Model Validation Techniques

Validating the Drillhole Database Validating Mapfile Calculation Modelling Topography Fast Modelling with the triproduce Program Depth of Weathering or Unconformity Modelling Validating the Fixmap Process Checking Grid Models Testing Horizon Limits

Validating the Drillhole Database

1. Check that all character fields are left justified and numerals are right justified. 2. Make sure all fields are loaded, the values look correct, and that no decimals were clipped. 3. Run the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Check Drillholes option. Correct all problems reported by the this option. 4. Create a Drill legend (Analyse > Legend Edit > Create). Load the drillholes using the Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes option. If there are additional problems with the drillhole database, they will be reported during loading. Fix any inconsistencies. 5. Generate a Database Listing (Isis > Utilities > Export > Database). You can always recover your edited database with this file. Use this file for checking mapfiles.

Validating Mapfile Calculation

1. Capture and examine the mapfile statistics. You can use the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Mapfile Build Macro option to calculate the statistics. 2. Visually check a few holes in each mapfile. 3. Generate a Total Depth mapfile by enabling the Total Depth checkbox in the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Mapfile Build Macro (Mapfile Parameters panel). The Total Depth mapfile is generated from the last interval of the drillhole, not from the Total Depth field. If the last interval in your database does not represent the true total depth of the drillhole, you must run the addtdlitho.dbg script to calculate a new bottom of the hole interval for each drillhole (you can copy the script from Appendix A, save it as a text file in your working directory and make modifications as directed by your Maptek support person).

Modelling Topography
Great care should be taken when modelling the topographical surface in any mining area. The surface is used for calculating overburden thicknesses, stripping ratios, mining benches, and reserves. Often, the data used for modelling the topography will come from multiple sources. The data may include contour lines from the USGS or other maps, drillhole collar elevations, survey points, flight information, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and benchmarks. All accurate information should be loaded into VULCAN, and used in the modelling process. If contours are loaded from multiple sources, they should be checked carefully to make sure they are correct, match along the edges, and do not overlap. These notes do not cover the raw data loading fundamentals.

1. Load all viable surface information into Envisage. This includes contours, survey points, benchmarks, collar locations, etc. 2. Use the Envisage > Model > Triangle Surface > Create option to create a triangulation of the combined information. Spur strings represent the natural breaklines that form at the top of the hills and the bottom of valleys. Spur strings are incorporated into the triangulation model to keep these areas from being flat. It is useful to solid shade the model in two contrasting colours for easy visualisation. Note: For large structural data files you may wish to use the external triangulation program triproduce. 3. Rotate the model and examine the top and bottom carefully. Often there will be busts in the collar elevations (pyramids - see point 5) or contours (usually flat topped). While rotated, you can either edit the bad data or change the colour of the bad data and then edit it later in plan view. Fix all problems by editing the collar elevation in the drillhole database or by changing the erroneous contour's Z value. You may have to remodel several times until everything looks reasonable. As your entire model is generated from this surface, take care to do a good job. 4. There are times when you cannot get the collars to match the topography contours. If the contours are more reliable than the collar elevations, you will want to adjust the drillholes to match the topography. Tip: Backup your drillhole database or generate a Database Listing file (.dbl) before performing any adjustments.

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Use the Geology > Drilling > Register option to adjust all of the drillholes to the topography model. All mapfiles must be created after this process. When you are satisfied with the triangulation, start Grid Calc and specify the modelling specifications. Load the triangulation into Grid Calc and use the Grid Calc > Model > Grid Model option (with triangulation as the modelling method) to generate a grid model. Examine, unmask, and save the topography grid.

If, however, the collar elevations are more reliable than the contours, i.e. there a lot of pyramids in the topography triangulation (see point 3), an adjustment should be made to the surface derived from the contours.
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Generate a triangulation, in Envisage, with only the contours. Load this triangulation into Grid Calc, and use the Grid Calc > Model > Grid Model option (with triangulation as the modelling method) to generate a grid model. Examine, unmask, and save the grid as: raw_topo.tp. Edit the same grid. Load all of the collar elevations from a Total Depth or Fixmap mapfile. Use the Grid Calc > Data > Transform Data option with the equation: p-z. The

buffer now contains the difference between the collar elevations (P) and the grid models (Z) surface at the same locations. Use Grid Calc > Model > Grid Model option to create a grid of the difference. Unmask the grid and examine the results. Save if required. Add the difference to the topography grid using the equation: raw_topo.tp+z. Save the final model as: topo.tp.

Fast Modelling with the triproduce Program

Large structural data files can be modelled quickly and accurately by using the external triangulation program triproduce. This program uses code similar to that used by the Model > Triangle Surface > Create with Spurs option in Envisage, but runs much faster than its graphical counterpart.

The raw data must be imported into Envisage and checked for accuracy before either method can be used for modelling. Type triproduce at the Shell window prompt and give the appropriate answer to each question. Analyse the new triangulation using the external tritest program. Make a note of the number of triangles. Display the triangulation using the external tridisplay program or loading it in Envisage.

Depth of Weathering or Unconformity Modelling

1. In most situations, the Depth of Weathering, Burn Depth, or Depth of Oxidation, will come from one of two sources: o It is noted in the drilling, usually as top of "fresh" coal. o It is estimated as a fixed depth below topography. The depth of weathering surface is critical for calculating the correct reserves. Often this surface can undulate anywhere from one to one hundred feet below topography. The surface is treated in the same manner as an unconformity. In open cut mining 'lines of oxidation' or 'burn lines' are often used to plan boxcuts that form the basis of entire mine plans. Obviously, models of this geological feature affect the most economically desirable and quality sensitive reserves. Great effort should be made in fine tuning this surface. Some operators have found, to their horror, that the 'high grade' of a deposit is not quite as 'high' as planners thought - due to poor DOW modelling. When generating a mapfile for modelling the depth of weathering or an unconformity, you must remove all other seams from the Horizon Table, or create the file before entering the other seam names. The depth of weathering surface (or unconformity) usually crosses multiple horizons. You do not want the seams in the Horizon Table to affect the mapfile calculations. All of the grids are clipped to the depth of weathering surface, so that no reserves will be calculated for the weathered material. The depth of weathering surface should be checked with the other grids in cross sectional view using the Geology > Drilling Section module. 2. Unfortunately, some datasets do not contain depth of weathering values. In these cases an average depth from topography is normally used as the depth of weathering

surface. This method can be enhanced for areas where the seams go above the nominated depth:
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A depth to roof mapfile is created by using the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Build Mapfile Macro option, and entering '*' for both Mapfile and Overlay Horizons and a 'DR' in the Mapfile Identifier field. A 'depth to fresh coal' grid is made by loading the Depth to Roof mapfile, and gridding the 'DR' variable in Grid Calc, using the Inverse Distance modelling method. Save the grid as 'dow.ob'. Create the 'top of fresh coal' surface by subtracting the 'dow.ob' grid from 'topo.tp'. Save the resultant grid as 'dow.sr'. topo.tp-10 (10 metres below topography) is used to model a fixed estimate of the DOW surface. A maximum function is used to create the final depth of weathering surface that honours all fresh coal above the 10 metre depth, i.e.
max(topo.tp-10,dow.sr)

Save the final grid as: 'dow.tp'. This should be noted as an estimate.

Validating the Fixmap Process

1. A drillhole database may be created from the Fixmap results. To do this, you must first make an ASCII 'Fixmap Spec File' by typing the names of each seam in order from surface down. Do not use any spaces or quotation marks. This specification file should resemble the split table in your <proj>.gdc_glob file without the punctuation marks. See Appendix A for an example of a specifications file and a .gdc_glob file. 2. Generate the fixmap mapfiles by typing the following command within a shell window:
3. fixmap <project> <specfilename> -d z_fmp

This command creates the Fixmap files (the new set of map files with a 'z' appended) and also a Database Listing .dbl file for loading into a VULCAN drillhole database. The Database Listing .dbl file will be named:
<proj>z_fmp.dbl

4. To load the new .dbl file into a headered style database, copy the fmp.dsf file from the etc/resources directory of the installed version into your working directory. a. Start Isis. b. Select the Isis > File > Open Design option to view the 'FMP' design. Check all of the synonyms for accuracy. Save the edits. c. Load the fixmap Database Listing .dbl file using the Isis > Utilities > Import Database option. Use the 'FMP' design. Open the new database and check it carefully. 5. Copy the abcflag.dcf file from Appendix A and save it as a text file in your working directory with the appropriate project code. Edit the second line of the file to read the correct project code. 6. Use the Isis > Utilities > Script > Run option to execute the script. The script inserts flag values into the database. These flags designate whether the values for the seam roofs and floors are true data representations (P = Present) or if they were calculated by fixmap (M = Missing). These flags can be posted next to the drillholes.

7. Run the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Check Drillholes option. Examine crosssections throughout the entire data area, especially near the edges of the deposit. Post the flags on the drillholes to display the seam intervals defined by fixmap. If edits are made to the Fixmap drillhole database, new structural mapfiles must be generated from the edited data.

Checking Grid Models

1. In Grid Calc, examine each grid and its scale. Select the Grid Calc > Grid Query > Statistics option and make sure the grid statistics look reasonable. Investigate all discrepancies. Problems with the raw data are usually obvious during this step, and should be corrected before going further. Both the quality and structural grid models should be checked for problems. Drillholes and the horizons showing discrepancies should be noted at this time for editing in Geology > Drilling Utilities. A macro can be used to edit each grid and report its statistics. Midburden grids that have been generated with an Inverse Distance modelling method may contain negative nodes if the burden nears zero thickness. This method averages the values. The negative thickness values can be eliminated by applying the following equation to the midburden grid:
max(z,0.0)

The problem can be avoided completely by modelling with the triangulation method. Tip: Remember, midburden grids generated from Fixmap mapfiles will have different values than the original structural mapfiles. The original mapfile contains values that may represent missing seams at the drillhole location, the Fixmap file has all seams in each location. 2. Use the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Create/Modify Locate option to highlight all of the previously noted drillholes that contained discrepancies in their structural integrity. Use the Fixmap database if calculations made by the process have been edited. Run cross sections through each of the highlighted drillholes. Usually the problems are due to poor data input. If there is no access to the original drilling logs, estimate a new value for the seam. Make sure to check the thickness values for the adjacent strata, if applicable. Examine the depth of weathering surface against the model in section view. Make sure to run cross-sections through some shallow holes. Usually, if there is a problem with the grid models it will be most evident in these holes. 3. To edit the drillholes with quality inconsistencies, start Isis and type the drillhole name into the Objects field. Cross-check the database values with the laboratory results. Correct the database values, and save your work. 4. Create new mapfiles and generate a fresh set of grids. Check the thickness models. 5. When you are satisfied with the new grids, copy them into a backup directory for safekeeping.

Testing the Horizon Limits

1. In Envisage, the horizon's split lines can be compared with zero thickness contours previously generated from the midburden grids. 2. It is mandatory to check the validity of the final reserving polygons: o Display the seam existence limit polygons in Envisage. Check the digitising direction. It is useful to display the inclusion polygons in a solid line type and the exclusion polygons in a dashed line type (different colours work well as well). Save the edits. o Load the corresponding horizon's original structural mapfile. The majority of points should be within the limits of the inclusion polygons. Display the subcrop layer for the same horizon in a different colour. The depth of weathering subcrop layer should eliminate all points that were outside of the seam existence limit (if any). The drillhole status can be cross-checked in the Database Listing .dbl file. 3. After all of the grids have been masked with both their final subcrop and existence limits, they should be checked in the Geology > Drilling Utilities and Geology > Drilling Section modules. Cross-sections through the deposit should show all horizons properly. The grids should be clipped to the depth of weathering surface (substitute DOW for TOPO and remove the '*' for seams in the Grid Model panel), and be absent where they do not exist in the drilling. The larger the grid cell size, and the greater the distance a drillhole is from a grid node, the further the horizons may drift from the true drillhole depths in section view. Every panel selection througn the Grid Model or Define Method options affects the resulting grids. 4. The Geology > Drilling Utilities > Synthetic Holes option can be used anytime after the grid models are produced. Using this option now allows the final, true mask values to be reported. The option registers all pre-specified XY locations onto all of the selected grid models, and writes the individual grid values for each location into a mapfile. There is a 1000 drillhole limit. All drillholes may be used (if less than 1000), or a selected set of holes. 5. In Envisage, load the drillholes as points using the Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes option, i.e. enable the Display drillhole location only checkbox. Copy the drillholes into a permanent layer. Save the new layer, and deselect 'DIG$DRILL'. If you want to select specific drillholes, then use the Design > Create > Line option to snap to the desired holes, or load the database from a selection file. When you generate the Synthetic Holes mapfile, you will want the drillhole names to be associated with their output. To attach the names to the locations, you must name the points. Use the Design > Point Edit > Name option (Prompt for Name - All Points), select any point in the object, leave the point name unchanged, select OK. All of the points will now display their true drillhole names. Save the edits. 6. Select the Geology > Drilling Utilities > Synthetic Hole option. Pick the horizons for reporting. If Use Topo is chosen, DR and DF values will be included in the output. Indicate the grid models on which you would like to report. Quality grids and any others not listed may be selected under Extra Variables. Define a format for the output file. Specify the design database and layer name containing your points and associated hole names. Make sure the Point Name button has been activated. Supply an output filename. All other items on the panel are optional. 7. Use the output file (grid values) for comparison with the Database Listing .dbl (original data) file. There will be differences, but none should be significant. This process can also be used on the Mine Model grids.

Mapfile Generation
Generate Mapfile Using Set Specifications
The Mapfile Generation option is used to create both structural and quality mapfiles, utilising the definitions for minable material set in the Horizon Criteria option.

Instructions:

Select Mapfile menu Select Mapfile Generation option When the option has been selected, the following panel will be displayed.

Mapfile Header Tick this box to insert a header into the mapfile. The header will contain the Fortran format for each column of data in the mapfile. The column formats are mandatory for plotting mapfile data in the Batch Plotting option. Unrestricted Format The standard VULCAN mapfile allows for drillhole names of eight characters or less, X and Y coordinates of twelve digits or less (including the

decimal point) and all other columns of no more than eight digits. If your dataset does not conform to these standards, you must tick this box to override the standard format. The program will shift the data columns so that all of the information is properly written out. All Horizons Tick this box to report grid values for all horizons found in the horizon list. Total Thick Tick this box if you want to produce a total thickness mapfile. Total thickness mapfiles are generated separately from the structure mapfiles. The total thickness mapfile will be named <proj>ttk.map. For example, if the project name is abc, the name of the mapfile will be abcttk.map. A total thickness mapfile will contain the following types of data: drillhole name X coordinate Y coordinate uppermost horizon name collar elevation depth to the top of first horizon depth to the bottom of last horizon structural roof value for first horizon structural floor value for last horizon thickness of the combined minable material zero midburden values combined parting values overburden values total thickness for all material between the roof of the first horizon and the floor of the last horizon. Total Depth Tick this box to generate a Total Depth mapfile. Additional Id Allows you to apply a different naming convention to the mapfiles. For example, entering an "X" in the Additional ID box and selecting the "All Horizons" box applies an "X" to each mapfile name. Mapfile Horizon Enter or select from the list a horizon to use. This will enable you to use the Overlay Horizon and Mapfile Id boxes. Overlay Horizon By default, this option uses a wildcard (*), and serves as the upper bound to which overburden or midburden is calculated from the primary horizon. For example, if seam G lies above H, and H is to be sent to the mapfile (primary), entering G in the overlay horizon box will cause Borehole Graphics to find the midburden between the floor of G and the roof of H. If the * is entered instead of G, the midburden will still be the material between seams G and H, however, if G is missing, the midburden will be the material between H and the next horizon. Overburden is all of the material from the surface (topography), down to the primary horizon. Mapfile Id By default, this is the name of the horizon. The ID is used for naming the mapfile.

NOTE: The Mapfile Id value can be supplied by the user. Columns Tick this box to specify what data is placed in which columns. When this box is ticked, the column definition (C2...C10) boxes will be activated. Ignore Null Assays Tick this box to ignore assays with a specified null value. For example, a hole may contain ash values, those intervals that have not been analysed may contain -9.99. Save Specifications Tick this box to have the settings in this panel saved. The settings will be saved to the file <file_id>_map.bhg_cmnd. Saving your specifications allows you to regenerate your mapfile later on without having to redefine redefine the horizon criteria and mapfile generation panels. Do not generate mapfiles Tick this box if you do not want to generate mapfiles ] upon completion of the panel. Mapfiles can be generated at a later stage by saving the specifications and using the Mapfile Regeneration option. Density If a density field is specified, then the qualities are weighted by length and density. If no density field is specified, the qualities are weighted by length only. XY Location Enter or select from the list ONE of the three variables. LC (the default) will create a mapfile containing the hole collar elevation values at the X,Y coordinates. The Depth to Roof and Depth to Floor values will be calculated from the Collar Elevation. Selecting SR will cause the mapfile to contain the X,Y coordinates of the pierce point at the structure roof. The structure roof values will be stored in the COLLAR and SR mapfile columns. Picking SF forces the X,Y coordinates to represent the pierce point at the structure floor. The structure floor values will be stored in the COLLAR and SF mapfile columns. (Selecting SR of SF is only relevant with inclined holes.)

OK To accept the panel.