Description

Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Miitel mine is actually in a development stage. The higher part of the
orebody has been mined by the conventional cut-and-fill method. The lower
part, the longhole modified Avoca method has been selected. A 17-m (55.7 ft)
spacing between sub-levels is planned. However, part of the orebody was
already developed at 25-m (82 ft) intervals between sub-levels. In these cases,
three lifts will be mined with cut-and-fill method in order to obtain a 15-m (49
ft) spacing.

For the undeveloped part of the mine, the development and the mining are
planned as follows:

The mining approach is to fully develop the known reserve and extract the
orebody from the bottom up. This eliminates the need for leaving crown pillars
and prevents the problems of possible stress concentration. The orebody has
been divided into four blocks in order to create eight working faces. The
accesses to these blocks are planned by limiting the retreat distance to 125 m
(410 ft).

The majority of the orebody is being accessed via a main single ramp with a 1:7
gradient (-14.3%). This decline is designed to provide all access and ore
haulage. The main entrance is located on the eastern flank of a 18-m (59 ft)
high hill in order to take advantage of the local shallow base of oxidation and to
limit environmental impact.
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DEVELOPMENT

1) Ramp: The ramp is located 60 m to 80 m (197 ft to 262 ft) of the

mineralized orebody in the footwall.

2) Muck bay for waste: Muck bays are developed off the main ramp at every
100 m (328 ft).

3) Stope access: The access drifts are excavated from the main ramp in order
to break into the mineralized orebody at 17-m (55.7 ft) intervals vertically. A
muck bay is developed in each access.

4) Ore drift: The orebody is open up to its limits on either side of the access.

5) Ground support of walls: Prior to production works, cable bolts are installed
in the hanging wall from the lower level.

6) Slot raise excavation: A slot raise is required for each block located at the
extremities of the orebody. Raisebores are sometimes used.
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STOPE MINING

Blocks of 25-m (82 ft) maximum length are planned to be mined before
backfilling.

Drilling: The drilling is performed from the top level.

Blasting: For blocks located at the extremities of the orebody, a raise is used as
the initial opening. The subsequent blocks are blasted against the
unconsolidated fill in order to create a free space. Part of the waste is drawn
out, which allows to start the unwinding of a conveyor belt, placed after the
backfilling, over the waste pile.

Mucking: A remote controlled scooptram allows the ore drawing in stope. The
drawing stops when the conveyor belt is reached, which determines the limit
between the ore and the waste. The ore is brought to a muck bay located in the
access. It is then loaded into trucks by a higher capacity scooptram.

Backfill: The backfill is directly dumped in the stope from the upper level. When
the opening is full, a conveyor belt is rewound and fixed to the back of the
stope. The way the belt is positioned, it will unwind over the muck pile when
part of the waste rock will be drawn out to create the required opening for
blasting.

This cycle is repeated until the level is completed. Then, the next level up is
commenced working off the fill of the previous level. To obtain a flexibility and
an acceptable production profile, a minimum of three levels needs to be
developed.
Modified Avoca mining method.

Stope geometry

Information:

Length: 25 m (82 ft) per block.

Height: 13 m (43 ft).

Total stope opening is 21 m (69 ft).

Width: Averaging 2.1 m (7 ft).

Dip: 80 degrees.

Distance between levels: 17 m (56 ft) for future development. Some

developments were already completed at 20 m (65 ft) spacing.

RMR
Footwall: predominantly basalt. Fair quality rock mass.

Hanging wall: predominantly ultramafic. Poor to very poor quality rock mass.

Mineralized zone: Poor quality.

Backfill used: Unconsolidated material.

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MINING METHOD

The modified Avoca mining method has been selected to meet the following
factors:
- narrow vein.
- steeply dipping.
- poor quality of the hanging wall.
- good productivity
- low mining cost.
- extraction from bottom up, this eliminates the need for leaving crown pillars.
- tele-remote loading, reducing the exposure of miners.

In 1995, a feasibility study recommended a mechanized cut-and-fill method,

with some conventional airleg cut-and-fill on the very narrow lodes. Where
ground conditions permitted, an Avoca style up-hole benching method or
Alimak long-hole method was recommended.

The Avoca method allows for ground control using a combination of cable bolts
and backfill, whilst allowing the extraction of high tonnages in comparison to
jumbo cut-and-fill systems. The planned sequencing allows for a consistent
 extraction rate at a low unit cost in comparison to other narrow vein mining
methods.

Ground support

Information:

The wall stability is secured by the backfill, stope dimensions and cable bolts
installation. The maximum hydraulic radius for this material is 6.5 m (21 ft),
which is equivalent to a 28-m (92 ft) stope length. The planned length per
stope of 25 m (82 ft) should secure their stability. Single bulbed cable strand
are used. The cable bolt density for each block will be determined from
geotechnical mapping of the associated development. Previous experience with
similar orebodies indicate this will be in the range of 0.25 to 0.35 cable/square
meter.

Plating and tensioning of the cables shall be completed within one week of
installation and not less than 24 hours after the installation. The plating will
provide additional surface restraint to any unstable wedges that may loosen
during long-hole production.
Drilling

Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

The drilling is done from the upper drift. This downhole drilling provides a safer
environment and allows parallel holes to be drilled.

On a typical stope width of 2.1 m (7 ft), the blast holes are 64-mm (2.5 in) in
diameter, drilled on a "dice five" pattern. This will consist of a hanging wall and
footwall hole on each row followed by a third hole located in the middle of the
vein and drilled between each row.

The footwall hole is drilled 0.2 m (8 in) into the basalt to ensure complete
extraction of the high grade massive ore that tends to sit on the footwall
contact. To prevent unplanned dilution, the hanging wall hole will not be drilled
closer than 0.6 m (24 in) from the contact. The burden is 1.5 m (5 ft) and the
spacing is 1.6 m to 1.9 m (5.2 ft to 6.2 ft) depending upon the width of ore.
The first mined stope with parameters mentioned above will be under close
monitoring. This will allow the adjustment of the pattern and even eliminate the
centre hole for stopes with widths less than 1.6 m (5.2 ft).
 EQUIPMENT

It is planned to use either an Atlas Copco Simba H-157 or a Tamrock Quasar

NV.

Blasting

Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

The loading of boreholes is done from the upper drift (down the hole),
eliminating the need for miners to work near open brows. Therefore, the ore
drift is required to remain serviceable for in excess of one year and will be used
initially as down hole drilling drives and then as loading levels. Personnel will be
restricted entry into the loading levels by the use of tele-remote loaders.
Furthermore, the loading does not require pneumatic methods which results in
a lower placement density of the explosive.
 It is planned to use low density ANFO (ammonium nitrate), 50% strength
explosive, for the hanging wall hole as well as the centre hole. The footwall hole
will be charged with standard ANFO (ammonium nitrate). The holes will be
charged, leaving an unloaded section of 1 m (3.3 ft) at the bottom and at the
top of the stope. The total charged length will then be 11 m (36 ft). The powder
factor will be approximately 0.4 kg/t (14 oz/t) for an average stope width of 2.1
m (7 ft).

Mucking and hauling

Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

The stope mucking is done by a remote controlled scooptram. The broken rock
is brought to the muck bay located in the access where a scooptram of higher
capacity loads the trucks. An additional dilution of 5% is added for the hauling
of fill floor. When the blasting of first rows is done against the backfill of the
previous stope, a 40% dilution is added for the first row and 20% for the
second row.

EQUIPMENT

- 3-yard scooptram.

- 40 t trucks.

Backfill
Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

Unconsolidated fill is being placed directly into the open stope from the top level
by a scooptram. The stope is filled to the top level reaching a 25-m (82 ft)
length to stabilize the walls.

Muck bays are developed off the main ramp at every 100 m (328 ft), these
bays also serve as rockfill storage.

DIMENSIONS OF THE BAYS:

Length: 18 m (59 ft).

Width: 5 m (16 ft).
Height: 5.5 m (18 ft).

In order to fill a stope, the scooptram must travel on the upper drift. Usually,
production holes are previously drilled. To protect hole integrity, steel plates are
 welded to a metal pipe on each hole.

EQUIPMENT

3-yard scooptram.

Productivity

Modified Avoca mining method.

Information:

The following parameters were used in the productivity planning:

Two-boom Jumbo: 240 m/month (787 ft/month) for one single heading
available and 260 m/month (853 ft/month) for multiple headings available.

Single boom Jumbo: 180 m/month (590 ft/month) for single or multiple
headings, 1.5-m (5 ft) advances per day.

Raisebore: 40 m/month (131 ft/month) per hole.

Drilling and installation of cable bolt: 6000 m/month (19 685 ft/month).

Longhole raise: 15 m/week (49 ft/week) per slot.

Longhole drilling: 4500 m/month (14 764 ft/month).

Longhole production: 6000 tonnes per month per stope.