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ME551/GEO551 Introduction To Geology of Industrial Minerals Spring 2011

This document provides an overview of mining methods, transportation, and marketing for industrial minerals. It discusses different types of underground mining methods like room and pillar, sublevel caving, and cut-and-fill that must conform to the shape and size of the specific ore body. Surface mining methods like open pit, strip, and quarry mining are also covered. The document further explores placer mining, solution mining techniques, and potential future methods like ocean mining. Links are provided for additional information on specific mining approaches and the determination of commodity prices on the open market.

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43 views21 pages

ME551/GEO551 Introduction To Geology of Industrial Minerals Spring 2011

This document provides an overview of mining methods, transportation, and marketing for industrial minerals. It discusses different types of underground mining methods like room and pillar, sublevel caving, and cut-and-fill that must conform to the shape and size of the specific ore body. Surface mining methods like open pit, strip, and quarry mining are also covered. The document further explores placer mining, solution mining techniques, and potential future methods like ocean mining. Links are provided for additional information on specific mining approaches and the determination of commodity prices on the open market.

Uploaded by

diyan solo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ME551/GEO551 Introduction to

Geology of Industrial Minerals


Spring 2011

BASIC CONCEPTS: MINING


METHODS, TRANSPORTATION,
MARKETING
Ore bodies come in many sizes
and geometric shapes and mining
methods must conform to each
specific ore body and metal
recovery economics.
Mining methods?
Mining methods
• Underground
• Surface
• Placer
• Leaching/solution
Surface

• Strip
• open pit
• quarry
http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/surface_equip.htm
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/lrp/homeim.htm
Underground
• methods producing natural or minimal
support (room and pillar)
• caving methods where failure of the back
(roof or overburden) is required (sublevel
caving, block caving)
• methods that require substantial artificial
support (cut and fill or stope backfill)
http://www.digistar.mb.ca/minsci/ug/undergm.htm
Room and pillar
Sublevel caving
Kvapil, 1992, with permission from SME
Block caving at El Teniente
from Julin, 1992, with permission from SME
Cut-and-fill method
Placer
mining

http://www.homestead.com/theclaimpost/PlacerMiningMethods.html
Solution mining

http://www.saltinstitute.org/images/saltdome.gif
http://web.ead.anl.gov/saltcaverns/desc/index.htm
http://www.uic.com.au/nip40.htm
Future methods
• Ocean mining
• Deep sea nodules
• Asteroid mining
• Robots
http://books.smenet.org/Min_Eng_Hndbk/meh2-toc.cfm
http://www.admmr.state.az.us/Publications/circ065improcess.html
• How are commodity prices determined?
1 pg answer emailed to me by Feb 15

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