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38-511: Josef Mountain Aerial Tramway is an aerial tramway near Meran in Northern Italy. It was built in 1979 and it belongs to the few aerial tramways for person transportation at which the cabin, built by the company Hans Trojer, had its own engine (an air-cooled VW Engine) above the cabin. The drive concept was patented. A single passenger could operate and use the tramway without support. It

76-441: A haulage rope ), and one or two passenger or cargo cabins. The fixed cables provide support for the cabins while the haulage rope, by means of a grip, is solidly connected to the truck (the wheel set that rolls on the track cables). An electric motor drives the haulage rope which provides propulsion . Aerial tramways are constructed as reversible systems ; vehicles shuttling back and forth between two end terminals and propelled by

114-461: A cable loop which stops and reverses direction when the cabins arrive at the end stations. Aerial tramways differ from gondola lifts in that gondola lifts are considered continuous systems (cabins attached onto a circulating haul rope that moves continuously). Two-car tramways use a jig-back system: a large electric motor is located at the bottom of the tramway so that it effectively pulls one cabin down, using that cabin's weight to help pull

152-454: A centimeter over several million years. The average diameter of a polymetallic nodule is between 3 and 10 cm (1 and 4 in) in diameter and are characterized by enrichment in iron, manganese, heavy metals , and rare earth element content when compared to the Earth's crust and surrounding sediment. The proposed mining of these nodules via remotely operated ocean floor trawling robots has raised

190-502: A continuously circulating cable whereas aerial trams simply shuttle back and forth on cables. In Japan, the two are considered as the same category of vehicle and called ropeway , while the term cable car refers to both grounded cable cars and funiculars . An aerial railway where the vehicles are suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable) is known as a suspension railway . An aerial tramway consists of one or two fixed cables (called track cables ), one loop of cable (called

228-421: A direct result of metamorphism. These are the leading source of copper ore. Porphyry copper deposits form along convergent boundaries and are thought to originate from the partial melting of subducted oceanic plates and subsequent concentration of Cu, driven by oxidation. These are large, round, disseminated deposits containing on average 0.8% copper by weight. Hydrothermal Hydrothermal deposits are

266-449: A large source of ore. They form as a result of the precipitation of dissolved ore constituents out of fluids. Laterites form from the weathering of highly mafic rock near the equator. They can form in as little as one million years and are a source of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al). They may also be a source of nickel and cobalt when the parent rock is enriched in these elements. Banded iron formations (BIFs) are

304-644: A number of ecological concerns. The extraction of ore deposits generally follows these steps. Progression from stages 1–3 will see a continuous disqualification of potential ore bodies as more information is obtained on their viability: With rates of ore discovery in a steady decline since the mid 20th century, it is thought that most surface level, easily accessible sources have been exhausted. This means progressively lower grade deposits must be turned to, and new methods of extraction must be developed. Some ores contain heavy metals , toxins, radioactive isotopes and other potentially negative compounds which may pose

342-824: A risk to the environment or health. The exact effects an ore and its tailings have is dependent on the minerals present. Tailings of particular concern are those of older mines, as containment and remediation methods in the past were next to non-existent, leading to high levels of leaching into the surrounding environment. Mercury and arsenic are two ore related elements of particular concern. Additional elements found in ore which may have adverse health affects in organisms include iron, lead, uranium, zinc, silicon, titanium, sulfur, nitrogen, platinum, and chromium. Exposure to these elements may result in respiratory and cardiovascular problems and neurological issues. These are of particular danger to aquatic life if dissolved in water. Ores such as those of sulphide minerals may severely increase

380-513: A single mineral, but it is mixed with other valuable minerals and with unwanted or valueless rocks and minerals. The part of an ore that is not economically desirable and that cannot be avoided in mining is known as gangue . The valuable ore minerals are separated from the gangue minerals by froth flotation , gravity concentration, electric or magnetic methods, and other operations known collectively as mineral processing or ore dressing . Mineral processing consists of first liberation, to free

418-539: A sizeable portion of international trade in raw materials both in value and volume. This is because the worldwide distribution of ores is unequal and dislocated from locations of peak demand and from smelting infrastructure. Most base metals (copper, lead, zinc, nickel) are traded internationally on the London Metal Exchange , with smaller stockpiles and metals exchanges monitored by the COMEX and NYMEX exchanges in

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456-486: A variety of geological processes generally referred to as ore genesis and can be classified based on their deposit type. Ore is extracted from the earth through mining and treated or refined , often via smelting , to extract the valuable metals or minerals. Some ores, depending on their composition, may pose threats to health or surrounding ecosystems. The word ore is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning lump of metal . In most cases, an ore does not consist entirely of

494-478: Is a mineral deposit occurring in high enough concentration to be economically viable. An ore deposit is one occurrence of a particular ore type. Most ore deposits are named according to their location, or after a discoverer (e.g. the Kambalda nickel shoots are named after drillers), or after some whimsy, a historical figure, a prominent person, a city or town from which the owner came, something from mythology (such as

532-399: Is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts , aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and longer wait times. Cable car

570-410: Is considered alluvial if formed via river, colluvial if by gravity, and eluvial when close to their parent rock. Polymetallic nodules , also called manganese nodules, are mineral concretions on the sea floor formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxides around a core. They are formed by a combination of diagenetic and sedimentary precipitation at the estimated rate of about

608-509: Is the usual term in British English, where tramway generally refers to a railed street tramway . In American English, cable car may additionally refer to a cable-pulled street tramway with detachable vehicles (e.g., San Francisco's cable cars ). As such, careful phrasing is necessary to prevent confusion. It is also sometimes called a ropeway or even incorrectly referred to as a gondola lift . A gondola lift has cabins suspended from

646-624: The San Juan Mountains of the US state of Colorado . Another famous use of aerial tramways was at the Kennecott Copper mine in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park , Alaska . Other firms entered the mining tramway business—Otto, Leschen, Breco Ropeways Ltd., Ceretti and Tanfani, and Riblet for instance. A major British contributor was Bullivant who became a constituent of British Ropes in 1924. In

684-730: The United States and the Shanghai Futures Exchange in China. The global Chromium market is currently dominated by the United States and China. Iron ore is traded between customer and producer, though various benchmark prices are set quarterly between the major mining conglomerates and the major consumers, and this sets the stage for smaller participants. Other, lesser, commodities do not have international clearing houses and benchmark prices, with most prices negotiated between suppliers and customers one-on-one. This generally makes determining

722-553: The acidity of their immediate surroundings and of water, with numerous, long lasting impacts on ecosystems. When water becomes contaminated it may transport these compounds far from the tailings site, greatly increasing the affected range. Uranium ores and those containing other radioactive elements may pose a significant threat if leaving occurs and isotope concentration increases above background levels. Radiation can have severe, long lasting environmental impacts and cause irreversible damage to living organisms. Metallurgy began with

760-479: The beginning of the 20th century, the rise of the middle class and the leisure industry allowed for investment in sight-seeing machines. Prior to 1893, a combined goods and passenger carrying cableway was installed at Gibraltar . Initially, its passengers were military personnel. An 1893 industry publication said of a two-mile system in Hong Kong that it "is the only wire tramway which has been erected exclusively for

798-619: The cable car business: Bleichert , Heckel, Pohlig, PHB (Pohlig-Heckel-Bleichert), Garaventa and Waagner-Biró. Now there are three groups dominating the world market: Doppelmayr Garaventa Group , Leitner Group, and Poma , the last two being owned by one person. Some aerial tramways have their own propulsion , such as the Lasso Mule or the Josef Mountain Aerial Tramway near Merano , Italy . While typically used for ski resorts, aerial tramways have been ported over for usage in

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836-507: The cable run. The first design of an aerial lift was by Croatian polymath Fausto Veranzio and the first operational aerial tram was built in 1644 by Adam Wybe in Gdańsk , Poland. It was moved by horses and used to move soil over the river to build defences. It is called the first known cable lift in European history and precedes the invention of steel cables. It is not known how long this lift

874-536: The carriage of individuals" (albeit workmen). After the pioneer cable car suitable for public transport on Mount Ulia in 1907 ( San Sebastián , Spain ) by Leonardo Torres Quevedo and the Wetterhorn Elevator ( Grindelwald , Switzerland) in 1908, others to the top of high peaks in the Alps of Austria, Germany and Switzerland resulted. They were much less expensive to build than the earlier rack railway . One of

912-417: The direct working of native metals such as gold, lead and copper. Placer deposits, for example, would have been the first source of native gold. The first exploited ores were copper oxides such as malachite and azurite, over 7000 years ago at Çatalhöyük . These were the easiest to work, with relatively limited mining and basic requirements for smelting. It is believed they were once much more abundant on

950-644: The first trams was at Chamonix , while others in Switzerland, and Garmisch soon followed. From this, it was a natural transposition to build ski lifts and chairlifts. The first cable car in North America was at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire in 1938. Many aerial tramways were built by Von Roll Ltd. of Switzerland, which has since been acquired by Austrian lift manufacturer Doppelmayr . Other German, Swiss, and Austrian firms played an important role in

988-458: The highest concentration of any single metal available. They are composed of chert beds alternating between high and low iron concentrations. Their deposition occurred early in Earth's history when the atmospheric composition was significantly different from today. Iron rich water is thought to have upwelled where it oxidized to Fe (III) in the presence of early photosynthetic plankton producing oxygen. This iron then precipitated out and deposited on

1026-620: The main tin source, began. Some 3000 years ago, the smelting of iron ores began in Mesopotamia . Iron oxide is quite abundant on the surface and forms from a variety of processes. Until the 18th century gold, copper, lead, iron, silver, tin, arsenic and mercury were the only metals mined and used. In recent decades, Rare Earth Elements have been increasingly exploited for various high-tech applications. This has led to an ever-growing search for REE ore and novel ways of extracting said elements. Ores (metals) are traded internationally and comprise

1064-520: The name of a god or goddess) or the code name of the resource company which found it (e.g. MKD-5 was the in-house name for the Mount Keith nickel sulphide deposit ). Ore deposits are classified according to various criteria developed via the study of economic geology, or ore genesis . The following is a general categorization of the main ore deposit types: Magmatic deposits are ones who originate directly from magma These are ore deposits which form as

1102-582: The ocean floor. The banding is thought to be a result of changing plankton population. Sediment Hosted Copper forms from the precipitation of a copper rich oxidized brine into sedimentary rocks. These are a source of copper primarily in the form of copper-sulfide minerals. Placer deposits are the result of weathering, transport, and subsequent concentration of a valuable mineral via water or wind. They are typically sources of gold (Au), platinum group elements (PGE), sulfide minerals , tin (Sn), tungsten (W), and rare-earth elements (REEs). A placer deposit

1140-403: The ore from the gangue, and concentration to separate the desired mineral(s) from it. Once processed, the gangue is known as tailings , which are useless but potentially harmful materials produced in great quantity, especially from lower grade deposits. An ore deposit is an economically significant accumulation of minerals within a host rock. This is distinct from a mineral resource in that it

1178-444: The other cabin up. A similar system of cables is used in a funicular railway. The two passenger or cargo cabins, which carry from 4 to over 150 people, are situated at opposite ends of the loops of cable. Thus, while one is coming up, the other is going down the mountain, and they pass each other midway on the cable span . Some aerial trams have only one cabin , which lends itself better for systems with small elevation changes along

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1216-431: The price of ores of this nature opaque and difficult. Such metals include lithium , niobium - tantalum , bismuth , antimony and rare earths . Most of these commodities are also dominated by one or two major suppliers with >60% of the world's reserves. China is currently leading in world production of Rare Earth Elements. The World Bank reports that China was the top importer of ores and metals in 2005 followed by

1254-533: The summit of the Stanserhorn in Switzerland carries 60 persons, with the upper floor accommodating 30 people in the open air. Despite the introduction of various safety measures (back-up power generators, evacuation plans, etc.) there have been several serious incidents on aerial tramways, some of which were fatal. Ore Minerals of interest are generally oxides , sulfides , silicates , or native metals such as copper or gold . Ore bodies are formed by

1292-465: The surface than today. After this, copper sulphides would have been turned to as oxide resources depleted and the Bronze Age progressed. Lead production from galena smelting may have been occurring at this time as well. The smelting of arsenic-copper sulphides would have produced the first bronze alloys. The majority of bronze creation however required tin, and thus the exploitation of cassiterite,

1330-690: The urban environment in recent times. The Roosevelt Island Tramway in New York City, the Rakavlit cable car in Haifa, Israel and the Portland Aerial Tram are examples where this technology has been successfully adapted for public transport purposes. The telpherage concept was first publicised in 1883 and several experimental lines were constructed. It was designed to compete not with railways, but with horses and carts. The first commercial telpherage line

1368-696: Was in Glynde , which is in Sussex, England. It was built to connect a newly opened clay pit to the local railway station and opened in 1885. There are aerial tramways with double deck cabins. The Vanoise Express cable car carries 200 people in each cabin at a height of 380 m (1,247 ft) over the Ponturin gorge in France. The Shinhotaka Ropeway carries 121 people in each cabin at Mount Hotaka in Japan. The CabriO cable car to

1406-450: Was not for public operation and was dismantled in the late 1990s. Today, the concrete structure of the valley station is still visible, albeit a bit overgrown. This article about transport in Italy is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Aerial tramway An aerial tramway , aerial tram , sky tram , aerial cablecar , aerial cableway , telepherique , or seilbahn

1444-470: Was used. In any case, it would be another 230 years before Germany would get the second cable lift, this newer version equipped with iron wire cable. Tramways are sometimes used in mountainous regions to carry ore from a mine located high on the mountain to an ore mill located at a lower elevation. Ore tramways were common in the early 20th century at the mines in North and South America. One can still be seen in

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