MSIP Excellent Planning Reporting Tool

Minesight® Interactive Planner: An Excellent Planning and Reporting Tool for Block Models,
Gridded Seam Models and Gridded Surface Files
Minesight® Interactive Planner: An Excellent Planning

and Reporting Tool for Block Models, Gridded Seam
Mining Software
Models, and Gridded Surface Files
Introduction
Minesight® Interactive Planner (IP) is a useful and versatile tool that allows users several
different methods to calculate reserves based upon the type of model being used such as
3-D Block Models (3DBM), Gridded Seam Models (GSM), or Gridded Surface Files (GSF).
Standard scripts are provided to report reserves in different formats. Through custom
modifications, users can also personalize the reserve reports produced by Minesight® IP
to fit their individual or company needs. The following document will discuss several
examples of the most common Interactive Planner setups as they relate to different types
of models and applications.
I. IP Set Creation
When creating an Interactive Planner
(IP) Set, users have to specify how
volume and tonnage calculations will
be performed by Minesight® IP. The
options available should be checked or
unchecked based upon how the block
model being used by Minesight® IP was
created and coded. In order to verify how these options are affecting the reported volumes
and tonnages, it is recommended that a cut for a single block is created and the results
analyzed for accuracy.
The options selected in the IP Set Creation dialog will define the type of IP Set to be
created (a new one or a clone based on a previous set), what kind of information will be
used to calculate grades (block model or drillhole data), what kind of material classification
will be needed (single or multiple ore percent), and how volumes will be calculated. Below
is a summary of each of the options listed on the IP Set Creation panel.
IP Set Creation options - Summary
• Create new – Creates a new IP set.
• Clone existing – Clones an existing IP set (including IP Set options and cuts).
• Connect to existing – Allows the user to open an existing IP Set.
• Drillholes – The user can perform outline and average grade calculations utilizing
Minesight® drillhole data (instead of a model file, which is the default case).
• Multiple Ore Percent – Used for block models whose mining blocks contain
multiple types of ore and possibly waste.
• Min (Topo/Part) – When this option is checked, the minimum between the Topo
item and the partial is used to calculate the block volume; otherwise, the product
of the two will be used. Check this box when cuts follow the topography contours,
otherwise reserves will be under reported.
• Ore Clipped – Specifies how ore percentages are applied to mining blocks.
Checking this option will apply the Ore Percent value to the entire block. Not
checking this option will result in the product of Topo item and Ore Percent being
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used.
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• Settings only – This option is only available when the Clone Existing option is
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checked. The IP Set created will copy only the configuration from chosen Existing
Seminar IP Set and not the cuts.
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• Exposed Geometry – Stores polygonal cuts as XYZ points within the Attributed
Geometry Data Model (AGDM) database, otherwise, just the area and volume
information for each cut is stored (only available when creating a new IP Set).
• Treat Missing Grades As Zero – When checked, blocks that have a missing grade
value will be reported as having a grade of zero, thus reducing the Mining Software
average grade of the cut. When unchecked, blocks that contain a grade
value of missing (-1) are not used in the weighted grade average
calculation for the cut.
The following sections will discuss the most common Minesight® IP
configurations based on various Minesight® model and surface files and their different
applications.
II. Minesight® IP for 3-D Block Model
1. Single Ore percent
General background
A single ore percent block model exists when a 3-D block model is coded so that each
block can get assigned only one type of material (as opposed to multiple types of materials
per block). This section will discuss how to setup Minesight® IP to work with this type of
block model configuration and report mining cut volume, tonnage, and grades based upon
different combinations of Ore Percent and Zone item.
1.1 Single Ore Percent - No Zone item and No Ore Percent item
Methodology
As the simplest Minesight® IP setup, this type of configuration is used to report the
average grade and tonnage for all material within a cut, irrespective of whether it is ore
or waste. All material will be reported under the same classification with a total weighted
average grade.
Area tab
Select a model view based on the
block model to use as a reference and
then choose a Density item (if desired)
and a density Type along with at least
one Grade Item to report.
A Volume reduction item such as a
TOPO item can be selected to indicate
the available reserves within a block,
otherwise the Mined out option can
be chosen with a corresponding
item containing the reserves already
mined from a block. The Number of
Slices is the number of slices through
each model block when computing
partials and volume for polygonal cuts
- partials for solid cuts use the project
subcell count for volume calculations,
available under File | Project Settings | Volumes.
Save the responses on the Area tab by clicking File | Save as, or clicking the disk icon
and entering an Area name.
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Material tab
Pick the previously saved Area
by using the blue selection button
and then enter a Zone name and
Mining Software
appropriate cutoff values as shown
below. Save the information entered
on the Material Sets tab by clicking the
disk or selecting File | Save as and
entering a Material name.
Example
A mining cut is created which contains five entire mining blocks each of which contain a
different copper grade while the rest of the block properties are maintained constant. The
report shows that two mining blocks fall within the 0.30-0.50 grade range, two fall within
the 0.50-10.00 grade range, while a single mining block falls within the 0.00-0.10 range. The
weighted grade of these blocks is 0.45% copper as shown in the calculations below.
Mining Blocks characteristics:

TOPO: 100%
S.G.: 3.0
Block volume: 6,000 m3
Block tonnage = Block Volume x SG = 6,000 x 3.0 = 18,000 tonnes
Weighted Average grade = ((0.08 x 18,000) + (0.37 x 36,000) + (0.72 x 36,000))/90,000 =
0.45%
1.2 Single Ore Percent - With Zone item and No Ore Percent item
Methodology
This type of Minesight® IP configuration utilizes a Zone item whose code is used to bin
material within a mining cut. This is very useful when wanting to know and report the
various classes of material types within a cut.
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Area tab
Select the desired model view
referencing the block model to be used,
a Volume reduction item, Zone item,
Density item (if desired), a density Mining Software
Type and at least one Grade item.
Material tab
Specify the corresponding Area and enter the
appropriate Zone names and corresponding
Values based upon the Zone item selected on
the Area tab. Enter cutoffs as desired for each of
the listed Zone names.
Example
Our goal in this example is to report the
average grade and tonnes for different classes
of material within a single mining cut. A
mining cut is created that contains three
entire mining blocks, each of which contains
a different material code and copper grade.
Notice that each mining block in the Cut
Reserves report shown below is binned and
labeled according to the Zone item Value and Zone name.
TOPO: 100%
S.G.: 3.0
Block tonnage = Block volume * SG = 6,000 x 3.0 = 18,000 tonnes
Block 1 grade= 0.12% cu; Block 1 Zone Value = 1
Weighted Average grade = (0.12 x 18,000 + 0.22 x 18,000 + 0.64 x 18,000)/ 54,000 = 0.33%
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Mining Software
1.3 Single Ore Percent - With Ore Percent item and No Zone item
Methodology
An Minesight® IP single ore percent setup is used for planning purposes when the
mineral deposit contains a single type of material, however, utilizing an Ore% item allows
the user to differentiate between ore and waste within a block. The grade item is assumed to
represent only the ore material within the block based on which the total weighted grade for
the whole block can be calculated.
IP Setup
Area tab
Select the Model view to be used as
reference and the Ore%, Density, and Grade
item(s) to be used for calculations and
reporting.
Material tab
After selecting the corresponding Area
with the model items being used for
reporting, enter a Zone name as the label
for the material to be reported. As we
24th are not setting a zone item to categorize
Annual reserves, all of the material (ore and waste)
Mintec will be reported together as the default
Seminar material defined on this tab. In addition,
different Cutoffs can be used based on the first grade item from the Area tab.
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Example
Let’s consider a mining cut containing one entire mining block.
Mining Block characteristics:
TOPO: 63.3% Mining Software
Ore percent: 25%
Cu Ore grade: 0.46 %
Ore/Waste S.G.: 3.0
Actual Block volume
(considering TOPO):
= block volume * TOPO
= 6,000 x 0.633 = 3,798 m3
Ore volume = Block volume x Ore percent = 6,000 x 0.25 = 1,500 m3
Waste Volume = Block Volume (considering TOPO) – Ore Volume = 3,798 – 1,500 = 2298 m3
Ore tonnage = Ore volume x SG = 1,500 x 3.0 = 4,500 tonnes
Total Block tonnage (considering TOPO) = Block Volume (considering TOPO) x 3.0 =
3,798 x 3.0 = 11, 394 tonnes
Weighted Average grade = (0.46 x 4,500) / 11,394 = 0.18% Cu
Notice that for the case of the ipaccum.py script used in this and the rest of the
examples, since all the material is reported under a unique Zone item, the report does not
differentiate between totals for Ore and Waste. This report only calculates a waste total
when a special code and possibly item is set up for waste classification, which only occurs
in the multiple ore percent scenario. For all single ore percent cases, waste classification
will be consider one more type of material along with the rest of the zone codes and will be
included within the total for Ore.
1.4 Single Ore Percent - With Ore Percent item and Zone item
Methodology
By using an Minesight® IP setup with an Ore% and a Zone item, users can differentiate
between ore and waste within a block and also between different ore materials when
reporting. Zone codes can represent different types of materials corresponding to different
rock types, resources types, royalty codes, etc.
IP Setup
Area tab
In this case the Area tab will be configured
as in the previous example including the block
Model view, a Volume reduction item, Ore%,
the appropriate density Type, and the Density
and Grade items as required. In addition a
Zone item will be added to classify reserves
when reporting.
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Mining Software
Material tab
Configure the Material tab by selecting the corresponding Area, and then entering the
Zone names, code Values, and Cutoffs as desired. All the blocks with no zone code as well
as the waste material (as defined by the remaining material after the Ore% item has being
applied) will be reported as the material defined as the Default.
Example
This example will analyze calculations
performed by Minesight® IP for a single mining
cut enclosing four mining blocks. The zone code
within each block will be used to segregate
reported cut tonnages. Blocks 1 and 2 contain zone
codes of 1 and 2 respectively whereas blocks 3 and
4 contain a zone code of 3. Because a Waste zone
(0) is set as the Default on the Material tab within
IP, the waste tonnage from each block is reported
as such. The labels (from top to bottom) in each
block show the Ore Grade (copper), Zone code,
and Ore percent value.
TOPO value/block: 100%
Ore percent/block: 88%
Ore/Waste S.G./block: 3.0
The volume and tonnage calculations are as follow:
Block tonnage = Block Volume x S.G = 6,000 x 3.0 = 18,000 tonnes
24th Ore volume/block = Block Volume x Ore Percent = 6,000 x 0.88 = 5,280 m3
Annual Ore tonnage/block = Ore Volume/Block x SG = 5,280 x 3.0 = 15,840 tonnes
Mintec Waste tonnage/block = Block tonnage – Ore tonnage/block = 18,000 – 15,840 = 2,160
Seminar tonnes
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Total waste tonnage within cut = waste tonnage/block x number of blocks ��
= 2,160 x 4 =
8,640 tonnes
Total Ore tonnage by Zone :
Zone Tonnes Mining Software
1 15,840
2 15,840
3 31,680
0 8,640
Note: Reported grades are
the weighted average grades
for those blocks containing the
same zone code.
Total tonnage within cut =
72,000 tonnes
Cut Weigthed Average
Grade = 0.80 % Cu
Once again the ip-accum.py script is considering all the materials under the zone item
the same, so the final total reported under the Ore classification in the report includes the
total for the whole cut (including waste material).
2. Multiple Ore Percent
General background
A multiple ore percent block model consists of mining blocks which contain at least one
or more types of ore and possibly one or more types of waste. Minesight® IP allows the user
to report various ore and waste tonnages and volumes for this type of block model utilizing
python scripts included within Minesight®.
The screen capture below shows several mining blocks which contain multiple ore
types and a single waste type. The following section will discuss three types of Multiple
Ore Percent IP configuration: a basic multiple ore percent setup using zone items, a setup
utilizing the Priority Mining option, an a special configuration adapted to work with non-
linear block models.
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2.1 Basic Multiple Ore Percent – No Priority Mining

Methodology
This type of IP setup is used when the block model contains multiple types
Mining Software of ore and/ or waste and the user wants to report the tonnages for the various
zones contained in a cut without a preference as to which material is mined first
within each block. This type of reporting is easily accomplished when the blocks are
properly coded with the desired zone types. Each block can be coded with different
materials stored in up to 25 model items. In addition, a percent item has to be associated
to each zone item to indicate the amount of material assigned to each code. Each zone item
should also have its own grade and/or specific gravity item for more accurate reserve
calculations.
IP Setup
When creating the IP object select the option Create new and Multiple Ore Percent in
addition to the default options Min (Topo/Part) – if cuts follow topography contours, Ore
Clipped, and Treat Missing Grades as Zero as they apply to the specific project.
Area tab
Fill in the Area tab as shown by
selecting a Model view, Pct Item
(percent item), Zone Item, Density Item
(as needed) ,and Grade Items for the
Ore Items section. Under the Waste
Items section, select the Pct, Zone, and
Density items for waste types as well if
these are to be reported separately.
Material tab
After selecting an Area to be used,
enter the Zone names associated to
each zone code, and the code Values
and Cutoffs to be used for report
labeling and binning. The cutoff in the
reports will be based upon the first
zone item on the Area tab. A Default
Ore and Waste zone must be selected
in order to report blocks which do not
contain a listed zone Value.
Example
A single cut is taken which mines an entire block containing three ore types (based on
a reserve classification item) in various percentages: Indicated (40%), Proven (25%) and
Probable (35%). In this case, the S.G. of all ore types is 3.0. As shown in the Minesight® IP
24th report below, each material type is reported separately with the corresponding grades and
Annual tonnages based upon each materials block percentage.
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Mining Software

TOPO: 100%
S.G. (Ore/Waste) = 3.0
Block size: 20m x 20m x 15m
Block volume: 6000 m^3
Tonnes per block: 18,000
Ore A percent: 40%
Ore A tonnage within block = 0.4 x 18,000 = 7,200 tonnes
Ore B percent: 25%
Ore B tonnage within block = 0.25 x 18,000 = 4,500 tonnes
Ore C percent: 35%
Ore C tonnage within block = 0.35 x 18,000 = 6,300 tonnes
For the cases when a mining cut takes a partial block, the materials for that block will be
mined in amounts that are proportional to the Ore Percent value assigned to each type of
material.
2.2 Priority Mining
Methodology
Priority mining is used within Minesight® IP when the user has a preference with respect
to which material should be mined first, second, and so on. This type of setup might be used
in conjunction with underground mining methods when selective mining is performed. A
Partials item within the block model is required in order to store the remaining portion of a
block after a cut is generated. This item is automatically set to an initial value of 100% and
it is reduced after each cut takes a portion of the block. The item should be defined having
a minimum of 0, maximum of 100, and a precision of 0.01 or 0.001 in order for accurate 24th
material balancing to occur. The following section will discuss how to setup Minesight® Annual
IP for use with Priority Mining in conjunction with a block model which contains three ore Mintec
zone items and two waste zones. Seminar
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IP Setup
In order to utilize the Priority Mining option within Minesight® IP the Multiple
Ore Percent and Partials Mapping boxes must be checked. In this particular
example, Min (Topo/Part), Ore Clipped, Treat Missing Grades As Zero, and
Mining Software
Exposed Geometry are checked as well.
Area tab
Once an IP set for Multiple Ore is created,
select a block Model View, a Volume reduction
item, and the corresponding Percent, Zone,
and Density items for ore and waste, along
with the grade items for each zone. In addition
a Partials mapping item is required where the
percent associated to the remaining material
in a block after a cut is created will be stored.
Priority values are entered for each Zone
corresponding to the mining preference. A
zone with a Priority value of 1 will be mined
first, being followed by the zones with higher
priorities. Multiple materials can have the
same priority if you want that material to be taken together.
Material tab
To setup the material tab choose the
previously named Area. Enter the labels
for each zone code In the Zone name
column along with the code Values
themselves. Select a Default and a Waste
default zone to report the material that
may not have a corresponding code
assigned. Material having an Ore%
value and no zone code will be assigned
to the Default zone, whereas material
having no Ore% value and no zone code
will be assigned to the Waste Default
zone. The user may leave the Cutoff
columns blank or enter cutoff grades for
more detailed reporting.
24th Example
Annual Consider the following scenario which details the methodology of priority mining for
Mintec a single mining block: a first cut is created which removes 50% of the block. The block
Seminar contains three ore types A, B, and C and whose respective block percentages are 40, 25, and
35 and whose priority is in alphabetical order.
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According to Priority methodology, ore A will be mined first until its block
percentage (40%) is reached. Then the remainder of the cut (10%) takes ore B
reducing the percentage of ore B within the block to 15%. Ore C will not be
taken. Once this cut is saved the block partial item will be reduced from an
initial value of 100% to 50%. Mining Software
A second cut removes 25% of the block
and since ore A is exhausted from the block,
ore B will be mined until its resource is
spent (15%) leaving ore C to be used for the
remaining 10% of the cut, reducing its block
percentage to 25% and the total partials
value to 25%. When a third cut is taken, the
remaining percentage of ore C in the block
(25%) will be mined. Any other cuts which
include this block will result in no material
being reported as it has all been mined
by previous cuts. Percentage and tonnage
calculations for each cut are shown below
and verify the reported values shown in
the screen captures from the ip-accum.py
python script.

TOPO: 100%
S.G. (Ore/Waste) = 3.0
Block size: 20m x 20m x 15m
Tonnes per block: 18,000
Ore A percent: 40%
Ore A tonnage within block = 0.4 x 18,000 = 7,200
Ore B percent: 25%
Ore B tonnage within block = 0.25 x 18,000 = 4,500
Ore C percent: 35%
Ore C tonnage within block = 0.35 x 18,000 = 6,300
Calculations for Cut 1 (taking 50% of block):

Cut tonnage = Block tonnage x partial = 18,000 * 0.5 = 9,000 tonnes
Materials taken by Cut1:
Ore A percentage: 40%
Ore B percentage: 10%
Tonnage for Cut 1:

Ore A tonnage: 7,200 tonnes
Ore B tonnage 1,800 tonnes
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Percent of Ore A remaining after Cut 1: 0% Mintec
Percent of Ore B remaining after Cut 1: 15% Seminar
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Mining Software
Ore B percentage: 15%
Ore C percentage: 10%
Tonnage for Cut 2

Ore B tonnage: 2,700 tonnes
Ore C tonnage: 1,800 tonnes
Percent of Ore B remaining after Cut 2: 0%

Percent of Ore C remaining after Cut 2: 25%


Ore C percentage of cut: 25%
Tonnage for Cut 3:

Ore C tonnage: 4,500 tonnes
Percent of Ore C remaining after Cut 3 0%
2.3 Incremental Reports for Non Linear Models

General background
Some non-linear geostatistical techniques, such as Multiple Indicator Kriging (MIK) and
Uniform Conditioning (UC) generate data such that the grades are stored in proportions
rather than in linear increments. For these cases the block grade is defined as a block grade
distribution represented as percentages above particular grade cutoffs instead of as fixed
grades.
One of the applications of the multiple ore percent configuration in Minesight® IP is to
work with this kind of non-linear models in Minesight®. By converting the grade data to
a multi-ore percent format we can easily report the distribution information stored in this
type of models. In this particular case, every grade increment in the non linear model is
considered a separate material, which allows the Minesight® IP tool to report reserves and
average grades for the different increments or materials.
In order to work with this kind of data in Minesight® IP, we need to convert the original
proportions or cutoffs into separate bins. This is so that all of the separate material
percentages add up to 100%. The basic calculations for percentages (Pct) and grades (G) are
24th as follow.
Annual Pct(i) = Pct (i) – Pct (i+1)
Mintec G(i) = G(i)*Pct(i) – [G(i+1)*Pct(i+1)] / [Pct (i) – Pct (i+1)]
Seminar Where i represents a certain proportion cutoff within the grade distribution. The last
cutoff proportion remains the same. The corresponding model items will need to be defined
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in the non-linear model in order to contain the new grades and percentages to be
used in Minesight® IP after the transformation of the data from cutoffs to bins
is made.
IP Setup Mining Software
When creating the IP object, select the option Create new and Multiple Ore
Percent in addition to the default options Min (Topo/Part) – if cuts follow topography
contours, Ore Clipped, and Treat Missing Grades as Zero as it applies to the specific project.
Area tab
Define the Area by selecting a Model view and
the corresponding Percent, Zone, and Grade Items
in the Ore Items section of the window. The percent
and grade items correspond to the percent of
material and grade associated to each bin within
the grade distribution, which was calculated using
the formulas indicated before. The Zone item
stores the definition of each bin. For the case of this
example, constant numbers from 0 through 8 were
assigned respectively. In addition, the first bin (0.0
– 0.2) was assigned to waste material.
Material tab
After selecting the Area to be used,
enter the Zone Names and Codes
associated to each of the bins. No
Cutoffs should be necessary since each
type of material already represent a
certain bin in the grade distribution
function. A default Ore and Waste
zone must also be selected.
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Example
For a Cu project where MIK has been applied, nine cutoffs were
defined for the analysis (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6).
Let’s consider a block with the properties shown in the picture,
Mining Software where CUK is the grade for each interval and PCK is the percent
of the block for each bin going from 0 to 8.
After applying the transformation described
before the grades and percentages associated to
each interval get converted into the values shown
below. CUP and PCP are the items used to store
the results of the transformation and the ones
used within the Minesight® IP setup, as
previously shown.
Finally, to illustrate the results obtained from using Minesight® IP, create
an IP mining cut including only this block, which give us the following
results:
III. Minesight® IP for Gridded Seam Models

1. Single ore percent
General background
Minesight® IP in GSM projects works very similarly to the 3DBM case except that in the
GSM case a Thickness item is also required so the program can calculate volumes (here we
don’t have a default bench height as in the 3DBM case). In addition, the Seam Bottom and
Top items are read from the model view settings. These items are used to determine the
amount of interburden in between seams for the cases when a mining cut includes material
24th from more than one seam. The interburden associated to each seam is calculated based upon
Annual the distance between the current seam and the one above. In general, the same standard
Mintec Minesight® IP configurations used in the 3DBM case also applied for GSM. Also, any of the
Seminar GSM setups can be used against a vertical or rotated GSM as long as a Thickness item is
defined.
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1.1 Single Ore Percent - No Zone item and No Ore Percent item
Methodology
This is the simplest case for a GSM project where reserves are being
summarized as a single material based upon the grade cutoffs. This very basic Mining Software
configuration with no zone item is generally only used when just one final total
tonnage and weighted grade including ore and waste is needed.
IP Setup
Area tab
Prepare the Area tab by selecting the Block
Model View, the Density (as required) and Grade
items as well as the appropriate density Type. A
Volume reduction or Mined out item can be used
if appropriate; however, no item will be used
in the following examples. The Seam Bottom
and Top items will be automatically assigned as
defined by the model view. A GSM undefined
value is set by default to -5000. Any values less
than this number in the Seam Top and Bottom
items will be consider undefined. This value can
be changed to 0 in order to not allow negative
elevations. In addition, an option to report
material under the last seam is also available.
Material tab
Setup the Material tab by selecting the
corresponding Area and then entering a default
Zone name and Value. All blocks will be
reported as the material defined as default. Add
a default Density value and grade Cutoffs as
desired.
By default, each cut will be defined against
a single or multiple seams depending on the
number of seams being displayed in the 3D
Range option of the model view. Additionally,
the selection of the seams being included in each
cut can be modified through the Edit Range
option available in the IP Cut Design window.
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If more than one seam are being selected (as shown in the picture below),
then all the material within the seams as well as the interburden material will
be added to the cut reserves. For the “no zone item” case, since only one type
of material is being used to report, the interburden or waste material will be
Mining Software combined with the ore material from the seams, resulting in one final weighted
tonnage and grade. Notice that for this case, the tonnage for the material within the
seam will be calculated using the density value assigned to the block, while the waste or
interburden material will get assigned the density value of the default material defined in
the Material tab. In order to allow for the calculation of the interburden material above the
first seam, an extra seam has been set up in the GSM (OB) that has ZTOP and ZBOT equal to
the topography and thickness of 0.
Example
Let’s consider one block with the following properties:
SEAM: RXX (Level1)
ZTOP: 949.8 ft
ZBOT: 941.1 ft
THCK: 8.7 ft
ASH: 10.00%
S.R.: 4.3
Block volume: 200 x
200 x 8.7 = 348,000 ft3
= 12,889 BCY
For the case when
only one seam is being
included in the cut, the
tonnage and weighted
grade calculations
shown in the report are
as follow:
Cut tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 / 4.3 = 80,930 tonnes

Cut Ash grade = 10.00 %
On the other hand, if we consider several seams within the mining cut then all the
24th
interburden material will be considered waste and a final weighted grade will be calculated
Annual for the entire mining cut. To illustrate this case, let’s use the same cut as before and change
Mintec the Edit Range to include seams RXX and BXX. The blocks within those seams have the
Seminar following properties:
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SEAM: RXX (Level1)
ZTOP: 949.8 ft
ZBOT: 941.1 ft Mining Software
THCK: 8.7 ft
ASH: 10.00%
S.R.: 4.3
Block volume: 200 x 200 x 8.7 = 348,000 ft3 = 12,889 BCY
Block tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 / 4.3 = 80,930 tonnes
SEAM: BXX (Level2)
ZTOP: 922.2 ft
ZBOT: 915.9 ft
THCK: 6.3 ft
ASH: 11.00%
S.R.: 2.1
Interburden thickness between RXX and BXX: 18.9 ft
Interburden volume = 200 x 200 x 18.9 = 756,000 ft3 = 28,000 BCY
Interburden tonnage = Interburden volume / Default S.R = 39,789 tonnes
Mining Cut tonnage = Seam tonnage + Interburden tonnage = 240,720 tonnes
Mining Cut Weighted Grade = (10 x 80,930 + 11 x 120,000) / 240,720 = 8.85 %
1.2 Single Ore Percent - With Zone item and No Ore Percent item
Methodology
In this case we are using a Zone item, which will allow us to classify our reserves
into different materials. One typical use for the Zone item is the level or bench number
associated to each block. Once again, the number of seams being included within each cut 24th
will depend on the 3D Range defined for the model view or on the selection made through Annual
the Edit Range button of the Design tab in the IP Cut Design window. Mintec
Seminar
Page 18
If more than one seam are being used, the amount of interburden material will
be calculated based on the distances in between the Seam Top elevation of a seam
and the Seam Bottom elevation of the seam above.
IP Setup
Mining Software
Area tab
For this case we will prepare the Area tab by
selecting the Block Model View, a Density item
(as required) and density Type as well as the
appropriate Grade items. In addition, a Zone
item representing the level number will be
used.
Material tab
Setup the Material tab by selecting the
corresponding Area, and then entering
the Zone names, Zone Values, and
Cutoffs as desired.
If more than one seam is being used,
then the interburden material (which
will not have a zone item associated
to it) will be reported as the default
material defined in the Material tab. For
simplicity, the examples shown in here
include only one cutoff, although more
cutoffs can also be added.
Example
The reports below show examples of a
cut including i) only one seam (RXX) and
ii) two seams (RXX and BXX) plus the
interburden material between them.
i) Let’s consider a block with the following properties:
SEAM: RXX (Level1)
ZTOP: 949.8 ft
ZBOT: 941.ft1
THCK: 8.7 ft
ASH: 10.00%
24th
S.R.: 4.3
Annual
Mintec Block volume: 200 x 200 x 8.7 = 348,000 ft3 = 12,889 BCY
Seminar Since we are not using Ore%, we consider the whole block the same type of material
(Ore), therefore the tonnage is calculated as:
Page 19
Cut Ash grade = 10.00 %
Mining Software
ii) Now let’s consider a cut that includes two blocks from two different seams (RXX and
BXX) and the interburden material in between. The first block is the same as in the previous
example and the second block has the following characteristics:
SEAM: BXX (Level2)
ZTOP: 922.2 ft
ZBOT: 915.9 ft
THCK: 6.3 ft
ASH: 11.00%
S.R.: 2.1
The interburden material is calculated based on the distance in between the two blocks
(18.9 ft) and the default tonnage factor in this case of 27. Since we are classifying the material
by zone or seam, each type of material is reported individually and a total tonnage and
weighted average grade is calculated including the interburden material.
RXX Block tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 / 4.3 = 80,930 tonnes
RXX Cut Ash grade = 10.00 %
BXX Block tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 252,000 / 2.1 = 120,000 tonnes
BXX Cut Ash grade = 11.00 %
Interburden tonnage = 200 x 200 x 18.9 / 27 = 28,000 tonnes
Mining Cut Total tonnage = 228,930 tonnes

Mining Cut Weighted Average Grade = (10 x 80,930 + 11 x 120,000) \ 228,930 = 9.3 %
24th
Annual
Mintec
Seminar
Page 20
Mining Software
For the case when interburden material needs to be reported on a seam by seam basis
(above each of the seams), then we would need to set up a different type of waste material
associated to each seam in the Material tab of the IP Tool window. The negative values will
indicate Minesight® that the materials to which we are referring are waste types, specifically,
the interburden material above each seam. For this particular case, the ip-accum.py report
will recognize the difference between ore and waste material giving separate final totals for
ore and waste at the end of the report.
For the last example including the blocks from seams RXX (Level1) and BXX (Level2), the
detailed waste configuration will report as follows:
If we wanted to also include the overburden associated to Level 1 (seam RXX) we

would also need to include within the mining cut the dummy seam OB representing the
topography.
24th 1.3 Single Ore Percent - With Ore Percent item and No Zone item
Annual Methodology
Mintec This case is usually applied to GSM’s where an Ore% item has been calculated as the
Seminar ratio of the ore thickness to the total thickness within the seam. When more than one seam
is being included in the cut, the interburden material is added to the waste. Notice that the
Page 21
waste tonnage is calculated using the density defined in the Material tab for the default
material, while the Ore tonnage is calculated based on the Density value assigned to the
block. Since no zone item is being used, reporting by level is not required and a report with
only one final total including ore and waste is sufficient. Typically in this setup cuts are
applied to all levels to get an idea of total ore and waste in an area. Mining Software
IP Setup
Area tab
Define the Area tab by selecting an Ore%
item, Density item and type, and at least
one Grade item.
Material tab
Since we are not using a Zone item, a
default Zone name and code will be assigned
to all kinds of materials, including ore and
waste. In this case only one cutoff is being
shown in the Material tab although multiple
cutoffs can also be used.
Example
Let’s consider one block with the following properties:
SEAM: RXX (Level1)
ZTOP: 949.8 ft
ZBOT: 941.1 ft
THCK: 8.7 ft
ASH: 10.00%
S.R.: 4.3
Ore%: 14.17%
Block volume: 200 x 200 x 8.7 = 348,000 ft3 = 12,889 BCY 24th
For the case when only one seam is being included in the cut, the tonnage and weighted Annual
grade calculations are as follow: Mintec
Ore tonnage = block volume / S.R. x Ore% = (348,000 / 4.3) x 14.17% = 11,468 tonnes Seminar
Waste tonnage = block volume / S.R. x Waste% = (348,000 / 19) x 85.83% = 15,720 tonnes
Page 22
Total tonnage = 27,188 tonnes
Total weighted grade = 10.00 % x 11,468 tonnes / 27,188 tonnes = 3.8 %
Mining Software
1.4 Single Ore Percent - With Ore Percent item and Zone item
Methodology
This case is usually applied to GSM’s with interburden where the ore% has been
calculated as the ratio of the ore thickness to the total thickness within the seam and
reporting by level is required.
IP Setup
Area tab
For this last single ore case, we will prepare the Area tab by selecting the Block Model
View and the Density (as required), Grade items as well as the appropriate density Type.
In addition to the Zone item representing the level number, we will also use an Ore% item
representing the amount of ore available in each block.
24th
Annual Material tab
Mintec Setup the Material tab by selecting the corresponding Area, then entering Zone names,
Seminar Values, and Cutoffs as desired. All blocks with no zone code or not defined will be reported
as the material defined as default.
Page 23
Depending on how the Material tab is setup, you can choose in between
reporting only total waste or waste on a level by level basis, as explained in the
previous case. For both cases, since the Ore% item is being added here, the waste
material for each seam will include the waste material within the seam
(calculated based on the Ore% item) and the interburden material between the Mining Software
current seam and the one above. Waste tonnage is calculated based on the density
value indicated in the Material window for each level or for the default material type while
the Ore tonnage is calculated using the density values stored in the blocks. Examples of total
waste and waste by seam setups are shown in the pictures below.
Example
Let’s consider our previous example with two blocks part of two different seams.
SEAM: RXX (Level1)

ZTOP: 949.8 ft
ZBOT: 941.1 ft
THCK: 8.7 ft
ASH: 10.00%
S.R.: 4.3
ORE% : 14.17%
Block Ore tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 x 14.17% / 4.3 = 11,468 tonnes
Block Waste tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 x 85.83% / 27 = 11,062 tonnes
SEAM: BXX (Level2)

ZTOP: 922.2 ft
ZBOT: 915.9 ft
THCK: 6.3 ft
ASH: 11.00%
S.R.: 2.1
ORE% : 25.0 %
Block Ore tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 252,000 x 25% / 2.1 = 30,000 tonnes
Block Waste tonnage = 252,000 x 75% / 27 = 7,000 tonnes
Interburden tonnage = 200 x 200 x 18.9 / 27 = 28,000 tonnes
Total Waste = 11,062 + 7,000 + 28,000 = 46,062 tonnes

Total Block tonnage = 11,468 + 30,000 + 46,062 = 87,530 tonnes
Total Average Grade = (10 x 11,468 + 11 x 30,000) \ 87,530 = 5.08 %

24th
Annual
Mintec
Seminar
Page 24
Mining Software
Now, if we decide we want to report the waste for each seam separately, we can change
the configuration of the Material tab as shown in the previous section. For the case of
the two blocks from the previous example, the results of these changes will result in the
following:
Here each type of waste is being reported individually where waste for level 1 includes
the waste material within the seam, calculated based on the information from the Ore%
item, and waste for level 2 includes the waste material within the seam plus the interburden
material above seam 2. In addition, since we now are able to differentiate in between waste
and ore, the weighted average grade is now calculated only for the ore material.
24th Weighted Average Grade for Ore Material = (10 x 11,468 + 11 x 30,000) / 41,468 = 10.72 %
Annual If we wanted to also include the overburden material associated to seam 1 (material
Mintec between the top of the seam and the topography, we would need to also include the dummy
Seminar seam representing the topography (OB).
Page 25
Mining Software
In this case we would be adding extra waste material to Level1 for a distance of 52.7 ft
(1002.5 – 949.8 ft). This tonnage would be calculated as:
Overburden tonnage seam Level1 = 200 x 200 x 52.7 / 27 = 78,074 tonnes
Total waste tonnage seam Level1 = 11,063 + 78,074 = 89,137 tonnes
Everything else stays as in the previous report.
2. Multiple ore percent

General background
GSM’s can now also work with a multiple ore percent setup in the same way as defined for
3-D block models. Even though for most cases a multiple ore percent setup is not necessary
in a GSM environment (because different types of materials are usually assigned to different
seams), this type of configuration has been adapted to the special case of a 3-D block model
containing inclined benches. For most inclined benches projects, benches will not necessarily
be parallel and just the rotation of the regular 3DBM will not be enough to adjust to the actual
benches geometry. An alternative in this case is to define a GSM project to accurately define
each of the benches. If the original 3-D model was defined as a multiple ore percent project, 24th
then the equivalent GSM will also need to be defined with multiple ore percent.
Annual
A multiple ore percent GSM will then consist, in the same way as defined for a 3DBM, of Mintec
mining blocks containing at least one or more types of ore and possibly one or more types of Seminar
waste. These different types of material will be coded to different model items, from which
Minesight® IP will read and then report the various ore and waste tonnages.
Page 26
The option for Priority Mining described for the 3DBM case is not yet available
for GSM; therefore we will only analyze the case for multiple ore without priority
mining.
Mining Software
2.1 Basic Case – No Priority Mining

Methodology
This type of IP setup is used when the block model contains multiple types of ore and/
or waste and the user wants to report the tonnages for the various zones contained in a
cut without a preference as to which material is mined first within each block. This type of
reporting is easily accomplished when the blocks are properly coded with the desired zone
types. Each block can be coded with different materials stored in up to 25 model items.
In addition, a percent item has to be associated to each zone item to indicate the amount
of material assigned to each code. Each zone item should also have its own grade and/or
specific gravity item for more accurate reserve calculations.
IP Setup
When creating the IP object select the options Create new and Multiple Ore Percent in
addition to the default options Min (Topo/Part) – if cuts follow topography contours, Ore
Clipped, and Treat Missing Grades as Zero as it applies to the specific project.
Area tab
Fill in the Area tab as shown by selecting a Model view, Pct Items (ore percent item), Zone
Items, Density Item (as needed), and Grade Items for the Ore Items section. Under the Waste
Items section, select the Pct, Zone, and Density items as well for waste types if these are to
be reported separately. In this example no waste zone items are being used.
24th
Annual
Material tab
Mintec
Seminar After selecting an Area to be used, enter the Zone names associated to each zone code,
and the code Values and Cutoffs to be used for report labeling and binning. The cutoff in the
Page 27
reports will be based upon the first zone item on the Area tab. A Default Ore
and Waste zone must be selected in order to report blocks which do not contain
a listed zone Value. Material having an Ore% value and no zone code will be
assigned to the default zone, whereas material having no Ore% value and no
zone code will be assigned to the Waste default zone. Mining Software
Example
A single cut is taken which mines an entire block containing three ore zones. As shown
in the Minesight® IP report below, each material type is reported separately with the
corresponding tonnages based upon each materials block percentage. All the material
remaining after all the ore percents have been accounted for will classify as the default
waste zone defined in the Material tab. The grade for each kind of material is stored
separately in the block model and then average for the combined total for all the ore
material.
SEAM: BXX (Level2)
ZTOP: 887.7 ft
ZBOT: 879.7 ft
THCK: 8.0 ft
ORE1: 42.0%
ORE2: 26.0%
ORE3: 15.0%
S.R.: 2.1
CU1: 0.80%
CU2: 0.82%
CU3: 1.03% 24th
Annual
Block volume: 200 x 200 x 8.0 = 320,000 m3 = 11,851 BCY
Mintec
Seminar
Page 28
Tonnage Zone1: Block Volume x Ore1 / S.R = 320,000 x 0.42 / 2.1 = 64,000
tonnes
tonnes
Mining Software
tonnes
Total Ore Tonnage: 126,476 tonnes
Avg Ore CU: (0.8 x 64,000 + 0.82 x 39,619 + 1.03 x 22,857) / 126,476 = 0.85%
If more than one seam are being included in the cut, then the interburden material will be
added to the default waste material in the same way as shown in the simple percent case,
although for the special case of inclined benches, benches are supposed to be adjacent with
no material in between.
IV. Minesight® IP for Gridded Surface File

Minesight® IP can be run against a GSF using a similar setup to the one defined for GSM.
A thickness item is needed in order to calculate the mining cut volume. Also a Zone and
Ore% item can be used to classify reserves. An example for the use of GSF in conjunction
with Minesight® IP, would be a surface representing the bottom of one bench and a total
thickness calculated from topography. There is also a special case where the new Minesight®
procedures for Block Caving use a GSF to store mining column values and tonnages. Both of
these examples will be shown here in order to illustrate how using Minesight® IP against a
surface can be of great help when scheduling and calculating reserves.
1. Single Ore Percent - With Ore Percent item and No Zone item
Methodology
By using an IP setup with an Ore% item and no zone item, reserves will be summarized
as a single material, based upon the grade cutoffs if desired, and the average weighted
24th grade will be calculated for the both ore and waste combined together.
Annual IP Setup
Mintec Area tab
Seminar Prepare the Area tab by selecting a block model view, and selecting an Ore%, Density (as
required), and Grade items as well as the appropriate density Type.
Page 29
Mining Software
Material tab
Setup the Material tab by assigning a default Zone name, Value, and Cutoffs if desired.
In this case all the material will be assigned to the same type of material, reporting a total
tonnage and a weighted average grade.
Example
The following example shows a surface representing the bottom of one bench and a total
thickness calculated from topography. An ash grade is associated to the bench, and an ore
percent item is also included to represent the ration between ore and waste thickness within
24th
each mining block. For the case of a mining cut including an entire mining block the results Annual
are as follow: Mintec
Seminar
Page 30
ELEV: 950 ft
THICK: 62.1 ft
Mining Software ASH GRADE: 11.4%
ORE%: 65.0%
Cut Volume: 200 x 200 x 62.1 = 2,484,000 ft3 = 92,000 BYC
Ore tonnage = 2,484,000 x 65% / 19 = 84,979 tonnes
Waste tonnage = 2,484,000 x 35% / 19 = 45,758 tonnes
Weighted Grade = 11.4 x 84,979 / 130,737 = 7.41% ASH
2. Special Case: Minesight® Block Panel Caving

General background
Utilizing Minesight® Block Panel Caving procedures in conjunction with a 3DBM and
GSF, users are able to quickly and easily produce a mining schedule for planning the
extraction of a mineral deposit by either block or panel caving mining methods. One of the
main steps in generating this mining schedule is to determine the areas which can be mined
at a profit. To this end, a GSF and Minesight® IP are used to outline these mining areas.
Methodology
In order to outline economic mining areas through the use of Minesight® IP, Minesight®
Block Panel Caving (BPC) procedures store mining column values and tonnages (based
upon a special 3DBM configuration) within a GSF. This is done by creating an IP Set
configured to work with a GSF and a column thickness item. Instead of creating typical
mining cuts as is done normally within Minesight® IP, entire mining areas are outlined,
saved, then converted to actual geometry data and coded back to the GSF whose area codes
are now to be used within Minesight® BPC procedures to create mining schedule(s).
IP Setup
The IP Set creation for use with a GSF is
similar to that used for a single ore percent
block model. The Min (Topo/Part), Ore
Clipped, Treat Missing Grades As Zero,
and Exposed Geometry options should be
checked as shown.
24th
Annual
Mintec
Seminar
Page 31
Area tab
To setup the Area tab within Minesight®
IP, a GSF model view is selected along with
a Thickness item which contains the height
of each mining column, a Zone item (to be Mining Software
used for detailed reporting), a Density item,
and desired Grade items.
Materials tab
On the Material tab, select the appropriate
IP Area and enter at least one Zone name and
corresponding value and desired Cutoffs for
grade/tonnage reporting.
Example
Volume/Tonnage validation
Before mining areas are outlined within Minesight® IP, volume and tonnage calculations
for a single mining column should be verified. To do this, a single block is queried, using
a GSF model view, to determine the elevation of the column bottom, top, and height. The
results of manual volume and tonnage calculations using these values are shown below. A
cut within Minesight® IP is then created for the same queried block and volume and tonnage
for the mining cut is reported. Since the volume and tonnages reported match the manual
calculations, mining areas may be generated with confidence that the reported volumes and
tonnages will be correct.
24th
Annual
Mintec
Seminar
Page 32
S.G. = 2.5
Block size: 20m x 20m x 15m (L x W x H)
Mining Software Block volume: 6000 m3
Mining column characteristics (varies per column)

Column height (meters) = Column top (Item BTOP1) – column bottom
(Item BBOT1)
= 2750 – 2225 = 525 m (Item BHT1)
Column volume = L x W x column height = 20 x 20 x 525 = 210,000 m3

Column tonnage = column volume x S.G. = 210000 x 2.5 = 525,000
tonnes
Outlining mining areas

One of the steps to create a mining schedule using Minesight® BPC procedures is to
specify economical mining areas on the GSF within Minesight® IP. This is done in the same
fashion as creating mining cuts. In this example, two mining areas were outlined in a GSF,
whose total tonnages and grades are reported respectively.
24th
Annual
Mintec
Seminar
Page 33

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Minesight® Interactive Planner: An Excellent Planning and Reporting Tool for Block Models,

Gridded Seam Models and Gridded Surface Files

Minesight® Interactive Planner: An Excellent Planning

Mining Blocks characteristics:

2.1 Basic Multiple Ore Percent – No Priority Mining

Mining Block characteristics:

Mining Block characteristics:

Calculations for Cut 1 (taking 50% of block):

Tonnage for Cut 1:

Tonnage for Cut 2

Percent of Ore B remaining after Cut 2: 0%

Calculations for Cut 3 (taking 25% of block):

Materials taken by Cut3:

Tonnage for Cut 3:

Percent of Ore C remaining after Cut 3 0%

2.3 Incremental Reports for Non Linear Models

III. Minesight® IP for Gridded Seam Models

Cut tonnage = block volume / S.R. = 348,000 / 4.3 = 80,930 tonnes

Interburden tonnage = 200 x 200 x 18.9 / 27 = 28,000 tonnes

Mining Cut Total tonnage = 228,930 tonnes

If we wanted to also include the overburden associated to Level 1 (seam RXX) we

SEAM: RXX (Level1)

SEAM: BXX (Level2)

Interburden tonnage = 200 x 200 x 18.9 / 27 = 28,000 tonnes

Total Waste = 11,062 + 7,000 + 28,000 = 46,062 tonnes

Total Average Grade = (10 x 11,468 + 11 x 30,000) \ 87,530 = 5.08 %

2. Multiple ore percent

2.1 Basic Case – No Priority Mining

IV. Minesight® IP for Gridded Surface File

2. Special Case: Minesight® Block Panel Caving

Mining column characteristics (varies per column)

Column volume = L x W x column height = 20 x 20 x 525 = 210,000 m3

Outlining mining areas

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