USING EXPLORATION-STAGE MINERALOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY TO ANTICIPATE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF MINING

The exploration stages of minerals development provide substantive geochemical and mineralogic information characterizing potential ore and “waste” rocks. During the initial and definition stages of exploration, detailed sampling from surface outcrops and drill holes is used to ascertain the geochemical signatures of potential ore deposits; by its nature, this information also provides background geochemical and mineralogic data that is necessarily used to physically classify rock volumes into various categories based on their economic and environmental characteristics.

Because of the necessity to consider future environmental ramifications of mining, exploration- and ore definition-stage geochemical and mineralogic data are used in ore reserve estimation and mine planning to segregate mine “waste” volumes by mechanical- and geochemical-environmental parameters. Hence, collection of appropriate information and the incorporation of such into ore body models, resource estimates, and net present value determinations is critical in the overall assessment of the economic potential of a prospect. Importantly, the quantity and diversity of information collected during exploration stages will vary significantly because ore deposits also display significant variations in their geochemical characteristics even within a specific ore type and by geographic/climatic location.