Novel underground technique could allow miners to extract ore from steep stopes
By Steve Fiscor, Editor
Conducting field trials with a monorail-mounted jumbo, Torex Gold Resources recently drilled and shot the first rounds from its Muckahi mining system. This new mining method, which was conceived by Fred Stanford, president and CEO of Torex, combines face drilling and blasting with a slusher that feeds ore into a set of conveyors. The entire system has been designed to operate on a monorail system attached to the back on a steep (30°, 58%) incline in a narrow heading.
Based in Canada, Torex is an intermediate gold producer engaged in the exploration, development and operation of its Morelos Gold Property in the Guerrero gold belt located 180 kilometers (km) southwest of Mexico City. The company’s principal assets are the El Limón Guajes (ELG) mining complex, which consists of the El Limón, Guajes and El Limón Sur open pits, the ELG underground mine, and a processing plant with related infrastructure; and the Media Luna early-stage development project. The company plans to implement the Muckahi mining method at Media Luna.
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