School of Rocks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gum leaves

Searching for ore deposits is both technologically intensive and expensive. Geologists have often looked for indicators, such as calcrete (described by Science Direct as "accumulation of alkaline earth metals in soils of arid and semi-arid terrains around the world"), to help them where to target their exploration.

By studying eucalyptus trees in the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia, scientists discovered that, because of the arid environment, the trees would extend their roots tens of metres below the surface to draw up water. In the process a tree would also draw up minerals and other trace elements. Gold would likely prove to be toxic to the tree, so it (the tree) compensated by shifting these elements to the extremes of its branches and leaves and, from there, excreting it onto the ground. Advanced x-ray imaging would then be used to identify these traces of minerals.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who, mistakenly, believed that shamrock was fake gold.

Answer: Cyanide

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is a federal governmental agency in Australia charged with scientific research. The conventional method of gold extraction carries significant environmental, health, and safety risks, and certain regions have banned the use of cyanide following toxic chemical spills. CSIRO pioneered the cyanide-free technology called "Going for Gold" in the search for a more environmentally friendly method of gold recovery. The process presents an attractive option for mines looking to overcome regulatory and economic barriers, as well as those looking to upgrade to greener, more sustainable technology.

This question deposited into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, who is excited by the prospect of green gold.

Answer: Fire

Australia's annual gold production comes in at about $15 billion per year, making it the second largest producer in the world. However, as amazing as that sounds, the industry is facing a future of declining ore grades and is now looking toward faster analytical technologies in an effort to increase its productivity.

Consider this, a typical gold producing plant will not extract all of the gold from a piece of ore. Generally, they will manage somewhere between 65% to 85%. Even a small improvement in this area would mean significant gains for the operation.

The PhotonAssay attacks a rock sample with high-powered x-rays which has the effect of activating the metals within it. At this point a highly sensitive detector steps in to identify the atomic signatures of the elements and, at the same time, establish the concentration levels. The beauty of this system is that it can be conducted on-site.

Compare this with the age-old fire assay method that involves sending the ore to the laboratory where it is heated up to 1200 degrees Centigrade. This method is slow, potentially hazardous, harmful to the environment and has a habit of destroying the sample.

This question was essayed by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who wonders what all the fuss was about... there's always been gold in AU-stralia.

Answer: Reduce waste

Australian mining companies approached Australia's CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) with the following issue - large qualities of ore would carry small traces that were so small, they were undetectable by the available analysing equipment at hand. Consequently, significant amounts of precious metals were going to waste. The CSIRO was tasked to create something better.

In 2017 CSIRO combined forces with Gekko Systems and created the OLGA. OLGA bombards a sample with high energy x-rays to stimulate the metals within that sample. When an atom within that sample is hit with enough energy, an electron is dislodged from the atom's inner shell. The electron stabilises itself but, in the process, it releases a fluorescent X-ray and the energy in this x-ray is equal to the difference between the two states that the electron had been in. This is, effectively, the fingerprint of a specific metal, which is then analysed.

When field tested, the researchers were able to detect ultra-low quantities of gold and, for the first time in slurry streams, in real time. The OLGA has proven to be a thousand times more accurate than previous (conventional) methods.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 thought long and hard about whether or not he should write this question before figuring he Midas well.

Answer: Agitation of liquids & solids

SwirlFlow technology was invented in the late 1990s to alleviate problems caused by sediment build-up in agitation tanks for metal ores. It was originally developed for the alumina (aluminium oxide) industry in Australia by Queensland Alumina Ltd and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), but has since been applied in a range of similar industries, such as gold production.

The process of extracting gold from gold ore often includes a stage known as 'leaching' where crushed or powdered ore is dissolved in a solution in order to separate the valuable metals from the other materials in the rock. The ore solution is kept in large tanks for long periods of time during which sediment can settle on the base or sides of the tank, reducing the efficiency of the process and causing costly maintenance issues with traditional agitation equipment. SwirlFlow equipment creates a vortex in the solution, which constantly sucks up any particles to keep them in suspension and prevent sediment build-up. It has been shown to successfully save large-scale mining operations significant time and money in the running of this part of the gold production process.

This question was produced by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 who is now feeling slightly dizzy.

Answer: Economic and environmentally friendly mine sites

One of the major challenges in the mining industry is understanding the composition of mineral ore deposits before extraction and processing begins. The Maia Mapper was created by Australia's national science agency (CSIRO) to help solve this problem. It uses high-definition micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology to efficiently image the elemental make-up of core samples in minute detail. The Maia Mapper can thus help guide the detection of trace and valuable elements, direct in what order and how best to extract those elements, and help to improve understanding of how mineral deposits form in the first place. As such, this technology represents a transformation of mineral analysis allowing miners to create economically and environmentally sensible mining plans. The first Maia Mappers were constructed for CSIRO Melbourne and CSIRO Perth.

This ore-some question was mapped out by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: DetectORE

DetectORE is a trademarked product initially invented by researchers at Australia's CSIRO in the mid to late-2010s to improve the efficiency and speed of the gold exploration process. Essentially, it is portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) equipment that allows soil samples to be analysed for gold and other mineral content on site, rather than the exploration team having to wait while tests are done at a laboratory.

It also claims to have the added benefit of allowing geologists to target their sampling more effectively and reduce the overall time needed to make decisions on the viability of potential mining operations.

The information for this question was analysed and processed by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Mine-site safety

The old adage is that if you can't see it then it won't see you... no harm done. Well not quite right, especially on a mine-site where, if you can't see it, you may not be able to avoid it. This may result in personal injury, damage to infrastructure or stockpiled material and costly downtime.

Whilst GPS systems have been around for some time, Scitech's system has been designed to provide real-time data at the fastest rate possible. The system operates using on-site Wi-Fi systems and, if necessary, a local GNSS (other Global Navigation Satellite System). The system will provide both a visual and an audible warning should there be a proximity breach.

There will still be kinks in systems like these, for example, small potholes may be major obstacles to the machinery it is operating but the system still identifies them as a threat and stops the machine from moving. Hence it will still require manual assistance to resolve the 'obstacle'.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who cannot wait till someone invents a GPS system for seniors... one that not only tells him how to get there but also why he went there in the first place.

Answer: Produce detailed mine maps

The Cave Tracker system is an innovation in the field of block caving. This is a form of underground mining where a cavern is dug below a large ore deposit and the ore is then allowed to collapse into the space. Tunnels are also dug in the rock under the cavern to allow the broken ore to be removed and brought to the surface. However, a risk of this approach is that it is difficult to understand how the ore is shifting during the caving process and what impact this has had on the structure of the underground rock.

The Cave Tracker system uses a series of magnetic beacons connected to a central tracking system to monitor the movement of the rock as well as to provide a real-time map of the size and extent of the underground space and how it is changing. This in turn allows for improved safety monitoring and risk assessment of the site. The technology was developed by researchers from a group of Australian-based mining companies and organisations in the early 2010s.

This question was mapped out by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81

Answer: All of these are seen as benefits

In the above examples it is combined with both 3D mapping and drone technologies so that scientists/geologists can explore cave systems without compromising their own safety.

The University of South Australia, with the assistance of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, created a programme using VR so that their students could observe mining operations without leaving the campus. In addition, mining companies are using the process to train employees while keeping them in a controlled environment.

VR is also being used to woo investors by allowing them to see models of their investment. However, the possibilities and uses for VR technologies are wide and varied in mining. There are moves to integrate VR with decision making tools to provide faster and clearer avenues to mine design, planning and decision making. Ideas are surfacing that VR could be utilised to provide mental health support and therapeutic counselling sessions to miners in remote locations.

This question was realised by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who once purchased a solid gold VR headset to ensure that he received au-gmented reality.