GATE Mining Engineering Mining Geology, Mine Development and Surveying Syllabus

Mining Geology, Mine Development and Surveying syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Mining Geology, Mine Development and Surveying in GATE Mining Engineering, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Mining Geology

   4 topics

   • Minerals, Rocks and their Origin
   • Classification
   • Ore Genesis
   • Structural Geology
2. 2

   Mine Development

   7 topics

   • Methods of access to deposits
   • Underground drivages
   • Drilling method and machines
   • Explosives and energetics
   • Blasting devices
   • Blast design practices
   • Rock-Tool Interaction applicable to mechanical cutting systems and their selection
3. 3

   Mine Surveying

   14 topics

   • Levels and levelling
   • Theodolite
   • Tacheometry
   • Triangulation
   • Contouring
   • Errors and adjustments
   • Correlation
   • Underground surveying
   • Curves
   • Photogrammetry
   • EDM
   • Total Station
   • GPS
   • Basics of GIS and remote sensing

Mining Geology, Mine Development and Surveying flashcards for GATE Mining Engineering

25 of 60 cards from the Mining Geology, Mine Development and Surveying deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the fundamental difference between a mineral and a rock?

   A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic, homogeneous solid with a definite chemical composition and an ordered (crystalline) atomic structure. A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of one or more minerals (or mineraloids) with no fixed chemical composition.

2. Name the three major genetic classes of rocks and how each forms.

   Igneous (solidification/crystallization of magma or lava), Sedimentary (lithification of weathered sediments, chemical precipitation, or organic accumulation), and Metamorphic (alteration of pre-existing rocks by heat, pressure, and chemically active fluids in the solid state).

3. What distinguishes intrusive (plutonic) from extrusive (volcanic) igneous rocks in terms of texture?

   Intrusive rocks cool slowly at depth, producing coarse-grained (phaneritic) textures (e.g., granite). Extrusive rocks cool rapidly at the surface, producing fine-grained (aphanitic) or glassy textures (e.g., basalt, obsidian).

4. State Bowen's reaction series and what it predicts.

   Bowen's reaction series describes the order of mineral crystallization from cooling magma. The discontinuous (mafic) branch runs Olivine → Pyroxene → Amphibole → Biotite; the continuous (plagioclase feldspar) branch runs Ca-rich → Na-rich; both converge to K-feldspar → Muscovite → Quartz. It predicts crystallization order and relative weathering stability (quartz most stable, olivine least).

5. How are igneous rocks classified by silica (SiO2) content?

   Acidic/Felsic: $\text{SiO}_2 > 66\%$ (e.g., granite); Intermediate: $52\text{–}66\%$ (e.g., diorite); Basic/Mafic: $45\text{–}52\%$ (e.g., basalt); Ultrabasic/Ultramafic: $< 45\%$ (e.g., peridotite).

6. What is ore genesis and what is the distinction between an ore and gangue?

   Ore genesis is the set of geological processes by which mineral deposits of economic value form. Ore is the mineral (or mineral aggregate) from which a metal/commodity can be extracted profitably; gangue is the associated valueless mineral matter that must be separated and discarded.

7. List the principal categories of ore-forming (ore genesis) processes.

   Magmatic (orthomagmatic) segregation, hydrothermal (epithermal, mesothermal, hypothermal), sedimentary and placer (mechanical concentration), residual/supergene enrichment from weathering, metamorphic, and volcanogenic (VMS) processes.

8. What is a placer deposit and which minerals commonly form them?

   A placer deposit forms by the mechanical concentration of heavy, chemically resistant minerals through the sorting action of flowing water (or wind). Common placer minerals are gold, platinum, cassiterite (tin), diamond, magnetite, ilmenite, rutile, monazite, and zircon.

9. Define supergene enrichment in ore deposits.

   Supergene enrichment is the secondary concentration of metals near the surface, where descending oxygenated meteoric water leaches metal from an oxidized zone and re-deposits it as enriched secondary sulphides below the water table, increasing grade (e.g., chalcocite enrichment of copper).

10. In structural geology, define strike and dip of a planar feature.

    Strike is the compass direction (bearing) of the horizontal line formed by the intersection of an inclined plane with a horizontal plane. Dip is the angle of maximum inclination of the plane measured downward from horizontal, in a direction perpendicular to the strike (true dip).

11. Relate apparent dip to true dip for a section making an angle with the strike.

    $\tan(\delta) = \tan(\theta) \cdot \sin(\beta)$, where $\theta$ is the true dip, $\delta$ is the apparent dip, and $\beta$ is the angle between the section line and the strike. The apparent dip is always $\leq$ the true dip.

12. Distinguish an anticline from a syncline.

    An anticline is an up-arched fold with the oldest beds in its core and limbs dipping away from the axis. A syncline is a down-warped (trough) fold with the youngest beds in its core and limbs dipping toward the axis.

13. Classify faults by relative movement: normal, reverse, and strike-slip.

    Normal fault: hanging wall moves down relative to footwall (extension/tension). Reverse fault: hanging wall moves up relative to footwall (compression); a low-angle reverse fault ($<45^\circ$) is a thrust. Strike-slip (wrench) fault: horizontal displacement parallel to strike, classified as dextral (right-lateral) or sinistral (left-lateral).

14. What is an unconformity and name its three main types.

    An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface representing a gap in the geological record. Types: Angular unconformity (tilted/folded strata overlain by younger flat-lying beds), Disconformity (parallel beds separated by an erosion surface), and Nonconformity (sedimentary rocks resting on eroded igneous/metamorphic basement).

15. What are the main methods of access (entry) to a mineral deposit?

    Drift/adit (horizontal entry into hillside), Incline (sloping access following or crossing the seam), and Vertical shaft. Selection depends on deposit depth, dip, topography, output required, ground conditions, and capital/operating cost.

16. When is a vertical shaft preferred over an incline for deep deposits?

    A vertical shaft is preferred for deep, steeply dipping, or high-output deposits because it gives the shortest, most direct route to depth, allows large-capacity skip winding, better ventilation control, and stable lining, despite higher initial cost; inclines suit shallow, gently dipping deposits and lower outputs.

17. In underground drivage, distinguish a cross-cut, a drift, and a winze.

    A drift is a horizontal opening driven in (or parallel to) the ore body/strike. A cross-cut is a horizontal opening driven across the strike, usually through barren rock, to connect to the orebody or other workings. A winze is an inclined/vertical opening driven downward from one level to another (a raise is driven upward).

18. What is the standard drill-and-blast cycle of operations in underground drivage?

    Drilling the round → Charging/loading explosives → Blasting → Ventilation/fume clearance → Scaling and dressing → Mucking (loading and removal of broken rock) → Supporting → Surveying/marking the next round. The cycle then repeats.

19. Define pull and advance per round in tunnel/drift blasting.

    Advance (pull) is the length of opening gained per blast round. Pull factor (efficiency) $= \dfrac{\text{advance achieved}}{\text{drilled hole depth}} \times 100\%$. A cut hole (e.g., burn cut or wedge/V-cut) creates the initial free face that permits the remaining holes to break.

20. Differentiate percussive, rotary, and rotary-percussive drilling.

    Percussive drilling breaks rock by repeated impact of a chisel bit (used in hard rock, e.g., jackhammer/down-the-hole). Rotary drilling breaks rock by the crushing/grinding action of a rotating bit under thrust (used in soft-to-medium rock and large blastholes, e.g., tricone/drag bits). Rotary-percussive combines simultaneous impact and rotation (e.g., top-hammer drills).

21. What is the difference between a top-hammer (drifter) and a down-the-hole (DTH) drill?

    In a top-hammer drill the percussion piston is at the rig and energy is transmitted to the bit through the drill rods (efficiency drops with depth). In a DTH drill the hammer travels down the hole directly behind the bit, so impact energy and hole straightness are maintained at greater depths and larger diameters.

22. Define the oxygen balance of an explosive and its ideal value.

    Oxygen balance is the percentage excess or deficiency of oxygen in an explosive relative to that needed to fully oxidize its combustible elements to $\ce{CO2}$ and $\ce{H2O}$. An oxygen balance near zero is ideal because it maximizes energy release and minimizes toxic fumes ($\ce{CO}$ from negative balance, $\ce{NO_x}$ from positive balance).

23. What is the composition of ANFO and its typical detonation velocity?

    ANFO is a mixture of approximately $94\%$ porous ammonium nitrate ($\ce{NH4NO3}$) prills and $6\%$ fuel oil by weight. Its ideal oxygen-balanced reaction is $\ce{3 NH4NO3 + CH2 -> 3 N2 + 7 H2O + CO2}$, with a detonation velocity typically around $3000\text{–}4500\ \text{m/s}$. It is cheap but not water-resistant.

24. Differentiate detonation from deflagration in explosives.

    Detonation is a supersonic reaction (shock wave > sonic velocity in the explosive, ~$2000\text{–}8000\ \text{m/s}$) that produces a high-pressure shock front; high explosives detonate. Deflagration is a subsonic burning/combustion reaction driven by heat conduction; low explosives (e.g., black powder/gunpowder) deflagrate.

25. Distinguish primary (initiating) from secondary (high) explosives.

    Primary explosives are highly sensitive to heat, shock, or friction and detonate easily (e.g., lead azide, mercury fulminate); they are used in detonators to initiate. Secondary (high) explosives are relatively insensitive and need a primary explosive's shock to detonate (e.g., TNT, PETN, RDX, ANFO, emulsions); they do the bulk blasting work.

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