Prepared by: I zhar Mi tha l J iskani – 09 MN 98

IMPORTANCE OF MINE SURVEYINGIN MINING INDUSTRY

Mine surveying is a specialist area of surveying involving the measurement, representation and management of data associated with a mining operation. Mine surveyors are responsible for marking out, measuring and maintaining direction of all surface and underground workings on a mine site.

In addition they are also legally responsible for the preparation and updating of all mine surveying plans for open pit and underground workings on the mine site, as legally required by the Department. Mine surveying provides challenges in everyday tasks while also providing an enjoyable, rewarding career. There are also different types of mine surveyors, with options to work underground, open cut or both, and in the coal industry or various mineral mining industries. Every mine provides its own site specific challenges, variations and environment, ensuring a career which provides for continual development, improvement and lifelong learning.

Mine surveyors are responsible for preparing and updating the entire surface and underground plans of a mine. They plan the direction and extent of all underground workings, and use advanced surveying techniques and instruments to give these directions underground. Mine surveyors undertake both underground and surface surveys designed to produce information for the construction of mine plans.

Their work has to be very accurate at all times. Mine surveyors work underground most mornings of the week, giving direction lines for the miners to follow, or taking samples of the reef.

Duties of mine surveyors

Ensure that accurate and up-to-date plans of the mine are prepared in accordance with the Survey and Drafting Directions, and

Prepare or cause to be prepared a mine workings plan for the mine, and report to the appropriate mining officials at the mine any neglect to follow, or any

deviations from, the mine workings plan of which the surveyor becomes aware, and Notify the mine manager if the surveyor cannot perform his or her duties or has

any doubt about the accuracy of any plans of the mine.

SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERSDepartment of Mining Engineering,

Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro

Prepared by: I zhar Mi tha l J iskani – 09 MN 98

WHAT IS A MINE SURVEYOR?Different definitions

A Mine Surveyor measures underground and open-cut mine workings in full detail. Their measurements enable new mine works to avoid older and possibly flooded ones, and allow connections to be made between different underground passages. Mine surveyors also establish the boundaries of mining claims in some states and territories.

Mine surveyors undertake both underground and surface surveys designed to produce information for the construction of mine plans.

Mine surveyors are responsible for preparing and updating the entire surface and underground plans of a mine on a monthly basis. They plan the direction and extent of all underground workings, and use advanced surveying techniques and instruments to give these directions underground. Each month they measure the quantity of work done by the mining contractors underground, and calculate their contract earnings.

Their work has to be very accurate at all times. Mine surveyors work underground most mornings of the week, giving direction lines for the miners to follow, or taking samples of the reef. During the afternoons they do calculations in their offices.

Senior survey personnel perform management functions, as well as managing the underground "ore" reserve.

Conducts surveys at surface and subsurface mine workings, tunnel and subway sites, and underground storage facilities to control direction and extent of mining. Takes instrument readings of sun or stars and calculates longitude and latitude to determine mine location. Directs survey technicians and helpers in use of electronic surveying equipment, light emitting systems, or plumb bobs to transfer surface survey positions and directions to underground areas. Computes data necessary for driving and connecting underground passages to control direction and extent of mining operation. Computes volume of coal or ore in portions of mine, using survey notes. Surveys and calculates volume of material in dumps, spoil piles, or veins, and amount of overburden to be removed. Drafts maps of mine workings.

SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERSDepartment of Mining Engineering,

Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro

Prepared by: I zhar Mi tha l J iskani – 09 MN 98

Mine Surveyors are responsible for maintaining an accurate plan of the mine as a whole and will update maps of the surface layout to account for new buildings and other structures, as well as surveying the underground mine workings in order to keep a record of the mining operation.

More importantly, the surveyor is involved in the measuring process to calculate ore production, in volume or mass units, from the mining operation. In addition to this, the volume of the dumps of waste accumulating on the surface of the mining property will also be surveyed. This aspect of the work has turned the Mine Surveyor into a manager of the ‘resources’ of the mine.

Since valuable minerals occur in a variety of concentrations in the ore, the resource manager, in cooperation with the geologist, is responsible for dividing up the ore body into blocks where the average grades of the ore are known. This allows the Mining Engineer to decide which blocks are economical to extract and which are not. As a result of this information a plan for the extraction of a blended mixture of low and high grade ores can be made. This planning ensures that the mining process is prolonged, the removal of ore is optimized and the metallurgical processing plant, which will not work well if there are large grade variations, is able to operate at consistently high levels of efficiency.

The official at a mine who periodically surveys the mine workings and prepares plans for the manager. Formerly, the mine surveyor carried out many of the duties now performed by the planning department.

One who applies special knowledge and techniques gained through experience  or training to make surface and underground surveys at a mine, locating  himself/herself on the Earth's surface by taking instrument shots on the sun or stars and making necessary calculations, surveying and calculating  the volume of material in dumps, carrying survey lines underground by shaft plumbing (cord or wire with attached bob is suspended from the shaft surface) and instrument shots taken on the bob at a shaft station,  controlling by underground surveys and calculations the driving and connection of underground passages on and between various levels,  computing the volume of coal in portions of the mine from survey notes, and drafting maps of the mine workings.Also called spud setter; underground surveyor.

SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERSDepartment of Mining Engineering,

Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro