HAIT Journal of Science and Engineering B
Volume x, Issue x, pp. xxx-xxx
© 2006 Holon Academic Institute of Technology

 

Old waste terraces: A significant source of economic minerals in the world

Alexander V. Surkov1, Elena V. Samykina1,
Lev V. Eppelbaum2,*, and Sergey V. Semenov1

1Department of Placer Exploitation,
Moscow State Geological Prospecting University,
23 Miklukho-Maklai St., Moscow 119437, Russia
2Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences,
Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
*Corresponding author: levap@post.tau.ac.il

 Received 10 August 2005, revised 17 December 2005, accepted 23 December 2005

 

Gravitational concentration is the oldest of all forms of mineral processing used by humanity more than 25 centuries. This method was the most widely applied procedure of mineral enrichment till the end of second millennium. Physically concentration is based on separation of geological rocks and minerals of different specific density by their relative movement in response to the gravity and some additional forces. However, such an enrichment a priori cannot provide a high output of desired minerals. The authors have aimed to attract an attention to significant losses of native gold and diamonds by traditional scheme of their gravitational concentration. Detailed consideration of density and form of native gold and diamonds indicates that fragmental (placer generating) minerals with the different values of average density may have close and identical sizes (on two axes) in heavy concentrates (schlich) and middlings. These dense parameters essentially influence to conditions of these minerals accumulation in natural conditions and degree of their extraction in technological processes of gravitational concentration. In the paper were analyzed some published materials (minor) and personal author's data (major) of minerals test examination (first of all, diamonds and gold) from about twenty economic deposits disposed in various regions of the world.

Keywords: Economic minerals, gravity concentration, density


 

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