Editorial of Mining Journal:

S. A. Ilin, Mining Consultant, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: gornjournal@rudmet.ru

Moscow State Mining University:

V. S. Kovalenko, Head of a Chair, Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences

D. V. Pastikhin, Assistant Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Paper represents the review of publications in Gornyi Zhurnal (“Mining Journal”) on a considered theme with attraction of other literature, including authors materials.

Currently, solid materials deposit open-cut method have a dominant prevalence in world mining practice with a range of socio-economic and industrial advantages in comparison with underground mining: greater safety; delts working efficiency and capacity are higher; less time; enterprises construction cost; recoupment of capital investment.

Priority progress of the development open method will perserve in the near term outlook. In Russia, opencast mine construction on the basis of numerous deposits and haven't yet mastered deposits of Siberia and the Far East are planned, including such major deposits as Udokansk (for about 20 million tons of copper reserves), Sukhoy Log (for about 2 thousand tons of gold reserves), Usinskoe. Iron ore reserves of Kursk Magnetic Anomaly in Central Russian Region, provide the successful work of Kursk Magnetic Anomaly opencast mines for decades beyond the twenty-first century.

Open-cast mining is inferior to underground cast mining by environmental factors. In this respect, their critic’s argumentation basis composes the following disadvantages of central open-cut mining: Earth surphase abuse; deterioration of the near-pit atmosphere by powder-gas emissions; water source and soils contamination by opencast mine waters. Experience of foremost opencast mines shows that the negative consequences of these disadvantages can be minimized through addoption of the environmental management system, appropriate to international standard ISO 14001 and using a geoestetic principles in conservation processes. As a result, the environmental factors are no longer in the capacity of open-cut mining range of use limiting.

1. Kalabin G. V. Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal. 2005, No. 2, pp. 12–15.

2. Demin A. M., Efremenkova V. M., Kryuchkova E. A. Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal. 2010, No.1, pp. 89–90.

3. Shtyrov V. A. Vestnik ALROSA — ALROSA Bulletin. 2011, March, pp. 1–6.

4. Gaydin A. M. Gornyi Zhurnal — Mining Journal. 2009, No. 4, pp. 72–75.