Mining Engineering
MIN 101 3 Credits
Minerals, Man and the Environment
A general survey of the impact of the mineral industries on man's economic, political and environmental systems. (3+0) Offered Fall
MIN 103 1 Credit
Introduction to Mining Engineering
Concepts and methods utilized in mining engineering and mining unit operations. (1+0) Offered Fall
MIN 104 1 Credit
Mining Safety and Operations Laboratory
Practical training at the Silver Fox Mine in mining operations and safety. Course complies with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 40 Hour New Miner Training. Course fee: $50. (0+3) Offered Fall
MIN 106 1 Credit
Mining Operations I
Feasibility studies, exploration methods and economic criteria in mining operations. Includes orebody delineation and mapping, preliminary mining methods and options, surface mine design and equipment, and case studies. (Prerequisite: MIN 103. Recommended: MATH 200X.) (1+0) Offered Spring
MIN 202 3 Credits
Mine Surveying
Surveying principles for surface and underground control of mining properties. Field and office procedures for preparation of maps and engineering data. (Prerequisites: MATH 107X and 108 or equivalent.) (2+3) Offered Fall
MIN 206 1 Credit
Mining Operations II
Underground methods selection criteria, underground mine layout, services and equipment in mining operations. Includes surface and underground health and safety requirements, environmental management, reclamation and closure, and case studies. (Prerequisite: MIN 106. Recommended: MATH 200X. Note: Continuation of MIN 106.) (1+0) Offered Spring
MIN 301 3 Credits
Mine Plant Design
Quantitative study and design of various systems and equipment used in haulage, hoisting, drainage, pumping and power (compressed air and electricity). Importance of the natural conditions and production level in the equipment selection procedure emphasized. (Prerequisites: ES 208 and 307. Recommended: ES 341.) (3+0) Offered Spring
MIN 302 3 Credits
Underground Mine Environmental Engineering
Analysis of underground mine ventilation systems, ventilation planning, design and engineering control, mine ventilation network. (Prerequisite: MIN 103.) (2+3) Offered Spring
MIN 304 3 Credits
Introduction to Metallurgy
Overview of the extractive metallurgy of gold, silver and platinum group metals; from gravity concentration to cyanidation and smelting. (Prerequisites: PHYS 212. Next offered: 2005--06.) (3+0) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 313 3 Credits
Introduction to Mineral Preparation
Elementary theory and principles of unit processes of liberation, concentration and solid-fluid separation as applied to mineral beneficiations. (Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2005--06.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 370 3 Credits
Rock Mechanics
Physical and mechanical properties of rock; rock mass classification systems; stress distribution in the vicinity of mining openings, design criteria and support for structures in rock mass, instrumentation and monitoring of opening's stability as well as strata control and surface subsidence. (Prerequisites: ES 331 or permission of instructor.) (2+3) Offered Spring
MIN 401 2 Credits
Mine Site Field Trips
Field trips to active surface and underground mines to gain perceptual knowledge of modern mining systems by observation. Includes a systematic summarization and analysis of the mine after each visit to gain an in-depth understanding of mining engineering principles. (Prerequisite: MIN 202, 301, 302 and 370. Graded pass/fail.) (.5+6) Offered Spring
MIN 407W 2 Credits
Mine Reclamation and Environmental Management
Principles and practices of mine reclamation and waste disposal Pre-mining assessments and plans. Design of settling and tailings ponds and waste impoundments. Stream bed restoration and revegetation. (Prerequisites: ENGL 111X; ENGL 211X or ENGL 213X or permission of instructor; CHEM 106X. Recommended: ES 341.) (2+0) Offered Fall
MIN 408O 3 Credits
Mineral Valuation and Economics
Introduction to engineering economics, ore sampling and reserve calculations, and mine feasibility studies. (Prerequisites: COMM 131X or 141X, GE 375 or MIN 301.) (3+0) Offered Spring
MIN 409 3 Credits
Operations Research and Computer Applications in Mineral Industry
Use of operations research and computer techniques for understanding, analysis, forecasting and optimization of mining operations and systems. (Prerequisites: Junior standing.) (3+0) Offered Spring
MIN 415 3 Credits
Coal Preparation
Unit operations, flowsheets, washability characteristics and control by sink-float methods for coal preparation plants. Market requirements and economics of preparation. (Prerequisite: MIN 313 or graduate standing. Next offered: 2006--07.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 433 3 Credits
Mining Access, Safety and Environmental Law
History of mining law. Laws and regulations governing access to property, safety and environmental control as they pertain to mining. (Next offered: 2005--06.) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 443 3 Credits
Principles and Applications of Industrial Explosives
Types and properties of industrial explosives; systems of initiation; theories of blasting; designs of open pit bench blasting; designs of underground blasting/rounds; applications in mining, civil construction and other fields; blasting vibration, structural damages and their control; overbreak control; safe practices; safety regulations; blast hole drilling and drilling equipment. (Prerequisite: MIN 370 or Permission of instructor.) (3+0) Offered Fall
MIN 447 3 Credits
Placer Mining
Placer formation and identification, reserve estimation, mine and wash plant design. Includes surface and underground mining methods, equipment specification, environmental compliance and reclamation. (Prerequisites: MIN 301 and 313. Next offered: 2005--06.) (3+0) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 454 3 Credits
Underground Mining Methods
Underground mining methods for coal and non-coal deposits. Includes design parameters, selection of mining methods, the mine planning process, auxiliary operations and various underground mining methods. (Prerequisites: MIN 301, 302, 370.) (3+0) Offered Fall
MIN 472 3 Credits
Ground Control
Stability and design for ground control of surface and underground mining excavations; reinforcement and monitoring systems for openings constructed in rock mass. Construction in swelling rock and frozen ground, underground hazards (bursts and water inflow), monitoring of deformation and stresses associated with the opening's presence. (Prerequisites: MIN 370 or equivalent or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2005--06.) (3+0) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 481 3 Credits
Computer Aided Mine Design I
Familiarization with TECHBASE to store, manage, model and display exploration data. Includes creating a database; loading, editing and reporting data; calculating summary statistics; and constructing base and contour maps. Use of TECHBASE tools for two- and three-dimensional estimation methods, mine design and scheduling, production grade-tonnage curve using a range of cutoff grades and generation of outlines for pit design. (Prerequisites: Junior, senior or graduate standing in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2005--06.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 482 3 Credits
Computer Aided Mine Design II
(Stacked with MIN 682)
Familiarization with VULCAN Mine design software to store, manage, model and display exploration data. Estimate volume, tonnage and quality of reserve, design declines and development drives in underground coal and hardrock mines, design underground coal mine plans and design of underground stopes, perform underground grade control. (Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2006--07.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 484 2 Credits
Surface Mining Methods
Modern methods of surface mine design. Strip and open pit optimization techniques. Production planning and scheduling. Use of mine design software. (Prerequisites: Senior standing, concurrent enrollment in MIN 409 or permission of instructor.) (2+0) Offered Spring
MIN 485 0 Credit
Mining Engineering Exit Exam
Exam is designed to evaluate the students' overall performance as mining engineering graduates. Covers various topics that students have learned in the field of mining engineering and related fields. (Prerequisite: Senior standing in mining engineering.) (0+0) Offered Fall, Spring
MIN 490W 3 Credits
Mining Design Project
Design of mine layout including extraction and beneficiation and economic evaluation of a mining project. A comprehensive written report of the design and analysis is required. (Prerequisites: ENGL 111X; ENGL 211X or ENGL 213X or permission of instructor; MIN 408, 445, 446, and 447; MIN 408 can be taken concurrently.) (1+6) Offered Spring
MIN 601 3 Credits
Application of Artificial Neural NetworksMI
Basic neural network architectures, learning rules, training methods and practical applications. Training and application issues typical of earth sciences problems. Some topics require mathematical analysis. Genetic algorithms and use of network ensembles will be briefly presented. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing in engineering and programming ability. Knowledge of MATLAB a plus. Recommended: MIN 408, MIN 635, MATH 202X, MATH 314.) (3+0) Offered Spring
MIN 621 3 Credits
Advanced Mineral Economics
Economics of mineral exploitation and utilization. International trade, state and federal policies; financial control, and research methods. (Admission by arrangement.) (3+0) Offered Fall
MIN 631 4 Credits
Research Methods in Mineral Engineering
Research methods including problem definition and statement, designing experiments, collecting data and interpreting them. Methods of theoretical and experimental analysis will be reviewed and examples given. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.) (3+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 635 3 Credits
Geostatistical Ore Reserve Estimation
(Cross-listed with GE 635)
Introduction to the theory and application of geostatistics in the mining industry. Review of conventional methods of ore reserve estimation, sampling design and computer applications. Review of classical statistics, log normal distributions and global estimation. Presentation of fundamental geostatistical concepts including: variogram, estimation variance, block variance, kriging, geostatistical simulation. Emphasis on the practical application to mining. (Prerequisites: MIN 408 or equivalent, STAT 400 or equivalent.) (2+3) Offered Spring
MIN 637 3 Credits
Mine Systems Simulation
Application of computer simulation to the analysis of static and dynamic mine systems and the development of useful programs for mine operators. Design of simulation experiments in mining engineering. (Prerequisites: MIN 409 or equivalent; graduate standing.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 646 3 Credits
Mining Engineering in the Arctic
An in-depth treatment of mining engineering problems encountered in arctic conditions. Design and construction of mine openings in frozen ground, mechanical and thermal properties of rocks at subfreezing temperatures, fragmentation and excavation of frozen ground, surface mining problems in the arctic climate, equipment maintenance, mined-land reclamation and economic evaluation of mineral properties in arctic regions. Case studies also are presented. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.) (3+0) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 652 3 Credits
Numerical Methods in Mine Ventilation
Differencing schemes for the partial differential equations of flow in mine networks, typical boundary conditions for mine ventilation systems, computer-aided solution techniques. Application to flow of fluids through porous media is covered. (Prerequisites: MIN 302 or equivalent; graduate standing.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 670 3 Credits
Optimization Models in the Mineral Industry
Study of concepts and methods in analysis of systems involving single and multiple objectives, with applications to mining engineering and mine environmental systems. (Prerequisites: MIN 409 or equivalent, permission of instructor.) (3+0) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 673 3 Credits
Advanced Rock Mechanics
The study of theoretical and experimental methods in rock mechanics. State of stress and potential failure zone around two and three dimensional structures in rock based on theoretical, numerical, experimental techniques and failure criteria are presented. (Prerequisite: MIN 370 or equivalent or graduate standing.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Fall
MIN 674 3 Credits
Advanced Ground Control
A study of current rock mechanic problems which are related to advances in mining and construction technologies, with particular emphasis on the importance of rock and frozen ground properties and stress evaluation in designing and monitoring stability of structures for gas, oil and radioactive materials storage, geothermal energy recovery, solution mining, and those exposed to rock outbursts and earthquakes. Rock and frozen ground properties related to other dynamic loading conditions, such as in blasting, are also discussed. (Prerequisites: MIN 370 or equivalent or permission of instructor.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 682 3 Credits
Computer Aided Mine Design II
(Stacked with MIN 482)
Familiarization with VULCAN Mine design software to store, manage, model and display exploration data. Estimate volume, tonnage and quality of reserve, design declines and development drives in underground coal and hardrock mines, design underground coal mine plans and design of underground stopes, perform underground grade control. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2006--07.) (2+3) Offered Alternate Spring
MIN 688 1 Credit
Graduate Seminar I
(Cross-listed with MPR 688)
Preparation and presentation of research outlines by graduate students and participation in regularly organized Mineral Engineering Department seminars. (Prerequisite: Admission to graduate program.) (1+0) Offered Fall
MIN 689 1 Credit
Graduate Seminar II
Presentation of graduate research by graduate students and participation in regularly organized Mineral Engineering Department seminars. (Prerequisite: Admission to graduate program.) (1+0) Offered Spring