Drill Bits
In the last Update (29 May) we detailed how Newmont Waihi Gold is continuing to explore areas around the Martha open pit, paying particular attention to the Martha vein system that runs east to west. Part of this current exploration is the western drilling programme. The rigs drill into the ground with a circular drill bit and a hollow steel casing to produce a core or rock for analysis. The aim is to increase levels of geological confidence.
Up to three rigs may operate from now until September on the western perimeter of the pit adjacent to Moresby Avenue.
A series of drill sites is currently being identified as areas of potential interest and should be drilled between June and September. The vein systems the drilling programme is targeting are shown in black.
Visitors Call In
Following the recent article on ducks using the tailings ponds as a refuge during shooting season we have had two sets of visitors, one totally unexpected, but both very welcome.
Mary Smeaton, Ian Bradshaw and Krishna Buckman from the Waihi branch of the Forest & Bird Society and Waihi College Biology teacher Bridget Weller were escorted around the site by Doreen McLeod and Gary Choat. Binoculars in hand they got a good look at the varied birdlife the tailings ponds currently support.
The Waihi branch of Forest and Bird is very active, having completed over ten plantings around Waihi in the last six years in partnership with HELP. The area most easily seen is the Children's Millenium Forest just south of Coronation Bridge on State Highway 2.
The group also helped with the Bridge to Bridge Project that stretches from Golden Valley Bridge to Gilmour Lake, and the Gilmour Lake boardwalk.
Krishna says that members have been encouraged by an increase in the Tui population over recent years. She attributes this to the planted areas becoming more established and providing both berries and nectar food sources.
We nearly missed our second visitor. Gary spotted this New Zealand Dotterel (pictured) feeding on the margin of the dry tailings beach and the water's edge at the north end of Storage Pond 2 during his regular morning bird count about a week ago. He says it is several years since dotterels have been spotted on site.
Welcome back!
Working By Remote
In the 'olden days' underground miners worked at the face to shovel recently blasted ore and waste onto small trucks which were then pushed back along the drive and the load hoisted to the surface.
In 2007 the same job means an operator gets to sit in a comfortable chair and watch television.
How does this work?
The development of drives (tunnels) involves drilling and blasting, then loading out the ore and waste. The back (roof) of the drive is reinforced with rock bolts or covered with mesh and sprayed with concrete to stabilise the remaining rock that forms the drive. The freshly blasted area must be loaded out before this can be done. The safest way of doing this is by using a loader operated by remote control. This means the operator does not need to work in an area that has yet to be checked and stabilised as needed.
A Toro 1400 LHD low profile underground loader is fitted with two cameras to allow the operator to see what is happening. He then uses a control unit that looks very similar to a Play Station to operate the machine. The obvious difference is that with a machine that is just over 10 metres long and 2.7 metres wide weighing in at 33 tonnes operating in a confined underground space the task is much more difficult than playing Grand Theft Auto in your lounge.
The cameras can't show everything, and it is important to ensure that there are no personnel in the immediate area. The loader operates behind a gate closed across the drive and is fitted with a series of proximity beams somewhat like the front and rear parking radar in more expensive cars. If the gate is opened or the beams are broken the machine automatically shuts down.
Safety is always the primary consideration when working underground. Loaders working on remotes contribute to that safety by removing an identified risk.
And if you are sitting at home with your Play Station and think you might have just identified a career path you can finally relate to, remember that this may look like a game, but the operator is very much working in the real world.
Above: Looks like a Play Station, but with a machine that is just over 10 metres long and 2.7 metres wide weighing in at thirty-three tonnes operating in a confined underground space the task is much more difficult than playing Grand Theft Auto.
Top Left: A welcome return visitor to site last week.
Bottom Left: Members of the Waihi branch of the Forest and Bird Society: Mary Smeaton, Krishna Buckman, Ian Bradshaw and Waihi College Biology teacher Bridget Weller on site.
