Adaptation of geotechnologies to mineral mining conditions in permafrost: Challenges

Geomechanical and geotechnical features of solid mineral deposits in the Russian North

“…This paper continues the reporting [2,6] and announces some new results obtained by the Institute in 2019 under state contracts in three areas of research: efficient structure and technology for underground and surface mining in the permafrost areas, strength and physical and mechanical properties of geomaterials, as well as thermophysics and geomechanics of rock mass under naturally low temperatures; innovative technologies and equipment for efficient processing and deep conversion of minerals in the North [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…The procedure takes into account fractional makeup, density of minerals and gangue, air flow velocity for mineral separation by their migration capacity. The procedure enables determining rational design and mode for a screw work chamber (pitch, tilt angles of the internal and external walls, shape and parameters of cross-section) toward efficient separation of different size grades of high-and mediumdensity minerals (above 3.2 g/cm 3 ) from barren rocks with density to 2.7 g/cm 2 .…”

“…Due to the steady mineral depletion in the regions possessing well-developed infrastructure, mining operations creep to the east and north-east of Russia, where the territory is vast but underdeveloped, underpopulated and lies far from the sites of mineral mining and processing, which elevates the cost supplies and services, hunger for higher skilled personnel, etc. [2]. Physigeographic and geologic conditions naturally affect the mining efficiency in such areas.…”

“…To reach the goal, the Institute of Mining of the North was founded in 1980 in Yakutia (named after its founder N.V. Chersky later on). Since the inception, the Institute addresses the aspects of geomechanics and geotechnology which exert influence on the subsoil management in the North [2][3][4].…”