I've been looking at mine surveying in the US (not enough points for Aus visa) and wanted to see if anyone here has experience they could share about working conditions and such. I know this is fairly broad but my Google-Fu is failing me.
You would have to clarify exactly what you mean by "mine surveying."
Exploration Surveying?
Development/construction surveying?
Operating Mine?
Open Pit v. Underground?
Coal, Industial Minerals, Hard Rock, Uranium, Trona, Base Metals, etc.
There's lots of different types of "mine surveying" and they vary a LOT!
Loyal
Gold, open & underground. Also looking at coal but not as much.
Open Pit (especially Gold) is a lot like working on a huge "never ending" road construction site (only with BIGGER stuff driving around, and more explosions). Pretty much standard survey equipment is used, so the learning curve isn't too steep.
Underground requires a LOT of specialized SAFTEY Training (and certification), which I don't know a lot about. Seems to me that the MSHA training alone is something like 40 hours (and must be renewed periodically). There is some non-standard survey equipment needed in most underground mines (things like North-seeking Gyros), so extra training would probably be required.
Open Pit coal is somewhat different than say open pit gold, but still lots of BIG equipment, but [usually] a somewhat different mine “PLAN.”
Underground Coal is a whole nuther ballgame. I've been in underground coal mines (hard rock too), and it isn't for me!
Mining Companies are REALLY BIG on safety, and generally highly regimented (LOTS & LOTS of rules). I hear that the money is pretty good (for technicians), but an LS isn't usually needed (or paid for).
Loyal
Thank you Loyal, that's the sort if stuff I was looking for!
Open pit mining is pretty basic:
Field
Drill and blast patterns layout/as-built (as-drilled)
Mark dig limits
Grade control for digging equipment
Daily basic pick-up of digging faces
Detailed survey of ore
And other general survey tasks
Office
Data Preparation
Keep daily status map current
Ore mapping and quantities
Month end quantities reconciliations
Extra jobs include:
Basic road construction, dump limits, truck scale construction, water levels, and other support to engineering and consultants (at times) for the good operation of the mine, etc...
Safety is paramount. Pay is good.
I spent 2 years in open pit mining. Enjoy it, a good place to learn, then I got bored of the routine. Cut 12.5 Cut 12.4 Cut 12.5 Cut 12.4 Cut 12.1, etc...
Some surveyors enjoy the lifestyle. In mining if your still there after 5 years, you are a "lifer" they say around here.
Don't know about underground.
Check the website infomine if interested, lots of information about mining there.
I've been doing underground coal mine surveying for many years. We work off points in the roof advancing stations daily. We then run a loop traverse to keep things straight.
Mostly straight forward traverse and run elevations.
