ABSTRACT
Collecting high-quality geotechnical data is essential for increasing efficiency in mine planning and design. Core logging is a fundamental practice used to obtain geological and geotechnical data. Conventional manual logging can be subjective and inconsistent and have low auditability. Moreover, manual logging does not exploit collection of other potential information at the time of logging. Multi-sensor digital logging can be beneficial for reducing manual logging inconsistency and providing greater resolution in physical rock properties. This study presents a comparison between manual and multi-sensor geotechnical core logging for samples obtained from an open-pit mine. Oriented core samples were logged using a multi-sensor core logging facility and results were compared to manually logged data. Discrepancy in discontinuity orientation and good agreement for RQD are found between the two methods. Multi-sensor digital data show good correlation between lithology, and ultrasound velocity and hardness. Effect of weathering on discontinuity wall strength is quantified using hardness test on discontinuity surface. In addition, multi-element data from pXRF measurements are shown to be a proxy for alteration mineralogy at discontinuity surface.
