A Research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering (Mining) to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, July 2017 / The project investigated the application of geostatistical techniques in evaluating a mechanically deposited platinum tailings resource. The project was undertaken on one of the Anglo American Platinum tailings dams, the identity of which cannot be revealed, due to the agreement in place or permission given. Remnant unrecovered minerals of economic potential still exist in tailings dams. These unrecovered minerals have influenced several mining companies to turn their attention to the economic potential that still exists in tailings, making them a key strategic component of their resources and reserves. Geostatistics has been developed and thoroughly tested or improved to address challenges experienced in estimating in situ geological ore bodies. The main aim of this Research Project is to test whether these fundamental principles and theories of geostatistics are relevant and appropriate in evaluating man-made ore bodies, such as a Platinum tailings dam, without any significant changes needed on the underlying principles or estimation algorithms. The findings on the Case Study tailings resource can be applied in the evaluation of other tailings dams, as well as any other man-made structures such as low grade rock dumps, muck piles, with related characteristics. A standard approach (methodology) was followed to evaluate the Case Study tailings resource. Drilling and sampling was conducted through sonic drilling. It is a dry drilling technique that is suitable for sampling unconsolidated particles such as tailings. Thereafter, 2 samples were sent to the laboratory to establish grade (concentration) of Platinum Group Metals (Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium), Gold and Base Metals (Copper and Nickel). Density was also measured, and comprehensively analysed as part of variables of interest in this research. Statistical analyses were performed on all variables of interest contained in the dam: which are Platinum (Pt), Palladium (Pd), Gold (Au), 3E (two PGMs plus Gold), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni) and Density. The underlying statistical distributions of all metals and density were found to be non-symmetrical and slightly positive skewed. The skewness of the distributions was established to be marginal. Differences between raw data (untransformed) averages and the log-normal estimates were analysed and found to be insignificant. As such Ordinary Kriging of untransformed data was concluded to be the appropriate geostatistical technique for Case Study tailings resource. Analysis of mineralisation continuity (variography), a pre-requisite for geostatistical techniques such as Ordinary Kriging applied on the case study tailings resource, was also performed. Reasonable and sufficient mineralisation continuity was established to exist in the Case Study tailings resource. Although characterised by high nugget effect, these spatial correlations were established to be continuous with ranges of influence well beyond 450 m in all variables. Anisotropic variograms were modelled for all variables and are comprised of nested structures with two to three spherical models. Resource estimation was conducted through Ordinary Kriging in Datamine. All the seven variables were successfully interpolated into each cell of the 5m x 5m x 5m block model. Rigorous validation of the resource model was performed to establish the quality and reliability of the estimation carried out. Estimated resource model was analysed against the original borehole data, through comparison of grade profiles, statistical analysis, QQ Plots and histograms. The grade profile was recognised to be similar between boreholes (5 m composites) and the adjacent cells that have been estimated. Furthermore, statistical analyses revealed minimal differences between means of the estimated model and the original borehole data: the highest difference being 1.7% realised on 3E, followed by 1.1% on Density and Gold (Au). The rest of the variables (Pt, Pd, Cu, and Ni) have differences that are below 1%. 3 QQ plots and histogram were plotted from resource model with 5m x 5m x 5m cells and 5 m composited boreholes. Although these data sets are of different (slightly incompatible) supports, the intended purpose of comparing distributions was achieved. QQ plots and histograms revealed approximately identical shaped distributions of the two data sets, with some minor deviations noticeable in graphs of only two variables (Au and Density) that are underlain by two populations. The validation process carried out gave a compelling assurance on the quality and reliability of the resource model produced. The Case Study tailings resource therefore is successfully estimated by Ordinary Kriging. The results achieved on the Case Study tailings dam has successfully proved that geostatistical principles and theories can confidently be applied, in their current form or understanding, to any man-made tailings resource / CK2018

Dissertation submitted to the University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the degree of MASTER OF COMMERCE IN DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND POLICY University of the Witwatersrand Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management School of Economics and Business Sciences – SEBS Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development (CSID) / Zimbabwe’s mineral sector has been the major contributor of the national economy’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since the economic meltdown post land reform programme. The scale of the crisis resulted in the adoption of the multicurrency system in 2009. In an attempt to save the economy from total collapse the government has turned to the mining sector to establish linkages through mineral beneficiation. This study has analysed whether the creation of linkages in the mineral sector, through beneficiation and value addition, could resuscitate the economy. Literature on natural resources shows that countries that are resource-rich experience slow growth rates than resource-poor countries. The study found that mineral resource dependency could be a platform or foundation for economic growth and developmental opportunities through linkages creation in the mineral sector. However, resource-based development strategy is a challenging development path that needs a strong state with vested capacity to actively direct and co-ordinate economic transformation through deepening of the resource sector. Political tensions in Zimbabwe are the overriding obstacles to economic linkages creation in the mining sector and across other sectors. It is therefore, imperative to understand the socio-economic and political dynamics and interactions that influence and shape policy decisions, implementation and their outcomes in order for Zimbabwe to optimise economic linkages and revive its economy. / MT2017

PhD, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, 1999

No description available.

The research contained within this thesis was directed at examining the spectral properties of regolith-dominated terrains using airborne and proximal hyperspectral instruments. The focus of the investigation was to identify the mineralogy of the regolith and determine if surficial materials were indicative of the underlying bedrock in the regolithdominated terrain of the eastern Olary Domain, South Australia. The research area was constrained to a 250 km2 area around the Cu-Au mineralisation of the White Dam Prosect. Integrated remote sensing, using airborne hyperspectral datasets (HyMap), Landsat imagery and gamma-ray spectroscopy data, was performed to map regolith-landforms and extract information on surficial materials. Detailed calibration of the HyMap dataset, using a modified model-based/empirical line calibration technique, was required prior to information extraction. The White Dam area was able to be divided into: alluvial regolith-dominated; in situ regolith-dominated; and bedrock-dominated terrains, based on mineralogical interpretations of the regolith, using the remotely sensed hyperspectral data. Alluvial regions were characterised by large abundances of vegetation and soils with a hematite-rich mineralogy. Highly weathered areas of in situ material were discriminated by the presence of goethite and kaolinite of various crystallinities, whereas the bedrock-dominated regions displayed white mica-/muscovite-rich mineralogy. Areas flanking bedrock exposures commonly consisted of shallow muscovite-rich soils containing regolith carbonate accumulations. Traditional mineral mapping processes were performed on the HyMap data and were able to extract endmembers of regolith and other surficial materials. The Mixture Tuned Matched Filter un-mixing process was successful at classifying regolith materials and minerals. Spectral indices performed on masked data were effective at identifying the key regolith mineralogical features of the HyMap imagery and proved less time consuming than un-mixing processes. Processed HyMap imagery was able to identify weathering halos, highlighted in mineralogical changes, around bedrock exposures. Proximal spectral measurements and XRD analyses of samples collected from the White Dam Prospect were used to create detailed mineralogical dispersion maps of the surface and costean sections. Regolith materials of the logged sections were found to correlate with the spectrally-derived mineral dispersion profiles. The HyLogger drill core scanning instrument was used to examine the mineralogy of the fresh bedrock, which contrasted with the weathering-derived near-surface regolith materials. The overall outcomes of the thesis showed that hyperspectral techniques were useful for charactering the mineralogy of surficial materials and mapping regolith-landforms. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, 2004.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (B.S.)--University of Alaska, 1940. / Alaska "Territorial Department of Mines reports" or "TDM reports" are a collection of reports, notes and maps written by Dept. employees working out of several field offices throughout the territory. Series titles and numbers within the collection were retrospectively assigned with the exception of the few written after statehood (1959). Report contains information on the Yukon River Mining Region, Circle Quadrangle. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 80). Also available in electronic format via Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-95).

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University, Dept. of History. / Electronic thesis. Also available in print ed.

An algorithm which adopts a moving cone approach but is guided by maximal network flow principles is developed. This study argues that from a network flow point of view, the re-allocation problem is a major obstacle to prevent a simulation oriented pit design algorithm from reaching the optimum solution. A simulation oriented pit design algorithm can not resolve the re-allocation problem entirely without explicit definition of predecessors and successors. In order to preserve the advantages of moving cone algorithm and to improve the moving cone algorithm, the new algorithm trys to avoid the re-allocation situations. Theoretical proof indicates that the new algorithm can consistently generate higher profit than the popular moving cone algorithm. A case study indicates that the new algorithm improved over the moving cone algorithm (1% more profit). Also, the difference between the new algorithm and the rigorous Lerchs-Grossmann algorithm in terms of generated profit is very insignificant (0.015% less). The new algorithm is only 2.08 times slower than the extremely fast moving cone algorithm. This study also presents a multi-period 0-1 programming mine sequencing model. Once pushbacks are generated and the materials between a series of cutoffs are available for each bench of every pushback, the model can quickly answer, period by period, what is the best (maximum or minimum) that can be expected on any one of these four items: mineral contents, ore tonnages, waste tonnages and stripping ratios. This answer is based on a selected cutoff and considers the production capacity defined by the ore tonnage, the desired stripping ratio and the precedence constraints among benches and pushbacks. The maximization of mineral contents is suggested to be the direct mine sequencing objective when it is permissible. Suggestions also are provided on how to reduce the number of decision variables and how to reduce the number of precedence constraints. A case study reveals that the model is fast and operational. The maximization of mineral contents increases the average grades in early planning periods.