BASIC GEOTECHNICAL PARAMETERS OF METALLIC MINERAL DEPOSITS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Abstract

This paper deals with the analysis of basic geotechnical properties of monolithic rock samples from several metallic mineral deposits in the Republic of Macedonia. Namely, results from geotechnical investigation on samples from the deposits of Ilovica, Borov Dol, Kazan Dol, Plavica, Kadiica and Bučim were subject of the work presented herein. Over 800 different geotechnical tests have been performed on samples from different depths and zones of these deposits. The most frequently performed basic tests during geotechnical investigation phases included: point load index tests, unconfined compression tests, unit and specific weight, porosity, shear strength along joints. All data is statistically analyzed and certain conclusions for different geotechnical parameters are achieved. Special attention is paid to the vertical distribution of the parameter’s values, since this is of greatest interest for the mining planning and processes. Differences among certain deposits are discussed and certain conclusions and recommendations for further investigations are presented. We note that this is a first attempt to analyze such amount of geotechnical data from metallic mineral deposits in Macedonia, and the herein presented correlations are to be updated as new data is collected.

Key words: geotechnical properties; metallic mineral deposits; statistical analysis; vertical distribution