The Life Cycle of a Mine

Mine Permitting

Permits, approvals, and consultations vary by type of mining activity and location.

Mine Construction

Once a mine project receives the necessary authorizations, construction can begin. The process starts with site preparation activities, such as cutting trees and clearing and stripping overburden, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges, can take place. At times construction activities can be in process while the mine is in operation. Reclamation will begin during the construction phase and often continues until the mine is reclaimed and closed.

Mineral Processing

Mineral processing is a form of extractive metallurgy that sepaates valuable minerals from the ore into a concentrated, marketable product. There are 4 stages of mineral processing.

Crushing/Grinding

Sizing/classification

Concentration

Dewatering

Mining

Mining is the process of making the fullest and most profitable use of natural resources. This stage consists of the extraction activities, in which the ore is removed and transported to a plan to be processed.

Smelting and Refining

Smelting and refining are processes where valuable components are separated from non-valuable material in a series of different physical and chemical reactions. The end product is metal containing controlled amounts of impurities.Two metal recovery technologies are generally used to produce refined metals - pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy.

Pyrometallurgy

hydrometallurgy

Closure and Reclamation

The goal of reclamation is to return the mine site to it's original condition. During this stage it will be necessary to completely remove all of the physical surface facilities. Returning the land to original contours and/or ensuring that options for land use after mining are as good or better than the use prior to mining is important.

Prospecting & Exploration

Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. Once an anomaly has been identified and interpreted to be a potential prospect, direct observation can then be focused in the area. Exploration is a range of activities to help determine if there are minerals under the ground. Initial exploration activities, such as mapping, will start over a large area and then target smaller and smaller areas.