Procedures to update a Gemcom block model.

(M. Barrette 2007-10-24 ver.01)

This procedure is assuming that the geological interpretation (solid creation) is complete.
There are 5 main steps to do;

Solid preparation, interpretation solids are the sources of all the process, will need to create
one from interpretation polylines, check it for errors, and create a polyline extrusion version for point
selection and a topo (surface clipped version).

Sample point preparation, manipulation of the original assays, may need compositing or cut
high values, selection of points for each solid or domain. Gems need separate point set for each
solid or geological domain if they have different characteristics for the interpolation of the block
model: different azimuth and dip (orientation), different variography and geostatistics. Also need to
use the same set of assay to do the interpolation of the block model as the one use for the original
interpretation.

Block model preparation, select block with solid to assign the corresponding rockcode.

Interpolation profile and interpolation process, prepares the interpolation profile with the
selected interpolation method, krigging or inverse distance, and how each rockcode will be
interpolate.

Volumetric report profile and result, create and or update volumetric report profiles and
setting to produce final resources report, tonnes and grades.

P.S. The name of the objects, solids, block model and other may be not consistent in all this
procedure, I used existing object solid block model and profile speed up the creation of the
procedure, will be improve after testing the procedure in next version
Solid Preparation
A- Solid validation.

1- Load the new solid on the Gems data area.

Right click on the Triangulation Workspace that contains your last solid.
(Zoom Extend)
2- Check the solid(s) for triangulation errors. Solid (menu) Utils, Check for Errors.
Select the solid to check, repeat for all solids. If errors go back to polylines edit and redo the solid,
redo the Check for Errors until no more errors.

B- Creation of solid by extrusion of the interpretation unWobble polylines.

Need to create a solid with the polyline extrusion for point selection purpose (Assay or composite
tag to the corresponding solid). Use the original polyline, not been Wobble.

1- Open the solid construction polyline workspace and load Polylines corresponding to the solid
(don’t need to use the Tie line). If multiple solids repeat the steps. (Right click on the
Polylines workspace, select Open)
2- Select only the Polylines corresponding to one solid use Polyline, Select, Select by rock code.
3- Extrude active close polyline into solids. This will create a solid for each close polyline,
temporary store it into a triangulation workspace (don’t need to save it now).
4- Export all the new extrude section solids in Autocad format (because now it is a solid by
section and we need a final extrude solid that will a fusion of all into only one, will be easier to
select the points (assays or composite) after).
File, Export, Selected Solids, DXF\DWG.
5- Close the current, unsaved Triangulation, don’t save the individual solids. Import the
last created dxf into the desire Triangulation workspace. File Import, Triangulation
dxf\dwg.
 6- Do the same for all the solids you need, save your workspace. We have now 2
different solid for the same area, the interpretation tie lined solid (the original) and an
extrude polyline solid.

C- Clipping of the interpretation solid(s) with the surface topo or pit surface.

As the interpretation of the ore zone or litho solid have been have their top part over the topo or
surface pit limit ,we need to clip each solid with the topo or pit surface to have the exact volume
and the good block selection later.

1- Open the Triangulation workspace that have the solids to clip.

2- Open Triangulation workspace that have the latest pit survey or topo.
3- Clip all the solids with the surface. Solid, Intersect, Clip.
4- Select solid to be clipped (right click when done), or Press Space bar to select from the solid
list (right click when done). Select the surface to clip
5- Select surface or solid to clip against (Click on the topo surface)

6- Add “CLIP” on the Name 3 field of each clipped solid. Save the Workspace.

Deselect all solid and Select from list the new clipped solids.
7- Check all the new clipped solid for error, Solid, Utils, Check for Errors.

We have now all the solids and surface we need to continue our block model update or new
interpolation.
Samples Points Preparation
A- Prepare assay samples.

The new drill holes test pits or other sample should be now on the database, we have our new
solid(s) interpreted from it. We need to export drill hole type assay to point area for the block
model update. We can use raw assay, high cut off clip assay and or composite.

1- Clip high value to a clip cut off. (Example all Au g/t assay > 10 g/t need to be cut at 10). In
your Drill hole workspace Assay table first create a new field (In our example) AuMax10.
Workspace, Create or Modify Workspace. Open Workspace, Select your Drillhole
workspace.

In your ASSAY table add a new field at the end called AuMax10.
Save the Workspace and exit the workspace editor.
If the field already exist go to the next step directly.

Manipulate the Assay table to fill up this new AuMax10 field.

Use Workspace, Manipulate Data, Conditional Manipulation of Fields.

Open the Drillhole workspace with the data editor to check if the result is good.

Browse the Header table to find an assay result with Au_GT > 10 and check the AuMax10 field if the
manipulation have been made correctly.
 2- If composite, follow the next steps.

If no composite table have been created, need to create one first.

Composite Profiles setup

Prepare Composite Table
Calculate Composite

Composite Profiles setup,

Define all the fields Source (Assay table) and Destination (Composite table)
Prepare Composite, this will delete all the actual record in your Composite table.

Select all the records and select the table to prepare for compositing.

Select Yes.
Next choose the method for creating composite intervals.

In this case Equal Length (Composite of 1m all the hole starting at collar location)

Next, Calculate the composite.

Select the Composite profile.

Select all the records

The drillhole or test pit assay data is now ready to transfer into a Point area.

B- Transfer Drillhole data type into Point Area data type.

Gems need to have the assays into a point type data and in a Point area workspace for the Block
model interpolation.

1- If no Point Area workspace, create one. Workspace, Create or Modify Workspace.

Workspace, New.
Select Point Area kind, give a name to the new Point Area workspace and type a description.

Accept all the default values on all the other screen.

May need to add additional fields into the Location table of the new Point Area.
Add the field you will need for the block model interpolation, Length, Au_gt, Ag_gt, Hole-ID,
Sample_no, Cu_ppm AuMax10 etc.

Save the workspace and exit the workspace editor.

Now ready to transfer data (assays or composite) from the Drillhole or TestPit Workspace to the
New Point Area workspace.
 2- Workspace, Extract Point.

Select the Workspace where to extract data from and the destination Point Area Workspace, Create
or select a point area, Delete existing points or append to it. Type a description for other user, select
or create a display profile.
Select source and destination of all the fields in the Data Tab.

Click OK to complete. Select all the records.

 3- Repeat step 2 for the Test pit composite or all other data you need to add to this point area,
same setting Except APPEND And NOT DELETE.

When all the points (assays and or composites) are all in the same point area, we need to divide
them into different point area witch match our different solid, in other works, one point area by solid.

4- Load the point area on screen. Right click on the Point area workspace an OPEN.
5- Create new point area, one for each of the solid you need to interpolate de resources. Point,
Data, New Area.
You can name those the same as your solid or rock code.

Repeat this step for all the solid.

6- Selection of the points that are include inside the solid, we use the original solid and the
Extrude solid. To make sure we select all the samples or composite associate with a solid we
select the point inside solid with the 2 solids Extrude and not extrude. Select or display only
the one set of solids at the time.

7- First need to deselect all points, Point, Select, Deselect all Points
All the point shows as grey.

8- Select point inside solid extrude, first and take not of how many points have been selected
and select again with the other solid. Point, Select, Select Points Inside Solid. Click the
solid.
9- The selected point are inside the tpcompNW_all, we want to copy this selection into the
RGOSNW3 point area. Right on the PAassays Point area workspace and select Copy.

And again and select Paste.

Select RGOSNW3.

Right click on the PAassays point area workspace and save it. Open the Workspace data editor
and select RGOSNW3 point area and scroll down the Location table and check the total number
of point.

10- This point area contain now the selected assays or composite need to run the interpolation.
Redo the point selection steps for all the solids. Do a Point, Select, Deselect all points
between each solid.
Block model preparation
A- Block model creation.

If you need to create a new model, follow the next steps, if only block model update, go to
B- Block selection and rockcode assign.

1- Create block model, go to Block, Create, Create Block Model Project.

 2- Give a name and a description to the new block model. Use the Copy setting from if
you what to use the same block model shape and size of a previous one.

You can check or change the geometry of the block model. Note that the origin is the lower left
corner (XY) and the Z is the top of the block model
You can change, add or subtract some grade elements from the block model.

Et voila, the new block model is create.

B- Block selection and rockcode assign

We need now to select the blocks in the new block model and assign a different rockcode
for each solid or domain.

1- Open the solid triangulation workspace and load the clipped version of the solids.
Zoom Extend

2- Select the block model.

 3- Select blocks inside the solid 1 (example here RGOSNW1, the red one). Use Block,
Selection, Create, Inside solid.

Click on the solid.

Use 2 as integration level and 50% as the minimum percent of block inside to select it. Check
Replace selection and Vertical down levels (in this case because horizontal shape solid).

Display the Rock Type block model element, Right on the Rock Type name in the block model tree
and select display.
Use Block, Selection Status to show the number of block in the selection and the actual value of
those blocks.

As now they are all to 0 as their Rock Type value. We need to change that and assign the
corresponding solid rock code value.
Rock Code block model value. To check what is the numeric value of a rock code, go under
Format, Volumetrics, Rock Codes.

In this example we use 5 rock codes,

41 RGOSNW1
42 RGOSNW2
43 RGOSNW3
44 RGOSNW4
45 RGOSNW5
 4- Assign the rock code value to the current block selection. Right click on the Rock Type
element of the block model and select Initialize.

Make sure you check BLOCK IN THE CURRENT SELECTION.

Value of the Rock

Code
Redo the Block Selection status and check the current block selection have the good rock type
value.

5- Repeat step 3 and 4 for all solids.

6- Select and display all the 5 rock type value in the same time to double check.
Use Block, Selection, Create, From Block Model.
Use Solid, Data, Deselect solid to display only the blocks on screen.
P.S. Color may differ depend on the Rock Type color display profile.

Block Selection Status.

The block model is now ready for the Interpolation process.

Interpolation profile and interpolation process

A- Create or update an Interpolation profile.

1- Select Tools, Geostatistics, Interpolation, Interpolation Profile.

Inverse Distance Profile.

Need a profile for each element (Au, Ag) and for each rock code in the block model.
Example Profile 1: Inverse Distance rock code 41 (RGOSNW1) Au.
Profile 2: Inverse Distance rock code 41 (RGOSNW1) Ag.
Profile 3: Inverse Distance rock code 42 (RGOSNW2) Au.
Etc.….
Select the block model to be use
Point Area
Workspace

Point Area
2- Create or update all the needed interpolation profiles. For Ordinary Krigging, same except
need to select a semi-variogram profile.
B- Run the Interpolation.

1- Select Tools, Geostatistics, Interpolation, Interpolate and Report.

2 Select the profile(s) to interpolate and press ok.

The interpolation is now completed, reselect all the blocks (41 to 45) using selection create from
block model and display Au_gr and Ag_gt. Use Block Selection Status to check the grades of the
selection.
Volumetric report profile and result
Volumetric Report Reserves will create a report of a selection of blocks in a block model.
Basically the report is the average tonnes and grade of a selection of block and show the results
by different constraints.

Example, report all the resources (blocks) with the rock code tag RGosNW3 (numeric code 43),
that have gold grade between >1 and are located on the 3 meters level plans 537 to 483.

Using the block model RGOSNWID2 we will produce this report.

1- Use Volumetrics, Report Reserves from the title menu.

2- Create a new profile.
3- First part of the profile is to select where the numbers we want to report come, Select
what is the source of the rock code, the block model or the geology solid, in this
example we will use From the block model.
4- Select what is the source of the Grades, in this example we will use From the block
model.

5- Select what is the source of the Densities (specific gravity for tonnage calculation) in
this example we will use From the Rock Code, there is no block model for the density.
6- Second part of the Data and Constraints is to determine what will constraint the report,
in other words, limits to our selection. In this example we will use Planes constraints.

7- The other tab is Accuracy where you can change the needle settings and accuracy
process, usually just change the Integretion level to “2”.
8- Next tab Reporting is to sort and present the data in the report. In our example we will
use Rock Group, Grade Group and Plan view. Rock Group and Grade Group are
define in the reporting-group profile.
Previous window show how to select the rock code we want the report to use, it can be only one in
this case or multiple. A Groupe Profile is containing one or multiple Rock group, select one or
multiple rock code, and a Grade group attach to it.

9- Grade group, use to report the grade range of an selecting element, in this example
Au g/t > 1.
10- Finally the report profile, to setup how you want the report to look like.

11- Execute the report and look at the result.

Finally a report by Rock Group, Grade Group, and Plane.