Mine Geology: Why Is Grade Control Important?
Mining geology is a branch within the broad science of geology, focused on mineral exploration, production, and genesis of mineralization. However, that’s not our sole focus…
Mine geology is the process of organizing various disciplines in open pit or underground mining operations to ensure the cleanest possible extraction and stockpiling of minerals, ensuring the inclusion of entire orebody without loss of extraction. Now this is our focus.
So, if we’ve now clarified the subtle distinction between the titles Mine Geologist and Mining Geologist, let’s take a closer look at the essential process that ensures order and efficiency in pit production: Grade Control.
FYI: 1440p 50 fps available in settings.
1. What Is Grade Control in Mining Operations?
All stages —from conducting underground or open-pit production excavation in the most efficient way to preparing the extracted ore for processing or sale— fall within the scope of mine geology.
This process includes not only maintaining consistent records and carrying out mapping and sampling, but also tracking the ore and directing excavation activities, all of which are referred to as grade control.
Although detailed data may have been obtained through frequent drilling during the exploration phase, changing conditions during the production phase are inevitable. The most effective method to manage this variability is grade control.
In summary, it is a type of quality control process, starting with advanced exploration and extending to the efficient extraction and stockpiling of the discovered orebody.
2. What Is the Purpose of Grade Control?
With a properly designed grade control process tailored to your ore body and production preferences, you can:
- Maximize operational efficiency by ensuring clean and precise underground or open-pit production.
- Ensure effective protection of production against structural issues such as faults, boudinage, etc.
- Perform accurate classification and valuation of the ore before processing or sale.
- Manage tracking of stockpiles and planned production processes more effectively.
- Be equipped to issue your current resource/reserve statements under CRIRSCO standards.
- Establish an automated cross-check mechanism between production departments.
- Identify and resolve production issues whose root causes may not be immediately apparent.
- Plan near-site exploration programs more accurately using the data you’ve acquired.
- Gain access to information your competitors may not have, enabling you to develop more precise regional exploration strategies.
3. Why Are Grade Control and Mine Geology Important?
Even if you haven’t explicitly named the process as such, if you are producing ore with inconsistent or informally trained (on-the-job) personnel, you are already implementing grade control in one way or another.
At this point, designing a proper process and minimizing reliance on individual initiative can make a significant difference. Achieving this, however, requires solid experience and expertise.
As production cut-off grades continue to drop due to rising commodity prices, tracking previously uneconomic ore bodies for potential use is becoming increasingly important.
Losses in production efficiency, miscalculations in quality, or unidentified issues in processing and metallurgy departments can lead to delays that are often impossible to recover from.
Keeping the backbone of “Mine Production – Mine Geology – Processing Plant” active and subject to internal cross-auditing provides a major advantage in mitigating potential issues.
In today’s conscious and data-driven mining, mine geology and grade control are indispensable. The budget you allocate to this process will be negligible compared to the value it generates.
Also take a look at the Mining Geology, Unearthing to Mill Reconciliation section in the technical section of the top menu.
Subjects discussed in this article may overlap with your mineral exploration, modeling, mining operation and business development issues and may provide solutions for those. However, remember that various factors specific to your business may bring about different challenges. Therefore, seek support from expert consultants to evaluate all data together in order to convert potential into profit most efficiently.
Should you have any questions regarding the articles or consulting services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
GMRTC Mineral Exploration & Modeling & Operation Consultancy
Istanbul - Izmir - TÜRKİYE
SITE MAP
CONTACT US
Before quoting or copying from our site, you can contact info@gmrtc.com
All elements (texts, comments, videos, images) on the GMRTC website (www.gmrtc.com) are the property of GMRTC unless otherwise stated, and are published to provide insights to interested investors, professionals, and students. Any detail that may arise during your process will affect the subject matter you are interested in on this website; therefore, GMRTC (www.gmrtc.com) is not liable for any damages incurred. It is recommended that you consult experts with all your data before making any decisions based on the information provided.