Buenavista del Cobre (Cananea Mine), Mexico (copper/gold)
Phosphate Mines, Jordan
Chuquicamata Copper Mine, Chile
Oil Sands, Alberta, Canada (oil)
The ugly oilsands open pit mines above are all you'll even see on news reports. The reality is the majority of oilsands extraction is done in-situ without open pits and with minimal disturbance.
This thread makes me think of the oil sands, not sure how that is processed but, if it's mined, is there any chance of the mines/oil sands catching fire? I know that here in KY, we have some coal pits that have been burning underground for years.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
This thread makes me think of the oil sands, not sure how that is processed but, if it's mined, is there any chance of the mines/oil sands catching fire?
I don't think the the open pits themselves would catch fire. They aren't that volatile on their own. But if the oilsands are very close to the surface below the forest, I'd expect the heat of the forest fire could start a big problem. Even in those areas, I think the oilsands formation is 12 feet or deeper. Most of it is too deep to dig up and so in-situ extraction is employed.
Another closed mine in Arizona is the Lavender Pit in Bisbee. It's a tourist attraction now and a main highway runs right beside it with lookout platforms along the way:
The mine, closed in 1975 is 950 feet deep.
[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 05-09-2016).]
The SQM mine in Chile also produces potash as a byproduct. That mine and company is said to soon be one of the primary suppliers for Tesla's supersized battery facility.
Can't speak for the Haul Truck, but in my rental pickup it took about and hour to get down to the bottom and back up again last time I was there. Bingham has a "No passing" policy on their main haul road so while going down takes only about 15 minutes getting back out takes longer simply because the multiple haul trucks in front of you are very, very slow when climbing a grade loaded.
Obviously, from my last post I've been to Bingham Canyon, I'm waiting on my background check to come back before going to Diavik, but have been to other extreme northern sites like Minto (in the Yukon) and Meadowbank (Nunavut). It's a very interesting field. Before I started working in mining I was largely ignorant of how they worked.
I wouldn't mind being employed there or one of the other mines in the area as a heavy equipment operator. It might be something I could actually retire from. I use heavy equipment in my occupation now, but it's all the outside the cab operations that will eventually be the demise of what I do now. Still, I've got many years left before that happens, but mining would be a nice occupation to go to.
[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 05-09-2016).]
There was a MASSIVE landslide (actually 2, one right after the other) at the Bingham Canyon Mine. It was "probably the largest nonvolcanic landslide in modern North American history", according to experts. It set off 16 earthquakes. Two of the earthquakes could be felt more than a state away (4.7 and 5.1 magnitude). The landslide(s) speeds were between 70 and 100 mph! Fortunately, nobody was killed/injured as they knew this was coming and had seismic detection devices in place.
The Mir mine is the 2nd largest excavated hole in the world (only after the aforementioned Bingham Canyon Mine). The Mir mine is so big/deep that there is a no-fly zone over it. Helicopters can get sucked into the mine due to the downward air flow. There was a 78 carat diamond found in the Mir mine.
There was a MASSIVE landslide (actually 2, one right after the other) at the Bingham Canyon Mine. It was "probably the largest nonvolcanic landslide in modern North American history", according to experts. It set off 16 earthquakes. Two of the earthquakes could be felt more than a state away (4.7 and 5.1 magnitude). The landslide(s) speeds were between 70 and 100 mph! Fortunately, nobody was killed/injured as they knew this was coming and had seismic detection devices in place.
Actually, while they may have seismic detection in place, it was their Slope Stability Radars that provided the early warning detection. It is also the reason I am employed, as interest in my company's products grew greatly after Bingham's slide and my company hired more techs (me) to compensate.
I used to haul alot of coal trains coming out of those wyoming mines. With cheap nat gas and the epa making up whatever rules it wants. The ammount of coal coming out of there is down almost 75 percent from where it was a few years ago. Some of those mines have all ready declared bankruptcy with more to come most likely.
I used to haul alot of coal trains coming out of those wyoming mines. With cheap nat gas and the epa making up whatever rules it wants. The ammount of coal coming out of there is down almost 75 percent from where it was a few years ago. Some of those mines have all ready declared bankruptcy with more to come most likely.
Oddly enough, every once in a while, watching as a long freight train goes across the main street way down here, I will see an old C&NW boxcar in the mix. Just seems so out of place after only seeing them in Waukegan so long ago.
I started working for Union Pacific a couple years after the C&NW merger. There is a little yard near the Wyoming Nebraska border where we change crews. It used to be C&NW from there out to the mines (there is some joint owned track with the BNSF up there too). I have rights on the UP side between North Platte and the WY border.
Used to daydream in school, staring out the window at the engines letting off steam at the Rock Island Lines switch yard in Silvis, Illinois. The elementary school set up on a bluff overlooking the yard and Mississippi River. The "Lines" converted to diesel-electric in the late 40's - early 50's so there were no more white puffs of steam. All that is gone now, the school was replaced by retirement condos and the Rock Island Lines went bankrupt in 1975.
[This message has been edited by spark1 (edited 05-11-2016).]
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