WHat comes out of a mine is a mixture of ore that converts to tailings after milling and waste rock removed to get to the ore, hence a strip ratio occurs in all mines not just open cast.
The proportion of rock that is waste rock (gangue) can to be used for coarse aggregate roading it will still need to be screened, initially by a grizzly but for road aggregate it will need to go through a jaw crusher also
robertkna I was not trying to mislead anyone However Your following comment could be construed as both misleading and lacking knowledge
"You should know that Lachlan tailings are basically sand, which is quite different to coarse aggregate (usually basalt)."
Its not "basicly sand", ore coming out of a mill ranges in size from clay particles (slimes) up through silt particle size then up to sand sized particles, the size of the particles is dependant on a number of factors (length of time being milled just one factor others, type of mill sag or ball ) type of ore dolerite in this case not basalt which are determined by how free milling the ore is in liberating the gold/silver With smaller particle sizes (clay) chemical reactions occur with water and chemicals(cation exchage capacity and van der Waal bonds thats why clay is sticky) larger particles have greater macroporosity (water holding ability) at the silt stage and then sand sized particles have greater ability to perculate moisture but less water holding capacity all factors relevant in roading for fill.
and no I didnt refer to Wikapaedia for the above but common knowledge and experiance at an undergraduate level in soil science for geotech or ag engineering A number of years previously successfully owning an alluvial operation is also relevant I guess.
have a good day
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