Comparative Analysis of Western and Russian Mineral Reserve Classifications

Despite that Georgia has signed an Association Agreement with the European Union, by today its geological-mining legislation has not been synchronized with European mining codes. Georgian Law on Earth’s Interior is a calque of the obsolete Soviet law with minimum updates. At the same time, development of the private mining business is hampered by olden standards of exploration reporting and estimation and approval of reserves, which also are vestiges of olden Soviet standards. The article analyses in-depth the Russian and the Western reserve reporting codes and proves that development of mining industry in Georgia calls for immediate legislative approval of the Western standards and foundation of the Competent Persons’ institute. Such actions will not only promote development of private mining businesses but harness the Georgian mineral resource fund to the betterment of the country.

Rethinking the post-extraction landscape : an architectural inquiry into post-extraction conditions

A common theme amongst all communities dependent upon the extraction of mineral resources is their dependence upon a finite mineral reserve. Once exhausted or abandoned due to a loss of economy in extraction or in favour of more promising and profitable prospects, communities are frequently left to contend with the residual impacts of mining. The effects of which have only been amplified in recent years due to changing modes of production and consumption. As a consequence of these conditions, former industrial sites, particularly those related to primary resource extraction, have fallen into disuse. Physically altered and transformed by extractive industry, these once active extraction sites now remain as dormant voids, artifacts of industry. In light of these conditions, this thesis advocates for the reclamation of postextraction landscapes using architecture as a tool for highlighting, preserving and repurposing the now dormant industrial void. Having evolved in relation to both natural and cultural conditions, architecture acts to inform and reconnect users with former extraction sites, while fostering a greater understanding and awareness of the intertwined nature of industry, landscape and the history of place as it is linked to former industry (Hough M. , 1990). Marmora, located in southern Ontario and one of the first iron mining communities in Upper Canada, is the context for this investigation. This community, like many others, flourished with the discovery of rich mineral deposits in the region early in the 19th century. Dependent upon a finite mineral reserve Marmora’s economy deteriorated with the collapse of industry in the region late in the 20th century. Despite this condition, this small community continues to thrive due to its strong agricultural, recreation and tourism sectors which continue to drive the community’s economy since the collapse of industry. What remains of the community’s fleeting industrial past however, is a now abandoned open pit mine, the place of intervention for this study.

Rethinking the post-extraction landscape : an architectural inquiry into post-extraction conditions

A common theme amongst all communities dependent upon the extraction of mineral resources is their dependence upon a finite mineral reserve. Once exhausted or abandoned due to a loss of economy in extraction or in favour of more promising and profitable prospects, communities are frequently left to contend with the residual impacts of mining. The effects of which have only been amplified in recent years due to changing modes of production and consumption. As a consequence of these conditions, former industrial sites, particularly those related to primary resource extraction, have fallen into disuse. Physically altered and transformed by extractive industry, these once active extraction sites now remain as dormant voids, artifacts of industry. In light of these conditions, this thesis advocates for the reclamation of postextraction landscapes using architecture as a tool for highlighting, preserving and repurposing the now dormant industrial void. Having evolved in relation to both natural and cultural conditions, architecture acts to inform and reconnect users with former extraction sites, while fostering a greater understanding and awareness of the intertwined nature of industry, landscape and the history of place as it is linked to former industry (Hough M. , 1990). Marmora, located in southern Ontario and one of the first iron mining communities in Upper Canada, is the context for this investigation. This community, like many others, flourished with the discovery of rich mineral deposits in the region early in the 19th century. Dependent upon a finite mineral reserve Marmora’s economy deteriorated with the collapse of industry in the region late in the 20th century. Despite this condition, this small community continues to thrive due to its strong agricultural, recreation and tourism sectors which continue to drive the community’s economy since the collapse of industry. What remains of the community’s fleeting industrial past however, is a now abandoned open pit mine, the place of intervention for this study.

From placer deposits to technogenic mineral formations: resource and historical perspective (a study of Amur region)

Attention to mined gold placers as sources of mineral reserve base replenishment is constantly increasing. We conducted an analysis of the field mining ratio regarding the 170-year period of gold mining history in the region, which is roughly divided into four stages, using the example of gold placer clusters in the Amur region. Each stage has its own peculiarities that determine the nature and methods of alluvial deposits development and the amount of raw material losses. It’s shown that previously mined placers within the studied area are being developed continuously. The technogenic complex gets involved into operation almost immediately after mining the undeveloped placer. The obtained results confirm the fact that the indicator of demand for technogenic objects continuously increases with the upward trend from 64% during the first stage to 80% at present.

Consideration for declaring a Mineral Reserve for TSF mining projects

SYNOPSIS The mining of old tailings storage facilities (TSFs) or dams/dumps has become a common operation in South Africa. This practice has several interesting aspects that are different to normal surface mining operations. When considering the estimation of Mineral Reserves, the Competent Person must take into account the conditions of mining historical TSFs that are often situated in close proximity to communities. This paper discusses the Modifying Factors required to convert a Mineral Resource to a Mineral Reserve, such as mining sequence, dilution, mining losses, and environmental, social/community, and government factors. The paper also investigates the role that Inferred Mineral Resources may play in the life-of-mine plans for tailings dam projects. Keywords: TSF, tailings, hydraulic mining, Mineral Reserve estimation.

National iron panorama between 2010 and 2014

Mining is the activity carried out that aims to remove a mineral good from the earth’s crust, representing about 5% of Brazil’s GDP in 2014. Iron is an easily oxidisable, dubious and magnetic chemical element. It is the most common, cheap and most important of metals. Hematite (Fe2 O3) is the main mineral with predominant iron content in its composition. In 2010, Brazil’s iron production accounted for about 15% of world production. The steel industry accounts for 99% of the world’s iron consumption. The sea route is the main means of transport of goods between Brazil and foreign trade. The research was carried out by accessing the DNPM website, the data collected were from 2010 to 2014. In this period Australia had the largest mineral reserve of iron and China the largest production in the world. In 2013 there was a fall in Brazilian iron production and its effective consumption. The national economy and world trade were the main factors for the instability of the Brazilian mineral sector between 2010 and 2014. The decrease in the price of iron in the world market caused the drop in iron production in Brazil in 2013, when iron consumption in Brazil was severely affected by the economic crisis that affected the country. China’s high investments in the mineral sector have boosted the country’s participation in world trade, becoming the world’s leading iron producer, between 2010 and 2014 China was the main buyer of iron produced in Brazil.