Corporate Strategy and Due Diligence
Murchison Gold
Commodities
Client
Meeka Metals
Location
Meekatharra, Western Australia
Work Conducted
Grade Control Model
UNLOCKING VALUE AT MURCHISON GOLD
Mining Plus partnered with Meeka Metals to enhance the Murchison Gold Project through a comprehensive grade control model for the St. Annes and Turnberry deposits. This project, which employed an open-pit mining approach, aimed to deliver robust and accurate resource estimates, ensuring the project's success despite complex geological challenges.
CHALLENGES
The Murchison Gold Project presented several challenges due to its narrow-vein gold deposit with a high nugget effect, hosted within magnetic dolerite and quartz veins. The mineralised zones, surrounded by mafic and ultramafic materials near shear zones, were complicated by local folding and potential supergene enrichment, made difficult to assess due to deep weathering and oxidised overburden. Additionally, the transition from RC to diamond drilling created a lack of core imagery for structural interpretation. Mining Plus's scope included database reviews, domain creation, geostatistical analysis, and mineral resource estimation but excluded classification or QP endorsement, necessitating a precise and comprehensive approach to overcome these challenges.
SOLUTIONS
Mining Plus deployed advanced geostatistical techniques, including statistical analysis and log probability plots, to establish a grade cut-off and internal waste length, forming the basis for high and low-grade domain composites. Using Leapfrog Geo Intrusion and the Vein tool, estimation wireframes were meticulously crafted. A robust grade control model was built using 1-meter composites, incorporating Ordinary Kriging (OK) estimation applied across three search passes. Throughout the process, validation was conducted through visual and statistical comparisons of block model grades with drill hole data, ensuring a high level of accuracy.
OUTCOMES
Mining Plus successfully delivered a block model with sub-block dimensions of 0.65 m (X) by 1.25 m (Y) by 1.25 m (Z), tailored to the narrow-vein geology. The Ordinary Kriging estimation method and careful validation processes, including limited composite data export for blocks beyond 50m rL, resulted in an accurate and reliable grade control model. This approach enabled Meeka Metals to effectively navigate the complexities of the deposit, providing critical insights for open-pit mining. The project not only delivered precise results but also set a strong foundation for the continued development of the Murchison Gold Project.
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