WorldWide Drilling Resource

Alaska Miners Association Phone: 907-563-9229 Fax: 907-563-9225 ama@alaskaminers.org www.alaskaminers.org ELKO / Mining Expo Phone: 775-738-4091 Fax: 775-738-2420 jennifer@elkocva.com www.exploreelko.com WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these mining associations. Northwest Mining Association Phone: 509-624-1158 Fax: 509-623-1241 nwma_info@nwma.org Women in Mining 866-537-9694 wim@womeninmining.org 51 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2014 ASARCO Mining Company by Harry W. Short Engineering Geologist Arizona is nicknamed the “Copper State” because there are massive de- posits of copper in the state that pro- vide two-thirds of the nation’s copper production. If the state was a country, it would be the world’s major copper sup- plier, second only to Chile. The state flag is copper colored because of the importance of this precious metal to the state and world, and a miner is depicted on the state seal. The American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) processes the copper mined at their Mission Complex, 18 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. ASARCO also mines copper at the Ray and Silver Bell Mines in Pima and Pinal, Arizona; and processes 400 million pounds of copper in a smelter at Hayden, Arizona. Their copper refinery in Amarillo, Texas, produces 375 million pounds of copper annually; and their plant in El Paso, Texas, produced 1 billion pounds of copper anodes each year before it closed in 1999. The Mission Mine once operated five separate mining properties, but is now one mine. It occupies about 20,000 acres of combined state-leased, private, and Native American land. The Mission Mine is ¼-mile deep, 2 miles long, and 1¾ miles wide. It is estimated the volume of earth removed by the mining opera- tion equals six times that excavated to form the Panama Canal. About 700 employees work three shifts, seven days per week, with an annual payroll of $40 million. There is a park at the entrance to the mine which features a wooden head frame from the old Copper Glanced Mine about five miles to the south, which was built prior to the open-pit operation in 1909. The massive open pit can be viewed at lookout points around the mine, along with old trucks that carried 75-170 tons of ore. The modern trucks haul 240-320 tons of mined material. Also on display is an Insley grader with a one-cubic-yard bucket, and a Galion grader that have been around since the 1900s. You enter the exhibit building through a simulated ball mill into a photo mural showing an aerial view of the ASARCO Mission Mine. Another area offers a view of the grinding and flotation process. The mine has a small head of cat- tle which are spread in the tailings waste area. Reclamation is done by the cat- tle’s hooves mixing their naturally pro- duced fertilizer, which adds sufficient organic matter to create soil that will support native plant species. They are also testing biosolids from the local treat- ment plant to help reclaim the tailings. Harry Harry Short may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Flotation pond. The massive open-pit mine. Air Compressor Approved for Underground Mining Adapted from Information by VMAC VMAC's RAPTAIR diesel-drive stand- alone air compressor has been approved for use in underground mining operations by MSHA (Mining Safety and Health Administration). The primary modification made was a change to the engine. The MSHA- approved version uses a Kubota engine which runs at a slower speed than the RAPTAIR60. The slower engine enables the com- pressor to provide more than 52 cfm and the lower rpm also makes the system quieter than the previous version. Even with the decreased cfm, the RAPTAIR50 is still a high-performance air compressor which can be truck- or skid-mounted with enough power to run most air tools used in mining operations. The new diesel- driven engine also decreases the possi- bility of fire compared to gasoline engines. Being MSHA-approved means the compressor has been authorized for safe use in underground coal and gassy metal mines and has undergone rigorous test- ing conducted byMSHAexperts. It ensures air quality is within safety standards while running the unit underground, a major concern for all such operations. The release of this product is part of VMAC's strategy to provide safe, high- performance air compressors for use in a variety of environments and demon- strates their leading position in the mobile air industry.