Safe Deep Mining with DSI Products: Turquoise Ridge Mine

With 26 operating mines and additional global mining projects, Barrick Gold Corporation is one of the world’s largest gold producers. In 2010, the company produced a total of 7.8 million ounces of gold.

Barrick Gold Corporation is the 75% owner and operator of the Turquoise Ridge Mine in the Potosi Mining Area in Nevada, USA. Since the ore is mainly located in calciferous sediments and unstable zones, mine development is being carried out using the underhand cut-and-fill method, with excavation and fill from the top downward. This method is the most flexible exploitation method used in deep mining. The ore is removed in several horizontal drifting slices. Directly afterwards, the void is filled with waste material from the mine’s mineral processing plant and stabilized with cement in order to create a load-bearing roof under which the excavation can be continued. In some areas of the long term development areas of Turquoise Ridge Mine, the surrounding rock mass was so unstable that filling of cavities with cement was not enough to stabilize the heading. For efficiently stabilizing these areas, the operator asked DSI Underground Systems Inc. to supply Lattice Girders which proved to be the best solution for the prevailing conditions because they ensure comprehensive and immediate support in the excavated area. Furthermore, the lattice girders can be easily shaped and adjusted to the excavation geometry of the adit. Since August 2010, Turquoise Ridge Mine has been keeping two to three different sizes of Lattice Girders in stock in their supply yard so that the owner can react quickly to changing ground conditions.