Ore

An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals such as gemstones and metals that can be extracted through mining and refined for use. Samples of ore in the form of exceptionally beautiful crystals, exotic layering visible when sectioned or polished or metallic presentations such as large nuggets or crystalline formations of metals such as gold or copper may command a value far beyond their value as mere ore or raw metal for subsequent reduction to utilitarian purposes.

 

The grade or concentration of an ore mineral, or metal, as well as its form of occurrence, will directly affect the costs associated with mining the ore. The cost of extraction must thus be weighted against the contained metal value of the rock to determine what ore can be profitably extracted and what ore is of too low a grade to be worth mining. Metal ores are generally oxides, sulfides, silicates, or “native” metals (such as native copper) that are not commonly concentrated in the Earth’s crust or “noble” metals (not usually forming compounds) such as gold. The ores must be processed to extract the metals of interest from the waste rock and from the ore minerals. Ore bodies are formed by a variety of geological processes. The process of ore formation is called ore genesis.

from wikipedia

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone.

Quarries in level areas often have special engineering problems for drainage. The Coquina Quarry is excavated to more than 60 feet (18 m) below sea level. To reduce surface leakage, a moat lined with clay was constructed around the entire quarry. Ground water that seeps into the pit is pumped up into the moat.

Many quarries fill with water after abandonment and become lakes. Others are made into landfills.

 

from wikipedia

Mining industry needs to get smart on skills

THE SHORTAGE of skills in the mining industry is so acute that it is likely to persist even if 5%-10% of new projects are halted in the wake of the global financial crisis, Ernst & Young mining and metals sector leader Adrian Macartney said yesterday.

He said mining was an industry with a 20-30 year investment horizon and it was not that easy to halt new projects, although the firm had seen some projects cancelled in the past weeks.

The latest Ernst & Young report shows that the skills shortage is so acute in all countries, not just in SA, that Canada and Australia each estimate they will need an additional 70000 to 80000 workers over the next decade to meet the needs of their mining industries. The problem reflects ageing populations, high staff turnover and rising costs of employment.

In SA, the biggest contributor to mining skills shortages was HIV/AIDS, followed by the emigration of experienced and skilled workers, Ernst & Young said. In the past 40 years it is estimated a third of SA’s engineering graduates have emigrated. SA also has a legacy of poor education for 90% of the population.

Shortages of skills have pushed up salaries so that in Canada a geology graduate can expect to earn C$90000 a year compared with C$60000 a year in 2004, Ernst & Young said.

Macartney said CEOs had to adopt smarter strategies towards human capital since mining was a less appealing career to school leavers than, say, information technology and accounting. It suffered from issues such as safety concerns and operations often being located in remote areas, and it was sometimes perceived to be in decline rather than modern and technologically innovative.

Employers could follow one of three strategies: build up skills, buy in skills or deploy their skilled workers within the organisation, he said. The best long-term solution was to build up skills through in-house training.

If moving staff around within the organisation, companies should take employees’ own situations and preferences into account .

SA mining production down, but mineral sales rise

Johannesburg, South Africa — MININGREVIEW.COM — Total mining production for the third quarter of 2008 in South Africa – the world’s biggest precious metals producer –decreased by 3.5% from the previous three months, and by 7.1% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2007.
 
Releasing latest production figures here, Statistics South Africa revealed that the four biggest contributors to the 3,5% decrease were PGMs (-1,9 percentage points), gold (-1,0 percentage point), diamonds (-0,8 of a percentage point) and coal (-0,5 of a percentage point).

The actual total mining production for September 2008 decreased by 3.5% compared to September 2007, reflected by both gold and non-gold mineral production decreasing by 17.7% and 1.2% respectively.

Statistics South Africa added that the total seasonally adjusted value of mineral sales at current prices for the three months ended August 2008 had reflected an increase of 3.7% on the previous three months. This increase of 3.7% (R2 880.3 million) could be attributed to an increase of 5.8% (R3 874.7 million) in the sale of non-gold minerals.

The actual estimated total value of mineral sales at current prices for the three months ended August 2008 had increased by 53.5% compared with the same three months of 2007. The major contributors to this increase of 53.5%, year-on-year, were coal (16.0 percentage points or R8 714.7 million), PGMs (15.7 percentage points or R8 552.2 million), and manganese ore (10.0 percentage points or R5 524.1 million).