It is always tempting to start mining right away because of the excitement brought about by the presence of minerals. However, procedure requires that you do grade controlling so that you can find out exactly the type of minerals and the ores that you are working with. Once you know the grade and the variability of the mineral ore, you can then make a decision on the type of drilling and mining suitable to extract the minerals.

The people responsible for grade control drilling are the mine geologists. They study the rock and relay the information to the mine owners on the best available mining practices appropriate for the type of rock and ore being mined.   

The process involves drilling out a sample which is analysed before mining can start on a full scale. As the last stage, grade control provides key information input to determine the economic viability of the mining exercise to be undertaken. Through the analysis, the quality of the ore is assessed and once known, its marketability is established. There are many benefits, grade control drilling brings into the mining process and why it cannot be bypassed. Among them are:

Identification of Rich Zones Through grade control, mine owners can know the distribution of the mineral deposits within the area of interest. The outcome of the grade control drilling process shows the areas where the high-quality deposits are concentrated, information that helps in directing resource deployment to enhance return on investment.

Selection of Mining Approaches The information gathered from the grade control drilling process helps in deciding the mining techniques that will optimise the extraction of the minerals. For instance, instead of using your most sensitive mining equipment to extract low quality ores lying close to the surface, you can deploy the same equipment deep into the ground and tap into high quality ores. All this will be determined by grade control drilling results.

Environmental Protection and Planning Mining operations inevitably generate volumes of waste and it is up to the mine owners and the management to decide on how to deal with it. By giving you complete information on the mining work and the depth to which it will be conducted, grade control drilling helps you in putting mechanisms to deal with the environmental impact. Another strategic benefit of grade control drilling is that it enables you to develop a clear project timeline planning. The information you get from the drilling process will give you an accurate estimate on the length of time the mining project will last.

For more information, contact companies like Rock On Ground.

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