Chile: 2005 
The consultant carried out a study on non-conventional rock fracturing methods for the huge underground copper mine Andina of CODELCO. Andina plans to further mechanise its current block caving mining method by introducing a “system of continuous extraction” from the draw points, through ore-passes to the main transport level, but some rock boulders reach volumes up to 3 m³ and therefore block up and clog the extraction points which requires dangerous secondary blasting. A consortium of MC and Geoexploraciones consultants investigated methods that allow the reduction in size of these blocks without evacuating the operation area and without the interruption of the extraction system to assure a continuous mining operation.