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ARTICLES
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WORLD FAMOUS/LARGE DIAMOND MINES
Mark, jewelinfo4u.com
Williamson
diamond mine known to be one of the biggest open pit mines has
history behind it and named after a local chief; "Williamson"
and "Mwadui". The open pit mining and tailings re-treatment are
some of the largest of the four operations that are carried out.
The Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas is
one and only one mine that is open to the public. Natural
diamond sources have been discovered in approximately 35
different countries around the World across several continents.
This article examines the occurrence of diamond bearing
formations and large scale operations around the world.
19072007
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INTRODUCTION
The mining projects were planned centered around the available
raw material and processing facilities as well as economical
life. The Government viewed it as an investment and
employment-generator, the local community as a pride of having
an industry including the fringe benefits of employment and
ancillaries. Things have changed since awareness in the scheme
of things is increasing. The project implementation is viewed as
part of the supply chain and in terms of return on investment,
Governments want a larger share and the vulnerable society
started asking what is there in for them. Future projects need
to be planned taking into the main consideration of carrying
with the local community, and in coming out with a transparent
policy and tangible long term economic prosperity for the local
community. Availability of raw material and infra-structure no
longer guarantee the success of a project. This article is just
an overview of the shape of things emerging and need to focus on
thrust areas before any venture is contemplated in future for a
successful implementation.
01072007
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How Obsolete?
S.Narayana Moorthy
Integration
of the crushing and screening plants within the ambit of mining
activities is on the rise. This is more so with in-pit crushing
and on-site boulder handling and eliminating blasting to a
maximum extent on the face. Still the involvement at middle and
lower levels on these process equipment is not as acute in
drilling, blasting, loading and hauling. In many cases the
operations up to the crusher hopper and beyond are managed
separately. For a successful end to end operation awareness of
the inter-dependence is very necessary.
30102006
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Buried Treasure
S.Narayana
Moorthy (2nd August
2005)
The diminishing
resources of mineral as well as social awareness to the
environmental concerns for new mining projects call for a
serious look at the residual resources. The threshold values are
changing and technology makes for greater use of raw material.
This article looks at the scope of recovering the mineral not
tapped during the transitional stage between small and larger
scale of operations when the need for exploration did not gets
its due importance.
The article looks at the possibility of pooling resources,
tapping experience and knowledge of professionals, guidance of
government agencies and financial assistance from institutions
to make workable projects and adding to the national mineral
inventory.
02082005
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A look at the emerging trends in the
mining industry
S.Narayana Moorthy
There is a perceptible
shift in the approach to exploit a mineral body. Factors once
considered outside the realm of actual mining, now influence in
deciding a mining project. The economical extraction used to be
the main criteria earlier. Awareness and advancements have
changed that perspective. The awareness to the impact of mining
is very widespread now and with possibilities to extract low
yield deposits with very high ore to waste ratio with the
arrival of large scale and advanced equipment and visualizing
and modeling with the software packages in advance, the concept
of planning has to necessarily include the extraction of the
entire body, safe disposal of the mining and processing waste
and also to maintain the
ecological balance.
While more and more economically viable deposits are discovered
around the globe, the impact of the legacy of old workings is
being increasingly felt and the mining industry finds itself to
concurrently tackle the issue of clean up and also plan the
working with long term environmental impacts in future.
04072005
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Mining Waste: An issue more
important than mining itself
S.Narayana Moorthy
Nobody likes the generation of
waste. First, it is adding to the costs, with additional
problems associated with disposal and of course more the waste
less the recovery. Yet it is inevitable, and arming oneself with
data of the deposit in totality and working according to the
merits of the structure can result in unnecessary production of
waste.
“NO WASTE MINING” is still a utopian thought since not all the
Run off Mine (ROM) is useable all the time, and the issue of
containing the generated waste calls for serious attention.
This paper attempts to touch the tip of the issues and to
provide an outline of what the issues currently at stake are.
The paper attempts to bring out importance attached to the
legacy of the mining waste and its generation. It further looks
at beneficiation as well as constraints in containment of
toxic wastes
and recycling. The paper also looks at the larger issues arising
out stoppage, closure and abandonment of mines and the need to
form a strategy to tackle the legacy of waste left by earlier
mining for the urgent need to form special task forces to
address the issue of clean up.
28062005
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Platinum jewelry catching
on
S.Narayana Moorthy
Platinum
jewelry has now become both formal and informal and
finds preference for everyday wear as well as special
occasions like marriages etc. New designs, rich white
color, anti-allergic properties are making platinum
jewelry a popular by media coverage.
The second major application of platinum group metals
after auto sector is in the jewelry sector. The jewelry
industry is already well supported by media and with new
designs and fashions taking the front stage, platinum
jewelry is already making inroads into the consumer
market.
08-09-2004
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Why pg metals are so
special?
S.Narayana Moorthy
Any
commodity which has more demand than supply calls for
attention. In the case of precious and pg metals, the
demand has been consistently outstripping the supply
over the past many years and the pointers are that this
will continue to remain so.
This article casts an overview of the occurrence and
applications as well as the importance this group
assumes in the coming
2003-11-23
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Fuel Cells - Looking
Ahead
S.Narayana Moorthy
Fuel cell technology has come a long way since they
supplied power to NASA space programs in the 1960s. The
technology has been evolving rapidly over the years. It
has now become a distinct possibility that fuel cells
could well become affordable to power individual homes
and present applications as well in the near future.
2003-09.15
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Performance appraisal
S.Narayana Moorthy
Tools for measuring performance at every level are in
place and the ratings mostly self appraisals are more of
a necessity than a formality. A new entrant is ambitious
and has expectations in a new job. The management
expects tangible results. When more and more disciplines
are becoming inter-related, definition becomes a more
complex affair. To excel and be accountable at
individual level it becomes a necessity to clearly know
what is expected and how this is rated and how the
performance can be improved. Advancements take place
continuously and therefore this is also a continuous
process.
2003-05-01
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Basics- mine planning
considerations
S.Narayana Moorthy
Mine planning is all about including all phases of
working an ore body/mineral deposit to its economical
limits. Enormous thinking and forethought go into this.
Still the site personnel at the operational level get
surprises and need to guard for any contingency. This
article examines some aspects which appear very basic
but can pose real challenges.
2002-11-13
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Gypsum wallboard- an
overview
S.Narayana Moorthy
We see the mineral gypsum almost as part of our everyday
life. This versatile mineral is the only natural
substance to get back its original chemical composition
and solid form after the addition of water. Plaster of
Paris as well as the usage of gypsum in the agricultural
sector is well known. Cement industry uses gypsum for
improving the setting time of cement. This article
examines some aspects of its use in the making of gypsum
boards
2002-05-15
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Live in the past - mining
museum
S.Narayana Moorthy
Do you call something or someone outdated and appearing
to be no longer relevant in the present context a
“museum- piece”? Think again. The article highlights
some of the focused action around the globe and efforts
to resurrect the past. The mining museums are living
testimony of the resourcefulness of the mining industry
and are to be seen and felt.
2002-03-31
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Education and career in
mining
S.Narayana Moorthy
Mining education around the globe has been keeping with
the times of technological advancements and the
specialized courses now offered match career objectives.
New subjects like maintenance and tribology, mineral
engineering, engineering geology, computer applications,
drilling technology etc have brought a thrust and focus
to education and career planning. With detailed options
and guides available to decide on career goals, decision
on education is far more focused than ever before.
2002-02-23
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Mining through ages
S.Narayana Moorthy
Four books on coal mining brought about serious
awareness on the conditions of coal mining communities.
The transition to the current technologically advanced
workings aided by computer applications, geostatistics,
software technology, education and developments in the
mining equipment sector and the role of the Government
Agencies and private bodies has brought about a
revolutionary responsible approach to the mining
industry.
2002-02-27
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Collahuasi - braving the
nature
S.Narayana Moorthy
Central Andes region attracts major exploration and
mining activities. The region's resources include
deposits at Chuquicamata (largest copper porphyry
system) and Collahuasi. For all the mineral resources
she is endowed with, Collahuasi is one of the harshest,
inaccessible and almost uninhabitable places on Earth.
It is a triumph therefore that conditions and checks
have been installed in this region, facilitating the
mining of the region on a big scale.
2001-12-05
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Trends in mine haulage
S.Narayana Moorthy
The transportation of minerals from the loading point to
the disposal point has always been a critical activity
and one of the most vital cost components of mining
operations. Indeed, mine haulage has been observed to be
as high as 60% of the entire pit’s mouth cost. Over the
years, significant technology and system improvements
have been undertaken to optimize mining haulage by
balancing costs and performance. This article looks at
some of the successful mine haulage systems in use
today, highlighting the latest developments.
2001-12-05
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Emerging mining trends in
the Indian cement industry
S.Narayana Moorthy
Over the years, the market dynamics of the mining
industry have silently evolved from a seller's market to
a buyer's market, a process that has required companies
to make major changes in their mindset in order to adapt
and thrive in the new scenario The Indian Cement
Industry exemplifies this to a nicety
2001-12-03
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Mining the web
N.Subramanian
Mining for information on the Net can be a rewarding
experience if you know the “where” and “how” of
searching. Understand the major search utilities,
directories, specialized search engines, the mining
browser, mining groups and a whole lot more.
2001-12-04
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