Canadian experience in open pit mining

摘要

Canada is a world class producer and exporter of minerals and mineral products. Today's highly mechanized Canadian open pits use state-of-the-art equipment and support technology. They are taking advantage of larger equipment, including in pit crushing and conveying, truck dispatch systems and electronic management tools. Mine planning is computerized. Environmental issues are dealt with in all phases of planning, and equipment modifications are pursued to keep them functioning in the hostile Canadian north. In 1991, Canada's mineral production (excluding fuels but including coal) totaled C 16.9 billion dollars, a decline of 13.8 percent from the 1990 total of C19.6 dollars billion. It is a major producer of nickel, zinc, asbestos, potash, molybdenum and uranium. Canada is also an important source of copper and iron ore (Fig. 1). More than two-thirds of the mines in Canada are surface operations, which produce the bulk of the country's iron ore, asbestos, coal, copper, lead, zinc and synthetic crude oil from oil sands.