Analyzing methods of determining pre-destruction of blast hole vicinity

The level of deformation of the rock massif of a blasted slab must be planned in advance, depending on the required results of blasting. Thus the energy costs of barren rock overfilling as part of preparing for overburden excavation are inefficient. On the contrary, an increase in the blast energy spent on degrading and breaking the ore mass is an efficient measure of preparing for the excavation of mineral wealth. There are currently two methods used to determine the pre-destruction of a blasted rock massif. The first one is based on determining the number of strain waves passing through locations of borehole charges. However, this method fails to determine the preliminary rock destruction level. The second method is based on determining coefficients of the pre-destruction of a rock massif by these strain waves. The merit of this method is that it allows evaluating the quality pattern of the pre-destruction of a rock massif. The procedure of considering the fraction of energy of the strain waves, reflected by the shielding rock mass to the destructive amount of blasting charges and refracted to this destroyed rock, is proposed.

REVIEW: Ophir: Bougainville's epic struggle for freedom

Ophir: Decolonize. Revolutionize, directed by Alexandre Berman and Olivier Pollet. Arsam International/Fourth World Films/Ulster University. 2020. 97 minutes. https://www.ophir-film.com/ IN OPHIR (2020), a feature length documentary film about the Bougainville civil war (1989-1998), French filmmakers Alexandre Berman and Olivier Pollet analyse the devastating conflict and under-reported repercussions which continue to reverberate in the region today. Ophir in the Old Testament (Genesis 10; 1 Kings 10:22) is a land of great mineral wealth exploited by King Solomon. In eastern Papua New Guinea, the people of Bougainville also claim Ophir to be the original name of their remote islands. Like the fabled land, Bougainville is endowed with treasure, predominantly copper and gold. In the late 20th century, exploitation of these was at the centre of a powerful story of colonialism, inequality, war and redemption.

Mongolian Investment Regulation and Arbitration

The author of the study presents the Mongolian legal environment regulating foreign direct investment. The evolution of the rules governing this field is presented in a chronological order from the democratization of Mongolia in the early 1990s to the present day. The author remarks the changes in the rules over time, which show an evolution towards a more level playing field between foreign investors, who were initially in a privileged position when compared to domestic investors. Other changes concern the authorization requirements for foreign investments, which evolved in order to hinder the activity of foreign state-owned enterprises in Mongolia and also to safeguard Mongolian mineral wealth. Investor protection mechanisms are emphasized, such as state commitments to not modifying the taxation environment. The study analyses international arbitration case-law pertaining to foreign investment protection in Mongolia.

Writings of the Subsoil in the Contemporary Congolese Novel

The expression “geological scandal,” used at the end of the nineteenth century by the Belgian geologist Jules Cornet to describe the mineral wealth of the eastern Congo, has become even more relevant today if we think of the misfortunes that affect the region. Global predation in this part of central Africa is naturally at the heart of the literary preoccupations of many Congolese writers, who invent narrative forms that are able to account for what is being played out beneath the earth’s surface, in the bowels of the earth. In this paper, I wish to highlight the literature of the mine that begins in the colonial era of the Congolese novel and develops considerably in contemporary times. Through the reading of a few major Congolese novels, this article analyzes how the Congo’s subsoil is the vector of globalization.

Fabricación de crisoles con caolinita de Combita - Boyacá para la caracterización de minerales de oro

La región boyacense cuenta con grandes riquezas minerales y una de ellas es la roca sedimentaria de arcilla caolinitica, con excelentes propiedades para la industria cerámica tradicional. Al realizar pruebas de caracterización a este material se encontró en el análisis propiedades plásticas, de alta refractariedad, bajo punto de fusión, resistencia a los choques térmicos y resistencia a la rotura. A partir de estos resultados se crearon crisoles resistentes a altas temperaturas, por diferentes tipos de fabricación, obteniéndose crisoles aptos para utilizarlos en ensayos de fusión a temperaturas de 1200°C. The Boyacá region has great mineral wealth and one of them is the sedimentary rock of kaolinitic clay, with excellent properties for the traditional ceramic industry. When performing characterization tests on this material, its plastic properties, high refractoriness, low melting point, resistance to thermal shocks and resistance to breakage were defined. These properties are due to its kaolinitic composition, aluminum silicate and the presence of magnesium in the clay. From these results, crucibles resistant to high temperatures were created by different types of manufacture, suitable for use in fusion tests at temperatures of 1200 ° C, and especially in fire tests for the characterization of gold ore.

Power Lies in the Barrel of a Gun: Diplomacy Without Strategic Military Capability Is Futile

The United States of America invests heavily on their military capability and it is estimated that it spends, alone, approximately 40 per cent of what the whole world spends on military. Four of the other super powers that make up the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UN-SC) also spend a significant percentage of their national budgets on military. Chinweizu has for a long time argued that Africa needs a well-resourced African Standby Force (or the Black Africa League) that will protect the interests of the continent so as to prevent the history of Africans enslavement and colonialism repeating itself. This article seeks to analyse Africa’s investment on its military defense capability vis-à-vis the five permanent members of the UN-SC and North Korea, by critiquing two case studies of two of the continent’s economic giants – South Africa and Egypt. Realist and Sankofa perspectives are used as the prisms through which the article was researched. In line with Chinweizu’s observation, the article argues that without serious political will and dedication to building Africa’s nuclear weapons capability and ensuring that Africa is economically self-reliant, diplomatic engagements with the rest of the world as (un)equal partners will remain a pipe dream and the looting of Africa’s mineral wealth will continue unabated. It is clear that given the reality of the African Holocust if African countries fail to collectively defend themselves, Africa will continue to be a political football for the rest of the world.

“Development of mineralogy is impossible without mineralogical meetings” — academician V.I. Vernadsky

The article briefly covers the history, mineral wealth, activities, problems of development of all official mineralogical museums of Ukraine that have different subordination and different status. The key role of academician V.I. Vernadsky is analyzed in the development of museums in Ukraine. Peculiarities of scientific-educational, research and scientific-organizational activity of mineralogical museums are considered.