Geological Uncertainty and Resource Definition in Early-Stage Mining
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Geological uncertainty as the starting point for mine decisions

The geological model is more than a picture of the future mine. It is an uncertainty model attached to decisions.
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Imagine a mineral deposit before there is a mine. There are drill holes. Between them is rock nobody has directly observed.
WHY THIS "GEOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTY" CHALLENGE?
Yet decisions cannot wait until uncertainty disappears. Where should the next drilling go? How much confidence is enough to advance a design?

The danger begins when the uncertainty disappears from the conversation before it disappears from the geology.

主なメリット
What keeping geological uncertainty in decisions changes

Keeping geological uncertainty connected to decisions changes how information is valued.

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Drilling is judged by its power to change a decision

Additional drilling can be judged by whether it could materially change a decision, not simply by whether it adds more data.

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Designs tested against plausible geological alternatives

Mine designs and scenarios can be tested against plausible geological alternatives rather than one expected central case.

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Capital committed knowing which assumptions are exposed

Capital can be committed with a clearer understanding of which geological assumptions remain exposed and how much they matter.

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Information is acquired where it can change the most

Scenario modelling identifies where additional drilling or interpretation has the greatest potential to change a material decision.

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01
Start with the commitment

Identify the decision – drilling, mine geometry, sequencing, infrastructure or another commitment – that geological uncertainty could still change.

Local Fallback Drill at a Mine Control Panel and Slurry Pump
02
Preserve the evidence behind the mode

Maintain traceability from observations and assays through interpretations, assumptions and model versions.

Haul Truck Simulator Rehearsal for an Abnormal Handover
03
Represent uncertainty explicitly

Where appropriate, use ranges, alternative interpretations and geostatistical simulations rather than allowing one expected representation to appear certain.

Mine Supervisors Replanning Operations on a Shift Coordination Board
04
Propagate uncertainty into the decision

Show how plausible geological outcomes change the alternatives being considered rather than isolating uncertainty inside the geology function.

mine geologist examines mineralized rock at an open-pit bench as a haul truck travels through the terraced mine below.
05
Ask what information is worth acquiring

Scenario modelling can identify where additional drilling or interpretation has the greatest potential to change a material decision.

Engineers measuring drivetrain wear during teardown analysis
06
Learn as the orebody becomes observable

Reconciliation between models and later observations can improve both the geological representation and the decisions built on it.

Reliability engineer inspects a grinding mill sensor during live production.
Replacement Conveyor Drive Installed to Preserve Production Choices
実証済みの効果
The JORC Code classifies Resources and Reserves by confidence in geological knowledge

CIM’s 2026 resource estimation program addresses sampling and estimation uncertainty, confidence classification and conditional simulation for strategic mine planning and project evaluation.

重要な結果
Knowing which uncertainty matters to the decision now

The objective is not to eliminate uncertainty before deciding. Mining could wait forever for that.

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The uncertainty that matters to this decision is known

The operation knows which uncertainty matters to the decision being made and what alternatives it creates for design or sequencing.

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Information bought before commitments become hard to undo

The mine knows what additional information is worth buying before the commitment becomes difficult to reverse in rock and capital.

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Evidence is preserved from each assay to model version

Traceability from observations and assays through interpretations, assumptions and model versions keeps every decision explainable.

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Deciding how much to know before operating the orebody

Before a mine learns how to operate the orebody, it must decide how much it needs to know about it, and which gaps it can accept.

Make geological uncertainty decision-ready

Explore how connecting uncertainty modelling to drilling, design and capital decisions can improve mining commitments.

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