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- By Greg Olsen
 On May 2, 1972, a fire broke out deep inside the Sunshine Mine, in Kellogg, Idaho, while nearly 175 men were at work. Nearly half the workers made it out safely, and there were 91 deaths.
This poignant book offers a detailed account of the fire, the toll it took on the small mining community, and the nail-bitingly suspenseful rescue operation to save the lives of two men trapped in the "deep dark" mine who survived for more than a week by eating the bagged lunches of their dead coworkers.
Olsen, author of a number of books in the true-crime genre, brings his considerable narrative skills to bear in this true-adventure tale. He tells the story in remarkably vivid detail, forcing the reader to experience the horror of the deep dark and to feel the exhilaration of the successful rescue. Review by David Pitt of Booklist.
The Mining Dictionary is a popular resource! So much so that we are making a search box (like the one at right) available to other sites, all in the interests of disseminating this valuable resource. Its full name is the Dictionary of Mining, Minerals and Related Terms and it contains more than 26,000 terms with multiple definitions and extensive cross-referencing. Originally developed by the US Bureau of Mines, it has since been converted and supported by EduMine in a more interactive XML format. Click here for details.
Diamond Rings - By Kyran Casteel - World Mining Equipment
Debswana, a 50/50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers, operates the country's two diamond mining centres: Orapa, including the satellite Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines, and Jwaneng. These are large, well-equipped, technically advanced and profitable operations. But that doesn't mean life is simple as WME discovered during a visit to Jwaneng hosted by Debswana
and arranged by P&H MinePro Services, both of whom we thank for their time. More...
An Online Industry Survey by UBC Mining Engineering
In collaboration with the University of British Columbia - Mining Engineering, EduMine is presenting an online survey to obtain the views of mining industry members on how we should define and acquire a Social License in mining. The survey is presented as a research questionnaire in support of a UBC research project that will help to develop a process and a set of parameters
that can be used to bring industry and communities together. Please take a few minutes to give us your views on an important and topical issue in mining. More...
This month CareerMine is happy to welcome the following North American
"Employers of Choice":
We also welcome Australian "Employers of Choice"
Please visit our Employers of Choice's dedicated job pages often to catch up
on the latest employment opportunities with these Companies.
The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and The Canadian Institue of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), invite you to Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, Canada, to attend the Symposium 2005 on Mines and the Environment, May 15 to May 18, 2005.
The objectives of the Symposium are to share recent knowledge and research developments and to discuss common practices to find solutions that reconcile profitability and environmental protection. The technical program to touch on the following subjects: mill tailings, underground backfill, waste rock, contaminated water, toxicity/bioavailability, restoration and regulations. See the CIM website for more details.
New Detailed Search Transforms EduMine Courses into an Online Technical Reference for Mining and the Geosciences.
EduMine's professional development courses represent a large and expanding knowledge base of expertise and information on mining and geoscience topics ... from flotation, to financial modeling, to blasting, to rock mechanics ... and much, much more. The Detailed Search of Courses tool presents the EduMine courses as a comprehensive technical reference source for mining and the geosciences. It allows you to perform advanced searches of course text, tables, figures, keywords and authors across all available course content (currently 57 courses representing 857 hours of professional development content). More...
Goldcorp's Red Lake Mine is the Latest Site Enrollment with EduMine
The Red Lake Mine, located in northwestern Ontario and owned by Goldcorp Inc., is the richest gold mine in the world! In 2004, the mine produced a record 551,886 ounces of gold at cash cost of $92 per ounce. The Red Lake Mine is currently sinking a new shaft that will reach a planned depth of 7,150 ft and increase annual production to 725,000 ounces of gold and lower costs even further.
Site Enrollment provides unrestricted access for all Red Lake personnel to the full range of EduMine resources for technical reference and self-learning. The Red Lake Campus on EduMine also provides a platform for professional development programs tailored to corporate requirements and objectives. More...
Throwing Stuff Down A Mineshaft
Two guys were hiking in the mountains when they came across an old mine shaft going straight down into the ground.
"Wow," said the first guy. "I wonder how deep it is?"
"I dunno," said the second.
"Let's find out." With that, he dropped a rock down the hole. They waited and waited, but didn't hear it hit bottom.
"Hmm. Let's try a bigger rock," said the first guy, and tossed a watermelon-sized stone down the hole. They waited a couple of minutes, but didn't hear it hit either. So, they looked around for something bigger to throw down and came across an old railroad tie, which they lifted together and dumped down the hole. Then suddenly, as they waited to hear it hit, a goat streaked between the two of them and jumped straight down the mineshaft.
While they stood there scratching their heads in amazement, a third guy came up the path and asked them if they'd seen a goat.
"Yeah, just now," said one of the first two guys. "It just ran up and jumped down this hole."
"Oh, well then it couldn't have been my goat," said the third guy. "My goat was tied to an old railroad tie."
The Mysterious World Of Printing
The printer a strange and deceiving piece of hardware that simply won't work unless someone else is using it. Check out this link for a plethora of tips that will prepare you for future battles!
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Here's a sample of the information on "Emerald" available on InfoMine. This is just an example of how our search provides excellent and pertinent results for any topic you wish to explore. Why not try your own favorite topic now? |
This article is copyrighted by the author and all rights reside with Peter Budgell
 The name Labradorite comes from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a famous locality for the stone. The mineral was discovered by Moravian missionaries at Ford Harbour, Paul Island near Nain off the coast of Labrador in 1770. It is normally characteristic of gabbros and basalts and is the main constituent of the plutonic rock anorthosite. Most commonly used in jewelry and as dimension stone, labradorite is also used for industrial purposes such as in the production of glass.
According to an Eskimo legend, the Northern Lights were once imprisoned in the rocks along the Labrador coast, until one day an Eskimo warrior found them and freed most of the lights with a blow from his spear. Not all the lights could be freed from the stone however and for that reason we have today what is known as labradorite.
Labradorite is a member of the plagioclase series of minerals is comprised of feldspars that range in chemical composition from pure NaAlSi3 O8 called albite, to pure CaAl2 Si2 O8 called anorthite. Labradorite is defined at approximately the 50% to 70% CaAl2 Si2 O8. By definition it must contain 50-70% calcium to 50-30% sodium in the sodium/calcium position of the crystal structure. All members of the plagioclase series usually display lamellar twinning called "Albite Twinning". The twinning is caused by an error in the crystal structure during its growth.
 The color display is from lamellar intergrowths inside the crystal. These intergrowths result from compatible chemistries at high temperatures becoming incompatible at lower temperatures and thus a separating and layering of these two phases. The resulting color effect is caused by a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper layers. This refracted ray is slowed by the extra travel through the layers and mixes with other rays to produce a light ray coming out that has a different wavelength than when it went in. The wavelength corresponds to the wavelength of a particular color. The effect depends on the thickness and orientation of the layers and also upon the angle of the viewer or the angle of the light source. If the layers are too thick or too thin, or if the angle of the viewer or light source is not correct then 'labradorescence' will not be seen.
Labradorite's crystal structure is triclinic, however crystals are very rare and are usually golden yellow and may be translucent. It is usually found as a compact aggregate and is sometimes opaque. It has a vitreous luster and is sensitive to pressure. The yellow striations sometimes fluoresce.
Though known by many other names, perhaps the most commonly used synonyms for labradorite are black moonstone, which is a darker variety of the mineral and Spectrolite, which is the term used for samples that come from Finland. Spectrolite was discovered by accident in 1940 during the Second World War, when stone was being quarried along Finland's eastern border for the purpose of making anti-tank obstacles. Typically, the labradorite mined from Finnish quarries is used for jewelry and is considered to be of gem quality.
 Labradorite can be found in many places all over the world including; it's name sake, Labrador, other parts of Newfoundland and Canada, the United States, Mexico, South America and Norway. The most impressive pieces however come from Finland (Spectrolite) and Madagascar. Though most widely recognized for it's use in jewelry and as dimension stone, labradorite also has many industrial uses. Because it occurs in gabbros, which are widely used as crushed stone for road construction, it too is used as a road building material. Like other plagioclase feldspars, it can be used in the manufacture of ceramics acting to increase the strength and durability of ceramic and to cement the other constituent materials together. Also, because it has a ranged melting point it can be used as a fluxing agent to produce glassy phases in the ceramic.
During the 18th century, labradorite was one of the stones frequently used in jewelry in France and England. Pins, broaches, bracelets, etc. were often set with gems, the first letters of which formed a motto or expressed a sentiment. Labradorite was often used as the "L" in mottos like "Good Luck." It was customary to use labradorite in the representation of objects with a metallic color such as the iridescent wings of butterflies. In the beginning of the 19th century, reliefs of Mandrill baboons were very much in vogue, and labradorite was used to represent the color of their snouts.
From its discovery in Labrador in 1770 to present day, labradorite has fascinated both the amateur and the professional alike. It's plethora of uses in the jewelry and gem industries and high demand for labradorite as dimension stone make it one of the most popular and recognizable minerals in the world.
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Meet Gareth Holden!
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