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1
Sainoki, Atsushi. "Dynamic modelling of mining-induced fault-slip." Thesis, McGill University, 2014. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=123291.
Full textAbstract:
In deep hard rock mines where high stress conditions take place, rockbursts are serious problems because rockbursts could result in severe damage to mine openings. It is widely recognized that mining activities could reactivate faults in underground mines. The reactivation of faults could then cause fault-slip. More importantly, fault-slip gives rise to seismic waves, which inflict severe damage to mine openings. Because the generation and propagation of seismic waves are dynamic phenomena, fault-slip needs to be also dealt with as a dynamic phenomenon. Both of the static and dynamic behaviour of faults should be examined, considering the effects of mining activities on the faults, in order to estimate the damage induced by the seismic waves First, a literature review is conducted. The review has revealed that although a number of dynamic and static friction laws have been proposed, the friction laws have been rarely employed for the simulation of fault-slip in underground mines. The review has also revealed that most of the simulations have been conducted in static conditions. In this thesis, dynamic modelling of mining-induced fault-slip is presented using a mine-wide model encompassing a fault. Furthermore, a case study of Garson Mine, Sudbury, Canada is carried out. A parametrical study with a mine-wide 3D model has led to the following conclusions: (a) mining depth, friction angle of the fault, and fault locations exert a large influence on the maximum relative shear displacements on the fault, while the dilation angle and stiffness of the fault do not, (b) maximum slip rates appear to increase with the maximum slip. Results obtained from the numerical analysis employing Barton's shear strength model have shown that fault surface roughness strongly affects the intensity of seismic waves and seismically radiated energy. The results imply that fault-slip occurring on faults with rough surfaces could become more violent. The effect of stope production blasts on a nearby fault is also examined. The results obtained from the analysis have indicated that performing stope production blasts in timed sequence could induce a larger seismic event on the fault than triggering the blasts simultaneously. Dynamic analysis considering the collision and unloading of fault surface asperities is also conducted. It is found that the release of normal stress due to fault unloading has a large influence on the intensity of seismic waves. The effect of slip-weakening distance on seismic source parameters of fault-slip is also investigated. The study has indicated that slip rates and seismically radiated energy are significantly affected by the slip-weakening distance, while seismic moment appears not to be susceptible to the slip-weakening distance in a case of local fault-slip.Back analysis of fault-slip to estimate the physical and mechanical properties of shear/fracture zones is carried out for Garson Mine. The back analysis is conducted with respect to moment magnitude and peak particle velocities recorded by seismic monitoring systems. Fault surface roughness and a dynamic friction angle have been calibrated. Afterwards, the calibrated values are validated with peak ground acceleration. Through the study, a methodology to calibrate the physical and mechanical properties of faults by means of ground motion due to seismic waves arising from fault-slip as well as seismic source parameters of the fault-slip has been developed.Dans les mines profondes ou des contraintes élevées se produisent, les coups de terrain sont un problème car les ils peuvent endommager les ouvertures minières. Il est largement reconnu que les activités minières peuvent réactiver des failles dans les mines sous-terraines. La réactivation de ces failles peut entrainer un glissement de faille. Surtout, le glissement de faille fait naitre des ondes sismiques qui infligent des dégâts sérieux quand elles frappent la surface des ouvertures minières. La génération et la propagation des ondes sismiques sont des phénomènes dynamiques. Il s'ensuit donc que le glissement de faille doit être traité comme un phénomène dynamique Le comportement dynamique ainsi que le comportement statique des failles doit être examiné en considérant les effets des activités minières pour estimer les dégâts causés par les ondes sismiques.Premièrement, un examen de la documentation est effectué. L'examen a révélé que même si un nombre de lois statiques et dynamiques de frottement ont été proposés, ces lois de frottement ont été peu employés pour simuler les glissements de faille que se déroulent dans les mines sous-terraines. La revue a aussi révélé que la majorité des simulations ont été conduites en conditions statiques. Dans cette thèse, la modélisation dynamique d'un glissement de faille induit par des activités minières est présentée. Le modèle englobe l'entièreté d'une mine. En plus, une étude de cas pour la mine Garson à Sudbury, au Canada, est effectuée.Une étude paramétrique avec un modèle de mine en trois dimensions mène aux conclusions suivantes: (a) la profondeur d'exploitation minière, l'angle de friction de la faille, et la position de la faille ont une grande influence sur les déplacement relatifs en cisaillement d'une faille, tandis que l'angle de dilation de la faille et la dureté ont peu d'effet, (b) le taux de glissement maximal augmente en fonction du glissement absolu. Les résultats obtenus du modèle numérique dans lequel le modèle de résistance au cisaillement de Barton est implémenté ont démontré que la rugosité de la surface de la faille affecte grandement l'intensité des ondes sismiques qui émanent du glissement de faille et l'énergie sismique propagée. Les résultats impliquent qu'un glissement de faille survenant à une faille rugueuse est plus violent. L'effet produit par un sautage de production sur une faille proche est aussi examiné en considérant plusieurs séquences de sautage. Les résultats de l'analyse indiquent qu'un sautage de production exécuté selon une séquence temporelle peut induire un plus grand événement sismique qu'un sautage simultané. Une analyse dynamique tenant compte la collision et le déchargement d'une faille est aussi conduite. Il est démontré que le relâchement de la contrainte normale à la faille a une grande influence sur l'intensité des ondes sismiques. L'effet de la distance d'affaiblissement de faille due glissement sur les paramètres sismiques est aussi examiné L'étude indique que le taux de glissement et l'énergie sismique émanée sont significativement affectés par la distance d'affaiblissement de faille, tandis que le moment sismique n'est pas susceptible à la distance d'affaiblissement dans le cas ou le glissement de faille se déroule seulement dans une zone limitée. Pour estimer l'effet des propriétés physiques et mécaniques de la zone de cisaillement, une analyse régressive est exécutée pour la mine Garson. L'analyse est conduite selon la magnitude du moment et la vitesse de crête des particules. La rugosité de la surface de la faille et l'angle de friction dynamique sont étalonnés. Ensuite, les paramètres étalonnés sont validés par rapport à l'accélération maximale du terrain. À travers l'étude, une méthodologie pour étalonner les propriétés physiques et mécaniques de la faille selon l'étude du mouvement du terrain due aux ondes sismiques émanant d'un glissement de faille est développé.
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Mlakar, Vincent William. "Crack development and acoustic emission studies in potash rock loaded under uniaxial compression." Thesis, McGill University, 1992. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=56670.
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Acoustic Emission (AE) techniques under laboratory testing conditions are used in order to understand the mechanical behavior and deformational processes of uniaxially compressed potash rock. Results obtained from the acoustic emission measurements are compared to crack development at preselected stress levels up to specimen failure.It is observed that the fracture processes, mechanical behavior and acoustic emission response are dependent on the physical properties of potash rock. The mechanical behavior of potash rock displays two stress-strain trends under the same load conditions. Based on the acoustic emission rate, it was possible to delineate an approximate yield point of potash rock. However, a more detailed study of the acoustic emission amplitude and energy distributions showed that high amplitude events with long event durations are initially observed to occur near the yield point of the stress strain curves. These events are present prior to the yield point in specimens containing a high proportion of sylvite and after the yield point for monomineralic, halitic specimens. Finally, a classification scheme of crack morphology and systematic charts displaying the history of progressive crack development for all potash rock types has been developed.
3
Priscu, Doina Maria. "Double-porosity modelling of groundwater flow through fractured rock masses." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ37280.pdf.
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Vukovic, Nikola. "Comparison of laboratory and field modulus of elasticity of rocks." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape11/PQDD_0001/MQ44047.pdf.
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Vander, Most Anastasia. "Recovery and analysis of historical mine data in a three-dimensional environment: A case study - Heath Steele, Bathurst Mining Camp, northern New Brunswick." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/27927.
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3-D geographic information systems (GIS) provides a powerful tool for visualizing and interpreting the subsurface distribution of geology and hydrothermal parameters that are important in exploring for deposits concealed at depth. For the purpose of this study, restoration of a historical mine data set was undertaken with the goal of migrating information from paper records to fully linked data sets suitable for interpretation in 3-D GIS. Heath Steele, in the Bathurst Mining Camp, northern New Brunswick, is one such deposit with historical records that include the distribution of ore-associated iron formation, massive sulfides and host rocks. Structural and stratigraphic interpretations from previous studies and exploration programs were incorporated in the model, along with fabric measurements, regional geology, drillcore logs and geophysical data. This study shows how revisiting historical mine data in a 3-D environment can generate new knowledge about an ore deposit and particularly the spatial context of hydrothermal features in a complexly deformed setting that may aid future exploration.
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Alalawi, Saleh S. N., Salah S. H. Albehlany, Abdulaziz F. Aldossary, Rashid A. Alhashimi, Abdulsam M. Almurshidi, Laura L. Cathcart, Sherill L. Cole, et al. "Geophysical Surveys in the Pima Mining District, Arizona Volume I." LASI Laboratory for Advanced Surface Imaging, The University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624544.
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Geophysical surveys were conducted in the Pima mining district by
students from the University of Arizona. The surveys were concentrated
along section B-B' from Cooper (1973). The objectives of
this survey included: teaching geophysical techniques, mapping
regional structure along this profile, and determining which geophysical
techniques were most useful for regional .mapping in this
area. Controlled source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT)
surveys successfully mapped depth to basement along this profile.
Seismic refraction surveys were not able to map depth to basement.
Either the depth to basement was beyond the range of the
arrays used in this experiment or there is insufficient contrast
in the velocity between the basement and the overlying rocks. A
test of the seismic reflection method was carried out using a
walk-away noise spread. Possible reflections from basement were
noted but were not sufficiently diagnostic to be routinely use able.
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Alalawi, Saleh S. N., Salah S. H. Albehlany, Abdulaziz F. Aldossary, Rashid A. Alhashimi, Abdulsam M. Almurshidi, Laura L. Cathcart, Sherill L. Cole, et al. "Geophysical Surveys in the Pima Mining District, Arizona Volume II." LASI Laboratory for Advanced Surface Imaging, The University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624550.
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Doucet, Chantale. "The effect of geology on fragmentation in small development headings." Thesis, McGill University, 1995. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=23744.
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This thesis presents the results of a research project on the effect of geology on the fragmentation of rock excavated by blasting in underground developments. The research was undertaken at CANMET's Experimental Mine in Val-d'Or, Quebec.A total of thirteen (13) blasts were studied from November 1994 to February 1995. The analysis of each blast was divided into three stages: (1) Pre-blast: includes structural mapping, rockmass characterization, estimation of the in situ block size distribution and documentation of the blast design. (2) Blast: includes blast vibration monitoring and analysis. (3) Post-blast: includes determination of fragment size distribution, half-cast factors and bootlegs.
The blast design was kept as constant as possible throughout the study in order to limit the variation of parameters to the geology-related ones. The results were analyzed to determine any correlation between the rockmass characteristics and the blast results. Only general trends were found: (1) The characteristic size of the fragments obtained after blasting (x$ rm sb{c}$ blast) increases when the characteristic size of the in situ distribution (x$ rm sb{c}$ in situ) increases; (2) The characteristic size of the fragments obtained after blasting (x$ rm sb{c}$ blast) decreases when the adjusted powder factor increases; (3) The half-cast factor (HCF) decreases when the Rock Quality Designation (RQD), RMR and Q values increase; (4) The characteristic size of the fragments obtained after blasting (x$ rm sb{c}$ blast) increases when the RQD, Rock Mass Rating (RMR) and quality index (Q) values increase.
Some of these results confirm basic blasting principles whereas others were unexpected. The fact that no statistical correlation could be found is probably due to the geological environment in which the experiments were completed. The rock types encountered have very similar mechanical properties and the quality of the rockmasses did not vary extensively. Therefore, any variance in the results is best explained by the blast performance itself. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Hadjigeorgiou, John. "A study of frictional properties of rock masses /." Thesis, McGill University, 1987. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=59612.
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The design of traditional and novel structures, e.g. underground tunnels, dam foundations, nuclear waste depositories, requires an understanding of the behaviour of rock under different stress conditions. This thesis is part of an overall research program into the behaviour of rock masses undertaken by the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering at McGill University. The main objective of this project is the determination of the appropriate stress functions that describe the response of rock to applied loads. In this work, the distinction is made between intact, single discontinuity and fractured rock material.The first segment of this thesis deals with a critical evaluation of the different failure criteria for rock and rock discontinuities that have been used in the past. Their applications and limitations are identified. In the second segment of this work, the frictional behaviour of rock and rock discontinuities is defined, based on results of laboratory testing in direct-shear and triaxial compression.
10
Luo, Xiaochun. "Spatiotemporal stochastic models for earth science and engineering applications." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape11/PQDD_0016/NQ44665.pdf.
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Tsang, Wing-shing. "Borehole geophysics limitations of natural gamma and gamma-gamma density logging methods." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2003. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B42577238.
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Bohannon, Stacy Jo. "Hydrogeology of the San Xavier Mining Laboratory and Geophysics Test Site and surrounding area." FIND on the Web, 1991.
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Bohannon, Stacy Jo 1965. "Hydrogeology of the San Xavier Mining Laboratory and Geophysics Test Site and surrounding area." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/192053.
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Water level, permeability, and water quality data indicate that the aquifer beneath the San Xavier Mining Laboratory is unconfined, high permeability, and isolated from the adjacent, upgradient aquifer. The aquifer at San Xavier has been dewatered considerably due to past pumping at the mine and at nearby open-pit mines. Water levels have not recovered due to the low permeability of the upgradient aquifer, and the restriction of the flow of ground water across the thrust fault separating the upgradient and San Xavier aquifers. The Mining Laboratory is in full compliance with the Aquifer Protection Permit issued to the facility by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The ground water at the mine meets all state and federal primary drinking water standards. The future use of the aquifer does not appear to be threatened by research being conducted at the mine.
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Tsang, Wing-shing, and 曾永成. "Borehole geophysics limitations of natural gamma and gamma-gamma density logging methods." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B42577238.
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Porterfield, Darwin Ben 1957. "Use of geodata integration techniques to target gold-silver mine mineralization at Twin Peaks, Owyhee County, Idaho." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/278342.
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Various filtering and integration techniques were used to analyze geologic, geophysical and geochemical data from the Twin Peaks area located in the DeLamar mining district in Southwestern Idaho. In particular rank correlation and favorability analysis were employed in this study. The data analysis was used to delineate target areas considered favorable for epithermal gold-silver mineralization. The interpretation of geophysical data was emphasized because of the importance of subsurface geologic features and complications caused by post mineral cover. Field investigation of the target areas provides strong evidence supporting the potential for significant mineralization in four of the twelve target areas selected.
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Rasor, Bart A. "DATA MINING FOR TECTONIC TREMOR IN THE IRIS PREPROCESSED QUALITY ANALYSIS DATABASE." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1399642220.
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Martins, Antonio Carlos da Costa. "Impacto da aplicação da geofísica no planejamento de lavra da mineração de pequena escala." Universidade de São Paulo, 2017. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/3/3134/tde-08082017-104035/.
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A pesquisa é focada na aplicação de métodos indiretos de exploração mineral no planejamento de lavra em mineração de pequena escala (MPE). O objetivo é demonstrar o potencial de contribuição dos métodos geofísicos no planejamento de lavra. Para isso, foi desenvolvida uma nova metodologia para seleção e aplicação de métodos geofísicos e foram realizados experimentos conduzidos em três depósitos minerais, um de ouro, um de manganês e um de calcário, em que os métodos geofísicos testados apresentaram contribuições efetivas para o planejamento de lavra na MPE. Nos três experimentos realizados, foram utilizados métodos geofísicos de eletrorresistividade e de polarização induzida, com técnicas de sondagem elétrica vertical e de caminhamento elétrico, para identificar as estruturas geológicas de interesse. Esses métodos permitem, de maneira geral, determinar a profundidade e a espessura da camada de solo e das estruturas geológicas de interesse no horizonte investigado. Os resultados da aplicação dos métodos geofísicos comprovaram que as informações geofísicas permitem acelerar o processo de tomada de decisão no planejamento de lavra, pois reduzem o tempo e os custos associados à pesquisa mineral e à modelagem geológica utilizada no planejamento de lavra da MPE.This research focus on the application of indirect methods of mineral exploration to support decision-making during mine planning of small-scale mines. The objective is to demonstrate the potential contribution of the introduction of geophysical methods to the mine planning cycle. A new methodology is proposed for selecting and applying geophysical methods in small-scale deposits in order, to test its impact in the mine planning process. The methodology has been applied to three small-scale deposits of gold, of limestone and of manganese ore. The selected geophysical methods were electro-resistivity and induced polarization, with vertical electrical sounding and electric mapping techniques in order to identify the geological structures of interest. In general, the selected methods allowed the gathering of quick and precise information of the depth and the thickness of the geological structures within the investigated horizons. The results obtained in the experiments have proven that the incorporation of geophysical methods allow for faster decision-making in the mine planning process of small-scale mines because they reduce the time and the costs associated to the acquisition of geological information in small-scale mining.
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Yancey, Daniel Jackson. "Analysis and Application of Coal Seam Seismic Waves for detection of Abandoned Mines." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32700.
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It is not uncommon for underground coal mining to be conducted in the proximity of abandoned underground mines that are prone to accumulate water, methane or other toxic gases, and are often either poorly mapped or without good surface survey control.
Mining into such abandoned voids poses a great safety risk to personnel,
equipment, and production from inundation or toxic/explosive gas release.
Often, surface or underground drilling is employed to detect the mine void
and evaluate the hazards, sometimes with disastrous results. The use of
guided waves within coal seams can be utilized to locate voids, faults, and
abrupt seam thickness changes. The use of seam waves for void detection and
mine planning has tremendous value and use.
To demonstrate the feasibility of abandoned mine void detection utilizing coal seam seismic waves, two in-seam reflection surveys and a transmission survey were acquired at an abandoned underground mine near Hurley, Virginia. Numerical modeling of the seam waves was examined as well. The Airy phase was observed in the synthetic and real field data. Dispersion analysis of the field data shows reasonable agreement with the dispersion characteristics of the synthetic data. Using standard commonly available seismic reflection processing tools, a known and well-mapped mine was detected and located.
Detection of the mine with both surveys indicates that ``exploratory'' drilling
can be replaced by noninvasive seismic methods. Location, however, was not
good enough to replace drilling entirely. Hence seismic methods can be used
for detection, but if a potential void is detected, focused drilling should be
applied for accurate mapping and circumvention of potentially hazardous areas.
Master of Science
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Thurley, Matthew J. (Matthew John) 1971. "Three dimensional data analysis for the separation and sizing of rock piles in mining." Monash University, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Systems, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/7855.
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Young, Andrew T. "Numerical and geophysical investigations of tunnel stability." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.316427.
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Agnoletto, Ethiane 1988. "Caracterização litológica e identificação de alvos exploratórios na região de Flor da Serra, Província Aurífera Alta Floresta (MT), utilizando dados magnéticos e geoelétricos." [s.n.], 2013. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/287296.
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Orientadores: Emilson Pereira Leite, Antônio João Paes de BarrosDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências
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Resumo: A região garimpeira de Flor da Serra situa-se na porção Leste da Província Aurífera Alta Floresta, Norte do Mato Grosso, inserida no contexto geológico da porção Centro-Sul do Cráton Amazônico, constituída por suítes plutono-vulcânicas de idade paleoproterozóica e coberturas sedimentares associadas. Várias ocorrências de ouro estão dispostas em grandes zonas de descontinuidade crustal que delimitam terrenos geocronológicos e geológicos. O expressivo adensamento de corpos filoneanos e o histórico de produção destaca essa região de expressivo potencial exploratório. Neste contexto, o trabalho teve por objetivo a identificação de novos alvos exploratórios por meio da análise de dados geofísicos, descrição de testemunhos de sondagem e mapeamento de cavas garimpeiras. A integração desses dados contribuiu em especial à evolução do conhecimento geológico da região Flor da Serra, e também de maneira geral para o setor leste da PAAF. A área de estudo está inserida na Suíte Intrusiva Flor da Serra, que é constituída eminentemente por gabros, dioritos a monzogabros, entretanto com o mapeamento de cavas garimpeiras e descrição de furos de sondagem, verificou-se a existência de quatro unidades geológicas principais: (i) Granitóides do Embasamento de composição tonalítica a granodiorítica com associação de magnetita + granada, intrudidos por rochas da (ii) Unidade Granodiorítica a Tonalítica de mesma composição. Essa unidade é truncada por (iii) Diques Máficos a Intermediários e localmente há presença de (iv) Rochas Cataclásticas a Miloníticas. Os litotipos foram variavelmente afetados por sete tipos de alteração hidrotermal (ordem temporal): (i) alteração potássica intensa, (ii) silicificação pervasiva, (iii) carbonatação, (iv) alteração com muscovita, (v) propilitização mais pontual, (vi) alteração Quartzo-Sericita-Pirita (QSP) com substituição total da rocha e, (vii) vênulas de calcita tardias. Foram realizados levantamentos geofísicos utilizando métodos geoelétricos (Polarização Induzida/Resistividade - IP/RES) e magnetometria em escala de depósito. Valores anômalos de cargabilidade e resistividade obtidos após aplicação de um algoritmo de inversão com vínculo de suavidade definiram zonas de intensa silicificação e de QSP. Essas zonas estão diretamente relacionadas a um minério do tipo disseminado, além de terem possibilitado a delimitação da interface saprólito-rocha sã (manto intempérico profundo de até 50 m). Para facilitar a interpretação geológica, foram gerados mapas do campo magnético anômalo reduzido ao equador magnético e da amplitude do sinal analítico. Esse último possibilitou a definição de um stock granítico intrusivo no embasamento heterogêneo. Para eliminar ruídos remanescentes nos mapas de anomalias magnéticas, foram aplicados os filtros cosseno direcional e continuação para cima, com geração de mapa que confirmou o padrão estrutural vigente no Sistema Flor da Serra. Essa estruturação está associada à diferentes níveis crustais, balizam os principais corpos filoneano da região e também estão associadas a alteração QSP. A integração dos principais lineamentos estruturais; bolsões de alta cargabilidade e resistividade; mapeamento detalhado de cavas desativadas e zona de borda da intrusão possibilitou a definição de pontos de interesse prospectivo metalogenético
Abstract: The gold mining area of Flor da Serra is located in the East portion of the Alta Floresta Gold Province (PAAF), North of the state of Mato Grosso, inserted into the geological context of the South-Central portion of the Amazon Craton, which comprises plutono-Paleoproterozoic volcanic suites and associated sedimentary cover. Several gold occurrences are arranged in large zones of crustal discontinuities demarcating land geochronological and geological. The significant densification of filoneano bodies and production history highlights the significant exploration potential of the area. In this context, this study aimed to identify new exploration targets through analysis of geophysical data, description of drill core samples and prospecting pits. The integrated analysis of these data contributed in particular to the development of the geological knowledge of Flor da Serra, and also generally for the eastern sector of the PAAF. The study area covers the Intrusive Suite Flor da Serra which consists essentially of gabbros, diorites to monzogabros, however mapping of prospecting pits and description of borehole samples confirmed the existence of at least four main geological units: (i) granitoids in Basement of tonalitic to granodioritic composition association with magnetite + garnet rocks intruded by (ii) granodioritic to tonalitic of the same composition. This unit is truncated by (iii) the Intermediate Mafic Dykes and locally by (iv) cataclastic to mylonitic rocks. Rocks of the Flor da Serra have been affected by the following hydrothermal alteration types (temporal sequence): (i) intense potassic alteration, (ii) pervasive silicification, (iii) carbonation, (iv) alteration with muscovite, (v) punctual propylitization, (vi) Quartz-Sericite-Pyrite (QSP) alteration with total replacement of the rock and (vii) late calcite veinlets. The geophysical survey consisted of the application of geoelectrical methods (Induced Polarization/Resistivity - IP/RES) and magnetometry at deposit scale. Anomalous values of chargeability and resistivity allowed defining zones of intense silicification and QSP closely related to a disseminated ore type, beyond the boundaries of the saprolite-bedrock interface (deep weathering mantle of up to 50 m). To facilitate geological interpretation, maps of the magnetic anomalous field reduced to the magnetic equador and the analytic signal amplitude were generated. The latter allowed the identification of granitic intrusive stock in heterogeneous basement. To improve the final product and eliminate remaining noise cosine directional filter and upward continuation to 100 m were applied, providing a map which confirmed the structural pattern prevailing in the Flor da Serra system. This structural system is associated with different crustal levels, controls the main filoneano bodies of the region and is attached to QSP alteration. The integration of the main structural lineaments; zones of high chargeability/resistivity; detailed mapping of deactivated pits; and boundary zone of the intrusion led to the definition of prospective metallogenic targets
Mestrado
Geologia e Recursos Naturais
Mestra em Geociências
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Barbuena, Danilo 1987. "Processamento e modelagem de dados geofísicos e imagens ASTER aplicados à interpretação geológica e prospecção mineral na Província Aurífera de Alta Floresta, MT." [s.n.], 2012. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/287367.
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Orientadores: Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho, Emilson Pereira LeiteAcompanhado de 1 mapa (folha solta dobrada)
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências
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Resumo: A Provincia Aurifera de Alta Floresta (PAAF) situa-se na porcao centro-sul do craton Amazonico, entre os limites das Provincias Ventuari - Tapajos (1,95-1,8 Ga) e Rio Negro - Juruena (1,8-1,55 Ga). Em seu segmento leste, ocorrem mais de uma centena de depositos auriferos hospedados em rochas plutonicas e vulcanicas e concentrados ao longo do Cinturao Peru-Trairao, de direcao NW-SE. Inseridos neste cenario geologico, proximos ao municipio de Peixoto de Azevedo e a Vila Uniao do Norte, estao os depositos Pe Quente e Francisco, alvos deste trabalho. Em funcao de varios fatores como a dificuldade de acesso, a densa cobertura vegetal e o extenso manto de intemperismo, a extracao de informacoes geologicas na regiao amazonica e uma tarefa dificil e logisticamente onerosa. Nesse contexto, dados geofisicos e de sensoriamento remoto sao essenciais para a ampliacao do conhecimento geologico dessa regiao. Esse trabalho pretende, atraves do processamento e analise de dados geofisicos aereos, terrestres e de imagens ASTER: (i) refinar a cartografia geologica da porcao sudeste da PAAF, identificando estruturas impressas em diferentes niveis da crosta, (ii) individualizar possiveis corpos graniticos ainda nao cartografados, (iii) comparar as respostas geofisicas obtidas com dados terrestres e dados aerolevantados, (iv) determinar a relacao entre os realces gamaespectrometricos e magneticos terrestres de areas-tipo no sudeste da PAAF e, (v) relacionar assinaturas gamaespectrometricas a assinaturas espectrais da vegetacao, simultaneamente indicativas de padroes associados aos depositos auriferos. O processamento e interpretacao dos dados aeromagnetometricos e aerogamaespectrometricos do projeto Juruena-Teles Pires (Fase 1), adquiridos pelo Servico Geologico Brasileiro (CPRM), permitiram a geracao de um novo mapa geologico regional da porcao leste da PAAF. Levantamentos magnetometricos e gamaespectrometricos terrestres foram realizados nas areas dos depositos do Pe Quente e Francisco como parte dessa pesquisa. Sua comparacao com os dados aereos em linhas de aquisicao equivalentes espacialmente mostra que, apesar da diferenca consideravel de escala e de amostragem, os padroes sao mantidos em ambos os tipos de levantamento. Os dados terrestres proporcionaram ainda a producao de modelos prospectivos para depositos de Au baseados em tecnicas de Analise por Principais Componentes e Logica Fuzzy. As anomalias gamaespectrometricas extraidas dos dados geofisicos foram comparadas com as caracteristicas espectrais da vegetacao e de solos/rochas extraidas do processamento de dados ASTER. O estudo demonstrou que existe uma forte correlacao espacial entre zonas ricas em K e anomalias espectrais da vegetacao, indicando que assinaturas geofisicas e geobotanicas podem ser utilizadas de maneira complementar na vetorizacao de depositos de Au na PAAF
Abstract: The Alta Floresta Gold Province (AFGP) is located in the central-southern Amazon craton between the limits of the Ventuari-Tapajos (1.95-1.8 Ga) and Rio Negro-Juruena (1.8-1.55 Ga) provinces. In its eastern segment there are more than one hundred gold deposits hosted in volcanic and plutonic rocks and concentrated along the Peru-Trairao Belt in a NW-SE direction. Included in this geologic setting, near the Peixoto de Azevedo city and the Uniao do Norte village, are the Pe Quente and Francisco deposits which are the targets of this work. Due to several factors such as restricted access, the dense vegetation and extensive weathering, the extraction of geological information in the Amazon region is not trivial. In this context geophysical data and remote sensing are essential to expand the geological knowledge of this region. This study intends, through processing and analysis of airborne geophysical data, ground geophysical data and an ASTER image of the region, (i) refine the geological mapping of the southeastern portion of the AFGP, identifying structures in different levels of the crust, (ii) individualize granitic bodies that have not yet been mapped, (iii) compare the responses of airborne and field-based geophysical data, (iv) determine the relationship between ground gamma spectrometry and magnetic data sets in the southeast of AFGP and (v) relating gamma spectrometry signatures with spectral signatures of vegetation, both indicative of patterns associated with gold deposits. Processing and interpretation of airborne gamma spectrometry and magnetic data of the Juruena-Teles Pires project (Phase 1), acquired by the Brazilian Geological Service (CPRM), allowed the generation of a new regional geological map of the eastern portion of the AFGP. Ground magnetometry and gamma spectrometry surveys were made in the areas of Pe Quente and Francisco deposits as part of this research and compared with airborne data and their response over the lines of flight, showing that even with a considerable difference of scale and sampling, these patterns are maintained in both survey types. These data resulted in the production of prospective models for Au-based deposits using Principal Component Analysis and Fuzzy Logic based techniques. Additionally, by processing an ASTER image, a correlation was found between the occurrence of gamma spectrometry anomalies with the spectral characteristics of vegetation and soil /rock, largely reflecting the strong spatial correlation between potassium-rich areas and spectral anomalies of vegetation, since this element is a essential macronutrient for the healthy development of several plants
Mestrado
Geologia e Recursos Naturais
Mestre em Geociências
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Korkalo, T. (Tuomo). "Gold and copper deposits in Central Lapland, Northern Finland, with special reference to their exploration and exploitation." Doctoral thesis, University of Oulu, 2006. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:951428108X.
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Abstract
At least 30 gold deposits verified by means of one or more notable diamond drill hole results have been discovered in Central Lapland in the last 20 years, and these can be divided spatially into groups, between which the metal composition varies. The deposits contain varying amounts of sulphides and sulpharsenides as well as gold. Pyrite is the most common sulphide mineral in the gold deposits associated with volcanic rocks, and usually pyrrhotite in those associated with sedimentary rocks. The principal sulphide minerals in those connected with banded iron formations are pyrite and arsenopyrite. A separate group of formations consists of the palaeoplacer gold deposits associated with the molasse-like quartzites and conglomerates of Central Lapland.
The iron oxide-copper-gold deposits of Central Lapland, which are a significant potential source of copper and gold, are mostly associated with skarn rocks at the eastern contact of the acidic intrusive rocks of Western Lapland and with skarn rocks occurring as interlayers in metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks.
The gold deposits that have led to actual mining activities in Central Lapland are Saattopora in Kittilä and Pahtavaara in Sodankylä. Apart from the Laurinoja iron oxide-copper-gold ore body in Kolari, copper concentrate has been produced from the Saattopora gold ore deposit and the Pahtavuoma copper ore deposit. Only one gold ore in Central Lapland is being actively exploited at present, that of the Pahtavaara mine, which was worked in 1995–2000 and reopened in 2003.
The best starting point for successful gold ore exploration in Central Lapland can be achieved through a thorough knowledge of the deformation zones and their structures and alteration processes and the application of geochemical methods. Magnetic surveys can be of help in identifying and locating deformation zones of interest for exploration purposes and the majority of the associated shear zones and faults. Ore-critical zones usually feature graphite-bearing schists and iron sulphide-bearing sequences that can be traced by electrical methods and used as marker zones to verify the results of geological mapping. Geological, geophysical and geochemical techniques have been used in great diversity, and in particular till geochemistry and bedrock drilling have been methods by which the gold and copper deposits in Central Lapland have been discovered.
A total of 7.6 million tonnes of gold and copper ores, including the Laurinoja iron oxide-copper-gold ore, were extracted in Central Lapland over the period 1982–2000. The resulting production of gold during this period was 10 800 kg, together with 21 000 tonnes of copper in concentrates and 4500 kg of silver.
The gold and copper ores have been concentrated by gravity separation and/or flotation, since the ores so far taken into production has been of the free milling type. However, a substantial proportion of the deposits in the area contain copper, nickel, cobalt and arsenic as well, in the form of sulphides or sulpharsenides, so that the achievement of commercially saleable products calls for the use of different leaching processes. Deposits have also been found in Central Lapland that have consisted partly or entirely of refractory gold ore in which gold is lying in the crystal lattice of pyrite and/or arsenopyrite, the processing of which by the above-mentioned methods is not economic, as it requires pre-treatment by bio-oxidation or pressure oxidation in order to convert the gold to a cyanide-soluble form.
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Rzeznik, Andrew Joseph. "Applied math in geophysical fluids : partially trapped wave problems and mining plumes." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/120657.
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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-132).
The first portion of this work focuses on leaky modes in the atmospheric sciences. Leaky modes (related to quasi-modes, scattering resonances, and the singularity expansion method) are discrete, oscillatory and decaying modes that arise in conservative systems where waves are partially trapped. By replacing the infinite domain with a finite domain and appropriate boundary conditions it is possible in many cases to construct a complete basis for the solution in terms of these modes. Formulating such effective boundary conditions requires a notion of the direction of propagation of the waves. For this purpose we introduce a generalization of the concept of group speed for exponentially decaying but conservative waves. This is found via an extended modulation argument and a generalization of Whitham's Average Lagrangian theory. The theory also shows that a close relationship exists between the branch cuts of the dispersion relation and the propagation direction, and is used to create spectral decompositions for simple problems in internal gravity waves. The last chapter considers deep-sea nodule mining operations, which potentially involve plans for discharge plumes to be released into the water column by surface operation vessels. We consider the effects of non-uniform, realistic stratifications with vertical shear on forced compressible plumes. The plume model is developed to account for the influence of thermal conduction through the discharge pipe and an initial adjustment phase. We investigate the substantial role of compressibility, for which a dimensionless number is introduced to determine its importance compared to that of the background stratification. Our results show that (i) small-scale stratification features can have a significant impact, (ii) in a static ambient there exists a discharge flow rate that minimizes the plume vertical extent, (iii) the ambient velocity profile plays an important role in determining the final plume scale and dilution factor, and (iv) for a typical plume the dilution factor is expected to be several hundred to a thousand.
by Andrew Joseph Rzeznik.
Ph. D.
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Dartevelle, Seʹbastien. "Numerical and granulometric approaches to geophysical granular flows /." Available online. Click here, 2003. http://sunshine.lib.mtu.edu/ETD/DISS/dartevelles/Seb%5FDartevelle%5FPhD%5Ffinal.pdf.
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Park, Jinyong. "Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Fluid Flow for Natural Single Rock Fractures." Diss., Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2005. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1385%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.
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Yang, Fenghua. "Geopolymerization of Copper Mine Tailings." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/268596.
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Geopolymerization is a chemical reaction process, reacting SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ with alkaline solutions, which can transform aluminosilicate solids or particles to polymer materials. Geopolymers have many engineering applications such as cementation binders for construction and solidification or encapsulation of hazardous heavy metals. Mine tailings mainly consist of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃. Theoretically, mine tailings can be used as source materials for geopolymerization. However, for most researchers, they use fly ash, metakaolin or furnace slag as source minerals, because these minerals are much more reactive with alkaline solutions. Mine tailings are naturally-forming minerals and are considered to be inert in geopolymerization. How are mine tailings to be activated through different reaction conditions? We conducted several tentative or preliminary experiments to study the geopolymerization process step by step. We tried different methods to react mine tailings with alkaline solutions. Mine tailings were submerged into alkaline solutions in a plastic bucket for 6 days in room temperature (20-25 °C). We wanted mine tailings to be activated by soaking. The results were not satisfying. Then we tried to react mine tailings with alkaline solutions at 60 °C and 90 °C. After analyzing, we found that the results were not satisfying either. So, we conducted simplified geopolymerization experiments in order to better understand the chemical reaction mechanism. Pure SiO2 and Al2O3, which were two major reactants, were employed to simplify and simulate the geopolymerization process. We drew some useful conclusions such as that geopolymerization took place at elevated temperatures; Al₂O₃ almost did not react with alkaline solutions at low temperatures, etc. We conducted experiments at elevated temperatures (150 °C, 180 °C, 210 °C). Different levels of pressure (5 MPa, 10 MPa, 20 MPa) were applied to make compact specimens. After many attempts, the results were successful. The highest mechanical strength was about 20 MPa. Most importantly, we obtained polymers produced from geopolymerzation, which could be seen by naked eyes. The experiment techniques such as scanning electron microstructure (SEM) imaging and X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and unconfined compression tests (UCS) were applied to study the geopolymerization reaction mechanism and the feasibility of using mine tailing-based geopolymers as construction materials.
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Garvey, Ryan J. "A study of unstable rock failures using finite difference and discrete element methods." Thesis, Colorado School of Mines, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3557944.
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Case histories in mining have long described pillars or faces of rock failing violently with an accompanying rapid ejection of debris and broken material into the working areas of the mine. These unstable failures have resulted in large losses of life and collapses of entire mine panels. Modern mining operations take significant steps to reduce the likelihood of unstable failure, however eliminating their occurrence is difficult in practice. Researchers over several decades have supplemented studies of unstable failures through the application of various numerical methods. The direction of the current research is to extend these methods and to develop improved numerical tools with which to study unstable failures in underground mining layouts.
An extensive study is first conducted on the expression of unstable failure in discrete element and finite difference methods. Simulated uniaxial compressive strength tests are run on brittle rock specimens. Stable or unstable loading conditions are applied onto the brittle specimens by a pair of elastic platens with ranging stiffnesses. Determinations of instability are established through stress and strain histories taken for the specimen and the system.
Additional numerical tools are then developed for the finite difference method to analyze unstable failure in larger mine models. Instability identifiers are established for assessing the locations and relative magnitudes of unstable failure through measures of rapid dynamic motion. An energy balance is developed which calculates the excess energy released as a result of unstable equilibria in rock systems. These tools are validated through uniaxial and triaxial compressive strength tests and are extended to models of coal pillars and a simplified mining layout.
The results of the finite difference simulations reveal that the instability identifiers and excess energy calculations provide a generalized methodology for assessing unstable failures within potentially complex mine models. These combined numerical tools may be applied in future studies to design primary and secondary supports in bump-prone conditions, evaluate retreat mining cut sequences, asses pillar de-stressing techniques, or perform backanalyses on unstable failures in select mining layouts.
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Irwin, Douglas Allen Carleton University Dissertation Geology. "The long Lake Zinc Mine and the Ore Chimney Gold Mine, Southeastern Ontario; a geophysical exploration guideline." Ottawa, 1992.
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Theander, Astrid. "Mapping of contaminant dispersion from a polluted mining area by geochemical and geophysical methods, Rävlidmyran,northern Sweden : Use of geochemical and geophysical studies to investigate contaminants." Thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-73634.
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After open pit mining, the pit can either be backfilled or be filled with groundwater andbecome a pit lake. These lakes tend to be acidic and contains high concentrations ofmetals, which increases the environmental risks in the area. One of these pit lakes isRävlidmyran in the Skellefte ore district. This problem and this pit lake have created thepurpose of this thesis, which is to compare the different water types connected to an openpit, i.e. groundwater, surface water and the actual pit lake water, and to connect the waterwith geophysical readings. The purpose is also to compare ratios between elements to beable to gain more geochemical information.To gain information about the groundwater, several groundwater pipes have since a longtime back been installed in the area. The groundwater has thereafter regularly beensampled and analysed. The surface water has also been sampled regularly in differentspots. In the pit lake, a depth profile has been created by water sampling at differentdepths in the pit lake. The geophysical measurements used in this thesis are resistivityand induced potential measurements, and measurements were done with the slingrammethod.The water sampling indicated that all three types of water contained elevatedconcentrations of metals. The ratio between (Cu+Zn+Pb)/Na indicated that the pit lakehad the highest value. The measurement also indicated that the highest concentration ofdissolved metals is found under the chemocline in the pit lake, compared with other watertypes. Also, the ratio Fe/S were the highest under the chemocline in the pit lake, whichindicates e.g. dissolution of pyrite. When it comes to the ratio representing e.g. dissolutionof gypsum (Ca/S) it was below 1 all the time, except for in two groundwater pipes. The(Ca+Mg)/Na–ratio had the highest values in the pit lake and that indicates dissolution ofe.g. carbonates. This is not very surprising since the pit lake has been and are limedregularly.The geophysical investigations indicated increased electrical conductivity in a waste rockheap northwest of the pit lake, where the sampling indicated elevated copperconcentrations. The readings also show that the groundwater flow direction is againstLake Hornträsket north of the pit lake. They also indicated potential flow paths for thegroundwater. These can contain elevated concentrations of ore elements, which can beconfirmed by a sampling of the groundwater in that area. From the geophysical data, it isalso possible to see that one of the profiles are located along a possible groundwaterplume, based on a low resistivity area and the shape of the potential plume.Efter brytning ur ett dagbrott, så kan dagbrotten ur efterbehandlingssyfte till exempel bliåterfyllt med antingen gråberg eller med vatten. Ifall dagbrottet blir återfyllt med vattenoch en dagbrottssjö skapas, så tenderar denna sjö att vara försurad och innehålla förhöjdahalter av metaller. Detta ökar de lokala belastningarna på miljön i området. En av dessadagbrottssjöar är Rävlidmyran som ligger i Skelleftefältet. Denna dagbrottssjö och dessbieffekter har skapat syftet med detta examensarbete, vilket är att jämföra olikavattentyper kopplade till Rävlidmyran (grundvatten, ytvatten och vatten i dagbrottssjön)samt att jämföra geokemin med geofysiska mätningar. Syftet är också att jämföramolkvoter mellan relevanta element för att i sin tur få mer geokemisk information.För att få fram mer information om grundvatten så har flertalet grundvattenrörinstallerats i området sen flera år tillbaka. Därefter har grundvattnet provtagits ochanalyserats regelbundet. Ytvattnet i området har också provtagits. I dagbrottssjön har enprofil tagits fram genom att ta vattenprover på olika djup i sjön. De geofysiskamätningarna som gjorts är resistivitet och inducerad potential mätningar, samtmätningar som utförts med slingram-metoden.Vattenprovtagningarna indikerade att alla tre vattentyper innehåller förhöjda halter avmetaller. Molkvoten (Cu+Zn+Pb)/Na visade att kvoten var högst under kemoklinen idagbrottssjön i jämförelse med de andra två vattentyperna. De kemiska analyserna avvattenproverna av de olika vattentyperna pekade också på att vattnet under kemoklineni dagbrottssjön innehöll en större mängd lösta joner. Kvoten Fe/S var också högst i dettavatten. När det kommer till molkvoten som bland annat representerar gipsutfällning ochgipsupplösning – Ca/S – så var det under 1 i hela området, med undantag för tvågrundvattenrör. Kvoten (Ca+Mg)/Na var högst i dagbrottssjön och det indikerarupplösning av exempelvis karbonater. Detta är inte helt oväntat, då dagbrottssjön kalkatsregelbundet sedan en lång tid tillbaka.De geofysiska utredningarna indikerade på förhöjd elektrisk konduktivitet i ettgråbergsupplag nordväst om dagbrottssjön, där vattenanalyserna påvisade en förhöjdkoncentration av koppar. Mätningarna visade även att grundvattnets riktning var motsjön Hornträsket, som är lokaliserad norr om dagbrottssjön. De indikerade ävenpotentiella flödesvägar för grundvatten. Dessa flödesvägar kan innehålla förhöjda halterav metaller, vilket kan bekräftas med hjälp av provtagningar av grundvatten i området.Från de geofysiska mätningarna är det också möjligt att se att en av profilerna är placeradlängs med en möjlig grundvattenplym, baserat på en låg resistivitet och den potentiellaplymens form.
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Ross, Bradley Jay. "ARTISANAL MINING IN NAMIBIA - UNDERSTANDING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY AND THE IMPACT OF SELLING COLLECTOR MINERALS IN THE LOCAL MARKETPLACE." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/202983.
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The subject of this dissertation is artisanal mining in Namibia and is based on two hypotheses. The first is that if the artisanal mining process is well understood in Namibia, then effective solutions to improving the artisanal mining cycle of poverty can be developed. The second hypothesis states that if effective solutions to improving the artisanal mining cycle of poverty can be implemented, then the miners' income can be increased.Research for the dissertation is broken down into four areas. The first area includes the development of an understanding of the artisanal mining process. A general model that shows the relationship of four basic elements of artisanal mining (investment, production, sales and consumption) as well as several components that make up the elements was created. The model also describes the various environments (physical, social/cultural, and political) that artisanal operate.The Artisanal Mining Process Model was then used to evaluate artisanal mining in Namibia. Artisanal mining in Namibia is somewhat unique because of the material mined (collector minerals and semi-precious gemstones), but the outcome is consistent with other locations with most artisanal miners only making a subsistence living. One of the key outcomes of this part of the study is the identification of low sales revenue exacerbated by the miners having to sell in a local market with few buyers.Because the local market and buyers are a critical component of the cycle of poverty, the third area of research is an understanding of the local market and the supply chain that ultimately leads to a much larger international market. The international markets lead to the fourth area of research, which is the Tucson Mineral Show, the largest of its kind in the world.The conclusions of the paper discuss the applicability of the Artisanal Mining Process Model in helping to understand issues facing the artisanal miners as well as methods that could be used to help the artisanal miners participate in the international market for collector minerals.
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Erkayaoğlu, Mustafa. "A Data Driven Mine-To-Mill Framework For Modern Mines." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/579114.
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Mine to Mill optimization is considered as a key concept for metal mining recently. Targeting operational best practices on a highly varying environment is challenging. Impact of underperformed basic operations such as drilling and blasting will sustain this inefficiency in mineral processing. Data provided for each of these operations from software and hardware utilized on field reached a level where advanced data analytics becomes applicable. In order to represent the operations as close to reality, an integrated layer of data where transactional and process based data lives is crucial. Data warehousing and data mining are alternative tools that rely on a robust data structure. Data mining utilizes the integrated data layer for pattern discovery within the data itself. Relations that are unknown for now can be investigated by data mining algorithms that rely on vast amount of data. Empirical equations that are based on a limited set of data could be improved by using data mining algorithms. The main objective of optimizing the mine to mill value chain also challenges the concept of providing real-time feedback. This research proposes a data-driven mine-to-mill framework for modern mines.
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Annavarapu, Srikant. "Estimating Primary Fragment Size Distributions from Drill Hole Data." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293750.
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The assessment of fragmentation is an important aspect of the design and planning of any excavation. The distribution of fragment sizes in situ helps assess the requirement of explosive energy to excavate the rock material. In addition, the information can also be used to evaluate the ground water flow, leaching characteristics and the requirement of additional rock handling equipment in construction projects. In the block cave mining method, the assessment of in situ and secondary fragmentation is an integral part of the design of the excavations at the extraction level and the selection of material handling systems for transporting the ore to the processing stations. Secondary blasting requirements can also be estimated based on the fragment size distributions developed for the block cave. Methods of estimating fragment size distributions in block cave mines have been based on joint set parameters estimated from structural mapping in available excavations or outcrops. While this is acceptable in the absence of any other means of assessing the fragmentation, the results can often be misleading since the structural mapping is often carried out in limited areas and the results applied uniformly to the entire deposit. This new study proposes to use the core piece lengths information gathered from the boreholes to develop in situ and primary fragmentation estimates for block cave operations. Under this proposed study, drill core piece lengths from an exploration program in Indonesia will be used along with structural mapping data to develop estimates for in situ and primary fragment size distributions. Methods for estimating secondary fragmentation from primary fragmentation will be evaluated and the estimates of secondary fragmentation from the different methods will be compared with the actual fragmentation characteristics observed at the drawpoints. The primary assumption in the development of primary fragment size distributions from drill core data is that each drill hole piece represents one in situ rock block. The relationships between the joint spacings and lengths of the different joint sets, evaluated from the joint set characteristics gathered from available excavations, outcrops or oriented core drilling programs, can be utilized for estimating the shape of the rock blocks.
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Leyland, Robert Clive. "Factors Affecting The Durability Of Basic Igneous Rocks As High Quality Base Course Aggregates, An Investigation Of The Karoo Dolerite Suite Of South Africa." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/332762.
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Covering approximately (57%) of the country's surface area the main basin of the geology of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa has an important influence on the materials used in the construction of transport infrastructure in South Africa. The Karoo Dolerite Suite often serves as the only competent material in this otherwise sedimentary basin but on numerous occasions rapid premature failures of pavements constructed with Karoo Dolerite base courses have been attributed to the poor durability of these materials. The research presented here attempts to determine if the cause of such rapid failures can be attributed to dolerite durability deficiencies and if so if the durability of the material can be predicted using the current specifications to which these materials are required to conform with. The methodology followed was to perform comprehensive material investigations on selected pavement sections where Karoo Dolerite had been used as a base course aggregate. Eight suitable sites, ranging in age from two months to 10 years, were selected and comparative testing performed on samples of material obtained from the source quarries and pavement layers at each. Three of these sites experienced rapid failure that was suspected to be due to base course aggregate degradation. The tests performed included those specified by South African standards and a selection of new tests derived from published literature on alternative tests and proposed basic igneous rock degradation models. Well established tests were completed with relative ease while newer tests and newly proposed tests required additional development. The materials from at least two poor performance sites was shown to have undergone various degrees of degradation after quarrying which manifested itself primarily as a loss in resistance to attrition and abrasion forces. The variability in the inherent resistance of the material to these forces was also noted to have contributed to the poor performance of at least two sites. It is therefore proven that degradation of Karoo Dolerites after quarrying can occur and contribute to the poor performance of pavements but also that the variability in a source quarry can result in poor performance without material degradation. The prediction of material durability is possible but requires numerous tests to be performed on representative samples, particularly to identify variations in material properties. Petrographic properties that result in variable material properties and a susceptibility to further alteration included high degrees of deuteric and metasomatic alteration of primary minerals, especially the fine matrix minerals. It has been shown that the accurate quantification of such alteration is not feasible using easily available analysis techniques and therefore that no specifications can be based thereon. The current material specifications have been shown to not accurately predict the durability of Karoo Dolerite, primarily due to the inability to activate the mechanism by which material physical degradation occurs, namely the expansion of clay minerals within the aggregate. The only exception was the water absorption test performed on core samples, which was able to identify poor materials. Tests that were able to predict the durability included the modified versions of previously specified tests (e.g. ethylene glycol soaked aggregate impact value and ethylene glycol soaked modified durability mill index) and newly proposed testing methods (e.g. modified ethylene glycol durability index and shear wave velocity). Preliminary specifications for these have been proposed. The initial development of an aggregate expansion test has also shown a strong ability to predict Karoo Dolerite durability and is proposed for further development. Ultimately the use of poor durability Karoo Dolerite results in two changes in the material properties. The first effect is the production of more fines during construction, which can result in an unsuitable amount of fines (as identified by a low coarse sand ratio). The second effect is an increase in plasticity index and linear shrinkage of the material<0.425mm to levels considered marginal based on the current specifications. The shear strength of a Karoo Dolerite base course layer has been shown to be sensitive to such changes in plasticity index and linear shrinkage and the reduction of the current specification limit to ensure materials are non-plastic and/or non-expansive may therefore be justified.
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Rogers, William Pratt. "Formal Assessment and Measurement of Data Utilization and Value for Mines." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/594674.
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Most large contemporary mines already have considerable amounts of data, much of which goes largely unused. The key challenge in big data is increasing data utilization. Much of the data in the mine (not plant) come from a variety of systems, each with different databases and reporting environments. Standard technology deployments create a "silo-ification" of data leading to poor system usage. Through modern server monitoring, data utilization can quantifiably be measured. A host of other quantifiable, often automated approaches, to measuring data use and value can also be incorporated as a means of monitoring value generation. A data valuation tool is presented to measure the data assets at an operation. The Data Value Index (DVI) quantifies business intelligence best practices and user interaction considering managerial flexibility and data utilization rates. The DVI is built considering many case studies of data warehousing at various mining companies, some of which will be presented.
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Dakubo, Francis. "Sustainable Mining - Solving the Problem of Chalcopyrite Treatment/Processing - Leaching, Solvent Extraction & Flotation." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/604862.
Full textAbstract:
Chalcopyrite ore forms the significant fraction of copper deposits in the earth crust. However, it is also the most difficult to treat using conventional ferric leaching methods. Smelting and electro-refining are currently the methods used in treating chalcopyrite concentrate obtained from froth flotation. Due to the ever increasing environmental requirements on smelters by the Environmental Protection Agency, new smelters are scarce in the United States. The scarcity of smelters has led to the urgent need to find a novel leaching method for the abundant chalcopyrite deposits in the USA and the rest of the world. This chapter(one) of the dissertation, therefore, investigated the leaching of chalcopyrite ore at pH 2 using a newly discovered oxidant (peroxodisulfate). Our results show that chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate follows a surface reaction shrinking core model. The activation energy of chalcopyrite leaching using peroxodisulfate ion was calculated as 41.1 kJ mol⁻¹. We also report that the leaching of chalcopyrite ore is affected by particle size and that stirring hurts leaching of chalcopyrite. Additionally, we found that peroxodisulfate can produce from sulfuric ions electrochemically. Hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, peroxodisulfate and ferric ions are all strong oxidants that have been researched in production pregnant leach solution (PLS) from chalcopyrite ore leaching. Because, solvent extraction is the next step in the recovery of copper from pregnant leach solutions (PLS). The questions, therefore, arises as to the fate of the organic extractant used in solvent extraction coming in contact with strong oxidant residual in the PLS. In chapter two of the dissertation, we studied the effect of strong oxidant residual in PLS on the degradation of organic extractants during solvent extraction of copper. Exposed organic extractants were analyzed using interfacial tension(IFT), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and CG LS. The results obtained from IFT and FTIR analysis, show no effect on the organic extractants exposed to sunlight and PLS containing the residual strong oxidant. Finally in chapter 3, the dissertation exams alternative water source for the flotation of chalcopyrite. Mineral flotation is a water-intensive process in mining. In order to sustain mining operations such flotation, which rely heavily on water, chapter 3 of the dissertation looks at using alternative water sources (in this case reclaimed wastewater) in the flotation of chalcopyrite ores; this effort is to limit the mining industries dependence on fresh ground water particularly in the Southwest of United States where water is a scarce commodity. The research studied the effect of reclaimed waste water on chalcopyrite flotation via contact angle and surface energy measurements. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and flotation tests were used to supplement the findings from contact angle and surface studies. We conclude here that the contact angle of a pure chalcopyrite surface was determined to be 75.6 degrees. We also found that pure chalcopyrite mineral surface is slightly polar with surface energies γCuFeS2^(LW) = 41.4 mJ/m² (apolar), γCuFeS2^(AB) = 2.9 mJ/m² (polar). The high value of the surface energy indicates pure chalcopyrite surface is slightly hydrophobic.
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Vasquez, Coronado Pedro Pablo. "Optimization of the Haulage Cycle Model for Open Pit Mining Using a Discrete-Event Simulator and a Context-Based Alert System." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/321594.
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The loading cycle in an Open Pit mine is a critical stage in the production process that needs to be controlled in detail for performance optimization. A comprehensive Alert System designed to notify supervisors of cycle times that are below the required performance standards is proposed. The system gives an alert message when one or several trucks are idle or the time of completing production tasks are over a predefined value. This alert is identified by the system and compared with pre-established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in order to determine corrective actions. The goal is to determine the strategies that help the production supervisor to optimize the haulage cycle model. A discrete-event simulator has been built in order to analyze different scenarios for route design and queue analysis. A methodology that utilizes different algorithms has been developed in order to identify the least productive times of the fleet. These results are displayed every time the simulation has finished. This research focuses on the optimization of haulage. However, the system is intended for implementation in subsequent stages of the production process, and the resulting improvement could impact mine planning and management as well. Topographic and drilling exploration data from a mine located hypothetically in the state of Arizona, were used to build a block model and to design an open pit; an Arena-based simulation was used to generate operating cycles that represent actual operations (As-Is model). Once the Alert System is implemented, adjustments were applied, and a new simulation was performed taking into consideration these adjustments (To-Be model), including comparative analysis and statistical results.
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Copp, Rebecca. "Recovery of Yttrium and Neodymium from Copper Pregnant Leach Solutions by Solvent Extraction." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/595982.
Full textAbstract:
The solvent extraction of yttrium and neodymium from copper pregnant leach solutions (PLS) using Primene JM-T, a primary aliphatic amine, has been studied. Effect of contact time, pH, sulfate concentration, and extractant concentration were investigated using synthetic and actual PLS systems. Standard experimental conditions were 5 minute contact time, pH ~2.5, 10% v/v Primene JM-T concentration, and 1:1 O:A phase ratio. Distribution isotherms were constructed for the pure systems and for actual copper leach solutions. Synthetic solutions contained 100 ppm Y and ~75 ppm Nd. Copper PLS contained 2.1 ppm Nd and 14.9 ppm Y. Results showed that complete extraction of both yttrium and neodymium occurred within five minutes and at pH values greater than 1. It was also found that sulfate concentration does not inhibit extraction at any concentration. Additionally, the distribution isotherms created show that extraction for these metals can operationally take place in one stage from both synthetic solutions and copper leach solutions.
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Ureel, Scott Daniel. "Concepts Used to Analyze and Determine Rock Slope Stability for Mining & Civil Engineering Applications." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/325211.
Full textAbstract:
Slope stability plays an important role in rock engineering. During the design, construction and post design phases of rock slope stability, engineers and geologists need to pay close attention to the rock conditions within the rock slope to prevent slope failures, protect employees and maintain economic profit. This dissertation is based on a general four step procedure to construct and maintain rock slope stability with confidence. These four steps include field investigations, material testing and rock strength database, slope modelling and slope monitoring. The author provides past, present and alternatives methods for each step for the introduced slope stability procedure. Specific topics within each step are investigated displaying results, recommendations and conclusions. Step one involves data collection during field investigations for rock slope design. Orientation of rock core during drilling programs has become extremely pertinent and important for slope stability and underground mining operations. Orientation is needed to provide essential data to describe the structure and properties of discontinuities encountered during the design process to understand favourable and unfavourable conditions within a rock slope and underground openings. This chapter examines and discusses the limitations and benefits of four methods of obtaining borehole discontinuity orientations from drilling programs including clay-imprint, ACT I, II, III Reflex, EZY-MARK, and OBI/ABI Televiewer systems. Results, recommendations and conclusions are provided in this study. During step two to maintain rock slope stability, a rock strength database was created and used to correlate and compare RQD values to rock abrasion, shear strength and other rock characterization methods. Rock abrasion plays a significant role in geotechnical design, tunneling operations and the safety of foundations from scour; however, rock abrasion can be used to develop higher confidence in important parameters such as RQD and hardness. More rock abrasivity research is needed to provide a more accurate and compatible method for all subsurface material properties used in mining and civil engineering projects. This report will provide simple correlations relating abrasion resistance to RQD, UCS, Geological Strength Index (GSI) and Rock Mass Rating (RMR) of metamorphic rock. Results, discussions and conclusions are provided. Step 3 to determine rock slope stability entails utilizing computer modeling to predict failure conditions and wear rock mass properties. Computer modeling and slope monitoring for rock slopes have become essential to assess factor of safety (FOS) values to predict slope instability and estimate potential failure. When utilizing computer models, the limit equilibrium method (LEM) provides FOS values according to force and moment equilibrium; the shear strength reduction (SSR) technique calculates FOS using stress- and deformation-based analyses. Currently, both methods are prevalent in the engineering industry and applied by geotechnical engineers to analyze and determine stability in rock slopes for mining and civil engineering projects. Slope modeling techniques are then used to observe slope conditions and predict when slope failure may occur (FOS = 1.0). Comparison, results and conclusions are presented. Lastly, the dissertation (step 4: slope monitoring) will investigate past studies of FOS comparisons, review calculation methods and provide procedures and results using remote sensing data. The main objective of the dissertation is to provide engineers with essential information needed to ensure high confidence in factor of safety predictions and how alternative methods can be utilized. Recommendations, future research and conclusions regarding FOS and slope monitoring are provided within the dissertation.
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Do, Michael D. "Evaluating the Normal Accident Theory in Complex Systems as a Predictive Approach to Mining Haulage Operations Safety." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/268532.
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The Normal Accident Theory (NAT) attempts to understand why accidents occur in systems with high-risk technologies. NAT is characterized by two attributes: complexity and coupling. The combination of these attributes results in unplanned and unintended catastrophic consequences. High-risk technology systems that are complex and tightly coupled have a high probability of experiencing system failures. The mining industry has experienced significant incidents involving haulage operations up to and including severe injuries and fatalities. Although the mining industry has dramatically reduced fatalities and lost time accidents over the last three decades or more, accidents still continue to persist. For example, for the years 1998 - 2002, haulage operations in surface mines alone have accounted for over 40% of all accidents in the mining industry. The systems thinking was applied as an approach to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate NAT in mining haulage operations. A measurement index was developed to measure this complexity. The results from the index measurements indicated a high degree of complexity that exists in haulage transfer systems than compared to loading and unloading systems. Additionally, several lines of evidence also point to the applicability of NAT in mining systems. They include strong organizational management or safety system does not guarantee zero accidents, complexity is exhibited in mining systems, and they are interactive and tightly coupled systems. Finally, the complexity of these systems were assessed with results indicating that a large number of accidents occur when there are between 4 or 5 causal factors. These factors indicate the degree of complexity necessary before accidents begin to occur.
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Treiber, Katie M. "Deepwater Channel Systems in the Orca and Choctaw Basins, Northern Gulf of Mexico." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492531037059556.
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Park, Junhyeok, and Junhyeok Park. "Estimation of Rock Comminution Characteristics by Using Drill Penetration Rates." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621838.
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The characterization of rock properties is a vital task in the challenge for hard rock mining operation. A simplified and straightforward characterization of rock properties provides information about the safety of ground structure (e.g. slope, tunnel, etc.), and the strategy to improve productivity in terms of rock breakage process. The penetration-rate of drilling has been proposed to quantify the comminution characteristics of rock by virtue of real-time logging of drilling performance otherwise the data is obtained from a time- and cost-consuming laboratory test; this is called measurement while drilling. In the mining industry, this technique can be a useful tool that has allowed for the meticulous and routine data collection of geological information from blasthole drilling operations. In this study, the mechanical performance of drill and its interaction with the rock properties is investigated in laboratory scale. The rock properties include tensile strength, hardness, and grindability, which is considered as the influential parameters of the required energy consumption for the comminution processes. For sandstone samples, the penetration-rate data shows a good correlation with tensile strength, hardness, and Bond work index; this implies that penetration-rate data can be a good indicator to estimate comminution characteristics. Additionally we carried out the same test with limestone samples. Second, field study is conducted to investigate the interaction between current blast design and rock fragmentation. Fabricating the blast design and fragmentation through the blast operation might enable to construct proper strategy to reduce the energy cost of downstream processes including crushing and grinding by using the rock characteristics measured from the blasthole drilling. The concept of this process is a part of Mine-to-Mill optimization. The thesis proposed the blueprint of Mine-to-Mill optimization, providing a guideline for further in-situ research.
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Feng, Wanjie. "A New High-Resolution Electromagnetic Method for Subsurface Imaging." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/612974.
Full textAbstract:
For most electromagnetic (EM) geophysical systems, the contamination of primary fields on secondary fields ultimately limits the capability of the controlled-source EM methods. Null coupling techniques were proposed to solve this problem. However, the small orientation errors in the null coupling systems greatly restrict the applications of these systems. Another problem encountered by most EM systems is the surface interference and geologic noise, which sometimes make the geophysical survey impossible to carry out. In order to solve these problems, the alternating target antenna coupling (ATAC) method was introduced, which greatly removed the influence of the primary field and reduced the surface interference. But this system has limitations on the maximum transmitter moment that can be used. The differential target antenna coupling (DTAC) method was proposed to allow much larger transmitter moments and at the same time maintain the advantages of the ATAC method. In this dissertation, first, the theoretical DTAC calculations were derived mathematically using Born and Wolf's complex magnetic vector. 1D layered and 2D blocked earth models were used to demonstrate that the DTAC method has no responses for 1D and 2D structures. Analytical studies of the plate model influenced by conductive and resistive backgrounds were presented to explain the physical phenomenology behind the DTAC method, which is the magnetic fields of the subsurface targets are required to be frequency dependent. Then, the advantages of the DTAC method, e.g., high-resolution, reducing the geologic noise and insensitive to surface interference, were analyzed using surface and subsurface numerical examples in the EMGIMA software. Next, the theoretical advantages, such as high resolution and insensitive to surface interference, were verified by designing and developing a low-power (moment of 50 Am²) vertical-array DTAC system and testing it on controlled targets and scaled target coils. At last, a high-power (moment of about 6800 Am²) vertical-array DTAC system was designed, developed and tested on controlled buried targets and surface interference to illustrate that the DTAC system was insensitive to surface interference even with a high-power transmitter and having higher resolution by using the large-moment transmitter. From the theoretical and practical analysis and tests, several characteristics of the DTAC method were found: (1) The DTAC method can null out the effect of 1D layered and 2D structures, because magnetic fields are orientation independent which lead to no difference among the null vector directions. This characteristic allows for the measurements of smaller subsurface targets; (2) The DTAC method is insensitive to the orientation errors. It is a robust EM null coupling method. Even large orientation errors do not affect the measured target responses, when a reference frequency and one or more data frequencies are used; (3) The vertical-array DTAC method is effective in reducing the geologic noise and insensitive to the surface interference, e.g., fences, vehicles, power line and buildings; (4) The DTAC method is a high-resolution EM sounding method. It can distinguish the depth and orientation of subsurface targets; (5) The vertical-array DTAC method can be adapted to a variety of rapidly moving survey applications. The transmitter moment can be scaled for effective study of near-surface targets (civil engineering, water resource, and environmental restoration) as well as deep targets (mining and other natural-resource exploration).
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Tenorio, Victor Octavio. "Measurement of the Effectiveness of a Decision Support System for Blending Control of Large Scale Coal Mines." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/242385.
Full textAbstract:
Large opencast coal mines require a complex infrastructure to fulfill production demand and quality values. The distinct specifications required by each customer are achieved by blending adjustments. There is limited control in variability. With only partial information available, operation controllers blend coal by empirical approximation, trying to keep quality between acceptable ranges in order to avoid penalizations, shipment rejections or even contract suspensions. When a decision support system (DSS) centralized in a control room is used for blending control, crew operators visualize enhanced displays of the different sources of information, obtaining a holistic perspective of operations. Using a simulator to reproduce the blending sequence, crew operators can experiment with diverse what-if scenarios and develop blending strategies for an entire working shift, in which they also incorporate their own expertise and the knowledge obtained after interpreting the simulation results. The research focuses on the empirical analysis of the effectiveness of the DSS by studying the performance of crew users in different operating scenarios produced with a simulator. The development of a methodology for measuring this effectiveness and its impact in the quantification of controlling the variability of blending represents a significant contribution in the area of quality improvement for coal production. The effectiveness of the DSS for controlling the blending and load out processes has been numerically measured after experimenting diverse simulated scenarios, proving that the difference between estimated and actual quality delivered is narrower when using a DSS, in comparison with the BTU variability obtained from historical data. The strategies that produced better results in terms of control of coal quality variability, maximization of infrastructure utilization, time spent in making decisions and the minimization of risk for penalizations and rejections, were scored proportionally to the benefits obtained.
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Kim, Kwangmin. "Rock Fracturing & Mine to Mill Optimization." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/242456.
Full textAbstract:
The research presented in this dissertation consists of four topics. The first of these topics is an experimental study of rock fracturing due to rapid thermal cooling, and the other three topics are related to mine-to-optimization. This includes the development and testing of a site-specific model for blast fragmentation, the development of a technique for utilizing digital image processing and ground-based LIDAR for rock mass characterization, and an experimental study of the effects of ore blending on mineral recovery. All four topics are related through the subject of rock fracturing and rock fragmentation. The results from this research are important and can be used to improve engineering design associated with rock excavation and rock fragmentation. First of all, a successful set of laboratory experiments and 3D numerical modeling was conducted, looking at the effects of rapid thermal cooling on rock mechanical properties. The results gave the unexpected finding that depending on the rock type and the thermal conditions, rapid cooling can result in either overall crack growth or crack closing. Secondly, a site-specific model for predicting blast fragmentation was developed and tested at an open-pit copper mine in Arizona. The results provide a practical technique for developing a calibrated blasting model using digital images and digital image processing software to estimate in-situ block size, and a calibrated Schmidt hammer to estimate intact tensile strength. Thirdly, a new technique was developed to conduct cell mapping in open-pit mines using the new technologies of digital image processing and ground-based LIDAR. The results show that the use of these new technologies provide an increased accuracy and the ability for more sophisticated slope stability analyses with no increase in field time only a moderate increase in data processing time. Finally, a successful set of laboratory experiments was conducted looking at the effects of ore blending and grinding times on mineral recovery from a set of six ore from a copper mine in Arizona. The results gave the unexpected finding that for a fixed grinding time, the mineral recovery of the blended ores exceeded the average of the individual recoveries of the same ores unblended.
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Feng, Qingming. "Applying Mine Tailing and Fly Ash as Construction Materials for a Sustainable Development." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/594926.
Full textAbstract:
Geopolymerization has been considered as a new technology to replace the ordinary Portland cement in construction industry. It provides an option to manage the industry waste and byproducts like fly ash, mine tailings. At the same time, the CO₂ emissions can be reduced about 80% compared to that of ordinary Portland cement. The present research includes three main parts. First part is applying mine tailings as construction materials using geopolymerization method. The study is focused on efficiently activating mine tailings, reducing alkali consumption, decreasing curing time and improving compressive strength. We investigate the activation temperature effects, the impacts of additives and effects of forming pressures. The results show that a 40 MPa unconfined compressive strength (UCS) can be achieved with the geopolymerization samples after mine tailings are activated by sodium hydroxide at 170°C for 1 hour with the addition of calcium hydroxide and alkali dissolved aluminium oxide, further compressed with a 10 MPa forming pressure and finally cured at 90°C for 3 days. To elucidate the mechanism for the contribution of additives to geopolymerization, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques including scanning electron microscopy/ energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy are used to investigate the micro/nanostructure and the elemental and phase composition of geopolymerization specimens. The stress-strain behavior was also characterized. The results shows that the mechanical behavior is similar with that of concrete and the dynamic modulus is 22 GPa, which is comparable with that of concrete. The Young's modulus of geopolymer product was also calculated and the value is in the range of 2.9 to 9.3 GPa. The findings of the present work provide a novel method for the geopolymerization of mine tailings as construction materials. Second section is applying fly ash as a high strength water-resistant construction material. Through the present investigation, a procedure has been studied. The experiment results indicate that the concentration of NaOH, water content, and curing condition can significantly affect the mechanical property of geopolymer matrix. At the same time, the chemical composition, especially the Si/Al ratio and calcium content, is also an important factor during geopolymerization. XRD results show that the amorphous feature can be observed for both high and low calcium fly ash. It is the key of the success of geopolymerizaton due to its high reactivity. XRD, FTIR and SEM tests were performed to study how experiment conditions and the properties of fly ash affect geopolymerization. The obtained compressive strength of the geopolymerization product can reach above 100 MPa. The stress-strain behavior was also characterized. The results shows that the dynamic modulus is 36.5 GPa. The product obtained from the present work shows very high water resistance without losing any compressive strength even after a one month soaking time. Third part is applying the mixture of class C fly ash and mine tailings as construction materials. Through the present investigation, a protocol has been set up. The experiment results of the present work also help set up the working conditions such as activation temperature and time, the concentration of NaOH, the addition of Ca(OH)₂, forming pressure, mine tailing to class C fly ash weight ratio, curing temperature and curing time. To elucidate the mechanism for the contribution of additives to geopolymerization, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as SEM/EDX, X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy were used to investigate the micro/nanostructure and the elemental and phase composition of geopolymerization composite. The obtained compressive strength of the geopolymerization product can reach above 60 MPa. The stress-strain behavior of the geopolymer matrix of the mixture of mine tailing and fly ash were also characterized and the results show that the mechanical behavior is similar to that of concrete with a 24 GPa dynamic modulus. The Young's modulus of geopolymer product was also calculated and the value is in the range of 4.0 to 13.5 GPa. The findings of the present work provide a novel method for the geopolymerization of the mixture of mine tailings and class C fly ash as construction materials, such as bricks for construction and road pavement.
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Sherizadeh, Taghi. "Assessment of Roof Stability in a Room and Pillar Coal Mine in the U.S. Using Three-Dimensional Distinct Element Method." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/579111.
Full textAbstract:
Roof falls and accumulation of dangerous gasses are the most common hazards in any underground coal mine. Different mechanisms can jeopardize the stability of the roof in underground excavations and successful roof control can only be obtained if the failure mechanism is identified and understood properly. The presence of discontinuities, the inherent variability of the rock mass and discontinuity properties, and the uncertainties associated with directions and magnitudes of the in-situ stress makes the rock engineering problems challenging. The numerical modeling can assist the ground control engineers in designing and evaluating the stability of the underground excavations. If extensive geological and geotechnical data are available, then detailed predictions of deformation, stress and stability can be accomplished by performing numerical modeling. If not, still the numerical modeling can be used to perform parametric studies to gain insight into the possible ranges of responses of a system due to likely ranges of various parameters. The parametric studies can help to identify the key parameters and their impact on stability of underground excavations. The priorities of the material testing and site investigation can be set based on the selected key parameters from parametric studies. An underground coal mine in western Pennsylvania is selected as a case study mine to investigate the underlying causes of roof falls at this mine. The immediate roof at the case study mine consists of laminated silty shale, shale, or sandstone that changes from area to area, and the floor is shale or soft fireclay. This study was mainly focused in the stability analysis of the roofs with the laminated silty shale rock type, where the majority of roof falls had taken place in the roof with this type of roof material. Extensive laboratory tests were performed on the core samples obtained from the case study mine to estimate the intact rock and discontinuity properties of the materials that occur in large extent at the selected interest area of the case study mine. In this research, the three-dimensional distinct element method was used to investigate the stability of the roof in an underground room-and-pillar coal mine. The implemented technique was able to accurately capture the failure of the major discontinuities and rock masses which consist of intact rock and minor discontinuities. In order to accurately replicate the post failure behavior of the rock layers in the immediate roof area, the strain-softening material constitutive law was applied to this region. Extensive numerical parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effect of different parameters such as the variation of immediate roof rock mass strength properties, variation of discontinuity mechanical properties, orientations and magnitudes of the horizontal in-situ stresses, and the size of pillars and excavations on stability of the excavations. The distribution of post failure cohesion along with other measures such as accumulated plastic shear strain, distribution of Z-displacements at the roofline, failure state (joint slip and tensile failure) and displacement (normal and shear displacements) of discontinuities were used to accurately assess the roof stability in this case study. The research conducted in this dissertation showed that the bedding planes play an important role on the behavior of roof in underground excavations. Therefore, an appropriate numerical modeling technique which incorporates the effect of discontinuities should be employed to simulate the realistic behavior of the discontinuous rock masses such as the layered materials in roof strata of the underground coal mines. The three-dimensional distinct element method used in this research showed the clear superiority of this technique over the continuum based methods.
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He, Pengfei. "Development of a New 3-D Coal Mass Strength Criterion." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/612083.
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In this research, a novel, unique systematic procedure was implemented to investigate the influence of the fracture networks and confining stresses on the jointed coal mass strength (JCMS). Both a laboratory experimental scheme and a numerical modeling scheme were carried out at the 3-D level. The laboratory experiments were performed to achieve the following three goals. Firstly, the geomechanical properties for the intact coal and coal discontinuities were estimated through the laboratory geomechanical property tests. Secondly, naturally existing fracture networks in the cubic coal blocks were first detected by the industrial Computed Tomography (CT) scanning technique and then quantified by the fracture tensor based methodology. Thirdly, polyaxial tests were conducted on the same cubic coal blocks to obtain the JCMS values under different confining stresses. With respect to the numerical modeling, PFC^3D and 3DEC software packages were used to simulate the polyaxial compression tests for intact and jointed cubic coal blocks, respectively. From more than twenty intact rock strength criteria, nine criteria were selected for this research. The intact coal strength data bank obtained from PFC^3D modeling was used to evaluate the applicability of nine different intact rock strength criteria. A modified grid search (MGS) procedure is proposed and used to find the best fitting parameter values and calculate the coefficient of determination (R²) values for each criterion. These criteria are compared in detail using the following features: R² values, σ₁ - σ₂ plots for different σ₃, shapes on the deviatoric planes, linearity or nonlinearity on the meridian planes. The regression analysis and the MGS procedure were found to be equivalent in finding the best fitting parameter values for a certain intact rock strength criterion. Through the comparisons, the modified Wiebols-Cook and modified Lade criteria were found to provide the highest R² values and fit the intact coal strength data best on the σ₁ - σ₂ coordinate plane and meridian planes. Based on the appearances on the deviatoric plane, the nine intact rock strength criteria are categorized into three types: the single shear stress criteria, the octahedral shear stress criteria and the criteria incorporating the maximum principal shear stress and partial intermediate principal shear stress. The relative positions of the different criteria on two specific meridian planes are also discussed. The geometric model of the jointed coal block was first set up by incorporating the fracture network constructed from the CT scanning into the intact coal block using a modified fictitious joint procedure. The numerical parameter values of intact coal and coal discontinuities were then calibrated and validated through a trial and error procedure using the laboratory test results of some selected samples. Next the JCMS data bank was consummated by performing a four-phase numerical investigation on several jointed coal blocks having selected fracture networks and five additional artificial fracture networks under different confining stress combinations. Finally, a new empirical coal mass strength criterion was developed to estimate the JCMS values at the 3-D level. The developed new model is capable of capturing the scale effect and anisotropic strength behaviors. It can also be applied to rock masses having approximately orthogonal fracture systems or for masses where fracture system can be reduced to an equivalent orthogonal fracture system.The following new contributions were made in this dissertation to advance the existing state-of-art on the dissertation topic: (a) A new, unique methodology as shown in Fig. 1.1 incorporating the following aspects was used to develop a new 3-D coal mass strength criterion: a complete set of geomechanical property tests, fracture network detection and quantification, polyaxial compression tests, numerical decomposition techniques; (b) A new procedure was developed to construct the fracture network in the coal cubes starting from CT scans to perform numerical modeling using 3DEC. In this procedure, a modified fictitious joint framework was also proposed to extend the applicability of the original fictitious joint framework, which allows incorporating a large quantity of non-persistent joints with acceptable numerical calculation effort; (c) A new 3-D coal mass strength criterion was developed to incorporate the fracture network and 3-D confining stress system to capture the anisotropy and scale effect of coal mass strength. The proposed criterion not only includes the influence of the intermediate principal stress, which is ignored by some existing strength criteria, but also includes the intensity and orientation and size probability distributions of the fracture system explicitly by a fracture tensor based methodology, which is far more advanced than most of the current criteria that are based on rock mass classification systems having only scalar indices; (d) A modified grid search procedure was proposed and used to evaluate the applicability of nine different intact rock strength criteria. The best intact rock strength criteria applicable for the intact coal data obtained through PFC^3D modeling were found by performing the most detailed intact rock strength criteria evaluation incorporating σ₁ - σ₂ - σ₃ plots and behaviors on the deviatoric and meridian planes, which improves the understanding of the available intact rock strength criteria.
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Roth, Karen. "Time-Dependent Rock Failure at Kartchner Caverns, Arizona." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/613408.
Full textAbstract:
Assessing long-term rock stability is an important aspect in the analysis of slopes, dam and bridge foundations, and other infrastructure. Rock behavior over tens to thousands of years must be anticipated when predicting the performance of, for example, an underground containment facility for nuclear waste. At such long time scales, the time dependence of rock failure, typically ignored in short time scale analyses, has a significant effect and must be included in the analysis. Since time-dependent rock behavior is thought to be caused by the subcritical growth of microcracks, a time-dependent analysis should incorporate a method of simulating subcritical crack growth. In this thesis, a rock bridge damage model was developed using the finite element program Abaqus to simulate subcritical crack growth for all three modes of crack tip displacement in three-dimensional rock masses. Since subcritical crack growth is not among the damage initiation and evolution criteria available in Abaqus, its effect was included in the model through the USDFLD user subroutine. Material properties for the damage model were obtained through laboratory fracture toughness testing of Escabrosa limestone from Kartchner Caverns. Tests included the grooved disk test for mode I, the punch-through shear with confining pressure test for mode II, and the circumferentially-notched cylindrical specimen test for mode III. The subcritical crack growth parameters n and A were calculated for all three modes using the constant stress-rate method. Fracture test results were compared with a previous study by Tae Young Ko at the University of Arizona, which tested Coconino sandstone and determined that the subcritical crack growth parameters were consistent among modes. This thesis expands upon Ko's work by adding the characterization of a second rock material in all three modes; results indicate that for Escabrosa limestone the subcritical crack growth parameters are not consistent among modes. Additionally, the Escabrosa limestone composing the caverns ranges from a more homogeneous, even-grained texture to a more heterogeneous texture consisting of coarse-grained veins and solution cavities set in a fine-grained matrix. To determine if the veined regions are more susceptible to fracturing and act as the nuclei of rock bridge failure, the fracture toughness tests were conducted separately for each texture. Results indicate that the more heterogeneous limestone has a higher fracture strength, fracture toughness, and subcritical crack growth index n than the more homogeneous limestone. This is in agreement with previous studies that determined that a more complex and heterogeneous microstructure produces a larger microcrack process zone and a more tortuous crack path, leading to higher fracture energies and larger values of n. Application of the rock bridge damage model to a simplified Kartchner cave room with a single roof block provided visualization of decreasing rock bridge size and produced time-to-failure estimates of 1,251 to 65,850 years. Multiple models were run to study the effect of (i) using material properties from each of the two textures identified in the Escabrosa limestone and (ii) varying the in-situ stress ratio, K. Both the value of K and the choice of Escabrosa texture had a large effect on the estimated time-to-failure, indicating that for future modeling of Kartchner accurate estimation of the in-situ stress ratio is as important as field identification of homogeneous vs. heterogeneous textures.
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Shu, Biao. "Rock Slope Stability Investigations In Three Dimensions For A Part Of An Open Pit Mine In USA." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/338701.
Full textAbstract:
Traditional slope stability analysis and design methods, such as limit equilibrium method and continuum numerical methods have limitations in investigating three dimensional large scale rock slope stability problems in open pit mines associated with stress concentrations and deformations arising due to intersection of many complex major discontinuity structures and irregular topographies. Analytical methods are limited to investigating kinematics and limit equilibrium conditions based on rigid body analyses. Continuum numerical methods fail to simulate the detachment of rock blocks and large displacements and rotations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to try some new methods to have a deeper understanding of the open pit mine rock slope stability problems. The intact rock properties and discontinuity properties for both DRC and DP rock formations that exist in the selected open pit mine were determined from tests conducted on rock samples collected from the mine site. Special survey equipment (Professor Kulatilake owns) which has a total station, laser scanner and a camera was used to perform remote fracture mapping in the research area selected at the mine site. From remote fracture mapping data, the fracture orientation, spacing and density were calculated in a much refined way in this dissertation compared to what exist in the literature. Discontinuity orientation distributions obtained through remote fracture mapping agreed very well with the results of manual fracture mapping conducted by the mining company. This is an important achievement in this dissertation compared to what exist in the literature. GSI rock quality system and Hoek-Brown failure criteria were used to estimate the rock mass properties combining the fracture mapping results with laboratory test results of intact rock samples. Fault properties and the DRC-DP contact properties were estimated based on the laboratory discontinuity test results. A geological model was built in a 3DEC model including all the major faults, DRC-DP contact, and two stages of rock excavation. The built major discontinuity system of 44 faults in 3DEC with their real orientations, locations and three dimensional extensions were validated successfully using the fault geometry data provided by the mining company using seven cross sections. This was a major accomplishment in this dissertation because it was done for the first time in the world. Numerical modeling was conducted to study the effect of boundary conditions, fault system and lateral stress ratio on the stability of the considered rock slope. For the considered section of the rock slope, the displacements obtained through stress boundary conditions were seemed more realistic than that obtained through zero velocity boundary conditions (on all four lateral faces). The fault system was found to play an important role with respect to rock slope stability. Stable deformation distributions were obtained for k₀ in the range of 0.4 to 0.7. Because the studied rock mass is quite stable, it seems that an appropriate range for k₀ for this rock mass is between 0.4 and 0.7. Seven monitoring points were selected from the deformation monitoring conducted at the open pit mine site by the mining company using a robotic total station to compare with numerical predictions. The displacements occurred between July 2011 and July 2012 due to the nearby rock mass excavation that took place during the same period were compared between the field monitoring results and the predicted numerical modeling results; a good agreement was obtained. This is a huge success in this dissertation because such a comparison was done for the first time in the world. In overall, the successful simulation of the rock excavation during a certain time period indicated the possibility of using the procedure developed in this dissertation to investigate rock slope stability with respect to expected future rock excavations in mine planning.