Session 1
Characterisation, Classification and Prediction
Overview
The Faro Mine Complex, Yukon, Canada produced lead and zinc concentrate between 1969 and 1998 with ore sourced from lead-zinc-silver stratiform pyritic massive sulphide deposits. Metal(loid) leaching and acid rock drainage (ML/ARD) occurs to varying extents in the waste rock dumps, pit walls and tailings area.
Between 2019 and 2020, a non-contact water diversion channel was constructed to isolate the North Fork of Rose Creek from waste rock seepage with high zinc concentrations. A field-based ML/ARD construction monitoring plan was implemented during construction of the non-contact water diversion channel to geochemically characterize, classify, delineate, and segregate waste rock with a low risk of ML/ARD that was suitable for use as bulk fill.
The construction classification program employed handheld portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) to characterize the sulphur and zinc content of the waste rock. The results were validated by Acid-Base Accounting (ABA) and metal(loid)s by aqua regia digestion on a subset of samples.
This presentation outlines method development of the pXRF program for ML/ARD classification, construction monitoring program implementation and assessment of the pXRF monitoring program.
Authors
- Lisa Barazzuol | SRK Canada
- Amanda Schevers | BGC Engineering
- Kelly Sexsmith | SRK Canada
- Jonathon Dixon | Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
- Nicole Jacques | Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
- Ryan Martin | Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
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