Laserfiche WebLink
Economic ore reserves remaining in the open pit are approxi- <br /> mately 137 million tons based on current economic design param- <br /> eters. Production from those reserves will be dependent on the <br /> market and timing unknowns associated with utilizing the mine as <br /> a swing producer. The underground operation is planned to be <br /> discontinued following removal of previously prepared ore. Sur- <br /> face facilities at the existing Storke Portal in the upper <br /> Arkansas River valley will continue to be utilized, however, for <br /> office and storage space until the end of the mine life. The <br /> underground portal will remain open until the end of the mine <br /> life for maintenance and storage purposes. <br /> Three conceptual but similar operating scenarios have been <br /> developed by Climax Mine personnel for placing the mine into <br /> production following termination of underground operations. All <br /> plans utilize the open pit with a maximum production rate of <br /> approximately 24, 000 tons per day. Two plans are premised on,. <br /> low to modest future increases in molybdenum prices and would <br /> allow the mine to operate annually up to 252 days per year for <br /> 10 to 15 years. A third, more optimistic plan, based on better <br /> than modest future increases in molybdenum prices would allow <br /> operation for twenty continuous years at up to 355 days per <br /> • year . Under any of these scenarios or variations thereof , <br /> future operations of the mine will be similar to the operations <br /> allowed under the existing permit, but considerably reduced in <br /> scale. <br /> Open Pit Configuration <br /> The extent of disturbance, configuration of the open pit, and <br /> runoff control aspects under the operational scenarios dis- <br /> cussed herein would not change significantly from the descrip- <br /> tion contained in the existing permit (modified slice system <br /> with benches and slope ranges of 320 - 450) . Any degree of open <br /> pit mining would entail the standard "drill/blast - truck/ <br /> shovel" type of operation that has been used at the mine since <br /> the open pit was brought into production . The extent ( the <br /> " look" ) of the pit would change little from its present state <br /> except under the most optimistic scenario of twenty years of <br /> continuous operation in which case, an additional portion of the <br /> upper reaches of Bartlett Mountain would be removed. <br /> The surfaces of the pit generally will have a talus slope <br /> appearance . Subsidence will occur in the pit area and will <br /> hasten natural sloughing and weathering of pit roads, benches, <br /> and outcrops . This process presently has started in the south- <br /> east portion of the existing pit. <br /> D-2 <br />