Types of events in GeoLogic: The best geological modeling techniques in the MinePlan.
Did you know that the GeoLogic Does it have several types of predefined events to aid in the implicit geological modeling process? In today's Tips & Tricks, we'll talk about each of them.
When opening the GeoLogic, you will immediately notice a band on the upper edge with several event icons (Figure 1). Each one of these icons represents a type of object to be modeled by the software and brings together optimized settings for that. It is up to the user to choose the tool that best represents the desired object to be modeled.
Figure 1: interface of GeoLogic highlighting the different types of events.
In general, it is possible to group events into the following classes:
- Events with hanging wall and foot wall: stratigraphy, dyke/vein and weathering;
- Zone events: topography, fault and unconformity;
- Irregular solids: intrusion and shell grid;
- Miscellaneous: host rock.
For each event, a brief description follows.
Topography (topography): there can be only one topography per timeline and she will always be the newest event. It can be generated from data such as drillhole coordinates or existing surfaces from topographic surveys (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Topography event from the coordinates of the drilling holes.
weathering (weathering): a weathering horizon is always generated superimposed on another previously modeled one (Figure 3) and does not occupy space in the model. Weathering information is important for mine structural planning or even for mineral recovery.
Figure 3: Weathering horizon (hatch) applied to a lithology (green).
intrusion (intrusion): creation of irregular solids, based on the contacts described in the drilling or lithology, described in hand samples, marked by points in the modeling space. It is possible to define a trend for the intrusion generation, using an anisotropic ellipsoid. It forms a closed solid, with a complex shape and smooth contours (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Solid generated as intrusion.
Fault (failure): this event creates a fault surface and divides the modeled area into blocks (hanging wall and foot wall). They can be constructed from CAD elements such as points and lines. It is worth mentioning that, when inserting a failure event in a timeline, it must be correctly positioned so that it affects only the desired lithologies (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Pfault line intersecting layers in the stratigraphy.
unconformity (disagreement): a geological unconformity represents a gap in the geological record and is usually identified by abrupt variations in layer angles. In the modeling GeoLogic, dislocations erode past events in the timeline.
Figure 6: Discordance modeled on an intrusion.
shell grid (Tear shells): to the grid shells are three-dimensional shells created directly from drilling data to represent ranges of content of a given substance (Figure 7). They are very useful for identifying pockets of high and low grade, which helps in planning new drilling and mine development. This type of event only interacts with the topography, and can be cut by it; while the other events are unaffected, since there is no overlap relationship between a lithology and a grade shell. In this way, only one event of shell grid is allowed per timeline.
Figure 7: Grid shells for high, medium and low levels of a substance, modeled from the drilling data (red lines).
dyke/vein (click/came): a dyke or vein type event is ideal for modeling intrusive tabular bodies (Figure 8). With them, it is possible to create solids in the “empty” space between other solids, using their walls as limits. In the case of families of these bodies, it is possible to use the option of “add dyke/vein set” and model tabular bodies with multiple branches.
Figure 8: Dikes and veins intersecting in the stratigraphy.
Stratigraphy (stratigraphy): ideal for modeling stratiform deposits (Figure 9), such as layers of coal, nickel, bauxite, etc. Selecting the “Strata set”, it is possible to model a stratigraphic sequence at once, using thickness parameters and taking advantage of the upper and lower limits of a layer, the one immediately above or below it. There are also controls onlap and erode, which determine whether a layer overlaps or erodes the previous one.
Figure 9: Stratigraphic sequence modeled from drilling data.
country rock (enclosing rock): this event automatically appears at the bottom of a timeline and serves to fill in the remaining empty spaces within the modeling box.
Having seen all the events that the GeoLogic is capable of modelling, the user can easily reconstruct the geological history of a site and, from there, plan the next steps in resource exploration. In the next Tips & Tricks, we'll cover the order of events in the timeline and its influence on modeling.
Wassup, did you like this tip? For more information about the GeoLogic, in addition to other functionalities and tools of the MinePlan, get in touch with our team and we will be happy to assist you.
To the next!!!
Team Prominas Mining
