XXIII. Questions Flashcards
It is considered the most reliable method for accurately determining the content of gold, silver, and platinum-group metals (except osmium and ruthenium) in ores or concentrates. This process involves melting a gold-bearing sample in a clay crucible/cupel at >1000 °C with a mixture of fluxes (such as silica and borax), lead oxide (called litharge), and a reducing agent (frequently flour).
a. Pyrometallurgy
b. Fire Assay
c. Frasch Process
d. AAS
B. Fire Assay
Extraction of metals from ores using high temperatures.
Pyrometallurgy
Accurate method to determine gold, silver, and PGM content by melting the sample with fluxes and lead.
Fire Assay
Method of extracting sulfur from underground deposits using superheated water.
Frasch Process
Analytical technique used to measure metal concentrations in a solution by detecting light absorbed by atoms.
AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy)
What process refers to the dissolution of silver in a dore during boiling in nitric acid?
a. Annealing
b. Cupellation
c. Chemical Digestion
d. Parting
d. Parting
the process of separating silver from gold in a dore alloy by dissolving silver in nitric acid, leaving behind pure gold
Parting
Heating and slowly cooling a metal to make it softer and reduce internal stresses.
Annealing
A high-temperature process used to separate precious metals (like gold and silver) from lead.
Cupellation
Breaking down solid samples into liquid form using acids for analysis.
Chemical Digestion
Cyprus, Kuroko, and Besshi-type VMS deposits can be found in what areas in the Philippines, respectively?
a. Bagacay-Rapurapu-Barlo
b. Barlo-Rapurapu-Bagacay
c. Bagacay-Barlo-Rapurapu
d. Barlo-Bagacay-Rapurapu
a. Bagacay-Rapurapu-Barlo
What is the strongest acid?
a. Fluoroantimonic Acid
b. Aqua regia
c. Nitric Acid
d. Hydrochloric Acid
a. Fluoroantimonic Acid
Fluoroantimonic acid is the strongest known superacid, much stronger than 100% sulfuric acid. It’s a mixture of hydrogen fluoride (HF) and antimony pentafluoride (SbF₅) and can protonate even hydrocarbons.
Who was the infamous Filipino
geologist who salted crushed core samples with gold shavings in Busang, East Kalimantan, Indonesia in 1997?
Michael De Guzman
What is the most common coal rank in the Philippines?
a. Lignite
b. Subbituminous
c. Bituminous
d. Semianthracite
b. Subbituminous
Where can we found cinnabar in the Philippines? The powdered cinnabar used for pigment is called ____________.
a. Masbate; Scarlet
b. Mindoro; Vermillion
c. Palawan; Vermillion
d. Benguet; Scarlet
b. Mindoro; Vermillion
The Negros Trench was formed in response to the collision of
____________ and __________.
Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate
One karat of gold is equal to how many percent gold content? Three nines fine correspond to gold of _____% purity.
One karat of gold is equal to 4.1667% gold content. (Since 24-karat gold is pure, 1 karat is 1/24th of that purity).
Three nines fine (or 999 fine) corresponds to 99.9% purity of gold.
What are the raw materials of:
➢ Pozzolan Cement
➢ Portland Cement
➢ Concrete
➢ Brass
➢ Bronze
- Pozzolan Cement – Pozzolan (volcanic ash), lime (calcium oxide), and sometimes gypsum.
- Portland Cement – Limestone, clay, gypsum, and iron ore (or other materials like shale and sand).
- Concrete – Cement, water, sand, gravel (or aggregates), and sometimes additives.
- Brass – Copper and zinc.
- Bronze – Copper and tin, with possible small amounts of other elements like aluminum or phosphorus.
What is the “Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Republic Act (RA) No. 7076, otherwise known as the People’s Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991” ?
DAO 2015-03
SSM contract area must not exceed how many hectares?
a. 81 hectares
b. 30 hectares
c. 20 hectares
d. 5 hectares
c. 20 ha
It is a Glencore managed company that processes and exports refined copper and precious metal by-products of international standards located in Isabel, Leyte. The smelting process employed by this company is _________.
Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining (PASAR) Corporation
Differentiate the following parts of a technical report:
➢ Plate vs. Figure vs. Illustration vs. Table
➢ Annex vs. Appendix
Plate: Refers to a large, often high-quality, image or photograph that is typically included on a separate page in a report. Plates are used for images that require a full page, like maps or photographs.
Figure: A general term for any graphic representation (e.g., charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs) used in the report. Figures are numbered consecutively and referenced in the text.
Illustration: A type of figure that usually refers to detailed drawings, sketches, or diagrams, often used to explain concepts or provide visual representations of complex ideas.
Table: A structured set of data organized into rows and columns. Tables are used for presenting numerical or categorized information in a compact and easy-to-read format.
Differentiate the following parts of a technical report:
➢ Annex vs. Appendix
Annex: An additional section or attachment that contains supplementary material related to the main content of the report. It often includes large datasets, detailed calculations, or references that support the main body but are too detailed to be included within the main text.
Appendix: Similar to an annex, an appendix also contains supplementary information that is relevant but not critical to the main discussion. However, appendices are often more narrative or explanatory in nature, providing additional context, background information, or clarifications that support the text.
refers to the concentration of valuable mineral (such as gold, copper, etc.) in the ore as it enters the processing plant (the mill). It’s the average grade of the ore before any processing or extraction takes place
Mill Head Grade
the concentration of valuable minerals that are successfully extracted and recovered from the ore during processing. This grade is typically lower than the mill head grade because not all of the mineral content can be recovered
Recovered Grade
the average concentration of valuable minerals in the ore that is classified as a mineral reserve (economically viable to mine). This grade is used to estimate the potential economic return of the deposit and is often a key factor in determining the feasibility of mining operations
Reserve grade
a line or map that connects points of equal thickness of a particular layer of rock or sediment
isopach
a line or map that connects points of equal rock layer thickness or depth at which a particular event, like deposition or metamorphism, occurred
isochore
Lines of equal time or age of geological events.
Isochron
Average based on multiplying values and taking the root.
Geometric Mean
Average based on summing values and dividing by the number of values.
Arithmetic Mean
Distribution of data where the logarithm of the values is normally distributed.
Log Distribution
Running total of frequencies in a dataset.
Cumulative Frequency
Psammitic rocks are composed of ________ sized particles.
a. Gravel
b. Sand
c. Silt
d. Clay
b. Sand
Psammitic rocks are composed of sand-sized particles. These rocks are a type of sedimentary rock, often referring to sandstone, where the dominant grain size is in the sand range (between 0.0625 mm and 2 mm in diameter).
It is a layer in a body of water where there is a rapid change in density with depth. This transition occurs because of variations in temperature and salinity, which affect the water’s density. It separates the less dense surface water (which is typically warmer and fresher) from the denser, deeper water (which is usually colder and more saline).
Pycnocline
What are the other names for barite?
barytine, barytite, barytes, heavy spar, tiff, and blanc fixe
In the absence of a sample splitter/Jones riffle splitter, what will you do to get a representative sample?
Cone and Quartering
Measurement of zircon crystals from a granite yield parent/daughter ratios of 25 percent parent (uranium-235) and 75 percent daughter (lead-206). The half-life of uranium-235 is 704 million years. How old is the granite?
1.41 billion years
atom families that have the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons. The term is drawn from ancient Greek words isos and topos, meaning ‘equal place’, to signify that they belong to the same elements on the periodic table.
Isotopes
Stable Daughter Product: Lead-206
Currently Accepted Half-life Values: 4.5 billion years
Radioactive Parent: Uranium-238
Radioactive Parent: Uranium-235
Stable Daughter Product: Lead-207
Currently Accepted Half-life Values: 704 million years
Radioactive Parent: Thorium-232
Stable Daughter Product: Lead-208
Currently Accepted Half-life Values: 14.1 billion years
Radioactive Parent: Rubidium-87
Stable Daughter Product: Strontium-87
Currently Accepted Half-life Values: 47.0 billion years
Radioactive Parent: Potassium-40
Stable Daughter Product: Argon-40
Currently Accepted Half-life Values: 1.3 billion years
The forces that bind protons and neutrons together in the
nucleus are usually strong. However, in some isotopes, the
nuclei are unstable because the forces that bind protons and
neutrons together are not strong enough. As a result, the
nuclei spontaneously break apart, or decay, in a process called
Radioactivity
A nucleus releases an alpha particle (2 protons, 2 neutrons), reducing atomic number by 2 and mass number by 4.
Alpha emission
A neutron transforms into a proton, emitting a beta particle (electron), increasing the atomic number by 1.
Beta emission
An inner orbital electron is captured by the nucleus, combining with a proton to form a neutron, decreasing the atomic number by 1.
Electron Capture
a reliable means of calculating the ages of rocks and minerals that contain particular radioactive isotopes
Radiometric Dating
The time required for half of the nuclei in a sample to decay.
Half-life
