PODCAST: Fresh Thinking – a fresh take on the world of geology and mining

Welcome to our podcast series titled Fresh Thinking by Optiro. You can find our free podcasts on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

Our aim is to offer interesting technical talks and key information with a fresh take on the world of geology and mining.  We will be uploading new podcasts on a regular basis.

Top Cuts

In our first podcast Ian Glacken, Optiro’s Director of Geology, talks about Top Cuts. The podcast covers topics such as why you need to be sure you haven’t relied too greatly on outlier samples when creating a resource estimate, and how top cutting (capping) is a method that can be used to reduce the impact of individual samples and produce a more accurate picture of what’s in the ground.

The podcast at a glance:

• 0:44 What is a top cut?
• 1:10 Why should you use a top cut?
• 2:03 When and where should you apply a top cut?
• 2:43 What are the alternatives to top cuts?
• 3:33 Where are top cuts not appropriate?
• 4:49 If not everyone believes in it, what is the science behind top cuts?
• 7:26 Top cuts don’t always work out and produce the right results
• 8:20 Top cuts are an essential method for high variability precious metals, like gold silver and platinum
• 8:46 Where can people learn more?

Reasonable Prospects of Eventual Extraction (RPEEE)

This podcast covers the background to RPEEE, the changes between JORC 2004 and JORC 2012; why it is controversial at the moment; whether all mine companies apply it equally; what RPEEE approaches are for open pit mines; special issues with underground mines; and RPEEE in other key codes such as SAMREC and the CIM Guidelines.

The podcast at a glance:

• • 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 investors
  • 3:19 What has changed from the versions of JORC 2004 to 2012?
  • 4:28 RPEEE has also been controversial because of its inconsistent application
  • 5:34 Why is the principal not being applied everywhere?
  • 6:38 What is the approach for open pit mines for RPEEE?
  • 7:45 How does RPEEE apply to underground mines?
  • 8:56 Are there any differences between how the RPEEE has been applied in the JORC, SAMREC and CIM codes?

The Politics and Ideology of Resource Estimation – Part 1

The podcast at a glance:

• • 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?
  • 4:57 Ordinary Kriging is probably the most popular technique. Why is that?
  • 6:56 Some techniques of resource estimation are controversial, like inverse distance and polygonal methods. Why?
  • 9:40 Now we have better technology than ever before. How does this affect the methods used for resource estimation?
  • 10:51 What is geostatistics and how has it influenced resource estimation?

Future podcasts include:

• The Politics and Ideology of Resource Estimation – Part 2
  The above two podcasts discuss why different companies, countries and markets use different estimation techniques for Mineral Resources.
• Reconciliation
  This podcast discusses the importance, complications, standards of reconciliation and the key aspects of an effective reconciliation solution.
• QAQC – Part 1 and 2
  What is it good for? Why do we bother? Why do we put so much effort into it?

We hope you enjoy our podcasts and that you’ll Subscribe to or Follow them so we can keep you in the loop of our… Fresh Thinking!