Intermediate Integrated Resource Unit on Mining

Andrea Eisler

Jason Courneyea

We acknowledge that we are presenting this workshop on the unceded territories of the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Coast Salish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations

Geology of

British Columbia

POTASH – 1st

COPPER – 9th

GOLD – 2nd

DIAMONDS – 3rd

URANIUM – 1st Canada has 46% of the world’s Potash reserves.

Canadian Mining

• 14 metal mines (5 currently in suspended operations)

• 10 coal mines (2 currently in suspended operations)

• 30+ industrial mineral operations

• more than 1000 aggregate quarries

Mining in British Columbia

Mining in British Columbia

Open pit metal mines

Open pit industrial mineral operationsUnderground metal mines

Open pit coal mines

Mineral Resources Development Cycle

Available Land

Resources

Construction1-3 years

Exploration8-10+ years

Environmental Assessment& Approval

Ongoing stakeholder consultations

Closure1-2 years

Operation10-30 years

Reclamation 1-4 years

Monitoring5 years -

Open Pit Mine

1. Drilling (rotary drill)

Drilling (blast hole array) 2. Blasting

3. Loading 4. Hauling

Waste rock hauled to waste rock

dump 5. Crushing

Ore hauled to or conveyed

to the mill

Crushed ore conveyed into the

mill

6. Grinding breaks ore down to sand 7. Flotation: ore concentrate floats,

waste rock sinks

8. Disk filter to remove water 9. Transport dry concentrate to

market

Tailings piped to impoundment

Reclaimed waste rock dump: HVC

Reclaimed tailings pond:

Brenda Mines

Reclamation: replanting

Mineral Resources Development Cycle

Available Land

Resources

Construction1-3 years

Exploration8-10+ years

Environmental Assessment& Approval

Ongoing stakeholder consultations

Closure1-2 years

Operation10-30 years

Reclamation 1-4 years

Monitoring5 years -

Earth Crust

Core

Mantle

Continental

Crust

Oceanic

Crust

The Earth’s Tectonic Plates

Juan de Fuca Plate

Introduction to Rocks

www.MineralsEd.ca

TOPIC D

Rocks are made of minerals.

Minerals are Made of Chemical Elements

Minerals are Made of Chemical Elements

Halite

Lesson 2: Rock formation is cyclic. There are three main types of rocks.

Source: www.infohow.org/science/geology-environment

gneous rocks crystallize

from molten magma.

Lesson 3a:Plutonic igneous

rocks formed underground in the

crust.

speckled

hard

coarse grains

gneous rocks crystallize

from molten lava.

Lesson 3b:Volcanic igneous

rocks formed on or near Earth’s surface.

fine grains

holes

hard

Sedimentary rocks are deposited at Earth’s surface and are compacted

and cemented when buried. layered

friable

dull

Lesson 4a:

Clastic sedimentary rocks are made

of eroded rock and mineral grains.

Chemical sedimentary rocks form by precipitation of minerals out of solution.

soft

crystalline

e.g.

Gypsum

Potash (sylvite)

Halite (table salt)

These rocks are also crystalline.

Organic sedimentary rocks are made from the consolidated

remains of once living organisms.

skeletal remains

black, shiny

Metamorphic rocks form from any type of pre-

existing rock subjected to

high pressure (squeezing) and/or high

temperature.

deformed

banding flat cleavage

We say that these rocks are deformed.

How to Describe Rocks

COLOUR TEXTURELIGHT VS. DARK GRAIN SIZE (coarse vs. fine)INDIVIDUAL MINERALS CRYSTALS VS. GRAINS

INTERNAL STRUCTURE OTHERLAYERS/STRIPES HARD vs SOFTHOLES SPARKLY vs DULLNONE HEAVY vs LIGHT

SOLID vs FRIABLEetc.

Rocks are classified by how they form. We tell how

they formed by their characteristics and composition.

Name of the Rock

Colour DescriptionIgneous,

Sedimentary, Metamorphic

Composition of Rock

(minerals)

Granite

Limestone

Slate

Sandstone

Rock Identification

Rock Identification Key

1. a) Rock is mostly made of mineral grains that you can easily see - go to 2.

b) Rock is made of very small or microscopic mineral grains - go to 5.

2. a) Rock is made of interlocking mineral crystals- go to 3.b) Rock is made up of round or angular mineral grains

cemented together and/or contains identifiable fossil fragments - go to 6.

3. a) Mineral crystals in the rock are mostly all the same kind - METAMORPHIC (e.g. marble, quartzite).

b) Mineral grains in the rock are of two or more different types - go to 4.

A

B

C

Rock Identification Key4. a) Mineral crystals are distributed randomly in the rock (see figure A) - IGNEOUS (intrusive) (e.g. granite).

b) Mineral crystals are aligned or banded in the rock (see figure B) - METAMORPHIC (e.g. gneiss, schist).

5. a) Rock is hard, dull and homogeneous or is glassy, or is frothy (holey) - IGNEOUS (volcanic) (e.g. basalt, obsidian, pumice)

b) Rock is soft (easily scratched with a steel nail), dull and homogeneous - go to 6.

c) Rock is hard and appears layered or flattened -METAMORPHIC (e.g. slate).

6. a) Rock is made of silt, sand or pebbles cemented together (see figure C) - SEDIMENTARY (clastic) (e.g. sandstone).

b) Rock is made of a soft mineral (calcite) that fizzes in dilute hydrochloric acid - SEDIMENTARY (chemical) (e.g. limestone).

A

B

C

Rocks are made of minerals.Minerals are made of chemical elements.

INGREDIENTS• Sugar - white,

sweet, shiny• Flour - white,

starchy, dull• Oats - tan-brown,

flakes• Chocolate Chips -

brown, soft, sweet, squishable

• Raisins - brown, sweet, sticky, wrinkly

• Salt - white, granular, salty taste

• Baking Powder -white, powdery, bitter taste

MINERALS• Quartz - clear,

hard, breaks like glass

• Feldspar - orange, hard, tabular, 2 directions of cleavage

• Biotite - black, soft, flaky

• Amphibole -black, hard, thin columns

• Muscovite - tan, soft, flaky

• Magnetite - black, dull metallic luster, magnetic

When the elements combine

they form crystals

Halite

Element, Mineral, Crystal, Grain, Rock, Outcrop – YIKES!!

All minerals are crystalline. The elements of which they are made (e.g. silicon,

iron, calcium, oxygen, etc.) always join together in a specific arrangement which

ultimately defines the shape of the crystal of that mineral.

Halite Fluorite Quartz

In food, “mineral” refers to a single element, like iron or calcium, which

ultimately comes from an actual mineral that contains the element!

Element, Mineral, Crystal, RockVisible crystal shapes Interlocking crystals

OR

Mineral Properties

• COLOUR

• STREAK

• LUSTRE

• CLEAVAGE/FRACTURE

• HARDNESS

• SPECIFIC GRAVITY (HEAVINESS)

• SPECIAL:– MAGNETISM

– SMELL

– TASTE

– FEEL

– REACTION WITH ACID

Mohs Hardness Scale

ScaleNumber Mineral Common Objects

1 ---------- talc2 ---------- gypsum

---------fingernail (2.5)---------copper penny (3-3.5)

3 ---------- calcite4 ---------- fluorite5 ---------- apatite --------steel nail (5)

---------knife blade or glass (5.5)6 ---------- feldspar

---------streak plate or steel file (6.5)7 ---------- quartz8 ---------- topaz9 ---------- corundum10 --------- diamond

Identifying Minerals

Sample No. Colour Streak(colour of mineral powder)

Lustre(metallic

or nonmetallic)

Hardness(Mohs scale,

1-10)

Special Feature

Mineral Name

Ore Mineral Identification Key

Feb 2018

1 Very Soft, feels greasy

Green, Grey-Green

Talc

Mineral Identification

Key

Feb 2019