One of the major challenges for the mining industry is to supply the processing plant with ore that meets its specifications for maximizes production. This can only be achieved if proper knowledge of the geological domains of the orebody is acquired. However, this condition is not sufficient: once the geological domains of the orebody are properly known, it is also necessary to model the geological grades using estimation techniques such as kriging. The challenge for mining companies is to establish sampling processes and techniques that allow the appropriate estimation of the geological grades of the mined out ore. This paper presents a comparative analysis between three sampling methods and their impact on the estimation of the geological grade at the mine face in a case study carried out at the Cajati mine of Bunge Fertilizantes S/A, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Drill sampling; grade estimation; mining of carbonatites; ore quality control
