The Mineral Resource

Source: AusiMM 23M

Reserve estimation is multi-disciplinary
The Ore Reserve statement should not merely
be an estimate of what is in the ground, but
should be a prediction of what will be fed to the
mill.
(King et al, 1982).
The best geological interpretation will not make for a reliable
Ore Reserve estimate if inadequate attention is paid to mining,
engineering, metallurgy and marketing. Moreover, the best
engineered body of otherwise economic mineralisation is of no
value if there are issues of title or environment preventing its
development.
Non-geological disciplines should be involved at an early
stage of the estimating process, particularly to ensure that the
approach to resource modelling and estimation is consistent
with the likely mining method (Laird, 1997 and this volume).
Data relating to contaminants or by-products or to mineralogical
variations which will cause significant variation in metallurgical
performance needs to be collected and modelled
(Moorhead et al, 1999 and this volume). Many projects have
suffered because it has not been recognised until late in the
process of evaluation that better and more representative metallurgical
information should have been collected at the beginning
of the assessment.
The ‘soft’ social, environmental and legal issues are
increasingly important in the project assessment process. A
project which meets economic tests of viability may not be
developed at all if its benefits are seen to be outweighed by
costs of this nature. Alternatively, only a part of it may be
developed. The concept of sustainable development is becoming
important to the development decision. There is a need to
address community concerns and other relevant issues at each
stage of the project’s evaluation and progress towards an Ore
Reserve (Sharp-Paul, this volume).