Bulk sampling can help you get a more accurate idea of how much ore there is to be mined, but you need to have the scale to do it and know when it is appropriate. Dr Simon Dominy joins Director of Geology at Optiro Ian Glacken to discuss where he has seen it used well in the past. In this episode: 1:07 Why do we need to do bulk sampling? 2:12 How do you define a bulk sample? 2:42 What are the key elements of a bulk sampling campaign? 4:28 What does bulk sampling cost? 5:08 What are some example ...
Feb 03, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 29
When you travel the world visiting mines, you encounter extremes in weather, altitude and travel. In this final part of the travels of a geologist, Director of Geology at Optiro Ian Glacken recalls how he almost got frostbite in an unlikely country and about potholes so big they could swallow a car. In this episode: 1:10 What has been the hottest and coldest places you've been as a travelling geologist? 4:05 Frostbite in Morocco (almost) 5:52 What is the highest mine above sea level you've ever ...
Jan 20, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 28
The best jobs can be on the worst trips and the worst jobs can be in the best places. In part 3 of 4 of this series on travel as a geologist, Director of Geology at Optiro Ian Glacken tells us about some of the worst places he's been and the worst food poisoning he's endured, whilst keeping an eye out for some of the world's most rugged beauty. In this episode: 1:23 Where is the worst place you've been to as a consultant? 4:23 What are some other unfavourable places you've visited? 5:21 What abo...
Jan 06, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Seeing the world as a consultant geologist can take you places, but some of them are a little too exciting to experience twice! Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken recalls some stories including escaping a revolution, meeting Danie Krige on a pile of gold bars and having his clothes eaten by goats. In this episode: 1:00 Following C tutoring from Larry Page at Stanford, where did you travel next? 2:40 What were your first trips as a consultant geologist like? 4:57 Meeting the guys from Bre-X...
Dec 09, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 26
If you want to see the world you needn't join the navy: geologists get to see the world and quite frequently, too. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken tells some stories about his early travels and what he learned, including honing his C programming skills with a young Google CEO Larry Page. In this episode: 1:05 Does working as a geologist lead to a lot of travel? 2:30 Is the travel enjoyable? 3:14 Was there much travel in the early years of your career? 11:43 Studying geostatistics at Sta...
Nov 25, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Should geochemistry be used more than structure? How can you get a 3D picture of a resource? And what are "coloured shapes around coloured numbers"? Optiro's Principal Consultant Mark Drabble joins Fresh Thinking to give an overview of geological interpretation and modelling. In this episode: 0:57 What is geological interpretation? 2:31 Why is it so important? 3:28 How do geologists interpret the information they see? 4:29 What are "coloured shapes around coloured numbers?" 7:22 What is the best...
Nov 11, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Geologists need to use the right methods when estimating the tonnage and grade they can expect from an ore body. For recoverable resources, when uniform conditioning doesn't work, you need to turn to alterative techniques. In part two of this two-part series, Senior Geostatistician at Geovariances, David Barry, and Director of Geology at Optiro, Ian Glacken, discuss MIK and conditional simulation. In this episode: 2:05 There are alternatives to uniform conditioning for when it isn't suitable 4:1...
Oct 28, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Geologists need to make predictions about how much can be extracted from an ore body based on limited data. What can you do to confidently report on the likely tonnage and grade? In part one of this two-part series, Senior Geostatistician at Geovariances, David Barry, and Director of Geology at Optiro Ian Glacken discuss recoverable resources and how to apply uniform conditioning. In this episode: 1:25 What are recoverable resources? 2:34 What is the difference between recoverable and ordinary r...
Oct 14, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Underground grade control is different from open pit grade control and to take you through the depths of their experiences, Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken and geometallurgist Simon Dominy discuss the topic, covering techniques and methods. In this episode: 1:00 How is underground grade control different to open pit? 1:47 How does the mining methods used in underground mining affect the way you'd do grade control? 2:53 Do we need to use a wider range of techniques for underground grade ...
Sep 30, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 21
It is visually very attractive, but getting an accurate grade for coarse gold isn't straight forward. If you've used the wrong techniques, your estimate could be way off. World expert in this field Simon Dominy joins Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken to discuss what you could do to make sure you're reporting the right grade from your samples. In this episode: 1:15 Let's clarify - what is coarse gold? 2:58 What deposits in Australia are classified as coarse gold? 4:06 It's visually appeali...
Sep 16, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 20
The relatively new practice of geometallurgy is giving miners an additional tool to employ in their search for viable mineral reserves. Dr. Simon Dominy, an old friend of Optiro's and a leading geometallurgist joins Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken to discuss the discipline and how it's being used in industry. In this episode: 1:32 What are the differences between geometallurgy, geology and metallurgy? 2:40 If you're going to be a geometallurgist, should you start out as a geologist or a...
Sep 02, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Consulting as a geologist in the mining industry is a very rewarding career, but what about the clients?! How can a great relationship with a client make a job successful, or a terrible relationship make a project head south? Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken spills the beans on some of the experiences he's had throughout his career, revealing the good, the bad and the ugly. In this episode: 1:07 What's the worst job you've ever worked on? 2:20 So what constitutes a good job for you? 3:57...
Aug 19, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Due Diligence is an important process to undertake when acquiring a mineral asset, but how do you know if you're getting it right and if it's protecting you from issues down the line? In this episode, the final part of a four part series, Managing Director of Optiro Mark Warren shares some of his experiences around Due Diligence, illustrating that it's not always straight forward. In this episode: 1:02 If I'm buying a mineral asset, what should I hope to get out of due diligence? 9:58 What are s...
Aug 06, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Due Diligence is an important process to undertake when acquiring a mineral asset, but how do you know if you're getting it right and if it's protecting you from issues down the line? In this episode, part three of a four part series, Managing Director of Optiro Mark Warren explores the Due Diligence process and how to keep it swift. In this episode: 0:52 What are the steps in the due diligence process? 5:56 What is a data room? 10:07 How long does a due diligence typically take? 11:28 The level...
Jul 23, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Due Diligence is an important process to undertake when acquiring a mineral asset, but how do you know if you're getting it right and if it's protecting you from issues down the line? In this episode, part two of a four part series, Managing Director of Optiro Mark Warren explores the scoping of Due Diligence, ensuring you have all the right people in the room to get a good result. In this episode: 1:01 To understand the scope, what are some things included in a technical due diligence? 2:53 A b...
Jul 09, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Due Diligence is an important process to undertake when acquiring a mineral asset, but how do you know if you're getting it right and if it's protecting you from issues down the line? In this episode, part one of a four part series, Managing Director of Optiro Mark Warren explores some fundamental questions around Due Diligence. In this episode: 1:01 Give us some background - how long have you been involved in DDs? 1:57 So what is due diligence? Is it just doing your homework? 3:55 Does the stan...
Jun 25, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Seeing all the information you need to make a decision on one screen can be a powerful tool for management. Reconciliation dashboards are becoming more popular with miners who want to have all the information available for each stakeholder in the process. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken boils down the essence of these dashboards in this episode and explains the good practices he has seen around the world and what they allow miners to do. In this episode: 0:52 What is the concept of a da...
Jun 11, 2019•14 min•Season 1Ep. 13
It's time to go deeper on accuracy and precision in the context of quality control of geological data. In the second half of this two-part series, we explore precision: Optiro's Principal Consultant Paul Blackney goes into detail on precision and why it matters when sampling. In this episode: 0:56 What is an acceptable level of precision for sample grade data? 5:33 What happens when your grade precision is not consistent with what you were expecting? For more information: Contact Paul Blackney -...
May 28, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 12
It's time to go deeper on accuracy and precision in the context of quality control of geological data. In the first half of this two-part series, we explore the subject of accuracy: Optiro's Principal Consultant Paul Blackney explains the difference between the two concepts and then illustrates what accuracy means in practice in mining. In this episode: 0:54 What's the difference between accuracy and precision? 5:12 Why are the accuracy and precision of geological data so important? 7:09 How do ...
May 14, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Reports are one of the most important methods of communication in the world of geology. Writing well means your findings will be well understood and interpreted correctly the day you deliver them and years down the track. Optiro's Director of Geology and report editor in chief Ian Glacken has summarised his advice on report writing down to seven key points. In this episode: 0:40 What sort of reports are there in geology and why are they important? 1:18 Why is good report writing important? 2:08 ...
Apr 30, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Most important decisions in mining are in some shape or form dependent on the accuracy of sampling. There are many ways to introduce errors and its important to eliminate as many as possible. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken explains why sampling is so important, the sorts of errors that can be introduced during sampling and how to avoid them. In this episode: 0:36 Why is sampling important in the mining industry? 1:42 What are sampling errors? 2:54 What are the key principles of samplin...
Apr 16, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Quality Assurance and Quality Control, or QAQC, encompasses a range of controls that ensure accurate results in sampling. In this part 2 of the two-part series on QAQC, Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken and Principal Paul Blackney discuss precision, contamination and best practice. In this episode: 1:02 How do we measure precision and why is it important? 3:12 What are the properties of a duplicate for precision analysis? 3:50 Why do we need to take duplicates at various stages? 5:09 What...
Apr 02, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Quality Assurance and Quality Control, or QAQC, encompasses a range of controls that ensure accurate results in sampling. In this part 1 of the two-part series on QAQC, Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken and Principal Paul Blackney discuss the difference between QA and QC and how accuracy is determined. In this episode: 0:56 What is QAQC? 2:10 What are the limits of QAQC in the mining cycle? 2:45 What are the key aspects of what QAQC is trying to achieve? 4:09 How do we measure accuracy gi...
Mar 19, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Declustering is a critical technique to understand and use when estimating a resource. It helps you get a more accurate picture of the whole ore body, but why is it controversial in parts of the industry? Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken and Principal Paul Blackney discuss the technique and where to use it. In this episode: 0:51 What is declustering and why is mining data clustered? 1:41 What are the implications of not declustering? 2:03 When is declustering useful? 2:52 Do we need to a...
Mar 06, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Getting reconciliation wrong can lead to dire consequences for miners. Mine reconciliation is the practice of comparing the tonnage and grade of material processed by the mill with the tonnage and grade of ore in the reserve model of a deposit and with the tonnage and grade in the grade control models used to define ore in mining. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken explains what can go wrong and how we can aim to avoid issues. In this episode: 0:47 What is reconciliation and how it applies...
Feb 20, 2019•11 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Mineral resource estimation produces a model of deposits for extraction and is made up of various complex processes. In part two of this two-part series, Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken discusses how the various methods used for estimation can be controversial and takes a look towards the future. In this episode: 0:50 What is the issue and what are the differences between global estimation and local accuracy? 3:55 How do you know which approach is applicable to your situation? 5:05 Is t...
Feb 06, 2019•12 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Mineral resource estimation produces a model of deposits for extraction and is made up of various complex processes. In part one of this two-part series, Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken discusses the history and common practices of resource estimation. In this episode: 0:42 What are the main estimation methods used in mineral estimation worldwide? 1:33 What is the origin of the term 'Kriging'? 2:40 There are multiple methods for resource estimation, but why don't we all use the same one...
Jan 23, 2019•13 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Reporting the right information to investors is critical. The three main codes around the world that govern resource estimation and reporting to the market all contain references to RPEEE, or Reasonable Prospects of Eventual Economic Extraction. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken explains why the principle is critical to reporting resources. In this episode: 0:48 What is RPEEE? 1:33 Why do we need to have RPEEE as part of all the reporting codes? 2:28 The codes are there to protect investo...
Jan 16, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 2
When you're creating a resource estimate you need to be sure that you haven't relied on outlier samples. Top cutting (or capping) is a method you can use to reduce the impact of individual samples and produce a more accurate picture of what's in the ground. Optiro's Director of Geology Ian Glacken explains the method, when it is appropriate and what happens when it's not used correctly. In this episode: 0:44 What is a top cut? 1:10 Why should you use a top cut? 2:03 When and where should you app...
Jan 09, 2019•10 min•Season 1Ep. 1
