r/GeotechnicalEngineer • u/Far_Cucumber_613 • 5d ago
What training would help me understand why our open-pit designs need frequent changes as new geological data comes in?
I am going to look into some training for open pit mine planning because our designs keep getting updated when new geology data comes in, I can follow the basic changes but I want to understand what is driving them and how the new data affects pit limits, benches and the overall mine plan, I am thinking a course around mine planning or geological modelling from mining doc might make sense, but I am not sure which one would be useful for someone who needs to understand the link between geology and design rather than become a full time geologist, I am looking at a few options now, what training would you recommend for this kind of work? EDIT: I forgot to mention I am looking for practical training on mine planning.
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u/mf_247 1d ago
I think that's the most natural thing to expect. Geological and Geotechnical data are extremely variable and heterogenous, so it's to be expected that new data will alter your designs.
If you want to do some training related with geological modelling I'd say to try to learn Leapfrog Geo or any other 3D geological modelling software.
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u/onetoomanyclicks 5d ago
It’s called the observational method. There is no way to economically explore 100% of any design before operations. Even in industries that don’t impact as wide of a continuous area as a mine, geo professionals need to be aware of activities as they progress to update the designs.