The mine is located approximately 13km north of Fermont, Quebec, within the Fermont Iron Ore District (FIOD), a world-renowned iron-mining camp to the south of the Labrador Trough within the geological Grenville Province. The Canadian Shield is one of the world's richest areas in terms of mineral ores. It is filled with substantial deposits of nickel, gold, silver, and copper.

 

Geology:

Dike A:  overburden, till core layer (consists of silt and sand with a little gravel and traces of clay along with boulders) and a natural layer of till just above. Sound bedrock encountered at the majority of the panel with pocket weathered at few locations.

 

Scope of Works:

Dike A: A 200 m long cut-off that is compromised of 73 panels (2800 mm x 800 mm) with 40 - 45 cm over cut. The over cut was then reduced to 30 cm following the client review of BAUER's verticality records. The panels had 1.5 m socket into bedrock with total panel depth varying between 20 - 30 m following the bedrock profile. Excavation: 3,700 m² of overburden, 21 m² of weathered rock and 273 m² of sound rock.

 

Dike East: Ground improvement with stone columns 1,416 stone columns at 2.75 m spacing; length up to 8 m, minimum 3.5 m; Diameter: 800 mm. Pre-drilling was an option at the site, however, it was not necessary as the vibro set-up was able to achieve the desirable results without pre-drilling.

 

Miscellaneous:

The construction works consisted of the following:

Dike East: improving the backfill density of the dike to enhance its stability under a raised profile.

 

Dike A: improving the sealing of the existing till core and its foundation with a cut-off wall to enhances the dike stability prior to raising its profile in preparation to raise water level in the basin.

Both parts are utilized to service the additional tonnage from phase II.

 

 

INFO

Construction Methods:           Diaphragm wall and soil improvement

Construction Materials:          Plastic concrete, gravel

Main Equipment:                    BAUER grab and cutter, BAUER BG 28 and crawler crane with electric poker

Construction period:               June 2021– November 2021