Snowden has extensive experience in both open pit and underground mining methods and undertakes evaluation, design, development and management of mining projects, from hard rock operations through industrial minerals. Snowden's capabilities include due diligence audits, specialist technical evaluation, preliminary mining studies, full feasibility studies and mine optimisation studies. Leading commercial software is used for mine design, pit optimisation, productivity or cost optimisation; open pit and underground scheduling; Snowden Stopesizor and Evaluator are used for underground cut-off grade and mine strategy optimisation.

Open pit mining engineering

• Resource model interfacing
• Pit optimisation and sensitivity analysis
• Detailed pit design
• Development and production planning
  and scheduling
• Equipment selection
• Capital cost estimation
• Operating cost estimation
• Contractor negotiations and contractual conditions
• Implementation of management systems
• Blasting

Underground mining engineering

• Evaluation of open pit/underground interface
• Detailed 3D modelling
• Conceptual design and scoping studies
• Mining method assessment
• Detailed mine layout and design
• Operating and capital cost estimation
• Owner vs Contractor cost analysis
• Ventilation system design
• Blast design
• Preconditioning techniques
• Backfill system specification, design, commissioning and audit
• Cut-off grade studies.

• Underground Engineering 
• Open pit mines 

Further reading on different aspects of Mining Engineering is available through a number of white papers written by our team of specialists.