How important is it to get the stockpiles right? 30 Seconds of Reconciliation Info from Ian Glacken

This week’s 30 Seconds of Reconciliation Info comes from Ian Glacken – Director of Geology.

How important is it to get the stockpiles right?
Depending upon the scale of production from your operation, poor stockpile tracking can kill any chance you have of understanding the grade control to plant data flow and if you are achieving your targets.  In general, the larger the stockpile, the more stockpiles you have (often necessary for blending, etc.) and the more ‘transactions’ there are before any one stockpile is depleted or zeroed, then the larger the potential problem.  Tracking movements to, from and between mine and mill stockpiles is just as important as accounting for ore out of a stope or from a development face.  If you have a GPS-controlled production tracking system with calibrated weightometers on trucks and/or loaders, then you have a chance of understanding the contribution of the stockpiles.  But without accurate measurements, volumes or bulk densities, and without rigorous tracking of movements, you are opening yourself up to introducing a ‘wildcard’ into the whole reconciliation system.

Ian Glacken – Director of Geology
BSc (Hons) (Geology), MSc(Mining Geology), DIC, MSc(Geostatistics), Grad Dip Computing, FAusIMM(CP), FAIG, MIMMM, CEng

Ian is a geologist with postgraduate qualifications in geostatistics, mining geology and computing who has more than 35 years’ worldwide experience in the mining industry.

Ian’s skills are in resource evaluation and due diligence reviews, public reporting, training and mentoring, quantitative risk assessment, strategic advice, geostatistics, reconciliation, project management, statutory and competent persons’ reporting and mining geology studies.

Ian has a strong mining production background and is a regular auditor for the world’s largest mining companies.

iglacken@snowdenoptiro.com