Ongoing Geological Input into a Mature Mining Operation - Essential Contributions from the Graduate Level

Located in North West Queensland, XstrataÆs Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO) is one of the largest underground mines in Australia with annual production exceeding six million tonnes of ore with average copper grades of three per cent. As at 30 June 2006, the Ore Reserve inventory totalled 87 Mt, with annual diamond drilling planned at >40 000 m in order to convert existing resources and test and define exploration targets. The role of the geology department within MICO is to collect, interpret and communicate relevant geological information to ensure the optimal extraction of ore. Routine underground inspections across multiple ore sources are undertaken and the information derived is then distributed to a range of professionals, operational personnel and management. The information is a æreal-timeÆ geological view for the stakeholders. Ongoing data collection and interpretation has developed a strong geological input to all mine planning processes within MICO. This has created strong synergies between mine planning professionals and a throughput benefit has been seen all the way to the concentrator. The MICO geological framework also provides avenues for a geological focus away from short-term production requirements, and as a result significant orebody scale observations and patterns have been realised that have led to an increase in the accuracy of geological and resource models. This has provided practical benefits for short-term scheduling and production, whilst enabling the realisation of long-term benefits that have a strong potential to increase the volume and value of the MICO resource. This paper will discuss the various mine geology contributions at MICO and illustrate some examples where mine geological input from graduate level has added significant value to the MICO business.