Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Symposium on Mine Planning and Equipment Selection/ Wroclaw /Poland/ 1-3 September 2004. This symposium is an annual event recognized by the mining society as a leader in promoting international technology transfer in the fields of mine planning, mining systems design, equipment selection and operation techniques. The symposium's call for papers has been answered by over two hundred and twenty abstracts, of which one hundred and forty seven papers from 33 countries were accepted for publication and presentation. The major topics announced for the 13th MPES symposium are: -Open pit and underground mine planning, modeling, and design -Geomechanics -Mining and processing methods -Design, monitoring, and maintenance of mine equipment -Simulation, optimization, and control of technological processes -Management, mine economics, and financial analysis -Health, safety, and environmental protection The contents of this book will be of interest to engineers, scientists, researchers, and consultants who are involved in the planning, design, and operation of underground and surface mines.