conditions of potassium and rock salt mining, so that further studies will be necessary. (orig.)

This survey is aimed at acquiring the basic data required for judging a possibility of development/import of steam coal in Indonesia (west of Java, north of Sumatra and west of Sumatra). Areas for survey are Meulaboh coal field in north Sumatra, Ombilin III area in West Sumatra, and Bayah coal field in West Java. The survey includes the field survey to grasp the situation of coal seam existence, coal quality, coal amount, etc. and activities for collecting the related data and information from the organizations concerned. The Meulaboh coal field has a technical possibility of open pit mining of medium scale. However, the heating value is extremely low, around 4,300 kcal/kg. Judging from this coal quality, there is no possibility of exporting it. It can be said that Ombilin coal is the world's top class steam coal. Accordingly, the demand can be expected both in export use and domestic use. As to Bayah coal, Bemmelen (1949) concluded that the coal was extremely excellent in quality, but had great disadvantages such as thin coal seam, discontinuity, and complicated geological structure. To date, the conclusion has been unchanged. (NEDO)

Brown coal is of significant importance as a raw material to the Czech Republic as a result of increasing energy demands. It is the primary fossil fuel of homes in the Czech Republic, without which it would become fully dependent on energy source imports. Founded in 1994, the Severoceske doly a.s. company is the greatest mining company of the Czech Republic. The Severoceske doly, a.s. Chomutov joint stock company mining is drawn up in open pit mines and uses continual technology with excavators, long distance conveyers, and stackers. Large area external and internal dumps remain after the final stages of mining and quarrying. This paper summarized the basic facts about Severoceske doly a.s mining company, with particular reference to revitalization and restoration activities. The paper focused on restoration efforts in the Bilina Mines localities and Nastup Tusimice Mines, and on modern restoration methodology, and the application of research and science. It was concluded that a solution can be found that would fundamentally limit negative impacts to the landscape of brown coal areas using knowledge of rock characteristics relocated by mining and all the relationships in the area's surroundings. 4 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs.

Ban Pu is among the leading mining companies in Thailand. The article describes the company's activities in the field of coal prospecting, exploration and coal mining in Thailand and its overseas coal activities. Ban Pu operates a few open pit coal mines in two provinces of northern Thailand, Lamphoon and Lampang, with a total annual production of 1.7 million tons, expected to increase 3.0 million tons in the next five years. The company is also involved in the production of Kaolin in Ranong Province in upper southern Thailand, and in assessment of plastic clay deposits associated with Tertiary coal in northern Thailand. A subsidiary company, Silamani Corp, has been established to quarry granite in Tak Province, northern Thailand. An ongoing gold exploration programme in the north of Thailand will last another 5 years in addition to the initial stage of 2 years prospecting which has proved promising. It is expected that the mining industry in Thailand will restructure itself into a small-scale efficient and environmentally conscious industry in order to continue to play an important role in Thailand's economy. 3 figs.

India's aggregate mineral production in 1999-2000 was approximately 550 million tonnes, contributed from 3,100 producing coal, lignite, limestone, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead and zinc. Over 80 per cent of the mineral production comes from open pit mines. While silica sand can be found in several Indian states, the major mines of quality silica sand are in the Allahabad District of the Uttar Pradesh State. For the past 3 decades, extensive open pit silica mining activities have caused significant damage to the forests and productivity of the region. As such, the reclamation of this mining area has become a priority to impede environmental hazards and restore ecological balance. A critical measure in reclaiming this mining area involves the appropriate selection of species that will adapt to climatic and local soil conditions. The oil plant Jatropha curcas is a drought resistant large shrub or tree that has the advantage of rapid growth on marginal land and the ability to reclaim problematic lands. It also has a high level of carbon absorption from the atmosphere, which is stored in the woody tissues of the plant to help build up of soil carbon. As such, the crop earns carbon credits. This paper reported on a plantation trial in the silica mine area of Shankargarh in Allahabad District where the growth performance of different provenances of Jatropha curcas was investigated under rain fed conditions. The plant was shown to offer the option of both cultivating wastelands and to produce vegetable oil suitable for conversion to bio-diesel and other economically important by products as an alternative resource of rural income in poverty-stricken areas. 12 refs., 1 tab.

Topics covered include drilling and blasting, mine haulage, mining equipment, mine automation, surface mining, coal mining, strata control, ventilation, mine design and planning, coal preparation and ore processing.

The objectives are to develop a generalized model for three- dimensional slope stability analysis, to evaluate the intercolumn force functions and their significance to three- dimensional slope stability analysis, to examine the significance of the position of the axis for moment equilibrium in three dimensional analysis, and to apply the model developed to a case study. To develop the model, the shape of the intercolumn force functions are studied for four typical slopes using a three-dimensional finite element stress analysis program, ANSYS. A unique feature of the model is the use of the Kriging technique in the modelling of the soil surfaces, the piezometric surface, and the slip surface of the slope. The developed model is used to study a case history of a typical three-dimensional slope failure of an open pit coal mine at Coronach, Saskatchewan. The study shows that the model provides a more realistic simulation than a two dimensional model. 65 refs., 216 figs., 42 tabs.

The Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) is a 65 ha site located on the eastern shore of the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake, Lake County, California. Between 1864 and 1957, SBMM was the site of underground and open pit mining operations for S and Hg, coinciding with past and present hot spr...

Information is given on the stressed state of a rock mass around open workings. The basic forms are described of slope deformations, and methods of predicting and preventing them. The stability of the working sides of open pits and inner tail banks is examined in relation to the direction of development of mining and parameters of the mining systems, as well as nonworking sides in relation to the design of deposit stripping, direction of open pit deepening, method of working contour stopes, etc. Engineering methods are given for calculating the maximum parameters of slopes of benches, and methods of strengthening slopes and benches.

This is a photo album to record the construction of the FY 1993 basic survey for the coal mine development/industrialization in the Muara Lankin area of Indonesia. The geological structure in the survey area is under six sets of the anticline/syncline structure which have an NW-SE axis of fold, and exposes the Muaraenim seam repeatedly. The theoretical coal reserve in the depth down to 200m of each of the seams, Nos. 1, 2, 5, 12 and 13, which are generally great in coal seam change and exist relatively stably, is 143 million tons. The depth for adoption of the shovel/truck system open pit mining seems to be 50m or shallower, and the production is to be approximately 70 million tons. The work included in the album is the work to get access to the survey area, the confirmation of the planned boring points as a pre-survey, the carrying-in of construction materials, the temporary work, the boring work, the core sampling, etc. As the geological survey/civil engineering measurement, the outcrop survey, mapping, etc. were also included. Pictures were taken of the medium check and inspection of the Musi River conducted by NEDO, the state of general road preparation and the preparation work, and the Musi River. Attached were pictures of the cores. (NEDO)

Carbonate petrifactions (coal balls) were discovered in situ in the 13-m-thick Foord Seam (Westphalian C) at the Westray open-pit mine at Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Canada. These are the first in-situ coal balls discovered in Nova Scotia. This bed, the thickest and oldest coal mined in the Carboniferous coal basins of the Maritime Provinces of Canada, is the uppermost seam of the Albio Member of the Stellarton Formation and is known for its low sulfur content (mean = 0.5% total sulfur), the lowest of all Maritime Canada coals. The coal balls are up to 60 cm in length and are scattered abundantly from the bottom of the top of the seam, including the shale parting. The principal minerals contained in the coal balls (n = 6), as determined by semiquantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, are siderite (70-100%), dolomite (0-20%), quartz (0.5%), and traces of a clay mineral (illite ). Calcite and pyrite were detected in trace amounts by SEM-EDAX and by single-crystal XRD analysis. The almost complete absence of pyrite in the coal balls suggests a chemical link with the pyrite-poor Foord Seam. The authors hypothesize that sulfate-rich marine water or recycled marine sulfate from evaporites from the Lower Carboniferous Windsor Group were unavailable in the peat-forming mire, and, therefore, siderite was favored over pyrite. A nonmarine origin of the siderite also is suggested by the nearly pure end-member nature of the siderite (Fe[sub 0.94[+-]0.03] Mg[sub 0.02[+-]0.02] Ca[sub 0.04[+-]0.01] Mn[sub siderite of freshwater origin. Because of the lack of sulfate or H[sub 2]S to form pyrite, sulfur combined almost exclusively with the organic molecules of the lycopod-rich peat, and this lack of sulfate or H[sub 2]S favored the low-sulfur content of the Foord Seam.

The paper investigates and reports the developmental trend of petroleum substitution energy in Germany. Policies for the technical development and actual introduction of petroleum substitution energy in Germany are concerned with three energies: coal, natural gas, and new energy, except nuclear energy the use of which is against public opinion. Coal is the only abundant domestic resource, but not internationally competitive because of its cost. Brown coal obtained from the open pit mining is an abundant and low-cost domestic resource, but has the environmental problem. The latest technology is actually being introduced in which the thermal power generation is integrated into gasification, and the gas/steam turbine power generation. Natural gas is advancing in the use as energy source for space heating substituting for brown coal. The technology development of new energy is promoted mainly on such wind power and solar energy as are called renewable energy. As to the development of technology using renewable energy for which the rapid increasing use is not expected in near future, the target is directed mostly to CO2 control and the third world where there are no public electric power nets. 30 refs., 10 figs., 8 tabs.

An algorithm is developed and a program written for the YeS series computer for graphic plotting of the position of the front of mining operations as it advances. The algorithm makes it possible to simply realize the problem of computation of reserves prepared for extraction and components of minerals and also development of the mine. An example is cited for the actual outline of a front of operations on one of the horizons of the Lebedin open pit mine.

Highwall mining provides an economic method of extraction of coal from the final highwall of open pits, or from trenches cut for the purpose. The process, utilising a continuous miner followed by a coal haulage system, is operated by remote control and a major problem is guidance of the machine to keep entries on the desired path so as to maintain required barrier pillars between adjacent entries. research into guidance being undertaken by the Cooperative Research Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment (CMTE), Australia is described. This work involves evaluation of inertial guidance system (INS) for lateral guidance for reliable maintenance of pillar widths. The use of INS to provide position information as well as heading is being investigated. It is concluded that drift, accuracy, and operational limitations mean that it is unlikely that miner guidance can be based on INS alone. However, heading information combined with along track measurement (odometry) can give accurate guidance and control. Other sensing methods such as direct pillar thickness measurement can be used to improve the accuracy and reliability of the INS based guidance system. 6 refs., 7 figs.

Forest clearing for reasons of timber production, open pit mining and the establishment of oil palm plantations generally results in excessively high sediment loads in the tropics. The increasing sediment fluxes pose a threat to coastal marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. This study presents obse...

Forest clearing for reasons of timber production, open pit mining and the establishment of oil palm plantations generally results in excessively high sediment loads in the tropics. The increasing sediment fluxes pose a threat to coastal marine ecosystems such as coral reefs. This study presents obse...

Slope stability in hardrock and softrock is not only a major working safety issue but also the basis for a planned ongoing production. Unstable or collapsing slopes lead to short cuts or standstills in production and extra costs for restoration work. Profound and detailed knowledge of the local geological, hydrogeological and geotechnical conditions is the key for a stable open pit geometry. This includes adequate geological and geotechnical investigation and interpretation of data. When evaluating slope conditions in an open pit mine or quarry, the statuatory consultee requests and requires plausible and comprehensible statements of the geotechnical conditions from project engineers.

We quantified the wholesale transformation of the boreal landscape by open-pit oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada to evaluate its effect on carbon storage and sequestration. Contrary to claims made in the media, peatland destroyed by open-pit mining will not be restored. Current plans dictate its replacement with upland forest and tailings storage lakes, amounting to the destruction of over 29,500 ha of peatland habitat. Landscape changes caused by currently approved mines will release between 11.4 and 47.3 million metric tons of stored carbon and will reduce carbon sequestration potential by 5,734-7,241 metric tons C/y. These losses have not previously been quantified, and should be included with the already high estimates of carbon emissions from oil sands mining and bitumen upgrading. A fair evaluation of the costs and benefits of oil sands mining requires a rigorous assessment of impacts on natural capital and ecosystem services. PMID:22411786

Environmental impacts due to large scale open pit mining are dependent upon the physical features of the mine site, the mining technology in use, and the reclamation technology applied. The paper identifies the major environmental problems associated with surface lignite mining in Ptolemais-Amydeon area, northern Greece. It describes the mining methods that currently are in use both for lignite and overburden excavation, and the types and severity of resulting environmental effects. Finally it presents the kinds of reclamation practices that are used to reduce the adverse environmental effects of mining. 4 refs., 2 figs., 7 tabs.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare the predictive capability of three methods of truck cycle time estimation in open-pit mining: computer simulation, artificial neural networks (NNs), and multiple regressions (MRs). The aim is to determine the best method. The most common method currently used is computer simulation. Design/methodology/approach - Truck cycle times at a large open pit mine are estimated using computer simulation, artificial NNs, and MRs. The estimated cycle times by each method are in turn compared to the actual cycle times recorded by a computerized mine monitoring system at the same mine. The errors associated with each method relative to the actual cycle times are documented and form the basis for comparing the three methods. Findings - The paper clearly i...

This investigation presents the assessment of ambient air quality carried out at an open pit coal mining area in Orissa state of India. The 24-h average concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM), respirable particulate matter (RPM, particles of less than 10 microm aerodynamic diameter), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) were determined at regular interval throughout one year at 13 monitoring stations in residential area and four stations in mining/industrial area. During the study period, the 24-h and annual average SPM and RPM concentrations exceeded the respective standards set in the Indian ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) protocol in most of the residential and industrial areas. However, the 24-h and annual average concentrations of SO2 and NO(x) were well within the prescribed limit of the NAAQS in both residential and industrial areas. A management strategy is formulated for effective control of particulate matter at source and other mitigative measures are recommended including implementation of green belts around the sensitive areas. PMID:15952529

The Crown of the Continent is one of the premiere ecosystems in North America containing Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the Bob Marshall-Great Bear-Scapegoat Wilderness Complex in Montana, various Provincial Parks in British Columbia and Alberta, several national and state forest lands in the USA, and Crown Lands in Canada. The region is also the headwater source for three of the continent's great rivers: Columbia, Missouri and Saskatchewan that flow to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, respectively. While the region has many remarkably pristine headwater streams and receiving rivers, there are many pending threats to water quality and quantity. One of the most urgent threats comes from the coal and gas fields in the northern part of the Crown of the Continent, where coal deposits are proposed for mountain-top removal and open-pit mining operations. This will have significant effects on the waters of the region, its native plants and animals and quality of life of the people.

In central Sardinia, several talc-chlorite-feldspar bodies have long been mined by open-pit operations. The mining activity has deeply modified the original landscape of the Lasasai-Bonucoro area in the district of Orani. Thus, the rehabilitation of this area, in particular the open-pit works that are now occupied by pools filled with ground water from aquifers, should be considered as an overall project of landscape restoration. Particular conditions, such as the constant outflow of good-quality water and the scenic nature of the surrounding countryside, are favourable to the accomplishment of the recovery plan. On the basis of the naturalistic and geographical contexts of the mining area and its surroundings, a few proposals concerning the re-utilisation of these excavations are presente...

In 1966 a landslide occurred at the Bogoslovka open pit in the Northern Urals. It was not a catastrophic rock mass movement but since its appearance this landslide has been responsible for damage to the upper beams of the eastern open pit slope. This is because of translation and deflection and subsidence of weak steep strata which form the floor of the Moschny coal seam and which has a thickness of 50 to 80 m. In 1972 a landslide of the same kind occurred for the first time at the Kuznetsk coal basin on the slope face of the Vachrushev open pit, and later on, in the 1980s at four other open pits in the Bai-Salair region with steeply dipping strata. The investigation of these cases show that the landslides above may be attributed to the same process of exfoliation and disintegration due to bending formations of stratified rocks. A high water head within the footwall and a lower permeability of strata across the strike allows for a lateral shearing force component and, at the same time, decreased friction on the bedding planes. An analytical calculation scheme was developed using a limit equilibrium equation with the bedding planes in the rock mass represented as a composite two-dimensional plate. This calculation approach may be used for estimation of slope stability for natural and artificial slopes within a rock mass composed of steeply dipping strata. 8 refs., 5 tabs.

Progress continued on production of co-product samples for four coals from three coal regions: Buckskin Mine coal (Wyoming, Powder River Basin, Coal), Knife River Mine Lignite (Beulah Zap, North Dakota Lignite), Sarpy Creek Mine Coal (Montana Rosebud, Powder River Basin Coal), Usibelli Mine Coal (Alaska Coal).

Using the Anjialing open-pit mine in Pingshuo for research, limit equilibrium theory and geo-slope software for slope stability analysis were used to consider the influence of the external environment such as ground water and underground mining on slope stability. The study included studying water pressure and a slope damage model under underground mining, carrying out slope stability calculations and providing prevention and control measures. Results show that the water pressure and underground mining are the important factors affecting slope stability. Some upper slopes are seriously affected and sliding is possible. 9 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Recent mass movements currently comprise one of the main morphogenetic processes in the extensive anthropogenic relief of the foreground of the Krušné Hory Mountains in the Czech Republic. These mass movements result in several types of deep-seated slope failures, depending on the type of movement and the water saturation of the landslide material. This paper presents the results of a detailed geomorphic survey and orthophotograph analysis combined with geodetic monitoring data in an area affected by open-pit coal mining. An interdisciplinary approach has enabled an in-depth review of both the dynamics and development of recent slope failures. The article describes deep-seated landslide complex in this part of the foothills of the Krušné Hory Mountains. At the study site, mass movements occur in thick colluvial mantle and weathered Tertiary claystones. The main factors influencing their development include rainfall culminations, groundwater flowing from the valley of Šramnický Brook and former slope failures. All of the slope failures that have occurred here have originated at former slope failure sites.

Of the optimization techniques proposed in determining the optimum open pit limits, dynamic programming and graph theory have proved most successful. However, publications on these two methods lack a certain amount of rigour and clarity in exposition. Certain ideas in the methods have been clarified and additional features introduced in order to make them more sensitive to practical applications. A case study in the form of an application of these ideas on data from a producing mine is presented and discussed. 16 references.

This paper reports on an active oil seep has been discovered in one of Nevada's famous Carlin-type low grade disseminated gold deposits. This unique seep, at the Yankee gold mine in White Pine County, may have important implications for both oil and gas and gold exploration in the Basin and Range province of the western U.S. The open pit Yankee mine, near the western margin of Long Valley, exploits one of numerous Carlin-type gold ore bodies in the alligator Ridge mining district; all are currently owned and operated by USMX Corp.

An analysis of the experiments carried out in 54 coal open pits is presented. To calculate the dimensions of the incentive, use can be made of only 3 quality indicators: ash content, mass percentage of operational moisture, and the size of the coal. To evaluate the quality of the results of the operation, a complex indicator of the quality of work can be recommended. For each category of open pit workers, quality indicators of work and their performance should be selected in such a way that they can evaluate the contribution of each worker. In the system of material incentive, the complex coefficients of the quality of work can be used as an indicator adjusting the amount of the bonus, awarded to the worker (the collective of workers) in respect to the actual condition of handing out awards for the fulfillment and exceeding the demands of the plan. The supplementary total of the bonus is paid out of the material incentive fund.

This research program was initiated with the basic objective of making a preliminary assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with the mining and milling of domestic uranium ores. All forms of pollution except radiation were considered. The program included a review of the characteristics and locations of domestic uranium ore reserves and a review of the conventional methods for mining and milling these ores. Potential environmental impacts associated with the entire cycle from exploration and mining to recovery and production of yellowcake are identified and discussed. Land reclamation aspects are also discussed. The methods currently used for production of yellowcake were divided into four categories - open pit mining-acid leach process, underground mining-acid leach process, underground mining-alkaline leach process, and in-situ mining. These are discussed from the standpoint of typical active mills which were visited during the program. Flowsheets showing specific environmental impacts for each category are provided.

In the introduction the author goes briefly into the historical development of the utilization of uranium, the personal strain on miners in the work place and the particulars of safety measures to protect the health of personnel engaged in the recovery of uranium. Several characteristic examples of uranium ore producing facilities are then presented. They were chosen for open pit mine operations as well as for underground mines. The extraction of uranium in the open pit mines of the Cluff Lake deposits of Amok Ltd. in Saskatchewan, the uranium surface mine Roessing in Namibia, recovery in the underground workings of the uranium mine of Dennison Mines Ltd. at Elliot Lake, Ontario, and the uranium ore mine La Fraisse in France are all described. In addition, the unconventional recovery of uranium from phosphates by in-situ leaching and the recovery of uranium as a by-product of the extraction of gold in South Africa are gone into in detail. The ore miner has learned to master all the given conditions of nature. The limits are his ability to make concentrations of mineral ores useful, constrained by the price consumers are ready to pay, which is to say the competitive situation of the world raw material market.

...life and prevention of injuries in coal or other mines. The implementing...parts 70, 71, and 90 require each coal mine operator to protect miners from exposure to excessive dust levels. The respirable coal mine dust sampling standards...

...1219-AB64 Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous...addressing Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous...rule, Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including...

...1219-AB64 Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous...addressing Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous...rule, Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including...

...Sunrise Coal, LLC, 1183, East Canvasback Drive, Terre Haute, Indiana 47802. Mine: Carlisle Mine, MSHA I.D...Petitioner: Sunrise Coal, LLC, 1183 East Canvasback Drive, Terre Haute, Indiana 47802. Mine: Carlisle Mine, MSHA...

In open pit mining systems, it has become increasingly important that the mined waste be utilised by backfilling in the pit as much as practicable. The excess waste materials may be dumped and terraced with stabilization by vegetation. Proper design of dumps and establishment of a vigorous self-sustaining plant community of the region are essential for an eco-effective reclamation. The present paper deals with the environmental management of waste material in open pit mines of India and a pilot study carried out in the laboratory and field on reclamation of waste dumps from the Jharia Coalfield. The study showed that the mine spoil is non-phytotoxic, that the native tree species performed better both in pot and field trial experiments, and that leguminous pulses can also be grown on the mine dumps. To control soil erosion and run off, grass species were grown on the slopes of the dumps and were found to be very suitable for the area. Amendment of the medium with bio-fertiliser and mycorrhiza enhanced shoot and root development, ultimately leading to better plant growth and survival on the mine dumps. 16 refs., 3 figs.

The use of microseismic monitoring techniques is rapidly growing within the mining industry. The relationship between microseismic activity and rock stress is of concern in improving the efficiency of mechanized mining as well as improving safety considerations. Some of the basic physical elements of microseismic monitoring related to the available equipment are discussed. To illustrate the procedure, data from a study of stability of a pit slope in an open pit were used. Field tests and laboratory measurements both contribute to the evaluation of the future applications of microseismic monitoring, as well as the need for more specialized equipment. 22 references.

Abstract Microbialites were discovered in an open pit pond at an abandoned asbestos mine near Clinton Creek, Yukon, Canada. These microbialites are extremely young and presumably began forming soon after the mine closed in 1978. Detailed characterization of the periphyton and microbialites using light and scanning electron microscopy was coupled with mineralogical and isotopic analyses to investigate the mechanisms by which these microbialites formed. The microbialites are columnar in form (cm scale), have an internal spherulitic fabric (mm scale), and are mostly made of aragonite, which is supersaturated in the subsaline pond water. Initial precipitation is seen as acicular aragonite crystals nucleating onto microbial biomass and detrital particles. Continued precipitation entombs benthic...

The following 8 papers are presented on aspects of mine surveying: density testing of stockpiled materials; terrestrial photogrammetric application in mining; Department of Mines and the mine surveyor; inertial surveying; underground coal mining methods; geology, exploration and development of coal deposits in the Bowen Basin; reclamation of coal mines; stope surveys and volume determination. Relevant papers have been abstracted separately.

Mining of low grade uranium sandstones in the Jenkins open pit mine in the Shirley Basin, Wyoming was troubled by slope failures and wet conditions in the pit. Since the mine was expanding toward a river, the possibility of drainage from this river into the mine raised serious concern during the mine planning. A baseline hydrogeologic study was performed and dewatering measures were designed with the help of a numerical mathematical model. A combination of dewatering wells installed from the surface around the perimeter of the pit and horizontal drains in areas of high slope failure potential substantially improved the mining conditions and slope stability. This procedure consequently led to the successful ore recovery from the highly saturated sandstone strata. The development of drawdown during the dewatering of two separated aquifers in the overburden was close to that predicted by the model.

Organizational models of business management in 65 underground black coal mines in Poland are evaluated. The following problems are discussed: development of black coal mining, organizational structures of underground mining and their changes from 1950 to 1983, information needs of a coal mine depending on position of the mine in organizational structures, analyses of mining and geologic conditions in underground coal mines, comparative evaluations of operation and profitableness of coal mines, investigations into information needs of coal mines, a model of information needs of a coal mine, recommendations for development of a computerized control systems for business management in underground mining, recommendations for hardware and software. Following a critical evaluation of information systems used in coal mines, recommendations are made for information and control systems which would correspond with the needs of coal mines. 68 references.

Conceptual models have been developed for water movement to and from an open pit mine during operation and closure to predict mine water chemistry. Models compiled from data on the geochemical aspects of unit rock surface reaction rates and the total amount of reactive rock surface in a mine are the basis of the MINEWALL computer program. The computer model indicates that a key factor in the prediction of mine water chemistry is the estimation of percentages of reactive surface that are flushed regularly, flushed once a year, or not flushed during operation. Data from three mines in British Columbia indicate there is a wide variation in the size of total reactive surface areas. Those not flushed during operation are from 70 to 90% of the total. Unit area leaching rates of copper range from 0.014 to 2.35 mg/sq m/week. 9 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

The Athabasca Oil Sands reserves of heavy oil represent a major source of energy for the future. As conventional oil becomes more expensive a larger percentage of the oil sands can be economically mined by open pit mining methods which allow much higher oil recovery rates than those obtained by in situ methods. This work discusses the initial and planned development stages of the Taciuk Direct Thermal Processor System for treatment of mined oil sands. As the name implies, this processor accepts as-mined oil sands feed, produces a thermally cracked oil product that can be directly pumped to remote refineries, and produces a damp, oil free, tailings sand that can be conveyed back to the mined out areas. Processor units in increments of 8000 to 12,000 bpd output can be economically constructed and operated by lease holders. Approximate yield projections, as well as general capital and operating cost comments are included.

A procedure has been developed to evaluate soils on arable land over large scale and extended areas. The suitability of optical airborne scanner data, to detect quantitatively different crop stand conditions, using image processing and transfer functions has been tested. By investigating soil properties and plant parameters, a bioindicative causal model of the soil-plant system has been developed. This model can be used to infer soil properties, by diagnosing crop stand conditions, using remotely sensed imagery. Parameters of remotely sensed crop stand conditions for sugar beet fields have been correlated with soil properties to facilitate the analysis of the major cause-effect relationships in the soil-plant system. The principle of bioindication has been used to develop tranfer functions, to categorise soil properties from remotely sensed airborne scanner imagery. The author has assessed the suitability of soils for crop yield production and the amelioration feasibility. The recultivated soils of the brown coal open pit mining area near Cologne have been evaluated focusing on water storage capacity, biomass and yield potential. For the purpose of this research, the crop stand sugar beet has been found to be a sensitive bioindicator for the aforementioned parameters. (orig.) [Deutsch] Es wurde ein Verfahren zur grossmassstaebigen und grossflaechig anwendbaren Bewertung von ackerbaulich genutzten Boeden entwickelt. Am Beispiel rekultivierter Boeden aus umgelagertem Loess im rheinischen Braunkohlerevier bei Koeln ist untersucht worden, inwieweit optische Flugzeugscannerdaten geeignet sind, um unterschiedliche Zustaende von Kulturpflanzenbestaenden grossraeumig und hochaufloesend zu erfassen. Dazu wurde anhand begleitender bodenkundlicher und planzenoekologischer Untersuchungen von Zuckerruebenfeldern ein bioindikative Ansaetze verfolgendes Kausalmodell des Systems Boden-Pflanze entwickelt, das geeignet ist, um von in Flugzeugscannerdaten sichtbaren Aufwuchszustaenden auf Bodeneigenschaften rueckzuschliessen. Mit den so erzielten bioindikativen Transferfunktionen konnten, ausgehend von den Flugzeugscannerdaten, Bodeneigenschaften quantifiziert werden. Aufbauend auf diesem fernerkundungsgestuetzten Indikatormodell wurden Boeden hinsichtlich ihrer Meliorationsbeduerftigkeit und ihrer Eignung als Pflanzenstandorte beurteilt. Dabei standen Aspekte zur Beurteilung der Wasserversorgung und der Ertragsleistung im Vordergrund. Die Ergebnisse dieser fernerkundungsbasierten Bodenbewertung wurden mittels terrestrischer Kartierungsmethoden quantitativ und raeumlich validiert. (orig.)

Coal mine closure is an important subject for the coal mining industry and the community within SA. The coal mine closure process begins with planning during the project feasiblility assessment phase and concludes with the surrender of tenure. Where a coal mine has not developed a closure plan, earl...

The example of Goonyella mine is cited to illustrate the coal minning technology employed in Bowen Basin, Australia. After a geological outline, the various mining operations are described, i.e. drilling and shotfiring, strip mining, coal winning and processing.

This paper summarizes the geotechnical and electrochemical properties of coal mining wastes (mine stones). Such properties are the starting basis from which the technical feasibility of using coal mining wastes in reinforced earth structures can be determined. (Author) 9 refs.

Data on Canada's coal reserve tonnages and coal quality are updated to December 31, 1981. Coal demand to 2000, operating coal mines, coal projects under development, reserve terminology, coal classification, coal characteristics by province and region, and likely mining methods are considered with data included in 6 tables and 5 appendices. (16 refs.)

Discusses the organizational model of Polish coal mining and changes to it in the future. The following organizational levels are characterized: mining enterprises, mine unions, ministry of mining. Relations between coal mines, mine unions and the ministry are analyzed. Effects of economic reform on organizational models of coal mining in the future are investigated. The following problems are discussed: role of the state in development of mining, its financing and management, optimum organizational structure of coal mining (based on mining enterprise with a number of subordinated support plants and installation, groups of coal mines, or a compromise solution between a concern and mine group), economic effects of the present management system on efficiency of mining, effects of restricted rights of coal mines on their economic efficiency.

Many of the open-pit mines suffer from the lack of reconciliation between estimated and actual grades. In a mining operation, grade reconciliation is the comparison between the values of the estimated grade calculated in exploration stage and the actual grade obtained from more reliable data such as blast holes? samples. Many different factors affect the degree of reconciliation in a mining operation. In this paper, the factors related to estimated grade which affect the reconciliation process in the exploration stage of the orebody are investigated. These factors constitute the sources of uncertainty for the upcoming phases of the mining life. Among these parameters, the inherent variability, statistical uncertainty, and systematic uncertainty are the most important factors. In this work,...

In 1977, Taylor proposed a constant elasticity model relating capacity choice in mines to reserves. A test of this model using a very large (n = 1,195) dataset confirms its validity but obtains significantly different estimated values for the model coefficients. Capacity is somewhat inelastic with respect to reserves, with an elasticity of 0.65 estimated for open-pit plus block-cave underground mines and 0.56 for all other underground mines. These new estimates should be useful for capacity determinations as scoping studies and as a starting point for feasibility studies. The results are robust over a wide range of deposit types, deposit sizes, and time, consistent with physical constraints on mine capacity that are largely independent of technology. ?? 2009 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

Synthetic crude oil can be produced from bitumen contained in oil sands such as those located in Alberta, Canada. The most recent plant to come on stream, that of Syncrude Canada Ltd., mines the oil sand by open pit methods, recovers the bitumen using the hot water flotation process, and produces synthetic crude from bitumen by coking and hydrotreating. The product is competitive in price with imported conventional crude at today's world prices. The lead time and investment required to put a plant on stream are substantial. Nevertheless, synthetic crude from oil sands has the potential to fill a significant portion of Canada's liquid fuel requirements.

This paper presents a metaheuristic solution approach based on Tabu search for the open-pit mine production scheduling problem with metal uncertainty. To search the feasible domain more extensively, two different diversification strategies are used to generate several initial solutions to be optimized by the Tabu search procedure. The first diversification strategy exploits a long-term memory of the search history. The second one relies on the variable neighborhood search method. Numerical results on realistic large-scale instances are provided to indicate the efficiency of the solution approach to produce very good solutions in relatively short computational times.

A method for transporting tar sands in an open pit mine utilizing flexible belt conveyors between a receiving area and a discharge area consists of providing a conveyor belt having an upper surface layer of an elastomeric material which is flexible at low temperatures. It is substantially resistant to excess swelling when exposed to petroleum liquids containing up to 30 vol % aromatics at temperatures in the range of -60/sup 0/F to +100/sup 0/F. A thin layer of the petroleum liquid is applied to the surface of the belt and thereafter transferring tar sands on the belt from a receiving area to a discharge area. (4 claims)

A range of interactions of microorganisms with coal is considered. Topics include: coal biodegradation; microorganisms and acid mine drainage; biological treatment of acid coal mine drainage; and bacteria and fly ash leaching. 68 refs.

New operations coming on-stream at the Oaky Creek Coal Mine, Queensland, Australia are outlined. These include: mining and maintenance contracting (open cut); the transition towards underground mining; and sub-leasing underground mining contracts. 1 fig. 1 tab.

The 1986 annual report of the Steinkohlenbergbauverein is summarized. R+D work was carried out by Bergbau-Forschung GmbH in deep mining, surface mining, coking, and coal utilisation on behalf of the German coal industry. Activities in mining, mine safety, coal utilisation and applications are gone into.

Syncrude`s use of pipeline slurries to convey oilsand from its Athabasca deposit to the extraction plant marks the beginning of a new era in oilsand processing. With this new conveyance system Syncrude plans to phase out the dragline, bucketwheel reclaimer, and conveyor ore mining and delivery system in favour of shovel, truck, and hydrotransport technology. Shovels will be used to mine the ore in a conventional open pit bench mining scheme. The oilsand will then be loaded onto trucks, hauled to a crusher for sizing and fed into the hydrotransport system where it will be slurried with water and caustic soda and pumped to the extraction plant by pipeline. The advantages of hydrotransport include significant energy savings and considerably less plant infrastructure. A new method to describe the source ore characteristics and plant performance was also developed. The use of this information system within the corporation is described. 7 refs., 3 figs.

Various dewatering methods are used to lower groundwater at surface mining operations. Determining which method to use involves analyzing factors such as technical applicability, economic efficiency, and environmental protection. It is generally hard to find an alternative that meets all the criteria simultaneously, so a good compromise is preferred. We have developed a new decision support system based on a fuzzy multi-attribute decision-making method. We integrated 12 compendious decision criteria by fuzzy extent analysis to process an extensive inventory of groundwater-lowering techniques. An applied case study, Iran?s Sechahoun open pit iron ore mine, was used to demonstrate the model. The model systematically evaluated alternatives; at the Sechahoun mine, an underground gallery (with ...

The arsenic (As) content of coal relating with mineralization of gold in Southwest Guizhou Province, China is up to 35,000 ppm. The coal is burned indoors in open pits for daily cooking and crop drying. As a result, arsenic is precipitated and concentrated in corn (5-20 ppm), chili (100-800 ppm) and other foods. Arsenic concentrations in the drinking water of high-As coal areas are lower than 50 ppb. The estimated main sources of As exposure in this area are from polluted food. Approximately, 3000 arsenosis patients were found by 1998, and more than 100,000 people from six counties were under the threat in China. This paper presents the major ingestion pathway of this type arsenosis and relative geochemistry of high-As coal. PMID:16237608

A description of the capacity, seams, and mining methods of the Mitsui Miike coal mine, Japan's largest mine, is presented. The mine yields 5.2 million metric tons of coal, about 25% of Japan's domestic production. The mine utilizes a simultaneous double lift type slicing method on its main seam, which has an average thickness of 16.5 ft.

After an introductory text divided into the sections energy and coal market, coal mining and brown coal mining, extensive tables containing the most important characteristic figures of German coal mining are shown. [German] Nach einem einfuehrenden Text, der in die Abschnitte Energie- und Kohlenmarkt, Steinkohlenbergbau und Braunkohlenbergbau gegliedert ist, wird ein umfangreiches Tabellenmaterial vorgelegt, das die wichtigsten Kennzahlen des deutschen Kohlenbergbaus enthaelt.

Continuous and discontinuous systems in large open pit mines have been compared. Before planning a concrete mine project the scenarios presented in this paper can serve as an indication for what will be the result of the detailed feasibility study. General tendencies for all open pit mining projects can be derived from the calculations for capacities of more than 2000 t/h and/or transport distances of more than 3000 m. For all of the mining systems compared, the continuously operating system proved to be more economical in the long term. The specific break even points and NPV figures have to be calculated in accordance with the specific mining and operating conditions of the project. The continuous systems prove to be the most economical when lifetime of the mine is at least 5 to 8 years. (orig.) [Deutsch] Kontinuierliche und diskontinuierliche Systeme in Grosstagebauen wurden verglichen. Die Angaben aus den vorgestellten verschiedenen Szenarien koennen fuer erste Planungsschritte in jedem Grubenprojekt herangezogen werden, in dem Transportleistungen von mehr als 2000 t/h und/oder Foerderentfernungen von ueber 3000 m gefordert werden. Es zeigte sich, dass unter den dargelegten Voraussetzungen die kontinuierliche Gewinnung und Foerderung den diskontinuierlichen Systemen langfristig ueberlegen sind. Unterschiedliche Basisdaten wie z.B. Energiekosten, Lohnkosten oder auch die moegliche Grubenorganisation fuehren zu Verschiebungen des zu erwartenden Gewinnes (Net Present Value) und des Punktes von dem ab das kontinuierliche System dem diskontinuierlichen System ueberlegen wird (Breakt Even Point). Doch selbst unter unguenstigsten Voraussetzungen ergibt sich ein wirtschaftlicher Vorteil der kontinuierlichen Foerderung nach spaetestens 5 bis 8 Jahren. (orig.)

Coal research projects at South African universities are listed. Projects cover coal preparation, spontaneous combustion at coal dumps, backfilling at coal mines with flyash, coal slurries as fuel for turbines and diesel engines, coking, coal classification systems, petrology, coal liquefaction and fluidized-bed combustion of coal. A table summarizes the research being carried out at the different universities.

Discusses selected economic aspects of underground coal mining in black coal mines of the Karagandaugol' association. Labor productivity, wages and salaries, run-of-mine coal output and output of prepared coal are comparatively evaluated. Growth rates of wages of coal miners are analyzed. The economic systems used in the past are characterized. New systems for labor cost analysis in underground coal mining are evaluated. Mine drivage and longwall mining analyses are comparatively evaluated. Main elements of labor cost analysis, factors considered in the analysis, in particular, methods for economic stimulation of labor productivity, are analyzed.

Several U.S. Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center projects that use biological mechanisms for source control and treatment of acid mine drainage and recovery of metals from metal contaminated waste waters are described. The projects are: inhibition of acid generating bacteria in the underground mine environment; biological treatment of coal mine drainage; in mine treatment of coal mine drainage; and biological treatment of metal mine drainage. 6 refs.

The mining-related damages such as ground subsidence, acid mine drainage (AMD), and deforestation in the abandoned underground coal mine areas become an object of public concern. Therefore, the system to manage the mining-related damages is needed for the effective drive of rehabilitation activities. The management system for Abandoned Underground Coal Mine using GIS includes the database about mining record and information associated with the mining-related damages and application programs to support mine damage prevention business. Also, this system would support decision-making policy for rehabilitation and provide basic geological data for regional construction works in abandoned underground coal mine areas. (authors)

The RAMC produces the quantity-price relationships in coal supply for 30 coal types (further distinguished between surface and deep mines) and 32 producing regions based on the 1984 EIA Demonstrated Reserve Base, engineering estimates of mining costs for various surface and underground mines, and region-specific and coal-type-specific cost elements. This model serves as a major component of the Intermediate Future Forecasting System, the National Coal Model, the International Coal Trade Model, and the Coal Supply and Transportation Model.

Nonoperating open pit mines, very often as a matter of fact abandoned, create serious ecological risk for the region of their location especially for the quality of the water since the rainfall fills the bottom of the pit forming water body having different depth. This water as a rule has very high concentration of the metals in it and is highly toxic. One example for such opencast, idle copper mine is Medet located in the central part of Bulgaria who was started for exploitation in 1964 and at that moment being the largest in Europe for production of copper concentrate. In the vicinity of it after autumn and spring rains there are many cases reported for water contamination by heavy metals such as arsenic, copper, cadmium in the rivers running close to this open pit mine. This justifies the need for long term and sustainable monitoring of the area of the water basin of this idle mine in order to estimate its acid drainage and imaging spectroscopy combined with is-situ investigations is proved to provide reliable results about the area of the water table. In the course of this study we have investigated historical data gathered by remote sensing which allowed us to make conclusions about the year behavior of this area. Our expectations are that the results of this research will help in the rehabilitation process of this idle mine and will provide the local authorities engaged in water quality monitoring with a tool to estimate the possible damage caused to the local rivers and springs. With this research we also would like to contribute to the fulfillment of the following EU Directives: Directive 2006/21/°C on the Management of Waste from the Extractive Industries and Directive 2004/35/ °C on Environmental Liability with regard to the Prevention and Remedying of Environmental Damage.

The Agnico-Eagle Pinos Altos Mine is located in the Sierra Madre gold belt in the State of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. The Santa Nino and the Oberon de Weber orebodies are currently being surface mined, but underground mining will commence from an open pit mine via ramp access. The mine is expected to use the long-hole sublevel stoping method to extract ore at a rate of 3,000-4,000 tonnes per day. Agapito Associates Inc. prepared estimates of future ventilation fan requirements and ventilation control locations in the mine using the VnetPC2007 simulation software. Estimating the required air volume to ventilate the proposed mine took into consideration the type, number and size of underground equipment, as well as the required rate of mineral production. This paper described the amount of fresh air needed to ventilate the mine. The number and size of fans acquired were also described along with the locations of the control devices and power requirements. 2 refs., 3 tabs., 2 figs.

This review of the Queensland coal industry includes: an overview of the Queensland coal industry 2002-2003, coal mining operations, exploration and resources, transport and shipping, the electricity industry, coal research activities, and health and safety. Mine and company information, and some Queensland coal statistics are also included.

Consists of overheads from the authors presentation on issues impacting U.S. metallurgical coal supplies. Areas covered include prices, mine closures, electric demand, permitting, and coking coal demand.

Negative consequences of incorrect determination of boundaries between coal mines are discussed. This problem is analyzed with numerous examples from Soviet coal mines. When a new coal mine is constructed and its boundaries are marked incorrectly it can happen that a mine which according to plans should have been worked 25 years could only be worked 15 years because the marked field was too small. Another problem is created by delays in construction of new mines. This delays other mines located nearby work coal fields which were to be exploited by the mine still in construction. In effect the coal field is undermined by neighboring mines and its coal reserves can be too low to guarantee a return on investments. The same problems are analyzed in the case of old coal mines being reconstructed. (In Russian)

...refers to coal mine waste, is replaced by...and conveyed in a controlled (manner)'' so...of these Kentucky regulations now reads that ``All coal mine waste shall be hauled and conveyed in a controlled manner approved...

Coal Production 1992 provides comprehensive information about US coal production, the number of mines, prices, productivity, employment, productive capacity, and recoverable reserves to a wide audience including Congress, Federal and State agencies, the coal industry, and the general public. In 1992, there were 3,439 active coal mining operations made up of all mines, preparation plants, and refuse operations. The data in Table 1 cover the 2,746 mines that produced coal, regardless of the amount of production, except for bituminous refuse mines. Tables 2 through 33 include data from the 2,852 mining operations that produced, processed, or prepared 10 thousand or more short tons of coal during the period, except for bituminous refuse, and includes preparation plants with 5 thousand or more employee hours. These mining operations accounted for over 99 percent of total US coal production and represented 83 percent of all US coal mining operations in 1992.

This article examines the history and economic conditions for the development of coal mining in the Mor (Hungary) deposit during 1951-1943. 1.4 million tons of coal were mined in this deposit during that period.

Results of a radiological survey performed at the Spook site in Converse County, Wyoming, in June 1976, are presented. The mill at this site was located a short distance from the open-pit mine where the ore was obtained and where part of the tailings was dumped into the mine. Several piles of overburden or low-grade ore in the vicinity were included in the measurements of above-ground gamma exposure rate. The average exposure rate over these piles varied from 14 ..mu..R/hr, the average background exposure rate for the area, to 140 ..mu..R/hr. The average exposure rate for the tailings and former mill area was 220 ..mu..R/hr. Movement of tailings particles down dry washes was evident. The calculated concentration of /sup 226/Ra in ten holes as a function of depth is presented graphically.

Situated on the east side of the Virginia Range, Virginia City (Figure 1) is the home of the historic Comstock mining district and was mined as a source of Au and Ag between 1859 and the 1960's, with numerous underground workings and small open pit operations. The Virginia Range consists mostly of Oligocene to Miocene volcanic rocks that overlie Mesozoic metamorphic rocks (Mzvs) and Cretaceous granodiorite (Kgd). Andesite to dacite flows, breccias and intrusives of the Alta Formation (Ta) (18-15 Ma) (Hudson, 2003) are overlain by intermediate volcanic, volcaniclastic and locally intrusive rocks of the Kate Peak Formation (Tk) (14.7-12 Ma) (Vikre, 1998; Hudson, 2003). Contemporaneous with the Alta Formation was the intrusion of the Davidson diorite (1 5.2 Ma) (Castor et al., 2002), which forms the bulk of Mt. Davidson just west of the town site.

In a highly collaborative research and development project with mining and university partners, sensors and data-analysis tools are being developed for rock-mass characterization and real-time measurement of mineral content. Determining mineralogy prior to mucking in an open-pit mine is important for routing the material to the appropriate processing stream. A possible alternative to lab assay of dust and cuttings obtained from drill holes is continuous on-line sampling and real-time x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. Results presented demonstrate that statistical analyses combined with XRF data can be employed to identify minerals and, possibly, different rock types. The objective is to create a detailed three-dimensional mineralogical map in real time that would improve downstream process efficiency.

Mining of pyrite minerals is a major environmental issue involving both biological and geochemical processes. Here we present a study of an artificial lake of a former uranium open pit mine with the aim to connect the chemistry and bacterial community composition (454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes) in the stratified water column. A shift in the water chemistry from oxic conditions in the epilimnion to anoxic, alkaline, and metal and sulfide-rich conditions in the hypolimnion was corresponded by a strong shift in the bacterial community, with few shared operational taxonomic units (OTU) between the water layers. The epilimnetic bacterial community of the lake (???20 years old) showed similarities to other temperate freshwater lakes, while the hypolimnetic bacterial community showed simi...

Mining of pyrite minerals is a major environmental issue involving both biological and geochemical processes. Here we present a study of an artificial lake of a former uranium open pit mine with the aim to connect the chemistry and bacterial community composition (454-pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes) in the stratified water column. A shift in the water chemistry from oxic conditions in the epilimnion to anoxic, alkaline, and metal and sulfide-rich conditions in the hypolimnion was corresponded by a strong shift in the bacterial community, with few shared operational taxonomic units (OTU) between the water layers. The epilimnetic bacterial community of the lake (�20 years old) showed similarities to other temperate freshwater lakes, while the hypolimnetic bacterial community showed simi...

Ground water problems in open pit mining are related either to excessive pressure heads or nettling amounts of water seepage in the pits. Water control alternatives usually vary from doing nothing else other than handle water in the pit to more elaborate systems of cut-off walls and pumping. Selection of effective and economic ground water control methods is a goal which can be achieved by balancing the time devoted to the analysis and the actual savings in selecting the best alternative. Criteria for selecting and using several modeling predictive methods are given to eliminate overdoing or underdoing during evaluation of ground water control alternatives. Practical guidelines and recommendations for use of modeling are given to handle typical situations. Guidelines and recommendations are based on experience of applying these techniques to diverse hydrologic conditions and mine plans.

The Aghdarband Basin, consisting of a strongly deformed arc-related Triassic marine succession, is a key-area for the study of the Cimmerian events, as it is unconformably covered by mid-Jurassic gently folded sediments entirely sealing the Cimmerian compressive structures. The basin developed during part of the Triassic in a highly mobile tectonic context suggested by abrupt facies variations and local unconformities. In addition, syn-sedimentary tectonic activity is testified by the occurrence of carbonate olistholiths in the deepest parts of the basin. The marine succession, spanning from Olenekian to lowermost Carnian, shows at the base continental conglomerates andsandstones, as well as basaltic lava flows, possibly of Early Triassic age. They are followed by the shallow water Sefid Kuh Limestone, in which an intraformational unconformity has been now identified. This unit is locally covered by deep-water limestones of the Nazarkardeh Fm. which interfinger with slope facies of the Sefid Kuh Limestone. The volcaniclastic sandstone layers of the Sina Fm follow up-section with a deep unconformity, marked in several places by deep erosion and tilting of the underlying units. The Sina Fm. is in turn unconformably covered by the coal bearing shales of the Miankhui Fm., with a Norian-Rhaetian age testified by plant megafossils, marking the end of marine sedimentation and of volcanic-arc activity. The Triassic units are overthrusted to the south by Upper Palaeozoic siliciclastic successions showing in some cases a LG metamorphic imprint. They largely include the Qara Geithan Fm. consisting of granitic rocks, acidic to basic volcanics, and locally also large blocks of Permian bioclastic limestones derived from the erosion of the Palaeotethys accretionary wedge, exposed south of Aghdarband. The whole succession of the Aghdarband Basin, including the unconformable Miankhui Fm., is deeply involved in a north-verging thrust stack which interacts in the northern part of the area with an important strike-slip shear zone. Several tectonic units have been recognized within the Triassic succession, causing repetitions of the whole stratigraphic succession. Two main thrust sheets are exposed in the southern part of the basin under the Upper Palaeozoic thrust stack. Thrust faults and folds consistently show a N-directed tectonic transport, suggested by dip-slip motion along S-dipping reverse faults and axial plane geometry. Deformation occurred at shallow levels taking to the formation of cataclastic shear zones and to disjunctive and pencil cleavage in the shale layers of the succession. The thrust sheets comprise the Miankhui Fm. which shows a thick basal coal layer (up to 10 m) deeply excavated at the Aghdarband Mine. Nice examples of coal-related tectonics are exposed in open pits and tunnels of the mine. Intensive deformation of the coal, forming complex shear zones with s-c bands, causes the décollement of the Miankhui beds which show intensive tectonic thickening and repetitions mainly caused by polyphase thrust imbrications and disharmonic folding. The northernmost part of the Triassic basin shows a very complex setting, with traspressional structures given by vertical strike-slip faults and closed to tight folds with steeply plunging axes. According to our new data, up to four tectonic slices can be distinguished in this complex area. This structural zone is directly bounded to the north by severely deformed LG metamorphic rocks resulting from a volcaniclastic succession with Devonian and Carboniferous marble layers. Systematic asymmetry of major and parasitic folds, as well as rotation and torsion of axial surfaces indicate a general left-lateral transpressional regime, whereas kinematic indicators along the main fault planes show both left- and right-lateral motions. According to our relative chronology, dextral movements follow in time the sinistral ones reactivating previous Cimmerian structures and displacing also the surrounding Jurassic to Neogene succession of Kopeh Dagh in relatively recent times. Fold analyses along

The necessity and possibility of the research and development on coal mining robot in China are discussed in the paper, several styles of coal mine robots which should be given priority to researching and developing are suggested, the present condition of the coal mine robot development in China is analysed and then the first project of coal mine robot in China - Robotized Drilling Machine (RDM) is introduced. Other uses of robots include: fire detection; wall sealing; shotcreting; and support robots. 1 figs.

The coal extracted is used in a thermal power plant to produce electric energy used in the Arlit uranium mine 200 km away. Geography, geology, reserves, surface mining (material, wastes, coal mining) coal storage and preparation, roads and management are briefly described.

This yearbook contains comprehensive statistics on the NSW coal industry divided into the following sections:- demand and supply; coal resources and quality; production; exports; prices; port facilities; domestic consumption; employment; manshifts lost; labour productivity. It also contains directories of companies, mines and new/potential mines; open cut mine survey; longwall mine survey; and export details.

The 1969 US Coal Mine Health and Safety Act reduced the personal exposure limit (PEL) for respirable coal mine dust to 2.00 mg/m{sup 3}. During the intervening years, mining technology, productivity and dust control techniques have greatly improved. As a result, the incidence and prevalence of Coal Workers` Pneumoconiosis (CWP) in the US coal mines have sharply declined. Efforts are in progress now to further reduce the PEL for coal mine dust and crystalline silica in the hope that it will eliminate CWP from US coal mines. However, this one-dimensional approach may not be enough to achieve the goal. The paper advocates a holistic approach to eliminate CWP comprising: better personal exposure monitoring (daily and cumulative); better mining and dust control technology; recognition of some unique characteristics of coal mine dust; and lifestyle intervention programs (including cessation of smoking and routine medical surveillance). 22 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

One of the research projects within the Mine Waste Technology Pilot Program conducted at Montana Tech under subcontract to MSE, Inc., Butte, MT is entitled {open_quotes}Formation, Properties and Stability of Sludge Generated During Treatment of Acid Mine Water.{close_quotes} One area of study within this activity is the determination of the element-solid associations within the three sludges being studied, namely, a lime initiated sludge, an inorganic sulfide initiated sludge and a sulfate reducing bacteria initiated sludge. These sludges are formed from treatment of two acid mine waters; one from an abandoned metal sulfide open pit mine (the Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT) and another from an abandoned metal sulfide underground mine (the Crystal Mine NW of Basin, MT). A sequential leaching scheme has been used to determine the form of the pollutant elements (Cu, Zn, Cd, Fe, Mn, and As) within these sludges. Significant differences are observed between these pollutant elements for each sludge. These data are interpreted in terms of the potential for release of the pollutant elements within a sludge containment pond storage system.

This collection deals with basic questions of improving design and construction of new mines and horizons, including at great depths: designs of mine construction development in the country; preservation of coal reserves during the design, construction and working at new mines and horizons from the standpoint of safety requirements; the most important decisions in the 7th and 8th Five-Year Plans in various coal firms of the country; examples of using coal reserves in designing and building new mines and horizons; designs of new firms; mine and horizon design stages for developing coal seams at great depths; current views on design, modernization and construction of new mines and horizons; determination of production capacity of the Freustat mine; problems related to design and new mine construction in the Ostrava-Karvinsk coal basin; construction and mining at new horizons and mining fields of the 1 Maj fields; new data on design of schemes of stripping, development methods and mining systems at deep mines; construction efficiency of the Frenstat mine; experience of capital construction of new horizons and development of mining districts at the Doubrava mine; research directions and stripping of Grushevsk layers in the Petrzhvale part of the basin; design and construction of new horizons and development of districts at the Dukla mine; extending the service life of the Prezident Gottwald mine by developing a new horizon; design and construction of new horizons and districts of the Paskov mine; and design and construction experience at the Staric mine.

The South African economy is strongly based on coal as a mined resource, and various grades of coal are supplied to local and international customers. However, the environmental impacts associated with the preparation and production of different coal grades from Run of Mine (RoM) or raw coal are var...

Swelling roof and bottom entail high roadway maintenance costs in underground brown-coal mining, where the crushing strength of the coal is but low. Attempts to apply roof bolting in underground brown-coal mining have been made as early as in the sixties. Successful roof bolt/mesh wire compound tubbing projects realized in other mines have prompted considerations to use that anchoring system in underground brown-coal mining, too, with a view to reducing both the physical strain of support work and the risk of accidents. - Drifting and observation of 9 test roadways permitted to prove that radial anchoring can be applied in underground brown-coal mining, too.

Five meetings of the Commission held from January to March 1985 are reported. Underground coal mining in the safety pillar of Bytom was discussed in the light of rock bursts and fatal accidents in the Dymitrow mine. Three coal mines remove the safety pillar: Dymitrow, Szombierki and Rozbark. The Commission discussed: replacing longwall mining with caving by longwall mining with hydraulic stowing, using packings with reduced settling, reducing concentration of mining operations in the area of Bytom center, coordination of underground mining by 3 mines (coordination of mining order, thickness of coal slices or coal seams, concentration of longwall mining in seams with reduced hazards of rock bursts, methods for protection of buildings and industrial plants at the ground surface against ground deformation. The Commission also discussed program of coal mining with hydraulic stowing in the safety pillar of the Batory Steelworks, the Hajduki chemical plant and Chorzow (order of mining, schemes for slice mining, forecasting ground subsidence, methods for protection against mining damage), underground mining with caving or stowing in safety pillars of the Miechowice and Karb mines under Bytom, new regulations on geodetic surveys in underground coal mines.

...and Underground Mining of the Greens Hollow Federal Coal Lease Tract (UTU-84102...Notice of Intent (NOI) for the Greens Hollow Coal Lease Tract was printed in...Involvement The Draft EIS for the Greens Hollow Coal Lease Tract was released...

... Pneumoconioses New information on respiratory diseases in coal miners The 1995 NIOSH publication Criteria for a Recommended Standard – Occupational Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust established a recommended exposure limit (REL) for coal ...

An overview is given of the coal industry in South Africa. It describes the extent of South African coal reserves, and discusses coal production and exports. Operations at South African coal terminals are described. Labour and productivity at coal mines are mentioned and plans for coal export expansion described. 10 figs., 17 tabs., 4 apps.

This paper presents a report from a session of the Donugi Scientific Council held in April, 1981. The participants discussed Donugi activities in the period from 1976 to 1980 and directions of its research programs until 1985. In the last 5 year period the Institute took part in developing the following mining systems: KM-103 and KD-80 integrated mining systems for thin coal seams, KM-88 integrated mining systems, SO-75 and SN-75 coal plows, modernization of SN-75 coal plow. From 1976 to 1980 Donugi activities concentrated on problems associated with mining coal seams in deep coal mines and on complex mechanization of mining thin coal seams. In spite of numerous new designs of mining equipment and new technologies, Donugi did not influence technological progress in coal mines. An excessively long period between developing the design of a new system and its commercial production was one of the basic problems. At present Donugi is developing new integrated mining systems on the basis of KGU supports and the 'Poisk' coal cutter. In the current 5 year period Donugi is concentrating on improving technology of mining coal seams up to 0.8 m thick in level and inclined strata without cutting surrounding rocks, and on manless coal mining using remotely controlled coal cutters. Other directions of the Donugi research programs were also discussed.

The winners of the 1989 Excellence in Surface Mining and Reclamation Awards from the US Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining will be announced during the AMC's Coal Convention '90 in Cincinatti in May 1990. The Director's Award for outstanding achievement in a special area of reclamation will go to the Peabody Coal Company's Will Scarlett mine at Carbondale, Illinois for exemplary wetlands reclamation. The eight winners of reclamation excellence are: Drummond Company's Kellerman no. 2 mine, Brookwood, AB; Vigs Coal Company, Buckskin, IN; Glenharold mine, Stanton, ND; Lee Jay Corporation, Clarksville, PA; R S Coal Company's J B no. 3 mine, Lamar, AK; Texas Utilities Mining Company's Monticello - Winfield North lignite mine, Mount Pleasant, TX; Associated Electric Cooperative, Bee Veer, Clifton Hill, MI; and Southern Ohio Coal Company's Martinka No. 1 mine, Fairmont, W.Va. Their achievements are briefly described. 8 photos.

In this report, we systematically evaluate the ability of current-generation, satellite-based spectroscopic sensors to distinguish uranium mines and mills from other mineral mining and milling operations. We perform this systematic evaluation by (1) outlining the remote, spectroscopic signal generation process, (2) documenting the capabilities of current commercial satellite systems, (3) systematically comparing the uranium mining and milling process to other mineral mining and milling operations, and (4) identifying the most promising observables associated with uranium mining and milling that can be identified using satellite remote sensing. The Ranger uranium mine and mill in Australia serves as a case study where we apply and test the techniques developed in this systematic analysis. Based on literature research of mineral mining and milling practices, we develop a decision tree which utilizes the information contained in one or more observables to determine whether uranium is possibly being mined and/or milled at a given site. Promising observables associated with uranium mining and milling at the Ranger site included in the decision tree are uranium ore, sulfur, the uranium pregnant leach liquor, ammonia, and uranyl compounds and sulfate ion disposed of in the tailings pond. Based on the size, concentration, and spectral characteristics of these promising observables, we then determine whether these observables can be identified using current commercial satellite systems, namely Hyperion, ASTER, and Quickbird. We conclude that the only promising observables at Ranger that can be uniquely identified using a current commercial satellite system (notably Hyperion) are magnesium chlorite in the open pit mine and the sulfur stockpile. Based on the identified magnesium chlorite and sulfur observables, the decision tree narrows the possible mineral candidates at Ranger to uranium, copper, zinc, manganese, vanadium, the rare earths, and phosphorus, all of which are milled using sulfuric acid leaching.

The Monongahela railway (Pennsylvania/West Virginia) increased its coal tonnage originating on the railroad by 38% in the first quarter of 1992. The majority of this is from Cyprus Coal's Emerald mine, and CONSOL's Bailey and Enlow Fork mines. The rise in demand for low sulphur coal from these mines coincides with the closure of some higher-sulphur West Virginia mines. 1 fig.

This paper discusses organizational models of planning technology development in coal mining. The following 4 planning systems are analyzed: all-union national system coordinated by the Ministry of Coal Mining of the USSR, all-union associations of coal mine associations (in the Ukrainian SSR the plan is developed by the Ministry of Coal Industry of the Republic), associations of coal mines, coal mines or groups of coal mines. Methods for developing programs for technology development at 4 levels are reviewed. The following planning periods are used: 10 years or more (from 1980 to 1990), a 5 year period and a 1 year period. System for technology development in the Soviet coal industry from 1981 to 1985 is evaluated: research and development programs (20 comprehensive state programs, 36 branch programs). (In Russian)

This reconnaissance study was undertaken at the request of the USDA Forest Service, Region 4, to assess the geochemistry, in particular the mercury and selenium contents, of mining-impacted sediments in the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River in Custer County Idaho. The Yankee Fork has been the site of hard-rock and placer mining, primarily for gold and silver, starting in the 1880s. Major dredge placer mining from the 1930s to 1950s in the Yankee Fork disturbed about a 10-kilometer reach. Mercury was commonly used in early hard-rock mining and placer operations for amalgamation and recovery of gold. During the late 1970s, feasibility studies were done on cyanide-heap leach recovery of gold from low-grade ores of the Sunbeam and related deposits. In the mid-1990s a major open-pit bulk-vat leach operation was started at the Grouse Creek Mine. This operation shut down when gold values proved to be lower than expected. \\r\

Papers presented of particular interest to the coal industry include: natural succession in abandoned surface coal mines in Missouri; biological site planning; natural succession on abandoned mine sites in Wyoming; natural reclamation of unreclaimed surface mines lands; control of acid mine drainage in part of the Cedar Creek area (USA); afforestation of spoil at the Hamback lignite mine (Germany); the abandoned mine land research program; neutralisation of acidic surface mine lakes using organic additions; backfilling abandoned mine voids; and Old Bevier reclamation project (USA).

Results of a radiological survey conducted at the Falls City, Texas, site in July 1976 are presented. There are seven partial to fully stabilized tailings piles, and an overburden pile from an open-pit mine. Above ground gamma-ray exposure rate measurements show moderate levels of contamination throughout the area with a maximum exposure rate of 500 ..mu..R/hr above tailings pile 2. The average exposure rate over the different areas varied from 14 ..mu..R/hr over the southwest end of tailings pile 7 to 207 ..mu..R/hr over the northeast end of the same pile. Analyses of surface soil and dry-wash sediment samples, as well as calculations of subsurface /sup 226/Ra distribution, serve to define the spread of tailings around the area. Water erosion of the tailings is evident, but, because of abundant growth of vegetation on the tailings piles, wind erosion probably is not a major problem.

An open pit mining operation consists of various stages, and the calculation of the production capacities of these stages depends upon the available supply of ore (mineralized material of economic value) and waste material. Cutoff grade is the criterion that specifies the amount of ore and waste. The material with grade equal to or higher than the cutoff grade is classified as ore. The material with grade less than the cutoff grade is considered waste. While this explains the link between cutoff grade theory and the calculation of production capacities, the majority of optimization models for finding production capacities not only disregards this relationship but also ignores expected variations and uncertainty in metal content or the available supply of ore and waste material. An extensio...

Various techniques are utilized by the seismological community, extractive industries, energy and geoengineering companies to identify earthquake nucleation processes in close proximity to engineering operation points. These operations may comprise fluid extraction or injections, artificial water reservoir impoundments, open pit and deep mining, deep geothermal power generations or carbon sequestration. In this letter to the editor, we outline several lines of investigation that we suggest to follow to address the discrimination problem between natural seismicity and seismic events induced or triggered by geoengineering activities. These suggestions have been developed by a group of experts during several meetings and workshops, and we feel that their publication as a summary report is helpful for the geoscientific community. Specific investigation procedures and discrimination approaches, on which our recommendations are based, are also published in this Special Issue (SI) of Journal of Seismology.

Summary The dependence of infrasound propagation on the season and path environment was quantified by the analysis of more than 1000 repetitive infrasonic ground-truth events at an active, open-pit mine over two years. Blast-associated infrasonic signals were analysed from two infrasound arrays (CHNAR and ULDAR) located at similar distances of 181 and 169 km, respectively, from the source but in different azimuthal directions and with different path environments. The CHNAR array is located to the NW of the source area with primarily a continental path, whereas the ULDAR is located East of the source with a path dominated by open ocean. As a result, CHNAR observations were dominated by stratospheric phases with characteristic celerities of 260-289 m-s-1 and large seasonal variations in the ...

Comparing the recent Texas Copper Company smelter controversy with the celebrated Homestake open-pit mine case a decade ago illustrates that opportunities exist for resolving difficult sitting and resource development conflicts, but that such opportunities can be misused, and sound dispute resolution principles abused. The route to failed sitting efforts is to ignore the established evidence of the need for processes that acknowledge all stakeholders and the need for treating environmental analysis as a joint effort among parties instead of as a battle over facts. Unfortunately, cases continue to exist where a narrow focus on the settlement, however creative it may be, is leading to failure because of contempt for or ignorance of the importance of pre-negotiation and in-negotiation process requirements. In short, the quick deal'' may be no better than no deal'' in environmental conflicts.

This paper examines the CO{sub 2} sequestration potential of magnesium silicate minerals in Turkey for two example cases, the Orhaneli-Bursa and Divrigi-Sivas regions. The distribution and properties of the silicate mineral deposits are provided and the quantities of CO{sub 2} that can be sequestered in these deposits is estimated. The silicate minerals in the Orhaneli and Divrigi deposits provide significant CO{sub 2} sequestration capacity. Assuming 100% mineral carbonation efficiency, approximately 2.4 million tons/year of olivine and 6.5 million tons/year of serpentine would be required to sequester the CO{sub 2} released by the power plants investigated in this study. Although more detailed studies are needed, it is concluded that this approach has potential given Turkey's large dunite (olivine) and serpentine reserves. Furthermore, the proximity of these deposits and active open-pit mines to thermal power plants emitting CO{sub 2} facilitate the utilization of mineral carbonation.

Mining activities in Ranstad uranium mine started in 1965 and ended in 1969. In 1988 the final restoration was discussed, and it was proposed to water-fill the open pit and cover the waste disposal area using the `dry method`. Today the open pit has become a lake. Also some alum shale was placed on the land surface where it has been weathered by oxygen and water during 30 years. In 1994 it was observed that the color of the lake turned over to brown-red. Further studies showed increasing iron concentration in the lake and around the tailings area. For estimation of microbial iron reduction in the lake, three iron reducing bacteria were isolated from the water-filled open pit. For the enrichment process, water samples were inoculated in an anoxic enrichment medium. The isolates were able to reduce Fe(III) oxyhydroxide by oxidation of lactate as energy source. Growth of these strains was determined by production of a black precipitation of iron sulfide and was confirmed by estimation of total number of cells. Fe(III) reduction was monitored by measuring the accumulation of Fe(II) over time. Comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of strains Tran-l, Tran-2, and Tran-3 with the EMBL data base showed 98.6% identity with Shewanella putrefaciens, 98.7% identity with Shewanella alga and 98.2% identity with Aeromonas salmonicida, respectively. S. putrefaciens strains have been isolated from many different environments, many of which are suboxic or anoxic. In addition to growing aerobically, S. putrefaciens can use Fe(III) as terminal electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions. To distinguish if the Fe(III) and/or organic compounds presence in weathered alum shale can be utilized by iron reducing bacteria isolated from the lake, reduction of Fe(III) coupled to the oxidation of organic compounds in sterile and non-sterile weathered alum shale was studied. The reduction of Fe(III) coupled to growth of bacteria on sterile and non-sterile shale was observed. Furthermore microbial iron reduction by the isolates was compared in shale which was sterilized at different conditions (wet or dry heat). Growth was never observed on shale sterilized by dry heat 51 refs, 14 tabs, 8 figs

This article discusses labor productivity in Soviet coal mining. From 1976 to 1980 labor productivity in Soviet industry increased by 17% whereas in coal mining the average monthly labor productivity decreased from 100.9 in 1976 to 93.8 in 1980. Labor productivity decrease in coal mining was caused mainly by underground mining. Labor productivity in underground coal mines decreased from 100.6 % of the 1975 figure in 1976, to 85.9 % in 1980. At the same time labor productivity in surface mines increased from 102.0 % of the 1975 figure in 1976, to 107.0 % in 1980. Labor productivity declined in spite of increasing mechanization of underground mining. Machines supplied to underground coal mines from 1976 to 1980 are enumerated: 4,575 coal cutters, 1,911 heading machines, 8,945 belt conveyors and 556 surface mine excavators with a bucket capacity of 4 m/SUP/3. The overwhelming majority of new mining machines was used to replace systems removed due to wear or excessively long service life, e.g. from 1976 to 1980 the number of coal cutters in operation increased only by 120 and the number of heading machines by 414 units. Reliability of mining machines in coal mines was unsatisfactory. Machine time of coal cutters decreased from 28.1% (in relation to shift working time) to 25.3%.

Papers discussed the North American coalbed methane resources, methane emissions into coal mines, coalbed methane potential in the Upper Texas Gulf Coast; coal well completion, coal mine methane enrichment, a simulation-based approach to evaluating coalbed methane reservoir productivity, regulation aspects and environmental issues, and international experience with coalbed and coal mine methane projects (China, Canada, Japan, Australia). Some of the papers only consist of a printout of the overheads/viewgraphs.

Plans for and abstracts of the 25 papers to be presented at the conference to be held in Edmonton, Alberta, September 26-30, 1982 are presented. The five sessions are maintenance, drilling and blasting, equipment use and application, planning and design, and design and control of slopes. Papers specific to coal describe loading and transportation in surface coal mining, resource use conflicts encountered by the coal mining industry in Alberta, and the influence of faulting on the stability of surface coal mine slopes.

About a third of the black coal-fired power plants of the Federal Republic of Germany are in the hands of the German black coal mining industry which apart from supplying the electric utilities, distributes larger quantities of coal to coal-fired power plants owned by the electric utilities and industry. More than half of the black coal extracted in 1986 was used for electric power generation purposes. Today, the very close link between black coal mining and the elctric power industry is of vital importance to the black coal mining industry.

A review of the US uranium mining industry has revealed a generally depressed industry situation. The 1982 U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ production from both open-pit and underground mines declined to 3800 and 6300 tons respectively with the underground portion representing 46% of total production. US exploration and development has continued downward in 1982. Employment in the mining and milling sectors has dropped 31% and 17% respectively in 1982. Representative forecasts were developed for reactor fuel demand and U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ production for the years 1983 and 1990. Reactor fuel demand is estimated to increase from 15,900 tons to 21,300 tons U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ respectively. U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ production, however, is estimated to decrease from 10,600 tons to 9600 tons respectively. A field examination was conducted of 29 selected underground uranium mines that represent 84% of the 1982 underground production. Data was gathered regarding population, land ownership and private property valuation. An analysis of the increased cost to production resulting from the installation of 20-meter high exhaust borehole vent stacks was conducted. An assessment was made of the current and future /sup 222/Rn emission levels for a group of 27 uranium mines. It is shown that /sup 222/Rn emission rates are increasing from 10 individual operating mines through 1990 by 1.2 to 3.8 times. But for the group of 27 mines as a whole, a reduction of total /sup 222/Rn emissions is predicted due to 17 of the mines being shutdown and sealed. The estimated total /sup 222/Rn emission rate for this group of mines will be 105 Ci/yr by year end 1983 or 70% of the 1978-79 measured rate and 124 Ci/yr by year end 1990 or 83% of the 1978-79 measured rate.

In terms of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD), post mining lakes are artificial water bodies (AWB). The sustainable integration of post mining lakes in the groundwater and surface water landscape and their consideration in river basin management plans have to be linked with various (geo)hydrological, hydro(geo)chemical, technological and socioeconomic issues. The Lower Lusatian lignite mining district in eastern Germany is part of the major river basins of river Elbe and river Oder. Regionally, the mining area is situated in the sub-basins of river Spree and Schwarze Elster. After the cessation of mining activities and thereby of the artificially created groundwater drawdown in numerous mining pits, a large number of post mining lakes are evolving as consequence of natural groundwater table recovery. The lakes' designated uses vary from water reservoirs to landscape, recreation or fish farming lakes. Groundwater raise is not only substantial for the lake filling, but also for the area rehabilitation and a largely self regulated water balance in post mining landscapes. Since the groundwater flow through soil and dump sites being affected by the former mining activities, groundwater experiences various changes in its hydrochemical properties as e.g. mineralization and acidification. Consequently, downstream located groundwater fed running and standing water bodies will be affected too. Respective the European Water Framework Directive, artificial post mining lakes are not allowed to cause significant adverse impacts on the good ecological status/potential of downstream groundwater and surface water bodies. The high sulphate concentrations of groundwater fed mining lakes which reach partly more than 1,000 mg/l are e.g. damaging concrete constructures in downstream water bodies thereby representing threats for hydraulic facilities and drinking water supply. Due to small amounts of nutrients, the lakes are characterised by oligo¬trophic to slightly mesotrophic conditions. The aquatic flora and fauna are limited to a few well adapted species. Therefore, the issue of hydrochemical constitution of the lakes' waters becomes more and more relevant. The prediction of water quality development in post mining lakes is a key requirement to regulate and manage the later hydrochemical conditions. Initially, this prediction was made by individual case studies for single lakes. By means of an iterative research process during the last years, hydrochemical lake models were developed as prediction tools, which allow a complex processing of interconnected post mining lakes and their integration in natural hydrography with respect to quantitative and qualitative evaluation. To counteract the poor water quality of mining lakes, flooding by surface water from neighbouring river basins, e.g. the river Neisse, shall support a quicker and thereby hydrochemically less damaging lake filling. However, this external flooding is only feasible under conditions of high runoff and therefore only as intermitted practice applicable. Additionally, technological measures of water treatment have to be applied to achieve the required effluent quality and to ensure the designated use. Regrettably, these technologies aren't commercially standard up to now and are not sustainable, while flooding or provides a huge amount itself of positive potential for hydrochemical stabilization. The river basin management of the rivers Spree and Schwarze Elster is attended by a common working group of the Federal States of Brandenburg and Berlin as well as the Free State of Saxony. The quantitative distribution of the regionally available water considers the potential use for drinking water supply, process water, …, and the flooding of open-pits. However, due to the formulated rank order, the flooding of the numerous mining open pits in Lusatia is on the last position. To guarantee a reliable flooding and a continuous water supply of the post mining lakes, additional water resources have to exploited. Additionally, the prospected climate induced changes in water supply have to be taken into account for a sustainable integrated water resources management in the Lusatian post-mining district.

The South African coal mining industry has been giving more attention to longwall mining in order to achieve improved overall extraction. In recent years the number of longwall installations in South African coal mines has grown and this development has led to the Research Organization investigating various aspects of longwall mining, especially strata control. This paper describes the research into different areas including pillar extraction in bord and pillar workings, design of coal pillars, thick seam mining, ashfilling in bord and pillar workings, protection of surface structures, coal cutting systems, investigation of the coal cutting process, monitoring performance, laboratory coal cutting, effectiveness of dust suppression techniques used with continuous miners, mine planning and production control, bord and pillar mining machine monitoring and longwall models.

Following passage of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, underground coal mine operators were required to take air samples in order to monitor compliance with the exposure limit for respirable dust, a task essential for the prevention of pneumoconiosis among coal workers. Miners objected, claiming that having the mine operators perform this task was like “having the fox guard the chicken coop.” This article is a historical narrative of mining industry corruption and of efforts to reform the program of monitoring exposure to coal mine dust. Several important themes common to the practice of occupational health are illustrated; most prominently, that employers should not be expected to regulate themselves.

The design, layout, and operation of the Cayirhan underground coal mine, Turkey, are described. The mine was designed as a contract mine run by Saarberg-Interplan and Park Holding in a joint venture called ParkTeknik. The coal deposit is a lignite susceptible to spontaneous combustion, so longwall mining without pillars was selected so as to minimize fire hazards. Coal haulage is by belt conveyors with electric power from the nearby plant. The first coal was produced in June 1997, and the mine has proved a commercial success. 5 photos., 3 figs., 3 tabs.