The term “native metal” refers to metals found in pure or in an alloy that is representative of their natural, elemental state. Although a wide variety of metals can be found in native deposits, only few are resistant to oxidation and weathering. Because they are highly reactive when exposed to water, light, and other elements […]

Magmatic sulfides, a significant source of valuable metals like platinum, palladium, and chromium, are formed through a fascinating process within Earth’s fiery depths. The Formation Process Mafic and Ultramafic Magmas: These magma types, rich in iron, magnesium, and sulfur, are the foundation for magmatic sulfide deposits. Early Crystallization: As these magmas cool, minerals like plagioclase, […]

In the econometrics of mineral resources, cut-off grades are threshold values used to determine the economic viability of mining operations. The cut-off grade depends on several parameters, and we primarily distinguish between: The geological cut-of grade The geological cut-off grade is employed to generate frequency distributions of grades to separate mineralised materials from waste and […]

What is a core barrel? The core barrel is an essential part of each coring practice as it collects the core sample in its inner tube and simultaneously its outer tube acts as the BHA. Core barrels are not all the same, but rather differ and have different features and components depending on the coring […]

What is drilling rate index? DRI is a measure of the difficulty or ease of drilling rock, and it was developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. The DRI value is strongly related to the uniaxial compressive strength and indirect tensile strength. However, when the uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength […]

Placer deposit are natural concentration of heavy minerals caused by the effect of gravity on moving particles. When heavy, stable minerals are freed from their matrix by weathering processes, they are slowly washed downslope into streams that quickly winnow the lighter matrix. Thus, the heavy minerals become concentrated in stream, beach, and lag (residual) gravels […]

A paper written by: Pascal Amedzrovi, George Agyei, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana. The most important factor in mine production planning is called cut-off grade. Therefore, it’s accuracy is important as it can seriously impact the net present value (NPV). The Lane’s approach is commonly used to determine the optimal cut-off grade by […]

Location At 170 km southeast of Antofagasta, in the northern Chilean Atacama Desert, sits the copper porphyry deposit known as Escondida. In Spanish, the name Escondida means “hidden.” It comes from the primary orebody, which is concealed by hundreds of meters of overburden and does not outcrop on the surface. Ownership The world’s greatest producer […]

Yesterday, we present a first rule that guides plant design and surely you noticed that a metallurgist has a huge duty and to reach processing goals, he must work with project geologists. Today, let’s discuss on the second law. What does the second rule say? Second rule: Planning for the estimation of the start-up parameters […]

A cut-off grade determines which drilling intercepts may and cannot be used in a JORC resource. It is the grade of mineralisation at which a deposit can be exploited profitably. The price at which a firm can sell the underlying commodity and the cost of mining a deposit determine the cut-off grade. The cut-off grade […]