Grade Control in the Southern Middleback Ranges A Case Study

D Crawford , P Leevers , S Parsons , G Solly and S Nielsen

Email:niclscns@ oncstccl.com

AB STRACT
Hematite ore h,cs been mined in theSouthem Middleback Ranges as
bL1s1 furnace feed for the st eelworks at \.Vhyall:,, by what w,cs then BHP,
since 1991 . \.Vit h the floating of BHP Integrated St eel cs OneSteel in 20()1
and the subS<Xjuent loss of key mining personnel, breakdowns in
gradecontrol methods and procedu res occurred. These were compounded by
chan ges in orcbody chara<:.lcrisLiC'.\ and grade distribuli<>n leading LO
poor rc.,;crvc nx:overy and poor grade control, both which re.suited in loss of
control of ore specification and severe deviation from the mining schedule.
As a re.suit, a L < al review of grade control, mining method and
schcduHng procedure. wa. undcnakcn as well a. a re.view of contracLor
quality assurance. IL was found that sampling methods were poor and
unrepresent ative, grade cont rol blocking processes were outdated and
did not reflect the geology of the deposit , the ore mining method was
outdated and did not respect the geometry of the orebody, reconciliation
methods were being completed globally and were not reflective of
individual area, of the deposit , and that deviations from the mine plan
were occurring due 10 access 10 high-grad e tirCics outside the
schedule in order 10 bring st ockpiles back on grade.
Based on these findings, updated sample spliuer systems were fiued 10
drill hole rigs,double bench sampling was implemented (2 x 4 m samples
as opposed 10 I x 8 m sample) and a three-dimensional cellular grade
control system introduced 10 beucr reflect the geology and orientation of
the deposit. At the same time ore mining was chan ged from front end
k>adcrs mining on 8 m bcnchc.. lO cx<:.avmor mining on three lifls on 8 m
benche s; this aided selectivit y and respect ed the geometry of the
orcbodic.. aiding cleaner recovery. Rc<:.oncilimion is now c.omplcLcd
on a bla.s1-by -blas1 basis, which allows for quick and easy iden1ific;11ion
of poorly performing arc;ls of the re.source model that can then be
incorporated back into re.source model updates. Regular daily and weekly
meetings arc also held with emphasis on the mining schedu le 10ensure
no
deviation from the schedu le in the long term.
Thc..,;c improvcmcnlS have rc. ullcd in a lifl in rc.o:;crvc
recovery both globally and locally associated ,,1 the same time with
improvement in grade.

INTRODUCTION
Hematite ore has been mi ned in the Middl eback Ranges for well
over 100 years and in the South Middleback Ranges (SMR) for
the Integrated Steelworks at \Vhyalla since 1991.
The floating of BHP Integrated Steel Long Products Division
as OneSteel Pty Ltd in 1999 led to the subsequent loss of key
mining personnel, breakdowns in grade control procedures and
mine scheduling over the following years. These issues were also
compounded by changes in orebody characteristics and grade
distribution that led to poor reserve recovery, loss of control of
ore specification and severe deviation from the mi rti ng schedule.
I.

Mine Geologist, OneSteel Pty Ltd, PO Box 2 1 , \.VhyalL1SA

56()

().

Email:crawfordd @ onc.st ccl.com

2.

MAuslMM, Principal Geologist, OneSteel Pty Ltd, PO Box 21 ,

Whyalla SA 56()(). Email: lccversp@ onc.st ccl.com

3.

Mine Manager, OneSteel Pty Ltd, PO Box 21 , Whyall SA 56()

().

Email:parson ss@ onc.st ccl.com

4.

Senior Mine Geologist, OneSteel Pty Ltd, PO Box 21, \.Vhyalla

SA
56()(). Email: sollyg@onc.stecl.com

5.
Tcchnic,,I Analyst, OneSteel Pty Ltd, PO Box 21, Whyalla SA
56()().

Iron Ore
Conference

Fremantle,WA, 19 21 September
2005

\Vith a return of mine personnel between 2002 and 2003 an

internal review of all aspects of the grade control process, mine
planrti ng process, mining methods and mining contractor
management was undertaken in early 2004.
The findings that came out of this review and were considered
critical to the process are outlined below:

I. sampling methods were not representative and exhibited

poor repeatability;
2.

ore blocki ng and interpretation procedures and processes

were not reflective of the geologi cal characteristics of the
orebody;

3.

geol ogical information collected during the course of

operations was not bei ng used in the grade control or mine
planning process;

4.

ore mirti ng methods being employed were lacking in

selectivity and did not respect the geometry of the orebodi es
bei ng mined and there was a lack of commurti cation between
the mi ne owner and the mining contractor;

5. short-term mi ne planning was poor to non-existent with

daily operati ons focusing on short-term goals with no

reference to the long-term mi rti ng schedule; and

6.

reconci liati on was completed on a global basis and not

completed on a local (shot to shot) scale, mearti ng that
poor performing areas were not being recogrti sed.

This paper details the changes that have been made over the
past 18 months and the improvement that these have had on
ore qual ity, variabil ity and reserve/resource recovery.

OPERATIONS
The Southern Middleback Range hemati te resources are located
55 km south-west of \Vhyal la (Figure I ). The SMR is also the
location of OneSteel's lron Magnet deposit.
These deposits are wholl y owned by OneSteel Pty Ltd.
Hemati te ore is mined from three mai n pits: the lron Duke, Iron
Duchess and lron Knight. 1.5 Mtpa is mined as feed for
OneSteel's Blast Furnace and steel making operations, combined
with this is one mi llion tonnes of hi gh-grade lump and fines
produced from the ore beneficiati on plant. 1.6 Mtpa of feed are
sourced for this plant from low-grade ore from the Iron Duke,
Duchess and Krti ght Pi ts and Dumps. A further I Mtpa of highgrade fines is exported. A flow chart of mining and blendi ng
operations is illustrated in Figure 2.
Mi rti ng is completed on 8 m benches, with blast sizes typi
cally in the order of approxi mately 120 000 BCM. Mining is
compl eted over three flitches, two of 3 m height and one of 2 m
plus heave, usi ng 240 tonne excavators and 130 tonne dump
trucks. Pri or to the conversion to ful l-ti me excavator mi rti ng in
ore, the main load-out machines used were Caterpillar 992
loaders mining the full 8 m bench in one pass.
Ore is either direct fed (straight from pit to crusher) or
stockpi led pri or to bl ending through the primary crusher.
Blending onto final stockpiles is completed using a windrow
stacker, constructing stockpiles of 50 000 tonnes. These are
rail ed to Whyal la as either feed to the Steelworks or stockpiled
for export. Due to limited space and environmental
considerations, limited blendi ng is carried out in \Vhyalla.

Fremantle,WA, 19 21 September
2005

Iron Ore Conference

GRADE CONTROLINTHESOUTHERN MIDDLEBACK RANGES -A

CASESTUDY

--

"

lron Knob

--

--

--

.-,

c...lot

.,

i)/.

/
NT

a.o

8A
TAS

FIG 1 Location map of the hematite

deposits of the Middleback Ranges.

D CRAWFORD etal

J\DJ\1NC SC'HE IJlTU

CRUStuNG& HLENOIN
H!CH GRADE <EE

DfilU..BLASJ
SA\.\JH...E & BLO(J{ or..rr

'

,-in

PRI CRUSHER
BLENDC

r:

au.a

BNE PL,NT

! !
J BI IIII

ORE CL.A

ro

WASrl OUMP

1!941&
,!,

TRAIN LOAIXNG

;..,
..
1111:Ns.
;;.
.;%

FIG 2 Flow chart of

mining operations at
SMR .

G
E
O
L
O
G
Y

,!,

The hemati te deposits of the

Mi ddleback Ranges have been
formed
by
supergene
enrichment of the Lower
Middleback Iron Formati on wi
thin the Hutchison Group, whi
ch forms the Southern Middl
eback Ranges. All the deposits

GRADE CONTROLINTHESOUTHERN MIDDLEBACK RANGES -A

CASESTUDY

occur along the western flank

of the north-south trending
ridges, which rise up to 150 m
above the coastal plain.
The
Hutchison
Group
sequence is com prised of a
sequence of elasti cs, dolomite
and banded iron formation
(BIF). This package has been
hi ghly deformed, by at least
four recognisable phases, and
metamorphosed
to
upper
amphibolite
facies. Various
phases

of igneous intrusion have also

occurred
throughout
the
ranges. The structural setting
and relationship of the igneous
intrusives have been important
controls on the supergene
enrichment process. All the
hemati te deposits occur updip from the carbonate and
silica facies BlF.
Mineralisati on forms as a
discontinuous zone along the
western flanks of the ridges,
wi th a variable easterly dip
from 30 to almost verti cal
(90).
Hematite
is the
dominant ore mineral wi th
significant goethite and minor
limonite present. Ore wi dths
are higW y variable from
greater than 50 metres i n the
central areas of the Iron Duke
and Iron Duchess to less than
five metres
in some of the eastern areas of
the Iron Duke and Iron
Knight.

---- - 0- -

FIG 3 - Cross-section through the Iron Duke orebody, showing

the changing geology with
wide ore zone at the top
west of the pit and narrow
lenti cular ore pods at the
base and to the east.

Fremantle , WA, 1921Iron

September
Ore Conf2005

The igneous intrusives,

which are altered to amphibol
ite and generally weathered to
clay, cut through the orebody
and have a north-south strike
and a steep westerly dip.
Individual dyke thicknesses
vary from less than a metre
up to 15 m. Dykes can be
quite continuous and some
have been recorded over the
entire length of the Iron
Magnet and Iron Duke
deposits (greater than 2000
m), whi le others pinch and
swell rapidl y or bifurcate and
rare
folding
has
been
observed. The amphibolites
are generally devoid of
mineralisation but can be
slightly
hematised
,
containing low-grade iron.
They are the typi cal source of
ALi03
and Ti01contamination withi
n the SMR deposits.
Other contaminants that
occur withi n the deposits
include phosphorous (P), often
associ ated with goethi te,
silica (Si02) from incomplete
leaching of the host BlF and
manganese (Mn) in the form
of pyrol usi te infilling caviti
es and fractures wi thin
hemati
te
zones.
Both
phosphorus and manganese are
restri cted in occurrence but

Iron Ore

are generally higher in the Iron

Knight and very low in the Iron
Duchess.
Towards the base of the
hemati te zones levels of
calcium (Ca) and magnesi um
(Mg) are also occasionally
elevated. This elevation in
carbonate is interpreted to be
from incom pl ete leaching of
the ori ginal carbonate-rich BIF
host.

GRADE
CONTR
OL
Blasthole sampling
Traditionally sampling had
been carried out at the SMR
operati ons from the cuttings at
the blasthole collar using a
hand -hel d trenching tool. The
sample
supposedly
being
representative of the 8 m bench
being drilled. Subdrill was
estimated by eye and a porti on
of the collar was scraped away
to take this into account.
Initial investigation found that
sample repeatabi lity was poor
when two samples were taken
from the same cone at different
points. The allowance for
subdrill was subjective and

Fremantle,WA, 19 - 21 September

therefore
inaccurate
and
composite sampling did not
reflect orebody geometry (ie
holes through contacts would
return as low grade rather
than
high
grade
and
waste). This in turn gave
the

impression of variability wi
thin the hemati te orebodies
that was a function of the
sample
quality not the
orebody itsel f, leading to poor
reconci liation and recovery.
One
possible
solution
considered was a move to
reverse circulati on drilling as
the grade control dri lling and
sampling
method.
\Vhen
trialled, this proved excellent
in
terms
of
sample
representivity
and
depth
flexibility. However, the cost
of reverse circulati on drilling
proved prohibitive to the
operation.
As a result, in cooperation
wi th Henry \Val ker Eltin
(H\VE are the current mining
contractors at the SMR) it wa
decided to tri al a blasthole
sample system mounted on the
main blasthole rig (Figure 4).
The system was supplied by
SOS Austral ia Pty and has
the ability to provide up to
four samples automaticall y
over
the eight metre sample depth.
Ini tial concerns with
representivity due to ultrafi
nes (less than 90 m icrons)
were tested by compari ng the
blasthole sample, with the
ultrafines from the pulse

Fremantle , WA, 1921Iron

September
Ore Conf2005

collector
(Table
I ). A
positive vari ation does exist,
with ultrafines being hi gher
in iron grade and lower in
contaminant grade. However,
the bias and flexibility

FIG 4 - SOS sampling system

fitt
ed
on
Ing

Iron Ore

erso
l
Ran
d
blas
thol

e
rig
at
the
SM
R.

Fremantle,WA, 19 - 21 September

TABLE 1
Ultrafines versus blasthole sample representivity.

Sample ID
I
2
3
4

5
6

Tyue

Fe

Si0,

Al,0,

LOI

CaO

l\,l.0

Samnlc

63.81

3.03

1.78

1.67

0.03

0. I I

0.9()()

UILrafinc.s

64.4

2.82

1.78

1.6

0.03

0.780

Samnlc

64.11

1.2 1

0.73

4.55

0.13

0. 1
3
0.02

UILrafinc.s

65.4

1.02

0.68

3.4

0.1

0.02

0. 14()

Samnlc

68.45

0.50

0.29

0.76

0.02

0.02

0. 1 6 1

UILrafinc.s

68.8

0.48

0.3

0.6

0.02

0.0I

0. 1 6()

Samnlc

53.()2

8.6 1

4.44

4.5 1

0.07

0. 1 3

1.029

UILrafinc.s

-6?-

7.22

3.73

3.7

0.05

0.03

0.770

Samnlc

65.39

2.67

l.(Xl

1.62

0.()4

().03

0.289

UILrafinc.s

66.8

1.79

0.95

2.2

0.05

0.02

0. 1 50

Samnlc

67.55

2.28

0. 14

0.55

0.05

0.03

0.()48

UILrafinc.s

67.7

1.88

0.28

0.7

0.05

0.02

0.()4()

of the using a blasthole

sampling
system
when
compared to the previous
sampling method outweighed
any sampling concerns. As the
lron Duke, lron Knight and lron
Duchess pi ts are very dry (less
than 3.5 per cent moisture),
water is not an issue until the
pits drop at least another I 00
mRL.
The effect of the improved
sampling was to improve

contact delineation, as i t was

better able to follow the dip of
the
orebody
and
grade
estimation through a more
rigorous sampling procedure.
Fi gure 5 ill ustrates the
improved contact definition
and sampling accuracy between
the old collar sampling method
and the use of the blasthole
sampling system. To represent
the old sampling method

0.168

samples
have
composited to 8 m.

been

ln conjunction wi th the
updated sampling process the
grade control system has been
changed to a block modelling
system based on sectional
interpretations. The main
features of the system are
outlined below:
I.

assays are imported into

Datan1ine and checked
to
standards
and
blasthole logging;

2.

interpretations are then

completed
on
a
sectional basis using all
available blasthole data,
mapping and resource
drilling data, including
blasthole
data
from
above
and
adjacent
benches ;

3.

the bl ast outline is

overlain to the resource
model
and bench
geology derived from
mapping
and,
if
needed, correcti ons
made to confirm the
geology (Figure 6);

4.

a
three-dimensional
(30) block model of the
blast is then generated
usi ng ordinary kriging
(Fi gure 8 shows a
typical

II.I

SIJ

lCI

62.1

ILi

61J

WA.51E

5.

variogra
m in
the
hematit
e ore)
or
inverse
distance
squared
from all
bl asthol
e data;
the
m
od
el
is
th
en
sli
ce
16.9

lOl

7Jj

FIG 5 Double bench

sampling system is illustrated
in the second set of
blastholes. Note the improved
delineation -compared to the
upper set of blastholes, which
were completed as a
composite.
Numbers
represent
iron grades

d to the mid poi nt of

each planned fl itch
and
mark-out
generated based on Ii
ke
mining
ore
categories (Figure 7);
and
6.

desti nati ons

are
assigned
to
ore
blocks
and areas
where the geology is
interpreted to be di ffi
cult are flagged for
parti cular attention
during ore mining.

6U

MINE
PLANNING
AND ORE
MINING
61J

as per cent
Fe.

Grade
interpretation

control

Grade control interpretation was

originally carried out usmg
polygonal estimati on from
shapes created while looking
at dri ll hol e grades in plan
view.Each shot was looked at in
isolation and no allowances
were made for orebody continui
ty or geological inputs. As a

resul t mark-outs generated did

not represent the orebody
geology.This lead to major
corrections to mark up once
bl ocks was laid out or during
mini ng, leading to excessive
dil uti on and ore loss and
inaccurate estimations of block
grades.

Mine planning
Prior to 2002, short-term
scheduling meetings were hel
d on a weekly basis with no
formal
meeting
process
recorded on a daily basis to
review the progress of the
week's pl an. N o reference to
the
long-term
mining
schedule was made during the
weekl y meeti ng. This
combined with poor ore
predictabil ity lead to an
emphasis on satisfying shortterm grade requi rements,
leading to a severe deviation
from the mi ni ng schedule
and essentially a 'high
grading ' of the hemati te
orebodies.
One
of
the
first
improvements made was to
introduce daily planning meeti
ngs. The agenda of the daily
meetings is outlined below:
I.

review the previous 24

hours' production;

2.

analyse any deviati on

from plan;

3.

highlight any Qa/Qc

issues encountered m
the mmmg, crushing or
blending process;

Iron Ore

Fremantle,WA, 19 21 September

FIG 6 Interpreted geologicalbench plan showing the thin

hematite zones
typical of the
southern area of
theIron Duke
pit. The overlay
shows the blast
outline from
Figure 7.

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
Sep1ember
Ore

I
27

25

28

'

OHG
OHS I
OHA
OHP
OMP
OMG
l
S

Iron Ore

Fremantle,WA, 19 21 September

8
I

WST ,t,

j
,
J

FIG 7 Block model view of

blast showing mining block
outlines.

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
Sep1ember
Ore

3.0 ------------------------------------- 400000

Major Axis
3
5
0
0
0
0

2.5

..'

'' '

'
'\

300000

..

.
I \

,
I

-.

..

'

..

',I
,

I
'>

25000

..

0 1 / 1

o
I

...
I

,I
\

..

,,;
\

-. E

\
,'

/
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I
'I
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o
:

\
I
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1
I

_,

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Q.\; .!
200000

I
'

',

'
'
1

1
.
5

'

I
:

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I
I
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Q,

..

',,'
... + :

'

''

C,
1.
0

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150000 v,

'

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'

...

.
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'

100000

0.5

f/
,

+ ,,
::'
+ \\

:! +

_ ,,. ,. "

50000

,
,
I
I

'

,,

,;'"

0.0 +-- - -+.

--+,
-- ---<,>---<----+ 0 50
75
0

25

.--

--<-100

+-125

-+150
Di
(m)

--+, -175

225

--- <,>-200

25
0

FIG 8 Typical iron (Fe) variogram. Major orientation set

at 0 towards 355.Dashed line represents sample
pairs.

4. communi cate the next 24

hours' production and

outline the expectati on
to
all
production
personnel invol ved (this
ranges from drill and
blast to crushing and bl
ending); and
5. bring together members
of H\E and OneSteel
management in a formal
way to ensure communi
cation is open and that al
l parties are working
towards a comm on
outcome.
The targets for the daily
producti on meetings are
derived from the weekl y
planning meeti ng.
The weekly meeti ng
communicates the short-term
mine planni ng goals with
reference to the long-term
mining
schedule.
Any
deviations from the previous
week 's production
are
discussed and these are

reconcil ed to the long-term

planni ng position.
The net effect is to tie in the
short term, medium-term and
long-term planning goals. Any
deviations that are occurring
can be analysed quickly and
the effects to long-term
planning targets known pri or
to any major schedul e
deviations occurring.

Ore mining
Mining in the SMR has in the
past been carried out usi ng
Caterpillar
992
front-end
loaders on 8 m benches. To
allow for the low break-out of
the front-end loaders, blasts
were designed with short extent
and an emphasis pl aced on
'throwing' the blast forward to
allow for easy digging. The
impact of which was excessive
ore movement.
Due to short shot length and
the use of loaders mining from
the floor upwards, mi ning was
completed along the strike with

no respect for the geometry of

the orebody. High-grade blocks
were frequently slotted or
mined from footwall to
hanging wall, leading to
excessive dilution, ore loss and
poor grade reconciliation.This
in turn led to frequent deviati
ons from mining schedule to
compensate for poor grade
prediction/recovery.
A s part of business
improvement
plans
implemented
between
OneSteel and HWE in 2003 a
Liebherr 994 excavator was
brought to site for wal l control
and waste removal, with a
view to use the excavator for
ore m ining, the mai n
advantage being the improved
selectivity that excavators
provi de.After compl etion of
the grade control improvement
review, ore mining using the
excavators was quickly impl
emented and
a
second
excavator (Li ebherr 994)
arriving withi n two months of
the
decision
to
utilise
excavators instead of loaders
being made.

The review and change from

front-end
loaders
to
excavators had impacts on all
aspects of the mining process,
includi ng staffing, dri ll and
blast, scheduling and blending.
Shot size had to be increased
six-fold from an average strike
length of 25 m to 150 m in
length in order to have enough
room to use excavators
effectivel y and efficiently.
Choke blasting become the
normality rather than the
exception leading to less ore
movement during firing.
The conversi on to larger
shots was hampered initially by
dri ll and blast design, assay
turnaround and scheduling as
enough blasted stocks had to be
generated to allow for different
grade options to be avail able
in the ore mining process. This
also meant a total review of the
short-term and medium-term
mi ning schedules to account
for I arger bl asts, Ii mited
mobiiity of excavator mining
fleets and the use of multi pl e
flitches instead of single bench
mining.
The change to excavator mi
ni ng was also combined wi th
an increase in the amount of

contractor supervision during

mi ning and a change to mi ni
ng respecting the geometry of
the orebodi es. This meant a
move to mining from hangi ng
wall to footwall and the
mining along contacts rather
than slotting along or across
them.
The hemati te orebodi es of
the SMR have excellent visual
control. This combined with
the limited mobi lity of the
excavator has also led to a
change from partial to sevenday grade control coverage
and the scheduling of thi n ore
zones on day shift only.
The new mining methods
combined wi th the new bl
ocking out procedures and the
increased supervision have to
date resulted in much lower
dilution and ore loss during
mining and of course a much
more predictable quality of
ore.

STOCKPILE
CONSTRUC
TION

Traditionall y the construction

of stockpiles has been limited
by restrictions on the quantity
of ore allowed from each pi t.
These
restrictions
were
originally placed because of
concerns
of
grade
predictability as well as
textural vari ation. In general a
stockpile was bui lt from direct
feed (direct from pit to crusher)
as much as possible. Stockpi
Jes were normal ly built wi th
avail able pit materi al first
and then cleaned up in a
'reactive' manner. The result
of this type of bui lding was to
have a very small supply of
hi gh-grade clean ore on the
ROM pad at any given ti me
and also a large amount of
offspec' ore (ore that was high
in one or more contam inants).
Figures 9 and J O show the
effects
of
poor
grade
predictabil ity during stockpile
building.

BC O 22 Build - Fe

70

Upper
LO'Ntt

----Sptc

-..-P,ed1c1ed
Actual

Build Ft

+--+--------------------158
54
+-----------------------------------1
52
+-----------------------------------1

Iron Ore

Fremantle,WA, 19 - 21 September

&l +--------------------------------------------------

10

12

14

11
13

15

16

17

TIME

FIG 9 Fe build grades versus stockpile grades.

BC O 22 BuildSIO,
9

...

,lJ,(_ /
..........-.
0

____j
------- - II \ --- --- --- ------..
----.....-...
J.
5

,,

.......-.. - --------. -----....-.. -

.
.
.
.

1/ \

-
3

----- ---

--);;.::J--;;:7

-- - - -----r)---- 2

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore

.. Lower
.. Upper

'

..&'

- . ......-... -..... --

.-::._ .--.

0
I

-.-- ---.-- -

11

12

10

13

-.....

S,ec
8',id Si02
---Acl..i
//
--a-Predicted
'

15

16

17

14

TIME

FIG 10 - Si02 build

grades versus stockpile
grades.
Time on the x-axis for
Figures 9 and 10 is the period
in days over whi ch the
stockpile
was
completed.
Predicted and Actual is the
predicted and actual grade of
the contribution that wa added
to the pi le on a specific
day.Pile grade is the cumul
ative grade of the pil e at a
particular poi nt in ti me. The
pile grade on day 17 is the
final build grade of the pi le.
There is significant variati on
between the predicted grade of
the pi le contribution and the
actual grade of the contri buti
on. This poor reconcili ation

Iron Ore

contributed to a lack of
confidence when performi ng
stockpile blending. This is
evident in the 'spiked' nature of
the contri buti ons to the
stockpil e during the bui ld
process. As the average grade
of the pil e moved towards the
upper limit or lower limit of
the spec, ore that was well
below or

Fremantle,WA, 19 - 21 September

well above the current grade

of the pi le was added. Ore of
the same grade was not added
in case the predi cted grade of
the contribution was incorrect,
putting the pil e out of spec.
This type of stockpile
building was not optimising
ore stocks. This led to highgrade lron Duke and Iron Duch
ess ore was bei ng used to bl end
down highly off spec ore at
the
expense
of moderate
grade/moderate offspec materi

al. The net effect of this was a

rapi d depl etion of hi gh-grade
ore, leading to
severe
deviation from the mining
schedule that had the potential
to shorten mi ne I ife.
Short-term scheduling was
therefore di fficult due to the
lack of accuracy in grade
control predictions, meani ng
that variation in predi cted
grades against actual grades
forced materi al to be

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore

BC G 72 Build Fe
68 00

66 00

.--.
:::_
.,
- \

"'

: \"

..
..... ..

........... ..
,.
62 00

..

....60.00

.
.........

0 0 0 0 000 H O O 0

......... ............----....:.:..:.. - -+...Build

Fe
. T"

\\

\\I

'

,)
VJ

58.00
56.00

54.00

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25
T
i
m
e

FIG 11 - Recent Fe build grades versus stockpile grades.

-,Actual

-,o-PredJcted
..Upper

LCM"er
Spec

BC G 72 Build SI01
8 00

7.00

6.00
,_ Buid Si02

............................, ..-...................-

Actual

-....... Predicted

......
-- - -..Upper

..............
..........5 00

lower
.... .Spec

I
">..-.._ ,,I
\ . - ..
-- ---'
"

......
.
.
,
..
..

0
N

.;; 4.00

.
r

.. ... ... -.: -

300

2 00

I00

0 00 I

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25

Tim

FIG 12 Recent Si02 build grades versus

stockpile grades.

sourced outside the weekly

and monthl y schedule in
order to satisfy blending requi
rements. Inter-pile variabi lity
also suffered due to the above
problems and it wasn 't
uncommon to see Si 02
grade have a variance of in
excess of 20 per cent
(relative
difference) between pi Jes
(Figure 13).
The new mining
methodology means that very
little material is now direct
fed. The stockpile bui lding
process as it stands now is:
I.

Ore from the pit is

stockpiled (and blended)
on the ROM pad.

2.

Ore is reclaimed from the

ROM pad and blended
through the primary
crusher by loader ancVor
truck.

3.

- 140 mm ore then passes

through the secondary

crushers and is crushed
to -75 mm.
4.

For Whyal la stock and

export
stock
this
material then passes
through the!SO standard
sample tower, whi ch
takes a lump and fines
sample every I 000 t.
This material is then
blended onto 50 000 t
stockpiles for rail ing to
\'vhyalla.

5.

Low-grade ore is taken

from the LGO dumps
and blended through the
primary, secondary and
tertiary
dry
crusher
(produci ng -32 mm
material), through the
sample tower and into
30 000 t stockpiles as
feed for the low-grade
benefi ciation plant.

Ship to Ship Stan dard

Deviation

0.450

0.400

--Standard Deviat on
Mov,ng Average

0.350

lntroduct,on of new Grade ContiolProcedures I

0.300
0.250

,;

V>

...

0.200

0.150
Ir

.A

0.100

I--,
I I I I I I I I I II I I

0.050
0.000

..,A l7';..,

''

, f

I I I I I I I II I II

f\_..._
IIIIIII

"' '
I

'''

{
f III

Shlpm tm Pllt
FIG 13 - Si02 standard deviation betweenexport shipments
showing
the
reductio
n in
variabilit
y after
the
introduct

'

'

ion of
the new
grade
control
procedur
es.

Increased grade predictability

and cleaner mmmg methods
have caused hi gh-grade stock
levels on the ROM pad to
increase and 'offspec' ore levels
to drop. This is due to better
grade predictabi lity (Figures
1 1 and 12) provided by
accurate sampl ing, applying
geology to blockouts and
making the more selective
production machines work
with the geology of the
orebodies. Variation between
piles has also benefited from
the new processes and for
exampl e Si01 vari ation has
now been
reduced
to nine per cent
(relative difference) (Figure
13).
Another item to be im pl
emented after the revi ew is
the submission of standards
during the stockpile building
process. Although an ISO
standard sampling station has
always been used,
the
accuracy of the laboratory
Qa/Qc was not checked on a
dai Jy basis. The introduction
of standards has increased the
confidence in the grade of the

final buil d pil es. Prior to the

introduction of standards and
duplicates there was a culture
to 'bl ame the laboratory ' and
not review the sample process,
or look at outl yi ng samples in
an objective manner.

R
ECONC
ILIATIO
N
Pri or to the grade control
review, reconci liati on was
completed month by month
purely as a tonnage balancing
operation. Survey monthly
pickups were cut against each
other (current month versus
previous month). These areas
were then used to cut a section
of the resource/reserve models
to com pare with production
tonnes. lf tonnages were similar
and they were generally wi
thin ten per cent, the pit was
considered reconciled.
Review of the proced ures
identified that although the
reconcili ation appeared fine it

only gave resul ts for the global

pi t, whereas certain areas of the
pit performed better than
predicted while other areas had
very poor recoveries. As a
resuJt,
the reconcili ation
method could be described as
indicative at best, and did not
higW ight critical issues with
the grade control and ore mtru
ng processes.
Reconcili ation is now
compl eted on a bl ast-by-bl
ast basis (Fi gure 14). \
ireframes for each blast are
cut against the resource and
reserve models to give an
accurate representation of
what had been predicted and
com parison made. The
updates to the reconcili ation
process have aided in the
following:
I.
Making it easier to
monitor digging practices
and thei r effects.

2.

Identify mt ru ng areas
that have poor recovery
and grade reconci liati on
and also identif y areas
that have yi elded higher
than predicted.

3.

Used to mark areas for

further
work
with
resource modell
ing
and/or
particular
attention when digging in
the future. Areas that
have been identified to
be under performing or
over
performing
in
the
resource and reserve
models can then be
targeted for further drilli
ng
or
interpretation
updates
in
future
resource models.

4.

Identify blasts that may

requi re more intense
supervision.

5.

Continues monitoring of
the grade control process,
allowing for updates to
grade control systems
and mining methods.

C
O
N
C

L
U
S
I
O
N
The improvements in grade
control implemented at the
Southern Middl eback Ranges
have been driven by a need to
update systems in the face of a
changing
orebody
and
increased customer demands.
None of the changes or
system s implemented are
extremely
advanced.
All
improvements made are in
common use in most other
open cut metalli ferous mi
nes in Australi a and were
compl eted with minimal
expense and form a logical
progressi on from the i ni tial
defi ni tion stage through to
the blending and Jong-term
planni ng stages.
The key improvements made
are:

I.

decrease in vari ability

for the key elements
(Si01, A J103, Fe, P)
to 0.07, 0.14, 0.3 and
0.002 respectivel y from
0.1 1,
0.18, 0.34 and 0.003
respectively ;

2.

increase
in
reserve
recovery from 88 per cent
pri or to implementation
to I 07 per cent after
implementati
on
of
improvements ;

3.

the ability to stick to a

mining schedule with
proactive Jong-term goals
based
on
customer
demand rather than a
reactive approach; and

4.

a
continuous
improvement approach
to processi ng or mini
ng based on orebody
conditions.

PRODUCTIO N
ORE BLOCKIIIG
RESOURCE
RESERVES

10

97.971
97,415
97,552

13775
14331
14194

1226
2568
165'38

2026

4955

2836

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore Conference

FIG 14 Reconciliation of a completed shot in an area

of thin ore zones. Note: Ore blocking = production

(indicating clean digging). Mining through thinly
banded areas (reserves are much lower than
oPRODUCTION
ORE
BLOCKING
o RESOURCE
resource).Production
= ore
blocking = resource (new
------------------------------- methods are able to completely and cleanly mine the
whole resource).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

+--

T
-+-----+--+------o,-h
e

,0000

a
u
- t -------------------+--I
1-h
o
r
s

w
0 1--.......i
s
h
t
o
t
h
a
n
k
H
W
E

ORE

LGO

WST

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10

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore Conference

m
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Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore Conference

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Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore Conference

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10

Fremantle,WA, 19 21Iron
September
Ore Conference