29 articles
Software doesn't make a good resource estimate — the geologist does. But the right tool for your project size, budget, and team matters. Here's how to choose without the marketing noise.
Choosing a cut-off grade isn't a spreadsheet exercise. It's a decision that depends on mining method, metal price, recovery, and how honest your geological model is. Here's how to think about it for Indonesian deposits.
Core logging is where your geological model starts — not in the software, but at the core shed. Bad logging produces bad models. Here's the workflow I use on every Indonesian project.
A grade-tonnage curve looks simple — grade on one axis, tonnage on the other. But reading it correctly requires understanding what the curve assumes and what it hides.
Your kriging search ellipse determines which samples influence each block estimate. Too big and you over-smooth. Too small and you're noisy. Here's how to find the right one.
The JORC 2012 Code isn't vague about what your resource statement must contain. Yet most Indonesian reports I review are missing at least three required elements. Here's exactly what to write.
Sampling theory isn't academic — it's the reason your assay database has errors you can't see. Understand the nugget effect, sample support, and the fundamental sampling error.
Your variogram is the foundation of your kriging estimate. Get it wrong and every block in your model is biased. Here are the five mistakes I see most often in Indonesian resource projects.
Blanks, standards, duplicates — insertion rates, failure thresholds, and the corrective actions when QC fails. A field-to-lab QA/QC protocol for Indonesian projects.
Swath plots, NN comparison, grade-tonnage reconciliation — the 7-step block model validation checklist every resource geologist should run before CP sign-off.
From Orebit — practical geology tools for working geologists
