Berg Mine Model

What this shows

This is a 3D model of the proposed Berg Copper mine on present ground. It shows the open pit at its final (ultimate) design, the three waste rock dumps, the tailings facility with its two embankments and pond, and the outlines of the plant, roads, conveyor and pipelines. Each surface comes from a page of the company's filings. The ground comes from Natural Resources Canada's public elevation model.

Drag to move the ground, and drag with the right button (or hold Ctrl or Shift) to tilt and rotate. Scroll or pinch to zoom toward the pointer, and double-click or double-tap to zoom in. On a touch screen, two fingers moving up or down tilt, and a twist rotates. From the keyboard, focus the view and use ← → to rotate, ↑ ↓ to tilt, + − to zoom and W A S D to move. Switch on Present ground to see today's land laid over the design. It shows how deep the pit reaches and how high the dumps stand.

Mine shape in the record

These pages of the record fix the mine's shape in three dimensions. Each extract is an image of a page as Surge Copper filed it, with a note of what it adds to the model above; Show in 3D turns the view to that part.

What the record gives

Two company documents carry the geometry. Its Initial Project Description (IPD) outlines every facility on a map grid but gives no heights. Its Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) gives heights: pit benches and floors, crests of waste rock dumps and tailings embankments, and slopes between them. Both use one map grid (NAD 1983 UTM Zone 9N), so their drawings lay on each other. Source: IPD, p. 4-3, Figure 4.1-1; PFS, p. 223, Figure 16-13.

2,300 melevation of the highest pit crest, on its northeast wallSource: PFS, p. 211; PFS, p. 223, Figure 16-13.

1,070 melevation of the final pit floor, about 1,230 metres below its highest crestSource: PFS, p. 211.

430 mmaximum height of Upper waste rock dump, tallest of threeSource: PFS, p. 226.

1,235 mcrest elevation of both tailings embankmentsSource: PFS, p. 265, Figures 18-5 and 18-6.

Where the mine sits

The IPD places the deposit's centre at 5,962,920 m north and 603,450 m east on its UTM grid. This point ties the model to the ground. Source: IPD, p. 3-5, Table 3.2-1.

Table 3.2-1, Project Coordinates. Centre of Berg Property: 53 degrees 47 minutes 53.02 seconds north, 127 degrees 24 minutes 51.27 seconds west; 5,962,220 metres north, 604,444 metres east. Centre of Berg Deposit: 53 degrees 48 minutes 15.77 seconds north, 127 degrees 25 minutes 44.76 seconds west; 5,962,920 metres north, 603,450 metres east. — IPD Table 3.2-1, Project Coordinates. IPD, p. 3-5.

Outline of every facility

IPD Figure 4.1-1 is a GIS export with grid labels along its edges. This site's project map already traces its 40 footprints: pit (472 hectares), three waste rock dumps, tailings facility and its two embankments, plant, conveyor, roads and pipelines. The model takes these outlines as each facility's plan. Source: IPD, p. 4-3, Figure 4.1-1.

IPD Figure 4.1-1, a 1 to 60,000 map of proposed layout. Open pit and its northwest and northeast rock storage facilities sit at upper right. A tailings and waste management facility fills a valley beside Nanika Lake at lower left, with north and south embankments. Process plant, camp, crushers and conveyors lie between them. UTM grid labels run along its edges. — IPD Figure 4.1-1, Proposed layout of mining, processing and storage facilities. IPD, p. 4-3.

Pit, phase by phase

The PFS mines the pit in six phases. For each phase it states crest, floor, and ramp and safety berm elevations. These figures set each part's depth. Source: PFS, p. 211.

PFS section 16.4.3, Pit designs. Text describing each pit phase: Starter Pit and East Pushback mine from a crest at 2,250 metres to a floor at 1,340 metres; North Pushback from 2,180 to 1,280 metres; South Pushback from 2,250 to 1,220 metres; Northeast Pushback from 2,300 metres to floors at 1,250 and 1,070 metres; West Pushback from 2,075 to 1,070 metres. Ramp exits and catch berm elevations are listed for each. — PFS section 16.4.3, Pit designs. PFS, p. 211.

Each phase also has a plan drawing on its UTM grid, with benches drawn and floors and crests labelled by elevation. Laid on that grid, these drawings give each phase's shape between its stated elevations. Source: PFS, p. 212 to PFS, p. 217.

PFS Figure 16-3, plan of Starter Pit in blue and East Pushback in green on a UTM grid with topographic contours. Labels mark a floor at 1,340 metres, a starter pit floor at 1,640 metres, and crests from 1,760 to 2,250 metres. A dotted line marks ultimate pit limits. — PFS Figure 16-3, Starter and East Pushback pit design, P691 and P692. PFS, p. 212.

PFS Figure 16-4, plan of North Pushback on a UTM grid, with benches drawn and elevation labels for its crest and floor. — PFS Figure 16-4, North Pushback, P693. PFS, p. 213.

PFS Figure 16-5, plan of South Pushback on a UTM grid, with benches drawn and elevation labels for its crest and floor. — PFS Figure 16-5, South Pushback, P694a. PFS, p. 214.

PFS Figure 16-6, plan of Northeast Pushback on a UTM grid, with benches drawn and elevation labels for its crest and floors. — PFS Figure 16-6, Northeast Pushback, P694b. PFS, p. 215.

PFS Figure 16-7, plan of West Pushback on a UTM grid, with benches drawn and elevation labels for its crest and floor. — PFS Figure 16-7, West Pushback, P695. PFS, p. 216.

PFS Figure 16-8, two plans of nested pit phases in colour on a UTM grid. Its right-hand plan overlays ore value by colour. — PFS Figure 16-8, Nested pit phases. PFS, p. 217.

Sections through the pit

Four sections cut the pit along stated grid lines, two north to south and two east to west. They show pit walls and ground surface against elevation, and they check depths read from the plans. Source: PFS, p. 218 to PFS, p. 221.

PFS Figure 16-9, a north to south section through the pit at 602,990 metres east, looking west, showing the pit against elevation. — PFS Figure 16-9, North–south section at 602,990E, looking west. PFS, p. 218.

PFS Figure 16-10, a north to south section through the pit at 603,515 metres east, looking west. — PFS Figure 16-10, North–south section at 603,515E, looking west. PFS, p. 219.

PFS Figure 16-11, an east to west section through the pit at 5,962,470 metres north, looking north. — PFS Figure 16-11, East–west section at 5,962,470N, looking north. PFS, p. 220.

PFS Figure 16-12, an east to west section through the pit at 5,963,025 metres north, looking north. — PFS Figure 16-12, East–west section at 5,963,025N, looking north. PFS, p. 221.

Pit wall slopes

The pit is cut in 15-metre benches with berms at least 8 metres wide. Wall angles vary by rock type and by facing direction. Bench faces stand at 70 degrees, and overall walls run from 30 degrees in cap rock to 44 degrees in diorite. The model applies these angles between bench lines read from the plans. Source: PFS, p. 206, Table 16-3.

PFS Table 16-3, Pit slope design inputs, listing for each rock domain and wall direction a bench face angle of 70 degrees, an inter-ramp angle from 30 to 46 degrees, a berm width and an overall angle from 30 to 44 degrees. — PFS Table 16-3, Pit slope design inputs. PFS, p. 206.

Waste rock dumps

Rock that does not generate acid goes to three dumps beside the pit. The PFS gives each dump's crest elevation, maximum height, slopes and capacity. Lower dump rises to 1,830 metres, North dump to 1,940 metres and Upper dump to 2,030 metres. Surge Copper notes that North and Upper dumps partly sit on retreating glaciers. Source: PFS, p. 225; PFS, p. 226.

PFS section 16.6.3, NAG waste rock storage facilities. Lower dump design: 15-metre lifts, 37-degree active slopes, 8-metre berms flattening slopes to 30 degrees, 35-metre haul roads bringing overall slope under 24 degrees, a crest at 1,830 metres with a maximum height of 260 metres, a higher crest of 1,920 metres on its northeast side, and a capacity of 250 million tonnes. — PFS section 16.6.3, Lower dump. PFS, p. 225.

PFS design of North and Upper dumps: material end-dumped from pit exits at 37-degree slopes; North dump crest 1,940 metres, maximum height 390 metres, capacity 265 million tonnes; Upper dump crest 2,030 metres, maximum height 430 metres, capacity 340 million tonnes. Both partly sit on retreating glaciers. — PFS section 16.6.3, North and Upper dumps. PFS, p. 226.

Pit and dumps together

A general arrangement drawing shows the final pit and three dumps on an air photo, with 15-metre contours and elevations of each crest, pit floor, ore pad and stockpile. It checks the model as a whole. Source: PFS, p. 223, Figure 16-13.

PFS Figure 16-13, Mining general arrangement, an oblique view on an air photo. Ultimate pit has crests at 2,300, 2,250 and 2,075 metres and a floor at 1,070 metres. North dump crest is at 1,940 metres, Upper dump at 2,030 metres and Lower dump at 1,830 metres. Run-of-mine pad sits at 1,475 metres, low-grade stockpile at 1,620 metres and mine infrastructure pad at 2,030 metres. Contours at 15-metre intervals. — PFS Figure 16-13, Mining general arrangement. PFS, p. 223.

Tailings facility

A site plan places the tailings facility in a valley beside Nanika Lake, held by a northeast embankment of waste rock and a southwest embankment of cyclone sand. Source: PFS, p. 257, Figure 18-1.

PFS Figure 18-1, Overall site plan on an air photo. A hatched tailings and waste management facility fills a valley beside Nanika Lake, with north embankment, south embankment and cyclone buildings marked. A yellow pit lies to its east with northwest and northeast dumps. — PFS Figure 18-1, Overall site plan. PFS, p. 257.

Two embankment sections give heights. Both embankments reach a crest at 1,235 metres. Northeast embankment rises 145 metres above a starter embankment 50 metres high, with a downstream slope of 2.5 horizontal to 1 vertical. Southwest embankment's downstream slope is 4 to 1. On its northeast side, water over acid-generating waste rock stands at 1,232 metres. Source: PFS, p. 265, Figures 18-5 and 18-6.

PFS Figure 18-5, Northeast embankment cross-section. A clay-cored embankment with a crest 20 metres wide at elevation 1,235 metres. Acid-generating waste rock fills its upstream side to 1,233.75 metres, under water at 1,232 metres. Starter embankment crest is at 1,090 metres, 50 metres high; ultimate embankment rises 145 metres above it. Its downstream face of non-acid-generating rock slopes at 2.5 to 1. — PFS Figure 18-5, Northeast embankment cross-section. PFS, p. 265.

PFS Figure 18-6, Southwest embankment cross-section. A clay-cored embankment of cyclone sand with a crest 20 metres wide at elevation 1,235 metres, holding slurry tailings on its upstream side. Its downstream face slopes at 4 to 1. — PFS Figure 18-6, Southwest embankment cross-section. PFS, p. 265.

Read from the filings, and drawn between them

Some heights are printed in the filings. These are the pit floors, the dump crests, the embankment crests and the pond level. The model holds those heights exactly. The outlines are read from the vector drawing of the site layout. The faces between an outline and a printed height are not drawn in the filings as surfaces, so the model draws them at the slopes the filings state. The Source colouring marks every part one way or the other.

Berg mine model