Interpreting cave tracker beacon data at Carrapateena mine

Authors: Chauvier, CR

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DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2205_67

Cite As:
Chauvier, CR 2022, 'Interpreting cave tracker beacon data at Carrapateena mine', in Y Potvin (ed.), Caving 2022: Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Block and Sublevel Caving, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 977-990, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2205_67

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Abstract:
Carrapateena mine is an underground sublevel caving (SLC) operation in South Australia. An array of Elexon Cave Tracker Beacons was installed in the barren sedimentary cover sequence overlying the vertical orebody. Within this array, a small-scale trial area of Cave Tracker Beacons was installed in the undercut of the northwestern area of the cave. The aim of the installation was to understand the extent of interaction of near-field and far-field cave flow in three dimensions in a sublevel cave. Elexon Cave Tracker Beacons contain a magnet which is spun at programmed intervals. An array of detectors installed outside of the cave allow the location of the beacons to be tracked with each spin as they move with the broken rock. The beacons can show semi-real time changes in material flow and movement within the cave. The proximity of the small-scale trial to the SLC rings allowed for the observation of material movement through primary, secondary and tertiary draw stages.

Keywords: sublevel caving, cave flow, marker trials

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