MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF SURVEYING AND GEOMATICS
Mining Surveying
ASSIGNMENT 4

STUDENT NAMES : JASON TULIPOHAMBA B

STUDENT ID : R182433C
LEVEL : 3:1
MODULE CODE : SVG309
LETURE NAME : MR T Mapurisa

DUE DATE: 22 May 2020

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a) You are required to justify the need to establish mine planning section and employ a
mine planning manager at your mine, write a paper describing the different stages of
mine planning and its importance at a mining location.

Long term planning reserves

• The long term planning process ensures optimization at mining right area level, with
strategically aligned constraints, before consolidation and optimization at a mineral asset
portfolio (company) level.
• Cyclically evaluating all options within a mining right area (the mine extraction strategy)
with the intention that the best option, the option that meets a strategic intent (the business
plan constraints) be selected.
• Long term planning enable to plan the future of the mine ahead and it also help to design the
mining pushbacks as well as designing waste dumps, tailing dams and do the construction of
roads within the mine jurisdiction (Andersen, Pearson & Smith, 2005).
• The overall objectives of the long term planning process are to create alignment of activities
to a common company planning calendar;
• Determine mine equipment requirements

Medium Term Planning (5 year plan)

• This stage focuses mostly on the detailed scheduling as it deals with material movement and
plant feed for a specific period of 3 to 5 years.
• Anglo Platinum Limited (2008) stated that, the center of attention for this stage is also to
design detailed annual operating plan, detailed pit design and address issues related to mining
sequence, geotechnical as well as hydrological issues. Moreover, this stage is regarded as the
basis of business forecast.

Short Term Planning (STP)

• This is where by the focus is only on a 3 month rolling plan and it should be completed each
month
• This is the stage where amount of items awarded to suppliers can be governed or controlled.

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• Design of actual drill and blasting cut or mineral blocks as well as detailed scheduling of
mining sequence fall within short term planning stage
• This is the stage responsible for equipment maintenance team and grade control Geologists

Operational planning weekly & daily

• Focuses on a bi-weekly rolling plan by considering the days and shifts
• Grading of haul roads, dozing activities as well as drilling and blasting design
• Stockpiling, crusher feeder and stockpile management

b) Name and describe components of the three types of plans that must be prepared and
maintained on a mine.
Surface plans
• These plans must at all times be correct within at most one year from the date of its
preparation or last revision
• These plans must show the position of any principal surface erection, including explosive
magazines, reservoirs, dams, dumps, and other works of a similar nature and the position of
any open-cast workings and boreholes, and any other surface object which an inspector may
require to be shown.
• These plans must show the position of any road, railway, river, power line and public
telegraph lines; and
• Provided that, in the case of a claim the area of which is too expensive to show the
boundaries on the same plan, the full area shall be shown on a smaller convenient scale 'plan,
and such smaller scale plan shall show the boundaries of the sheets comprising the whole
claim area.
• a north point and an accurately drawn scale

Underground plans
• Which shall at all times be correct within at most six months from the date of its preparation
or last revision
• Shall show any shaft, shaft station, stope, permanent explosives distribution store, cross-cut
drive, winze, raise, major fault and dyke.

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 • It should indicate any abandoned working which is adjacent to the mining work together with
the degree of accuracy on which such plan is based.
• The date, year, month and the workings must be marked against the workings
• The survey system and the co-ordinates of the origin used.
An assay plan
• Shall at all times be correct within at most six months from the date of its preparation or
last revision
• show the mine workings together with the value and width of the ore body at each sample
section of development
• Be so drawn that any stopes, drive, cross-cut and other detail shown thereon does not
obscure the sample results in any way
• a north point and an accurately drawn scale

c) Discuss the meaning of mine subsidence and the role of a surveyor in controlling the effects
of mine subsidence at a mine.
Mine subsidence can be defined as movement of the ground surfaces as a result of readjustments
of the overburden due to collapse or failure of underground mine workings.

Mine subsidence can be controlled in ways

• A surveyor must make sure that he or she provides control for all mining excavations,
position, direction, elevation and dimensions.
• Ensure that contractors are complying with regulations governing mine surveying, mine
plans and related matters.
• A surveyor must make sure that he gives direction to the miner or contractors and any
underground movement should be monitored.
• Ensure compliance with mining title arrangements (licenses, contracts) to make sure that all
work is carried out within permitted boundary limits.
• Maintain an adequate geographic database (plans, sections, models) for planning the layout
of all physical features such as mine workings, plants, buildings and all infrastructures.

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Referencing List
Anglo Platinum Limited, (2008) Industry and Competitor Analysis, Johannesburg.

Andersen, D. C., Pearson, J. and Smith, G. L., (2005) The strategic long term planning process at
Anglo Platinum, Proceedings of the First International Seminar on Strategic versus Tactical
Approaches in Mining, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Symposium Series
S40, Johannesburg, South Africa, 19-21 pp. 9-22.

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