LESSON 6_ MINING PT 2 Flashcards
Refers to a set of processes in which useful resources are withdrawn from a stock of any non-
renewable resource.
Mining
Two main methods of mining
- Surface mining
- Underground mining
Under types of mining
-Utilized to extract ore minerals that are close to Earth’s surface.
Surface mining
Examples of Surface mining
-open pit mining
- quarrying
-placer mining
-strip mining
Under types of mining
Utilized to extract ore minerals from the ore body is that is deep under the Earth’s surface
Underground mining
Process during mining
- Prospecting or exploration
- Drilling
- Modeling
- Identifying and assessing the potential impacts
- Designing and constructing the mine
- Ore extraction
- Milling
- Mine site decommissioning
Process during mining
Looking for the ore body
Prospects or exploration
Process during mining
Extracting a part of the ore to determine the resulting ore, its quality, and the amount of ore minerals.
Drilling
Process during mining
Determining the ore’s size, shape, and grade distribution throughout the deposit to apply appropriate mining methods, blast and dig pattern designs, safety precautions, and efficiency and processing methods.
Modelling
Process during mining
Considering on the social and
environmental aspects and
finding ways of mitigating any
consequence of the mining
operation, with the purpose of
bringing the area back as close to
its original state as possible.
Identifying and assessing potential impacts
Process during mining
Creating the appropriate mine
and operational design, and
proceeding with the
construction once all the
necessary permits are
acquired from the
government and local
communities.
Designing and constructing the mine
Process during mining
Separation of high
grade ores from the
rest of the deposit.
Ore extraction
Process during mining
Crushing and
concentration of
ores; waste
materials are
released.
Milling
Milling/ Recovery methods
- The crushed rocks are submerged in liquid where the heavier/denser minerals sink thus are separated from the lighter minerals.
- This is commonly used to separate chalcopyrite from quartz before the refining processes of extracting copper.
Heavy media separation
Milling/ Recovery methods
If the metal or
mineral is magnetic,
the crushed ore is
separated from the
waste materials using
a powerful magnet.
Magnetic separation
Milling/ Recovery methods
The powdered ore is placed into an
agitated and frothy slurry where
some minerals and metals based on
physical and chemical properties may
either sink to the bottom or may stick
to the bubbles and rise to the top
thus separating the minerals and
metals from the waste.
Flotation
Milling/ Recovery methods
This method used for low-grade gold ore where the crushed rock is placed
on a “leach pile” where cyanide solution is sprayed or dripped on top of
the pile. As the leach solution percolates down through the rocks, the gold
is dissolved into the solution. The solution is processed further to extract
the gold.
Cyanide Heap Leaching
Process during mining
Closure of the depleted
mine; the mine site is
cleaned up and reclaimed
or rehabilitated for other
purposes.
Mine site decommissioning
Mining methods (Under Surface mining)
which commonly involves large holes that extract relatively low-grade metallic ore.
Open Pit mining
Mining methods (Under surface mining)
which extract horizontal layers of ore or rock.
Strip mining
Mining methods (Under surface mining)
refers to surface mining that does not require complex processing. Quarrying
is used to mine sand and gravel, crushed stone aggregate, many industrial minerals (like
limestone, gypsum, and magnetite), and dimension stone for building material and
construction.
Quarrying
Mining methods (Under surface mining)
Where gold or diamonds are extracted from river and beach sediment by scooping up the sediment and then the ore by density
Placer mining
Mining Method
Are used when the mineral deposit is too deep underground to be practical and economical to mine from the surface.
Processing metallic ore (gold, silver, copper, iron, etc.) can involve numerous steps including crushing, grinding, and physical separating.
Underground mining method
Mining method (Underground mining)
Heating the ore minerals with different chemicals to extract the metal
Smelting
Mining method (Underground mining)
Using chemicals to dissolve the metals from a large volume of crushed rock.
Leaching
