Introduction to Geometallurgy White Paper

Geometallurgy is an interdisciplinary approach that plays a pivotal role in any project’s evaluation or proposed mining operation. It focuses on spatially characterizing the different material types or domains within a deposit, considering their impact on processing, mining performance, and environmental and closure aspects.

This white paper is an introduction to geometallurgy and is intended to be a reference for practitioners unfamiliar with aspects of the subject. The white paper is intended to provide an understanding of all geometallurgical elements into one document, using them to lay out a roadmap for future Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG) geometallurgy guidelines.

This white paper includes a detailed definition of geometallurgy along with an overview of the key elements associated with the discipline, including:

• Common data reporting
• Representative sampling
• Geological characterization
• Metallurgical and environmental characterization
• Data consolidation and data quality assurance
• Model development
• Model evaluation
• Project optimization
• Reconciliation