I was wondering about the underground prospects. My guess would be to mine with large open stopes - best cost aside from caving methods (obviously out of the question), however, in my mind, ground water could pose a serious constraint to operations.
Question: What groundwater flows can be expect? Can you feasibly deal with these volumes?
One case that comes to mind is a Canadian mine, closed due to water inflow and ground instability - Goldex (Agnico-Eagle).Even the early days (1910's) at Beaconsfeild highlights that there is only so much you can pump. On reopening there was significant inflow before groundwater level was drawn down to establish a lower more manageable flow rate,
Both mines I have been lucky enough to visit, very interesting from a geotechnical point of view but catastrophic impacts on economics if not overcome.
Is anyone aware of underground mines operating, or have operated under similar conditions so close to the ocean?
PLV Price at posting:
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