Global
Cortez Hills is Barrick Gold’s largest gold producer.
Cortez changes
the game plan
As Barrick Nevada’s
(a subsidiary of
Barrick Gold) Cortez
Hills operation
in Nevada, US,
continues growing,
the old paper and
pencil methods
cannot keep up
with the day-to-day
demands of detailed
face mapping.
[6] MINING MIRROR MAY 2018
C
ortez Hills is the largest gold producer
of Barrick Gold and Nevada. Mined
since 1862, it is the longest-operating
gold mine in the US state of Nevada. Cortex
District Operations comprises opencast mining
of the Pipeline and South Pipeline deposits, and
both opencast and underground mining of the
Cortez Hills deposit. The mine uses Maptek
Vulcan for various geological modelling tasks at
its underground operations.
Geological face mapping
underground
It became apparent that as the operation
continues to grow, it is difficult to maintain
up to date face mapping using traditional
paper-based techniques. According to Dave
Todaro, senior production geologist at Cortez
Hills underground division, the only answer was
to go digital.
“Putting the latest technology in the hands
of the mine geologists allows them to work
more efficiently. Timely access to all the
underground face data means that essential
decisions are well informed,” says Todaro.
A customised workflow was generated
using existing Vulcan functionality to suit
the needs of the underground production
environment. “Customised Lava scripts
speed up the workflow and reduce the
amount of user interaction required,”
explains Todaro.
Before heading out to the field, the
geologist prepares the tablet, ensuring the
appropriate data files have been secured
for review during the mapping process.
Once in the field, the geologist can use
the customised Lava scripts and existing
Vulcan functionality to digitise the
geological features in the correct spatial
location. The tablet system also allows the
geologist to review geological observations
spatially in real time.
“This is a game-changing advantage,”
says Todaro. Back at the office, geological
observations can be shared with the
team. The geologist now has more time
to review the data and make critical
interpretations about the ore system,
which have the potential to impact
decisions made in the production
environment. As well as standardising the
face mapping process, this customised
workflow now provides a way for the team
to efficiently go digital.
“It also opens the doors for doing more with
the data than previously imagined. Having
access to data while underground means that
our geologists are able to visit and clear more
headings each day,” Todaro adds.
This translates to quicker mining cycles
as headings are returned to the mining
operations teams faster. It also provides
more time for geologists to work on other