Strip mining, removal of soil and rock (overburden) above a layer or seam (particularly coal), followed by the removal of the exposed mineral. The common strip-mining techniques are classified as area mining or contour mining on the basis of the deposit geometry and type. The cycle of operations for both techniques consists of vegetation clearing, soil removal, drilling and blasting of overburden (if needed), stripping, removal of the coal or other mineral commodity, and recl

Magnetite is a very common iron oxide (Fe3O4) mineral that is found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. It is the most commonly mined ore of iron. It is also the mineral with the highest iron content (72.4%). Magnetite is very easy to identify. It is one of just a few minerals that are attracted to a common magnet. It is a black, opaque, submetallic to metallic mineral with a Mohs hardness between 5 and 6.5. It is often found in the form of isometric crystals. It

For those who don't have the software but would like exposure to mine design and scheduling, and fully understand the life of mine cycle. The courses are presented at the university of Pretoria, 1 to 5 October. CPD points also awarded for professionally registered persons. Kindly visit our website for course detail: "www.schoolofrockmining.com/upcoming-course-details"

Orapa diamond mine located 240km west of Francistown city in Central Botswana is the ninth largest diamond mine in the world by reserve. The open-pit mine was estimated to contain 85.7Mct of diamond reserves (146.1Mt grading 0.587ct/t diamond) as of December 2012. Orapa has been in production since 1971. It is the oldest of the four diamond mines operated by Debswana. The kimberlite pipe mined by Orapa is one of the largest in the world. It covers an area of 118km² at the sur

Flotation is the most widely used method for the concentration of fine-grained minerals. It takes advantage of the different physicochemical surface properties of minerals—in particular, their wettability, which can be a natural property or one artificially changed by chemical reagents. By altering the hydrophobic (water-repelling) or hydrophilic (water-attracting) conditions of their surfaces, mineral particles suspended in water can be induced to adhere to air bubbles passi

The Cat D10T is currently the eighth largest bulldozer in the world. In 1978, it was the world’s largest, followed by the development of the N, R, and the current T-type. The D10T has a 12-cylinder engine for the Cat C27 ACERT. The D10T is rated at maximum power of 493kW (671 hp) / 1800rpm, and has a working weight of 66 tonnes - Mega Machines.

Longwall mining is a highly productive underground coal mining technique. Longwall mining machines consist of multiple coal shearers mounted on a series of self-advancing hydraulic ceiling supports. The entire process is mechanized. Longwall mining machines are about 800 feet (240 meters) in width and 5 to 10 feet (1.5 to 3 meters) tall. Longwall miners extract "panels" - rectangular blocks of coal as wide as the mining machinery and as long as 12,000 feet (3,650 meters).

Hematite is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth's surface and in the shallow crust. It is an iron oxide with a chemical composition of Fe2O3. It is a common rock-forming mineral found in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks at locations throughout the world. Hematite is the most important ore of iron. Although it was once mined at thousands of locations around the world, today almost all of the production comes from a few dozen large deposits where significant e

Botuobinskaya diamond mine, the tenth biggest diamond mine in the world, is located in the Nakyn kimberlite field, around 200km north-west of Nyurba in the Yakutia region of Russia. The mine extracts from the Botuobinskaya pipe, which contains 70.9Mct of JORC-compliant diamond reserves (13.839Mt grading 5.13ct/t diamond). The mine is owned and operated by Nyurba mining and processing division of Alrosa. Alrosa’s Nyurba division has been mining the Nyurbinskaya pipe three kilo

For those who don't have the software but would like exposure to mine design and scheduling, and fully understand the life of mine cycle. The courses are presented at the university of Pretoria, 1 to 5 October. CPD points also awarded for professionally registered persons. Kindly visit our website for course detail: https://www.schoolofrockmining.com/upcoming-course-details