AUSTRALIAN MINING
VOL. 91, NO. 3, APRIL 1999
DEPARTMENTS
EDITORIAL 5
NEWS UPDATE 18
STOP PRESS 21
MINING BRIEFS 22
90 YEARS OF MINING 41
INDUSTRY CONCENTRATES 42
TECHNICAL UPDATE 43
WHAT^S ON 47
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 48
CANBERRA OBSERVED 50
FEATURES
FLYING START AT YANDICOOGINA................................................................................6
Rio Tinto's new iron mine at Yandicoogina in the Pilbara came in
five months early, under budget and with no industrial disputes.
GREENBUSHES FIRES FOR SONS OF GWALIA............................................................. 8
Sons of Gwalia's Greenbushes tantalum mine in Western Australia
is proving up new resources at a time when the world price - and
demand - is expected to continue rising.
GLOBAL BRAINSTORMING BACK ON TRACK 24
When Orica broke free of ICl Ltd, it lost access to a global network
of explosives research centres. But, now, the network is reforming.
Drill and blast repoll starts page 24, with an update on coal seam
methane drilling and new rigs from Universal Drill Rigs.
INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS AT CANNINGTON ......................... . 31
As a greenfield site, communications at BHP Minerals' Cannington
silver-lead-zinc mine in Queensland could be planned from the start
so that there would be no islands of data.
TEMPEST ARRIVES IN EXPLORATION. ....... 38
The Tempest EM mineral exploration system undertook its first
major survey in NSW earlier this year, and Australum Mining pub-
lishes the first results. Mapping and surveying feature starts page 37.
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AUSTRALIAN MINING
Volume 91, Number 5, June 1999
DEPARTMENTS
EDITORIAL 7
STOP PRESS 23
MINING BRIEFS 24
R&D 36
COMMUNICATIONS 38
INDUSTRY CONCENTRATES 47
90 YEARS OF MINING 48
TECHNICAL UPDATE 49
WHAT S ON 51
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 52
AMERICA OBSERVED 54
FEATURES
HUNTER VALLEY NO 1: A MINE REBORN...............................................................8
Eighteen months after being racked by confrontation with the
CFMEU, Rio Tinto's Hunter Valley No. I mine has retired 35 out of
75 major pieces of equipment but is still moving the same volumes
of coal and waste, with management driving the trucks during crib
breaks.
MOUNT OWEN TOP IN PRODUCTIVITY STAKES.......................................... 12
Despite operating in multiple, dipping thin coal seams, the Mount
Owen mine operated by Thiess Contractors in a partnering agree-
ment with Glencore has come top for productivity in a world survey
of 30 truck and shovel operations.
POISED TO PUSH THE BUTTON ON BIOX.......................................................... 20
Solving a finance issue is all that remains before Perseverance Corp -
pushes the 'Go' button for its Biox sulphide project at the Foster-
ville gold mine in Victoria. Already plant and equipment sourced
from the Woodlawn and Youanmi mines is being assembled on site.
SHAFT VERSUS DECLINE? .................................................................................... 32
New technology means that it is now economical to operate truck
haulage at metalliferous mines to depths of around 800m, reports
Australian Mining Consultants which has developed a new simula-
tion model.
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AUSTRALIAN MINING
Volume 91, Number 6, July 1999
DEPARTMENTS
EDITORIAL 5
STOP PRESS 27
MINING BRIEFS 28
PUMPS, PIPES, COMPRESSORS 38
90 YEARS OF MINING 41
COMPUTING & COMMUNICATIONS 43
INDUSTRY CONCENTRATES 44
TECHNICAL UPDATE 45
WHAT'S ON 47
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 48
LITERATURE 48
AMERICA OBSERVED 50
FEATURES
TAMING SAVAGE RIVER IRON ORE 6
The success ofAustralian Bulk Minerals' makeover of the Savage
River iron ore mine in north-western Tasmania has prompted con-
sideration of boosting production of pellets.
NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN AT RENISON 8
Since acquiring the Renison Bell tin mine in Tasmania, new owners
Murchison United have worked hard to cut ore dilution and improve
mill productivity.
BEACONSFIELD GOLD BACK AFTER 85 YEARS. 12
The first gold pour since 1914 was due to take place in early July at
the Beaconsfield gold mine in northern Tasmania after expenditure
of $85m since the early 1970s to get it back into production.
NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR GRETI.EY 19
A group of private counter-cyclical investors has re-opened the for-
mer Gretley colliery near Newcastle as New Wallsend No, 2, believ-
ing they can succeed where Oakbridge could not.
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVE STUNS AMERICAN MINERS 50
The LJS Environmental Protection Agency has shaken the American
mining industry by instructing them to detail waste rock and tailings
in their annual toxic release inventories.
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AUSTRALIAN MINING
Volume 91, Number 7, August 1999
DEPARTMENTS
EDITORIAL 5
NEWS UPDATE 19
EXPLORATION 22
STOP PRESS 23
MATERIALS HANDLING 24
MINERALS PROCESSING 48
INDUSTRY CONCENTRATES 50
COMPUTING &COMMUNICATIONS 51
TECHNICAL UPDATE 52
WHAT'S ON 55
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 58
AMERICA OBSERVED 58
FEATURES
BURTON: THE THINKING WORKER'S MINE 6
Portman Mining's Burton coal mine in the Bowen Basin is
world's best practice in truck and shovel operations and relies on
its workforce to think smart
SHELL'S NEW SHOWPIECE 12
The green longwall crew at Shell's new Moranbah North mine in
Central Queensland learned so fast that production outpaced sales
contracts, with the first million tonnes produced in exactly 12 weeks.
HALOS HOLD ANSWER TO FINDING DEPOSITS 22
Research has found that oxygen isotopes provide large-scale oxygen
isotope depletion halos around massive sulphide deposit clusters.
Now the search is on to apply this to minerals exploration.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT AGGREGATE FILL HANDLING 25
An up-to-the-minute concrete aggregate fill system has been
installed at WMC Resources' Olympic Dam expansion project in
South Australia. Materials handling report starts page 24.
DRILLERS CAUGHT IN DOWNWARDS SPIRAL 35
More than 250 drill rigs are parked up around Australia, half in
Western Australia alone, and the number is expected to grow as
mining companies slash their exploration budgets. Drill and blast
feature starts page 35.