The foundation of a successful cave mine operation is the collection of detailed geotechnical rock mass and structural data. This fundamental data is used as the basis for fragmentation and cavability assessments, on which significant mine design decisions are based, and which can ultimately have an impact on the safety and economics of ore recovery. Considerable improvements and technical advances in analysis and design aspects have been made, but are vulnerable to poor quality, quantity and understanding of the geotechnical data collected. The importance of detailed geotechnical and structural logging of an adequate number of drill holes cannot be underestimated. Combining robust data collection with appropriate software toolsets to visualise, interrogate and develop geotechnical models is important for yielding the maximum value and understanding of the data, including limitations which ultimately feed into the mine design and decision making process.
