Drilling Data to Find Diamonds

maxgeo’s Diamond Model database structure accommodates the unique requirements of diamond miners.

Geotechnical engineering measures
Geotechnical information is vitally important in a hard rock mining environment. This includes both open pit and underground operations. In both scenarios, the importance of the Rock Mass Rating cannot be understated and this information is critical in ensuring maximum productivity in the safest mining environment possible.

Geological logging
The distribution of diamonds in kimberlite and alluvial deposits requires different sampling methodologies to those employed in base and precious metal operations. Samples are typically taken in bulk batches where indicator minerals are logged to better determine diamond distribution within the orebody.

Mineralogy & Geometallurgy
Mineral characterisation can help identify the different facies within kimberlite orebodies which aids in appropriate mine planning as well as the processing of mined material in a hard rock environment.

maxgeo’s Diamond Model features a customised set of tables and rules within the DataShed database schema, as well as a specially adapted version of LogChief for logging of geological and production data in the field to help with your diamond data management.

Geotechnical Database Calculations

The maxgeo logging solution allows geotechnical engineers to capture data to aid in the design of underground and open-pit mines.

The use of lookup tables or pick-lists in the LogChief logging interface ensures that only appropriate values are captured during logging. Various other internal checks and balances ensure that interval overlaps or missed intervals are immediately flagged, or rejected, ensuring that clean, high-quality data is immediately available for use in the various built-in geotechnical calculations. These calculations are locked in the SQL database ensuring that changes cannot be made and thereby adding confidence to the outputs from these calculations.

From a geotechnical perspective, the LogChief Custom Layouts provide a logging interface that is easy to use and provides a logical capture of data ensuring that no data is missed during logging.

Logging

The highly customisable nature of the maxgeo LogChief solution allows for incredibly detailed geological logging in order to capture the numerous logging requirements of diamond exploration and mining. Geological sub-units, xenolith details, groundmass, and indicator minerals can be captured in intricate detail.

The distribution of diamonds within diamondiferous kimberlite pipes are indicated by minerals such as garnet, chrome diopside, ilmenite, chromite, olivine and micro diamonds. LogChief’s downhole logging interface enables the logging and visualisation of these indicator minerals amongst many other parameters. LogChief is entirely customisable to suit the parameters being logged and can be set up to log mantle and / or country rock xenoliths, which typically occur in kimberlites. Dilution calculation in kimberlites is vital to understand and calculate the effect that dilution can have on the processing of mined ore downstream. LogChief further has the ability to capture and calculate dilution data for downhole drilling. Once the data is captured and synchronised, the logged data can be used to make informed decisions in near real-time.

maxgeo provides data management products for several diamond miners around the world, including De Beers, Debswana, Letseng Diamonds and Lucara Diamond Corporation. Further, we currently host Lucapa Diamond Company in the maxgeo cloud solutions environment.

To find out more about how maxgeo can help diamond miners and explorers use data for accurate business insights, please contact us.