Resource Classification in GEOVIA Minex

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When preparing your resource report for any deposit, you will need to perform resource categorization, which is based on how confident you are in your exploration data. In general, three types of resources are reported in any exploration report. They are usually reported as measured or proved, indicated and inferred. This classification is based on the distance from the borehole where seam data has been reported.

While you can consider the seam thickness data, irrespective of quality data present or not in the borehole, you should also consider borehole seam quality data such as Gross Calorific Value (GCV) or density (RD). This improves the user’s confidence in the data considered for resource classification.

It’s easy to compute resources as per this classification scheme using the command Borehole Distance Grid. After structural modeling is completed and borehole quality data has been imported, users can consider any quality data for resource categorisation based on confidence in the data; in this example GCV is considered.

In the image below, boreholes are displayed with GCV value of one seam. For the boreholes not showing any value, there may be no seam reported or perhaps quality analysis has not been performed.

First, you will need to generate the distance grid considering boreholes with GCV data. Go to Seam Model > Borehole Distance Grid. 

As illustrated in the below image, under Grid, select the reference grid to define your area of operation. Under Seams > Select Seams (button), select your seam for which the distance grid will be generated.

Under Borehole Data Selection > Select Variables (button), select the variable based on where you want the area classification for different resource categories.

Finally, under Output Parameters > Output Grid Suffix, select Distance Grid Suffix from the dropdown menu.

Once the distance grid has been generated, you can check the grid for any seam. You do this by plotting contour lines of different distance values with respect to the boreholes having quality data of the particular seam. In the below image, grid lines are of values 200m (green line) and 400m (red line); distance from the boreholes has GCV value (as plotted against BH in magenta color).

In the Quality field, create a numeric variable for the distance grid with grid suffix “DS” or the same as defined as suffix in Distance Grid.

While calculating resources from the Detailed Resource Report menu, under Quality tab select the distance as variable.

In the Reports menu, select the distance variable and enter the distance range as upper and lower limits of your preferred resource class.

This is how you can calculate different categories of resources that take into consideration the influence of borehole data.

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Nandini Mitra

Nandini Mitra

Mining Knowledge Consultant, GEOVIA at Dassault Systèmes
Nandini is a geologist with more than 10 years of experience in Mining and Engineering Geology. Previously a GEOVIA software user for more than 8 years, Nandini is highly experienced in the preparation of exploration reports for coal and iron ore. Her key areas of expertise are GEOVIA Minex and Surpac. Based in Kolkata, India, Nandini also holds a Masters in Applied Geology.