Blast Movement Technologies
ANACONDA MINING REDUCED DILUTION FROM 20 % TO 5 % THROUGH BLAST MOVEMENT MONITORING
Video : Garry Luffman , senior geologist at Anaconda Mining ' s Pine Cove mine , describes how the geology team use BMT ' s BMM System to measure blast movement and deliver US $ 15-30,000 additional value per blast .
Anaconda Mining operates the Pine Cove Gold Mine and Mill located in Newfoundland , Canada . Gold mineralization is hosted within quartz veins , dipping gently to the north with an east-west strike . Blasting occurs on 6 m benches and excavators selectively mine small ore pockets in a single pass .
Narrow ore zones were not recoverable and high dilution was affecting mill grade . Narrow ore zones presented challenges to mine operations . Small ore polygons , some only two blast holes wide , were entirely displaced from their in situ location by blast movement . Dilution , up to 20 %, was affecting grades and ore production .
Dilution was reduced to less than 5 % and recovered tonnes increased . Monitoring blast movement and translating ore polygons to their post-blast position enabled Pine Cove mine to control dilution .
“ The decrease in overall dilution , from 20 % to less than 5 %, has made a huge impact to our project , not just in improved economics but also in reduced tailings production and overall project footprint . Using the BMM System we can mine small zones of ore — increasing overall recovered tonnes . Without BMT we would not attempt to recover these small polygons due to movement .”
- Gordana Slepcev , COO , Anaconda Mining
Blast Movement Technologies
The only way to accurately account for variable blast movement is to measure it . Blast Movement Technologies ( BMT ) helps mines accurately measure blast movement and increase recovered value .
The Blast Movement Monitoring ( BMM ) system is used by open pit mines throughout Africa , Europe , North and South America , Australia and Russia , and in commodities including copper , gold , iron ore , lithium , nickel , platinum , silver , uranium and zinc .
BMT works with the top nine gold producers and the top four , Barrick , Newmont , AngloGold Ashanti and Kinross , have adopted the BMM system as their corporate standard for grade control .
Increasing profitability , reducing waste . By accurately accounting for blast movement :
• Canada ’ s largest gold mine , Canadian Malartic , estimated that they saved CA $ 7 Million in Q1 2018 .
• Teck ’ s Red Dog zinc mine reported savings of US $ 6.5 million annually .
• Centerra Gold ’ s Mount Milligan copper mine recovered over US $ 600,000 additional ore in one blast .
• Evolution Mining ’ s Cowal gold mine reported a 7 % improvement in mill feed grade .
• Pilbara Minerals ’ Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum mine increased recovered value by A $ 335,000 in one blast .
• Asanko Gold ’ s Nkran mine in Ghana improved reconciliation from 88 % to 102 %.
• Golden Queen ’ s Soledad Mountain Mine increased recovered value , average per-blast savings estimated at US $ 55,000 . www . blastmovement . com Making Every Ore Blast More Profitable