Events & Courses

This is an on-line CPD course developed by the Geology Department of the University of Leicester, together with other partners. It was developed with funding from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s Chile Prosperity Fund. The course is in English and designed to be studied as part-time distance learning.

This course focuses on the principles and processes involved in the planning and design of successful surface mines and quarries. It is based on a handbook written by Ruth Allington and David Jarvis in the UK, and although the title refers to quarries, most of the themes are relevant to open-pit and opencast mines. An electronic version of the handbook is made available freely to the participants. 

The importance of a planned and systematic approach to mine design is emphasised throughout the course, starting with the information required to select a site and develop an appropriate design. It then goes on to look in detail at the different stages of design and the type of information and investigations required at each stage. The assessment of risk in the design process is addressed, before going on to consider the vital aspects of stakeholder consultation and communication.