Technogenic Deposit in the Area of the Old Flotation Tailing Dump in Bor (Field 1 and Field 2) **
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MINING AND METALLURGY INSTITUTE BOR ISSN: 2334-8836 UDK: 622 UDK: 622.271:622.68(045)=111 DOI:10.5937/MMEB1403001M Miroslava Maksimović *, Mile Bugarin *, Zoran Stevanović *, Vladan Marinković * TECHNOGENIC DEPOSIT IN THE AREA OF THE OLD FLOTATION TAILING DUMP IN BOR (FIELD 1 AND FIELD 2) ** Abstract The copper ore mining in Bor was started at the beginning of the twentieth century. Parallel to this, the ore smelting was carried out in the first period. After construction of the Flotation Plant (1934), the ore dressing was performed and obtaining the concentrate of copper and precious metals. Until the 60’s of the last century, the ore processing, obtained from exploitation from the copper deposits Bor (the Old Open Pit and underground mine Jama Bor), was carried out. After this period of ore obtained from the Bor mine, the ore from the deposit Lipa, Cerovo (Mali Krivelj) was also processed. Technogenic waste of flotation was obtained as by-product of this process by flotation that was disposed from 1934 to 1980 in the area of the Old Flotation Tailing Dump in Bor (Field 1 and Field 2). Based on the previous geological explorations in the mentioned zone, the increased copper contents were indicated in the subject area. The implementation of detailed geological explorations would evalu- ate the potentiality of the area, in order to review the possibilities of raw material leaching, as well as solving a serious environmental problem in the center of the town of Bor. Keywords: tailing dump, technogenic formations, copper ore mining, open pit INTRODUCTION Technogenic copper deposit the "Old For the relief of the terrain, in wider area Bor Flotation Tailing Dump" is located in of Bor, a significant impact had intensive the industrial circle of the Mining and Met- volcanic activity (during the late Mesozoic allurgy basin (RTB), or in the town of Bor. and Cenozoic), which is accompanied by Bor is usually a typical mining town, found- strong tectonic movements. ed by the mine (Figures 1 and 2). However, the formation of current look The largest amount of technogenic of relief was influenced by the economic formations separated in the immediate activity in the mineral-raw material complex. vicinity of the Bor and Krivelj mines in an The processes of exploitation, prepara- area of over 4 km 2. They are presented by tion, and processing of ore in Bor and its creations that occurred by exploitation of surroundings, caused the changes of relief mineral deposits of copper (overburden) and formation of some inverse morphologi- and mineral processing (flotation tailings) cal forms, such as the open pits and landfills Figure 2 shows the old flotation tailing (rock overburden, mining waste, flotation dump in Bor. tailings, smelter slags, calcined pyrite). * Mining and Metallurgy Institute Bor ** This work is the result of the Project TR37001 “The Impact of Mining Waste from RTB Bor on the Pollution of Surrounding Water Systems with the Proposal of Measures and Procedures for Reduc- tion Harmful Effects on the Environment”, funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Techno- logical Development of the Republic of Serbia No. 3, 2014 1 Mining & Metallurgy Engineering Bor Figure 1 The spatial position of the old flotation tailing dump in relation to the town center Figure 2 The Old flotation tailing dump in Bor (May 2011) It should be emphasized that the human natural environment. activity has significantly influenced the for- The starting point for a preliminary mation of the current look of relief. The ex- evaluation of the potentials was the results ploitation of copper deposits (the old open of previous explorations that were collected, pit in Bor and open pit "Veliki Krivelj") analyzed and synthesized. Preliminary eval- caused the changes to the natural environ- uation of the potentials was performed based ment, for now, primarily in terms of the deg- on the results of completed geological explo- radation of the natural terrain, creating in- rations, which were conducted by the Mine verted form, in the form of depression (open Geological Department of the Copper Mine pit mining), on one hand, and on the other Bor and Bureau of Geology and Mining and side of the rise of the accumulated material Metallurgy Institute Bor (old name: Copper of rock overburden (waste rock) as well as Institute Bor) in the period 1947-2010, and flotation tailings especially dangerous to the based on data from the old documentation of No. 3, 2014 2 Mining & Metallurgy Engineering Bor GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE OLD FLOTATION TAILING DUMP IN BOR (field 1 and field 2) the mine dating from 1909 until 1941. Based Previous geological explorations, espe- on the applied methodology of previous cially on geological maps, clearly indicate explorations, it can be concluded that the that the wider environment Bora, and there- deposition of tailings from the flotation used fore the wider environment of the old flota- the former bed of the Bor stream, so that tion tailings in Bor, are mostly built from today the river bed is filled and the ground is volcanic - pyroclastic and sedimentary rocks leveled. According to the previous studies, of the Cretaceous age. On smaller scale, they tailings disposal in the research area started are represented by granites and the Palaeo- by the French, and during the Second World zoic rocks of Jurassic, Tertiary and Quater- War, the Germans continued. After the Se- nary age. Greater distribution of Cretaceous cond World War deposition of tailings in the formations, including the deposition of the area in question was carried out by 1980’. copper mineralization, the most significant Starting from the results of previous explora- are hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks of tion works, it can be concluded that the de- the Cretaceous age. gree of exploration of the research area is The space of the old Flotation Tailing low. Detailed geological explorations were carried out by the system of exploration Dump (Field 1 and Field 2) is a specific in drilling in the Field 1. Problems that should maby ways. Geological characteristics of be dealt with the implementation of explora- technogenic raw materials of the old flota- tion works is reflected in the following: tion tailing dump (Field 1 and Field 2), con- - Define the geological characteristics, ditioned by the immediate background on structural complex, contour and shape which they are deposited, and the way for- the physical and mechanical properties mation the landfill. The immediate surface of paleorelief (the riverbed of the Bor of the landfill is mostly of the geogenic crea- stream) and tailings, then determine tions (the Bor conglomerates, volcano- the quality, and make technological clastic rocks and alluvial deposits. For tail- preparations and testing capabilities of ings disposal from the flotation, the former application the technogenic raw mate- bed of the Bor stream is used, so that today rials. the entire riverbed is filled and the ground is - Analyze the factors and indicators of leveled. Tailing dump is located close to the geological and economic evaluation existing facilities of RTB, primarily the Bor characteristic of detailed geological Flotation Plant. Based on the available doc- studies (metallogenic geological, min- umentation on previous explorations, it can ing, technology, market, regional and be concluded that the former bed of the Bor socio-economic factors and corre- stream is much carved and that the stream sponding indicators) on the basis of was steep. which the evaluation of potentials of Disposal of tailings was carried out in exploration area, the classification and this way that the initial dam was formed on a categorization of mineral materials. downstream part of the stream of larger par- - After the potentiality evaluation based ticles of sand and surface overburden, and on the results obtained from the de- then the entire length of the stream was used tailed implementation of applied ex- for tailings disposal. Disposal of tailings ploration, and possible mining acti- began by French, in the northern part of the vities, the reclamation and remediation Bor stream, near the train station, since 1934 will be carried out in the subject area. until 1941, when the Germans continued to No. 3, 2014 3 Mining & Metallurgy Engineering Bor deposit tailings. The Germans continued to ally works on contemporary creations that deposit tailings in the lower southern parts of were exposed by tectonic forces acting in the Bor stream. After the war, disposal of geological time. However, it should provide tailings was continued so that the entire riv- a brief overview of the fissure tectonics in erbed was filled with tailings, with the geogenic surface of deposits. The most strik- trained field first pitch has been leveled at an ing structure in the immediate vicinity of the approximate elevation of 360 its first field in exploration area is the Bor fault. The Bor the field. Field 1 has an oval shape. Dimen- fault is actually a fissure (rupture) zone, the sion of long axis (NW - SE) was about 400 width of which reaches 30-40 m, with m and shorter (SW - NE), about 300 meters. milonitic zone from 4 to 8 m thick. The South of Field 1, downstream at about 600 main structural directions are from the Bor m, the dam was formed by flotation of sand. deposit to the north, the present system of Width of Dam 1 is approximately 30 m. At smaller sub-parallel faults along the eastern about 800 m from the dam, downstream one rim of the Bor metallogenic zone. By the dam is formed, the second dam. Between morphostructural analysis of the area Dams 1 and 2 dams the flotation tailings was (Petkovic, 1984), it was found that the large deposited so that the coarsest particles are Bor fault can be traced to the fault Veliki separated and deposited on the banks of the Pek.