Open-pit mining

s o r p t i o n edges and c h e m i c a l bonding. Some of this is implied, but a logical and m o r e detailed explanation would have taken little e x t r a s p a c e and been c l e a r e r . P e r h a p s Dr. A d l e r f e a r e d that geolog i s t s know too little p h y s i c s . (2) The c h e m i c a l shift of em i s s i o n wavelength and the o c c u r r e n c e of s a t e l l i t e lines a r e worthy of m o r e detailed d e s c r i p t i o n . The f o r m e r is mentioned on p.147, but is not confined to valence changes. The coordination number and the e l e c t r o n i c band s t r u c t u r e a r e a l s o important. (3) I r e g a r d a s dangerous the s t a t e m e n t on p.165 that "under many conditions a n a l y s i s can commonly be done by r e f e r e n c e to a single s t a n d a r d , often a pure e l e m e n t " . Fortunately this s e n t e n c e is nullified by the l a s t one on p.220. The golden r u l e in e l e c t r o n m i c r o p r o b e a n a l y s i s is to d i s t r u s t all c o r r e c t i o n f o r m u l a s a s much a s p r a c t i c a b l e , and to use s t a n d a r d s a s c l o s e a s possible to the unknown. R e a d e r s of a recent s e r i e s of papers in the Journal of Geology on s i l i c a t e a n a l y s i s will find a detailed t r e a t m e n t of this point of view. F u r t h e r m o r e , the p r i n c i p a l author of this s e r i e s is p e s s i m i s t i c abcut the analytical a c c u r a c y , quoting 1 - 5 ~ a s the r e l a t i v e e r r o r for major constituents in complex s i l i c a t e s even a f t e r use of s e lected s t a n d a r d s and complex mathematical formulas. (4) Some p r a c t i t i o n e r s will not a g r e e with the suggested e x p e r i m e n t a l details. Such details a r e too idiosyncratic to be worth d i s c u s s i n g h e r e . (5) It is a pity that the t e r m " a t o m i c - n u m b e r " factor is used in place of the m o r e correct "efficiency-of-generation" factor on and following p.167. Probably the f o r m e r t e r m is too e n t r e n c h e d to be dislodged, just a s X - r a y ' i r e flection" is e r r o n e o u s l y used for X - r a y " d i f f r a c t i o n " . (6) About a dozen m i s p r i n t s w e r e noticed of which L e n a r d on p.178, Fig.82 on p.239 and 1.70 in the wrong column on O.155 a r e the m o s t s e r i o u s .

ABC on Fig.14 and b on p . l 1 5 a r e unexplained. In conclusion, the book can be r e c o m m e n d e d a s a r e a s o n able f i r s t iteration to the ideal beginning text on X - r a y s p e c t r o g r a p h i c a n a l y s i s . Dr. David Virgo kindly made suggestions.

ledge is r e f l e c t e d in this volume, which is reasonably up- to- date.

Open-Pit Mining Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 1966. Opencast Mining,

Quarrying and Alluvial Mining J.V. Smith

Clay Research S.W. Bailey (Editor), 1966.

Clays and Clay Minerals.Proceedings of the Fourteenth National Conference, Berkeley; California. P e r g a m o n , Oxford, 443 pp., 141 fig., 27 p l a t e s , 64 tables, £7.0.0. The contents of this book consist of t h r e e s y m p o s i a (1. s t r u c t u r e and quantitative an a l y s i s ; 2. s u r f a c e r e a c t i v i t y ; 3. g e n e s i s and s y n t h e s i s of clays) and a g e n e r a l section. Together t h e s e c o m p r i s e 32 full p a p e r s and 3 a b s t r a c t s . The a v e r a g e scientific stand a r d is good. E d i t o r , types e t t e r and p r i n t e r a l s o did a good job although a number of i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s and c o n t r a dictions a r e found when c o m p a r i n g the v a r i o u s l i s t s of r e f erences. During the p a s t decade t h e r e has been renewed i n t e r e s t in c l a y - m i n e r a l s t r u c t u r e s . At l e a s t thirty s t r u c t u r a l r e f i n e merits w e r e published in the last dozen y e a r s and studies about s e v e r a l o t h e r s a r e in p r o g r e s s . These s t u d i e s lead to p r o g r e s s a l s o in other fields of clay r e s e a r c h , such as a m o r e logical n o m e n c l a ture, s t e p s toward a b e t t e r c l a s s i f i c a t i o n , and m o r e insight in the i m p o r t a n c e of the e n v i r o n m e n t on the behaviour of specific m i n e r a l s . New ins i g h t s have a l s o been gained r e g a r d i n g the r e a s o n s for the formation of d i f f e r e n t m i n e r a l s under different conditions in e i t h e r nature or l a b o r a t o r y e x p e r i m e n t s , and in the interr e l a t i o n s h i p between v a r i o u s physical and c h e m i c a l p r o p e r ties. Much of this new know-

(Proceedings of a s y m p o s i u m in London, 16-19 November 1964). E l s e v i e r , A m s t e r d a m , 772 pp., 213 fig., 65 t a b l e s . Dfl. 60.00. This s y m p o s i u m was organized by the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in c o - o p e r a t i o n with the Institute of Mining E n g i n e e r s and the Institute of Quarrying. It is significant that such a l a r g e s y m p o s i u m (400 p a r t i c i p a n t s ) dealt with the t h r e e groups of a c t i v i t i e s o p e n c a s t mining, q u a r r y i n g and alluvial mining. This shows the r e c o g n i z e d s i m i l a r i t y between t h e s e a c t i v i t i e s in methods of work, equipment and planning It a l s o e x p r e s s e s the i n c r e a s ing i m p o r t a n c e of m i n e r a l output (including s t o n e - g r a v e l and sand) produced by opencast methods. The 34 p a p e r s , p r e s e n t e d in 9 s e s s i o n s , c o v e r all the a s p e c t s of the o p e r a t i o n s from exploration,through a c c u r a t e planning, stripping, excavation, t r e a t m e n t , transportation, to final land r e s t o r a t i o n . Here is a very s u c c i n c t s u m m a r y of t h e s e p a p e r s .

Group 1. Alluvial deposits (including sand and gravel) (2 s e s s i o n s , 9 papers}. G. Vann shows how judiciously combined geophysical and d r i l l i n g methods can be s u c cessfully used, at low c o s t s , for r e c o n n a i s s a n c e a s well as for detailed s u r v e y s of sand and gravel d e p o s i t s . T h r e e other p a p e r s d i s c u s s production p r a c t i c e s . F. Konz d e s c r i b e s equipment used in the upper Rhine valley; a huge flowing grab d r e d g e , well adapted to depths up to 130 ft. I.C.C. Hill d i s c u s s e s the use of suction d r e d g e s for mining alluvial d e p o s i t s (large ones

A 45

for stripping, s m a l l e r ones for excavation of m i n e r a l s or even for prospecting). In des c r i b i n g gravel operations in the T r e n t valley, R. Whiteside et al. show the e x t r e m e flexibility of the d r e d g e s a s well a s t h e i r high production and d e l i v e r y capacity, and a l s o the importance of r e s t o r a t i o n p r o j e c t s for a g r i c u l t u r e . In another paper on the valuation of minerals, alluvial tin d e p o s i t s in Malaya a r e d i s c u s s e d by I.K. B r o a d h u r s t and D.I. B a t z e r . S. Pakhian Athan and P. Simpson,who give interesting data about c u r r e n t p r a c t i c e s in l a r g e - s c a l e hydraulic m i n e s in Malaysia, where the main p r o b l e m s r e m a i n concentration and d i s p o s a l of tailings. Dredging among e n o r m o u s local difficulties is dealt with by P.H. O'Neill (whose paper is c o n c e r n e d with gold and platinum in Columbia and Bolivia) and W.H.S. Mc F a r l a n d ( r e g a r d i n g gold in Canada). The m o s t original methods a r e being used in the l a t t e r country in o r d e r to cope with the cold climatic conditions. In "Mining offshore alluvials", M.I. Cruickshank opens a vista towards exceedingly i n t e r e s t ing new potentialities. He explains how exploration has s t a r t e d and how exploitation is already a reality.

Group H. Quarrying and opencast mining of massive deposits (2 s e s s i o n s , 6 p a p e r s )

A 46

Developments of h a r d rock quarrying practices are disc u s s e d in 3 p a p e r s : B.J. Kochanowsky indicates new techniques in blasting (angle drilling, wide d i a m e t e r , high a i r p r e s s u r e , use of A N - F O and s l u r r y explosives),S.Lukes gives computation methods for l a r g e blasting o p e r a t i o n s , and F.G. Jackson d i s c u s s e s the r a pid i n c r e a s e in productivity of the I.C.I. l i m e s t o n e q u a r r i e s due to use of p r o p e r equipment and methods of operations and management. Loading and hauling in big q u a r r i e s is thoroughly analyzed by P . F l a c k s e n b e r g , with e m p h a s i s on the influence of external f a c t o r s . The s a m e

subject is dealt with by G.Sheil in his p a p e r about a gold and copper mine in Queensland. Mining operations for taconites in K r i v o r Rog a r e d e s c r i b e d by M.G. Novozhilow.

Group lll. Miscellaneous (1 s e s s i o n , 4 p a p e r s ) In this groupnew conceptions a r e exposed. In "Application of rock and soil m e c h a n i c s to s u r f a c e mining", A.C. Meil and I.I. Heinkel show the new approach to slope d e t e r m i n a t i o n in conjunction with judgement and i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of geological conditions. S.C. Brealey s t r e s s e s the i m p o r t a n c e of hydrological investigations in ord e r to find a p r o p e r solution for groundwater control in opencast mining How a computer has been put into use for grading iron ore is d i s c u s s e d by R.W. Kirktand and R.M. Waring. An operation a n a l y s i s , with the purpose of finding out the b e s t equipment to be used in two q u a r r i e s , is exposed by A. Balls and J.H. Daniells.

Group IV. Opencast mining (bedded deposits and general questions) - (4 s e s s i o n s , 15 papers) Interesting details of planning and development of the huge iron mining p r o j e c t at Kedja D'Idjol (Mauretania) a r e given by J. Audibert et al., while much information about e l e c t r i c a l planning in Great Britain is given by T. Atkinson. Control of opencast operations by p h o t o g r a m m e t r i c volume d e t e r minations is fully explained in two p a p e r s by E.F. Awiel and H.G. Dawe. Stripping methods (a c o m p a r ison between shovel and d r a g line) a r e given much weight in two p a p e r s by T.M. Dover and R.W. Zeindler. In the f r o m e r one, r e c o r d i n g i n s t r u m e n t s a r e also d e s c r i b e d . With use of walking d r a g l i n e s is demons t r a t e d by N.N. Melkinov with the aid of n u m e r o u s examples. A d i s c u s s i o n of f a c t o r s involved in the r e s t o r a t i o n of iron openeast to a g r i c u l t u r e , as well

a s the choice of equipment, is given by T.W. Jones. Among the 7 p a p e r s dedicated to " o p e r a t i o n s " , two by W.G. Martin and W. Tilman d e s c r i b e l a r g e - s c a l e installations in the U.K. and Germany, r e s p e c t i v e ly. I n t e r e s t i n g points brought forward a r e : use of d e r r i c k s for c o r a l extraction and use of l a r g e bucket wheel excavations. C a r r i e r shovels, of course, keep pace with this huge excavating equipment. R e s u l t s of a survey on illumination techniques in the U.K. a r e brought out by W.B. Bell et al. Selective mining p r a c t i c e s in an uranium mine m u s t cope with the unusually i r r e g u l a r nature of the ore (D.L. Munro), while low grade ore production is made worthwhile through careful planning and design. Stripping bauxite in B r i t i s h Guinea is handled by W.Forbes; uranium in Sweden by G. Olson. The last paper (R.C. Becker and E.W. Witcomb) deals with the biggest copper mine in the world, Chuquimata, producing 600,000,000 lb. of c o p p e r / y e a r . A fascinating d e s c r i p t i o n of its operations is given. In the above s u m m a r y it was i m p o s s i b l e to go into details but, in general, it may be said that the p a p e r s a r e excellent, very well p r e s e n t e d and may well s e r v e as r e f e r e n c e data for the p r a c t i t i o n e r .New working techniques and planning methods a r e shown. All this explains the s u c c e s s of the symposium and the stimulating s p i r i t of d i s c u s s i o n among the participants. B. A i s e n s t e i n

The Future of Petroleum The Expanding Uses of Petroleum (Report of the 1966 Summer Meeting of the Institute of Petroleum). Institute of P e t r o l e um, London, 1966, 105 pp., 35 fig., 1 table, Dfl. 21.00. P e t r o l e u m ' s role a s a fuel will certainly diminish towards the end of the century, and the