ABSTRACT
The supergiant Kamoa-Kakula copper deposit is a greenfields discovery made by Ivanhoe Mines in the Western Forelands area of the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over ten years, progressive collection of significant geological data and completion of nearly 1500 drillholes has led to an evolving modelling methodology to include greater geological control, meet the needs of advancing mining studies, and to solve the difficulties posed by stratigraphic and mineralisation units extensive over many kilometres but some only a few metres to tens of metres thick. Innovative modelling routines, combining Datamine and Leapfrog functionality, has led to a full three dimensional (3D) model honuouring vertical grade profiles, known controls on mineralisation, and accurately representing the geometry and relationships of numerous stratigraphic and mineralised units. Information now captured in the model has aided mining and metallurgical optimisation, which has added significant value to the project economics.
