Artículo de revista
The arsenic fault-pathfinder: A complementary tool to improve structural models in mining
Fecha
2018Registro en:
Minerals, Volumen 8, Issue 9, 2018
2075163X
10.3390/min8090364
Autor
Carrizo, Daniel
Barros, Carlos
Velasquez, German
Institución
Resumen
In a mining operation, the structural model is considered as a first-order data required for
planning. During the start-up and in-depth expansion of an operation, whether the case is open-pit
or underground, the structural model must be systematically updated because most common failure
mechanisms of a rock mass are generally controlled by geological discontinuities. This update
represents one of the main responsibilities for structural geologists and mine engineers. For that
purpose, our study presents a geochemically-developed tool based on the tridimensional (3-D)
distribution of arsenic concentrations, which have been quantified with a very high-density of
blast-holes sampling points throughout an open pit operation. Our results show that the arsenic
spatial distribution clearly denotes alignments that match with faults that were previously recognized
by classical direct mapping techniques. Consequently, the 3-D arsenic distribution can be used to
endorse the existence and even more the real persistence of structures as well as the cross-cutting
relationships between faults. In conclusion, by linking the arsenic fault-pathfinder tool to direct on
field fault mapping, it is possible to improve structural models at mine scale, focusing on geotechnical
design and management, with a direct impact in the generation of safety mining activities.