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Mine Sampling
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The sampling of metalliferous and industrial
mineral deposits is undertaken for a variety of
reasons and at various stages in their evaluation
and exploitation. During the exploration phase,
the sampling is largely confined to the analysis of
drill cuttings, or cores, and is aimed at the eva-
luation of individual, often well spaced, intersec-
tions of the deposit. It thus gives the in situ grade
and thickness of an intersection but provides
little evidence of the continuity of potentially
economic mineralization and generally takes lit-
tle account of mining constraints.
During the exploitation phase, sampling is
used to define assay hangingwalls and footwalls,
together with the grade over mineable thicknes-
ses, taking into account not only the mineralized
zone, but also its potential dilution by low grade
or barren material. Sampling is much more in-
tense in this situation and is undertaken to allow
the assignment of overall weighted grades to
individual ore-blocks or stopes. It is used to
define internal zones oflow grade or waste mate-
rial or zones of differing metallurgical type, i.e.
refractory or oxide ore, as opposed to sulphide
ore amenable to flotation. It may also be used to
delineate areas containing certain deleterious ele-
A. E. Annels, Mineral Deposit Evaluation
© A. E. Annels 1991
ments (Hg,As,Bi, etc.) or valuable by-product
metals (Au,Ag, etc.). Also at this stage, sampling
will be used to extend existing reserves and
attempt to prove new ore-zones accessible from
existing underground development. Perhaps one
of the most important applications of sampling
during the exploitation phase is in grade control,
i.e. the regular monitoring of face grades in
active stopes, or bench grades in an open-pit, or
of broken rock being trammed or trucked as
waste or mill feed. It is thus used to assess when a
stope is exhausted, when a drive on lode has
penetrated beyond the limits of ore-grade/
mineable material and whether the material
being sent to the mill is still of economic grade.
Sampling will also aid blending of ores from
different stopes, or portions of a pit bench, to
ensure constancy of mill feed. Grade control, as
such, will be considered in more detail in Chap-
ter 7.
Barnes (1980) defines a sample as ' ... a repre-
sentative part or a single item from a larger
whole, being drawn for the purpose of inspec-
tion or shown as evidence of quality' and that it is
' ... part of a statistical population whose prop-
erties are studied to gain information about the
whole'. The type of sample, and number col-
lected, depends on a range offactors which include:
 Mine sampling
(1) The type of mineral deposit and the distri-
bution and grain size of the valuable phase.
(2) The stage of the evaluation procedure.
(3) Whether direct accessibility exists to the
mineralization.
(4) The ease of collection, which is related to
the nature and condition of the host rock.
(5) The cost of collection, funds available and
the value of the ore. Obviously, the cost of
intense sampling of a low grade, or low value,
deposit, may be prohibitive.
It is the intention of this chapter to examine
these factors and to describe the various methods
used to collect samples, illustrating each with
examples taken from different deposits around
the world.
2.2 CHARACTERIZATION OF MINERAL
DEPOSITS FOR SAMPLING PURPOSES
The mode of occurrence and morphology of a
mineral deposit has considerable impact on the
type and density of sampling, and on the amount
of material required. This aspect can be illus-
trated by considering some of the main group-
ings of mineral deposit in turn.
2.2.1 Veins
The following are the main features of vein type
deposits from the point of view of their sam-
pling:
(1) The valuable mineral/metal components
are unevenly distributed across, and within, the
plane of the vein.
(2) The ore mineral may be coarsely crystal-
line requiring a large sample volume for it to be
representative.
(3) Many veins are narrow (compared to the
stoping width) and hence are susceptible to
heavy dilution.
(4) Most veins are associated with faults,
fissures and shear zones and the condition of the
44
wall-rock may affect dilution and thus the way in
which they are sampled.
(5) The assay cut-offs are usually sharply de-
fined and correspond to the wall-rock/vein con-
tacts, however, wall-rock impregnations and
subsidiary stringer vein systems may require
additional sampling beyond the vein margins.
(6) Although fluctuations in thickness are
fairly predictable, and lie within limited ranges,
those of grade are highly erratic and unpredict-
able, thus requiring closer spaced sampling.
(7) They are frequently difficult to sample due
to the hardness or brittle nature of the vein
constituents and it is thus very difficult to avoid
biased sampling because of variable quantities
per unit length (with the exception of whole drill
core sampling).
(8) Because mine development is concentrated
on lode, sampling tends to be concentrated on
faces or muckpiles requiring regular visits to the
face, a time-consuming commitment.
(9) Advance sampling is sometimes limited by
lack of remote development from which under-
ground drilling can be accomplished.
2.2.2 Stratiform deposits
These include stratiform base-metal deposits,
such as those of the Zambian Copperbelt, and
stratiform gold deposits, such as those at Hemlo,
Ontario and the Carling type deposits. These are
thus deposits which lie within a particular litho-
logical unit or lithofacies and whose contained
ore minerals are largely controlled by bedding
and other sedimentary features. Their significant
features, from the point of view of sampling, are:
(1) They tend to be thick (i.e. up to 20 m).
(2) They have a large areal extent.
(3) They are commonly either gently inclined,
or highly folded and tectonized, thus presenting
problems for sampling and evaluation.
(4) Grades tend to be uniform and predictable,
except when affected by late stage remobiliza-
tion, metamorphism or veining.