Abstract Slope stability is one of the biggest concerns for mining practices and to consider the rock mass response over blasting is fundamental to achieve pit geometry. This study consists in developing a methodology which connects the dynamic behavior of one lithological domain to blast designs applied at a copper mine. The central element of this study was the construction of vibration attenuation and seed wave model which, in conjunction with geomechanical properties, has allowed the characterization of this particular rock mass and the vibration attenuation phenomena. The new blast design was developed from the model simulations, once it was possible to recognize which parameters of the blast design affect most of the damage induced by blasting. To guarantee model representativeness, two blast tests were conducted: one with the usual blast design and another using the new one. Furthermore, holes were drilled behind the blasts, which were inspected before and after each blast to compare the produced fracturing with the fracturing expected by the model. The results obtained in these blast tests show a strong correlation between the modeled and the real. The modeling proved to be a useful tool providing manners to stablish a blast design, which generates stable walls.

Resumo: A Mina de Casa de Pedra, localizada no extremo sudoeste do Quadrilátero Ferrífero, MG, foi submetida a uma investigação estrutural de detalhe, através da qual foi possível conhecer o seu acervo de estruturas, assim como a sua evolução tectônica. Neste estudo procurou-se entender de que forma o arcabouço estrutural da mina influencia nas variações dos atributos intrínsecos de seus componentes: mineralogia, porosidade, granulometria e textura. Foram obtidos os seguintes resultados: unidades expostas na área da mina e arredores foram submetidas a três eventos deformacionais; as frentes de lavra Corpo Oeste e Corpo Principal estão situadas em distintos domínios estruturais e seus minérios exibem diferentes atributos mineralógicos; o minério de ferro proveniente do Corpo Oeste tende a ser mais rico em hematita especular e goethita, com porosidade média de 17%, enquanto que o Corpo Principal tende a ser constituído predominantemente por hematita granular e magnetita, com porosidade média de 20%. Desta forma, pode-se concluir que o arcabouço estrutural condiciona significativamente as características composicionais, texturais e microestruturais dos minérios de ferro.

Abstract: The Casa de Pedra mine, located in the southwestern portion of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Iron Quadrangle), Minas Gerais state, Brazil, was subject to a detailed structural investigation, allowing the characterization of its tectonic evolution. The main goal of the study was to check in what extent tectonic structures control the iron ore properties such as mineralogical composition, porosity, grain size and texture. We obtained the following results: rocks units exposed in the mine and surrounding areas underwent three deformational events; the Western and Main ore bodies of the Casa de Pedra mine are located in distinct structural domains, which exhibit different mineralogical attributes; iron ores from Western body tends to be richer in specularite and goethite, and show 17% porosity, whist the Main body is made up mainly of granular hematite and magnetite, with 20% porosity. We concluded that tectonic structures indeed exert a significant control on mineralogical composition, textures and microstructures of the iron ores.