Open Pit Vs Underground Copper Mining

Mining Mine exploitation GLY367 Economic Geology, Mining and Mineral Exploration first choice: open-pit technique (orebody exposed or near surface); underground mining methods: where open-pit operation is uneconomic (low ore/overburden ratio); deep-seated deposits: exclusively underground; Mining underground for coal, lignite, rock salt, potash (soft …

Both open-cut and underground mining is used in modern mining. The approaches are different, and there are advantages to each. Open-cut mining. Opencut mining gets its name because that's exactly what this type of mining looks like, a big open pit. This type of mining allows for the extraction of minerals that aren't very far under the surface.

The objective of mine planning and design, whether for surface or underground mining methods, is to develop an annual strategy for ore extraction while maximizing the net present value (NPV) of the operation (Mahdi and Morteza 2013).As open-pit mining progresses, the depth of extraction and stripping ratio increase, eventually reaching a point where the cost …

The list of commodities is extensive, although the relative proportions mined underground and on the surface vary from mineral to mineral. Massive tonnages of hard coal and lignite are also produced from surface …

Open Pit vs. Underground Mining Mines in Ontario are either open pit or underground, depending on the type of ore and its location. Open pit mining is generally used for large, low-grade mineral deposits that are close to the surface while under-ground mining is generally used for deeper, concentrated deposits5.

Underground operations usually cause many more difficulties than normally occur in open pit mines, but without constant supervision and strong safeguards, either type of mine can be dangerous for workers. Open pit and underground mines are often in remote locations that require miners to work and live on mining camps for long periods of time ...

There are different ways open-pit mining can be carried out depending on the type of mineral and the surrounding environment. 1. Open-pit Metal Mining. This type of open-pit mining is used to extract metals such as copper, gold, iron, and aluminum. These metals are important for making electronics, vehicles, and construction materials.

Scheduled to operate through 2035, Sentinel Copper Mine is a cornerstone of Zambia's copper industry. Kansanshi Mine. Located in Zambia's North-Western Province, Kansanshi Copper Mine operates as an open-pit venture, jointly owned by First Quantum Minerals and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM) Investment.

Chehelkureh copper ore deposit is another combined case using open pit and underground mining (Bakhtavar, 2009). Gol-e-Gohar Area 3 iron ore deposit with a dip of about 20-degree is other deposit ...

Mining methods at Kutcho copper and zinc project. The Main deposit is planned to be primarily operated as an open-pit mine with traditional shovel and truck operation, while the deeper sections of the deposit will be mined using underground mining methods of longitudinal long-hole open stoping (LLHOS) with cemented rock fill (CRF).

Open Pit Copper Mine – 1906, planned life - 2040, upper benches about 8,100 ft. elev., ... Underground Mining – North Ore Shoot Shaft, 4590 production access area in pit. Barney's Canyon Gold Mine – Pit 2 highwall. Waste Dumps – Yosemite 1964, East Side/Copper 1964, old rail early 1900s, Bingham

Potential underground mining would occur concurrently with open pit operations and result in increased copper output. Kennecott holds the potential for a significant and attractive underground development, with declared Mineral Resources of 20 Mt at 3.65% copper and 1.62 g/t gold 1 with further upside potential based on drilling.

There's an obvious distinction between open pit mines and underground mines that leads to the main differences from the miners' perspectives. Open pit mines allow for heavy machinery and workers to do …

Compared to underground mining methods, the open pit mining method requires removing significant amount of overburden from the pit and moving it ... A copper pit designed in this manner with varying ore grades and critical SR max 2.5 m 3/ton (3.0 yd3/ton) is shown in Figure 6. Ore occurring in the ore

Open pit mining method is one of the surface mining methods that has a traditional cone-shaped excavation and is usually employed to exploit a near-surface, nonselective and low-grade zones deposits. It often results in high productivity and requires large capital investments, low operating costs, and good safety conditions. The main topics that will be discussed in this …

First mill began operation in 1928 to process ore from the underground mine. Transition to open‐pit mining began in 1945. A $240 million expansion in 1973 included new haul trucks, shovels, nearly 400 housing units and concentrator. Bagdad ... The Highland Valley Copper mine, located in British Columbia, 60 km southwest of ...

Open pit mining accounts for the majority of the production. Overall, the the ratio of open pit to underground mining will remain stable or increase towards open pit for the major metallic ores.

Open-cut mining affects larger land areas due to the removal of topsoil and the creation of vast pits. The visible environmental footprint of open-cut mining includes …

In his study of copper mining trends, Crowson (2012) showed that the typical head grade of copper deposits in the previous 50 ... Data were grouped according to mine type (open pit vs. underground), processing type (flotation vs. no flotation), ore type (all copper, and gold but no copper) and report type (feasibility vs. preliminary vs ...

The underground section of the Chuquicamata mine will allow access to a reserve calculated at 1.7 billion tons of copper ore, with an annual production capacity of 340,000 tonnes of fine copper ...

Whether the risks and rewards of open pit versus underground mining make sense for any given site depends largely on the depth and nature of the deposit and the type of ore expected to be found. ... and this varies by location as well as the type of mineral or ore. Certain types of ore, such as coal and copper, are more common on the top layer ...

The first steps of copper processing are the same for both ores: mining and transporting. Copper mining is usually performed using open-pit mining, in which a series of stepped benches are dug deeper and deeper into the earth over time. To remove the ore, boring machinery is used to drill holes into the hard rock, and explosives are inserted ...

Potential underground mining would occur concurrently with open-pit operations, according to the company. Bingham Canyon has been mined since 1906

Underground mining is practical when: The ore body is too deep to mine profitably by open pit. The grades or quality of the orebody are high enough to cover costs. Underground mining has …

Open-pit mining can also be identified as open-cast or open cut mining. The practice operates above ground, always at the surface, extracting minerals and rocks from the surface. Open-pit mining presents fewer dangers in comparison to underground mining - these surface mines do not need to tackle issues such as a…

Open pit mining is also called strip mining because the extraction process destroys vegetation, reduces habitats and pollutes the environment. ... In underground mining, the threat of a cave-in or release of toxic gas is a constant concern. When shaft mining was the most common method of ore extraction, thousands died in cave-ins, gas events ...

The webpage provides information on the percentage of underground and open-pit mines.

It is calculated by comparing the economic effects of open-pit mining and underground mining, to divide the boundary between open-pit mining and underground mining. The cost comparison method is divided into the raw ore cost comparison method, the concentrate ore cost comparison method, and the comparative method of reserve profit.

Effects of mine and mineral type were observed, with underground milling costs being significantly less than open pit milling costs and gold mines occupying a significantly larger share of mine operating costs than copper-containing mines. The overall relative operating costs were found to be in the ratios between (43:43:14) and (45:45:10 ...

Copper is usually mined in two ways: open-pit mining and underground mining. Open-pit mining is used for copper deposits closer to the surface. Enormous machines dig up the ground in stair-stepped layers (called …