In copper heap leaching structures, the ore is leached by an acidic solution. After dissolving the ore mineral, the heap is drained off in the acidic solution using a drainage system (consisting of a network of perforated polyethylene pipes and gravelly drainage layers) and is, then, transferred to the leaching plant for copper extraction where the copper is extracted and the remaining solution...

The ability to produce three-dimensional physical property models of the subsurface from surface geophysical data, coupled with an increasing need to explore for minerals in concealed terranes, results in geophysical inversions providing more significant information to the exploration team. We examine the role that geophysical inversion can play in an integrated mineral exploration program, and...

Ore-reserve estimations of deposits with low mineral concentrations, such as those of copper, gold and tin, are usually made on the assumption that the grades follow a lognormal distribution. Multiple mineralization or reworking of a deposit may have modified the simple distribution expected — producing an overall distribution of grades which can be adequately described by a mixture of lognorma...

Silver Queen mint in central British Columbia, is located approximately 35 kilometres south of Houston and 3 kilometres east of 0wt.n Lake (Figure 2-7-1). Although currently inactive, it was worked briefly in the early 1970s for gold. silver, copper, zinc, lead and cadmium. The deposit is hosted by Cretaceous rocks of the informal Tip Top Hill group (78.322.67 Ma, K-Ar whole rock), with the age...

Transportation costs are a significant part of capital and operating costs of large open pit mines. Cost efficiency and high reliability of in pit crushing and conveying systems compared to conventional truck-shovel system makes it more appealing to be utilized in modern mining activities. In this paper the suitable location of an in pit crusher is investigated as a single hub location problem....

Iran’s Sarcheshmeh copper industries with an annual production of 120,000 tones are the biggest of it’s kind in South Asia. The main method of production is pyrometallurgical matte making in two reverberatory furnaces which use direct–bond magnesite-chromite refractories supplied by German and Austrian companies. Following a recent major overhaul, bricks in contact with slag, matte and furnace ...