Geological database

OBJECTIVES • To become familiar with Surpac’s Geological Database module. • To learn about the minimum requirements for a geological database. • To learn to import data into a database from ASCII text files. • To learn to map a database • To create composite files • To view data and create sections Using these principles then to apply to interpreting geological sections

GEOLOGY DATABASE 1/79 _ Copyright © 2005 Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd All rights reserved This software and documentation is proprietary to Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd publishes this documentation for the sole use of Surpac licenses Without written permission you may not sell, reproduce, store in a retrieval system, or transmit any part of the documentation For such permission, or to obtain extra copies please contact your local Surpac Minex Group Office Surpac Minex Group Pty Ltd Level 190 St Georges Terrace Perth, Western Australia 6000 Telephone: Fax: (08) 94201383 (08) 94201350 While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, we assume no responsibility for errors or omissions Neither is any liability assumed for damage resulting from the use of the information contained herein All brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of there respective companies About This Manual This manual has been designed to provide a practical guide to the many uses of the software The applications contained within this manual are by no means exhaustive as the possible uses of the software are only limited by the user’s imagination However, it will give new users a starting point and existing users a good overview by demonstrating how to use may of the functions in Surpac Vision If you have any difficulties, or questions whist working through this manual feel free to contact your local Surpac Minex Group Office 2/79 GEOLOGICAL DATABASE FILES USED DISCUSSION DATABASE STRUCTURE COLLAR TABLE SURVEY TABLE OPTIONAL TABLES MAPPING A DATABASE Surpac Mapping Detail database tree Removing a table and field mapping 11 Adding an optional database field to a Mandatory table 11 Renaming an optional database field in a table 12 Mapping Optional Tables (sample or geology) 12 TASKS 14 Map the surpac_training.mdb database to create the surpac_training.ddb map link 16 Add an interval table called “geology” with an optional field called “lithology” to the “surpac” database 21 Import geology and sample data into the database from the files geology.txt and samples.txt, respectively 21 Display the drillholes and create colour display styles for lithology and assays 23 Manipulation of the drillholes by: 29 • Display lithological codes on the right-hand side 29 • Display assays on the left-hand side 29 • Display colour-filled bar graphs of the gold assays on the left-hand side and offset them 5m 29 Drillhole Investigation and interrogation 32 Sectioning by Create E-W sections starting at 7120N to 7600N in steps of 40m 34 Interpretation and digitizing of sections on screen 42 Flagging an interval table with 3dm intercepts 44 COMPOSITING 47 BENCH ELEVATIONS 48 DOWNHOLE COMPOSITING 52 COMPOSITING DOWNHOLE CONSTRAINED BY INTERCEPT TABLE 53 COMPOSITING GRAPHICAL 56 OPTIONAL EXERCISE 62 Grade Control Activity 62 VERTICAL SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING 72 SETTING UP A MAP ENTITY FOR PLOTTING 76 3/79 GEOLOGICAL DATABASE OBJECTIVES • • • • • • To become familiar with Surpac’s Geological Database module To learn about the minimum requirements for a geological database To learn to import data into a database from ASCII text files To learn to map a database To create composite files To view data and create sections Using these principles then to apply to interpreting geological sections FILES USED Files used in this lab exercise are found in the following folder: C:\GEOLOGY\DATABASES\DATA DISCUSSION The Geological Database module in Surpac is one of the most important set of tools you can learn Drillhole data are the starting point of all mining projects and constitute the basis on which feasibility studies and ore reserve estimations are done A geological database consists of a number of tables, each of which contains a different kind of data Each table contains a number of fields of data Each table will have many records with each record containing the data fields Surpac uses a relational database model and supports several different types including oracle, paradox and Microsoft access We also support Open Database Connectivity for ODBC and can connect to databases across networks A database can contain up to 50 tables and each table can have a max of 60 fields DATABASE STRUCTURE Surpac requires mandatory tables within a database: collar and survey COLLAR TABLE The information stored in the collar table describes the location of the drill hole collar, the maximum depth of the hole and whether a linear or curved hole trace is to be calculated when retrieving the hole Optional collar data may also be stored for each drill hole For example, date drilled, type of drill hole or project name The mandatory fields in a collar table are: 4/79 SURVEY TABLE The survey table stores the drill hole survey information used to calculate the drill hole trace coordinates Mandatory fields include: downhole depth at which the survey was taken, the dip and the azimuth of the hole For a vertical hole, which has not been surveyed, the depth would be the same as the max_depth field in the collar table, the dip as -90 and the azimuth as zero The y, x and z fields are used to store the calculated coordinates of each survey Optional fields for this table may include other information taken at the survey point e.g., core orientation The mandatory fields in a survey table are: OPTIONAL TABLES Aside from the mandatory tables, optional tables may be added and used to store such data as geology and assays There are different types of optional tables that can be added to a database: interval point discreet (depth from and depth to) (depth to) (point data) The interval tables require the depth at the start of the interval and the depth at the end of the interval, called the depth_from and depth_to fields respectively The point tables require only the depth where the sample was taken, called the depth_to field A sample identifier field is defined for interval tables but this field is not a key field and so does not require data if not available The y, x and z fields are used to store the calculated coordinates of the sample depths The discrete sample tables are used for storing data for a point, which has a unique samp_id All that is 5/79 required for this is the samp_id and its position in space i.e., its Y, X and Z coordinates The discrete sample table is ideally suited for storing and later processing geochemical soil samples MAPPING A DATABASE How does Surpac connect to a Database? Whether connecting to a database which has been created using Surpac or one created independently, a database definition file is required to read/write to the database Put simply, a database definition file (*.ddb) can be described as a header file that describes: type and name of database, where the database is located ( a path location) table names, fields names and formatting of each field type The ddb file is a text file and does no contain any data It allows Surpac to connect to a backend relational database and is usually the same name as the database itself 6/79 A database definition file is created automatically if a databse is created within Surpac Vision If connecting to a database that was not created using Surpac Vision, a ddb file has to be created in order to view drill and manipulate the data in Surpac This is called “mapping” (or connecting) a database and Surpac Vision has a function that allows a ddb file to be created quickly and simply If the structure of the database does not change, ie the field and table names not change, this process only need to be done once Data can be added to a database at any point This does not change the ddb file, you are simply adding more data into each table Mapping a Database (Creating a database definition file) For Surpac to read a database, it must know where the geological database and drill hole data live if the database is not created within Surpac Surpac knows that certain tables and fields exist, but the location of these must be “mapped” so that fields can be linked The DB MAPPER function is a tool that is used to set up the mappings between the actual database and the database Surpac expects to have This function will also allow you to define a view of your database by specifying which tables and fields you want Surpac to know about This is useful if you have a very large database and Surpac only needs to use information from a few of the tables It is also possible to add validation information to fields in your tables using the DB MAPPER so that Surpac will check the integrity of the data that is about to be stored or modified in your database Once you have finished mapping your database, a ddb file will be produced that Surpac can then use to connect to your database If you rename or change the configuration of your database, you can use the DB MAPPER to reflect these new changes 7/79 The DB MAPPER function can be used to map an access, paradox or ODBC database The type of database to be mapped will determine how the database is selected Go to Database, Map the Database On the first form, select the database to be mapped Mapping an Access database called SE2004.mdb Click Next to continue The following form will appear: A ddb file called se2004.ddb will be created Click Next to continue A process bar may appear This may appear for a minute or so, depending on the size of database 8/79 The following form will appear: The form is split into two halves The left hand side, Source Database, shows all tables and queries contained in the Database The right and side, Mapping Detail, shows the table and fields names (explained in the previous section) that Surpac requires to connect to a database If you open one of these folders by clicking on the “+” symbol to the left of the folder, a list within that table will be displayed Tip: Surpac can map Queries in a Database Set up a query to look at specific holes, map the queries, Only this data is accessible in Surpac Surpac Mapping Detail database tree The mapping detail side of the form shows two folders labelled "Mandatory Tables" and "Optional Tables" As discussed earlier, Surpac requires mandatory tables within a database to display and manipulate drillholes The mandatory tables that Surpac requires are the ' collar'and ' survey' tables 9/79 If you drilldown into each of the survey or collar folders, you will also see listed an "Optional Fields" and "Indexes" folder The "Optional Fields" folder will be used to specify any other fields from the table you wish to work with The "Indexes" folder will also contain two folders - one that specifies what the mandatory Surpac index is for this table and one that shows what other indexes you want Surpac to know about Under the "Optional Tables" folder are five folders The first folder represents the ' translation'table that is needed if you require a table for assisting in translating numeric codes, such as below detection assays from the lab This folder will contain the mandatory fields for the translation table and folders for any optional fields and indexes you wish to also view The ' styles'table stores the drawing styles created for drillhole geology codes and assay values that are stored in the database These styles are used when displaying drillholes in Surpac The "Interval Tables", "Point Tables" and "Discrete Tables" folders will be used to specify which non-mandatory tables in your database that you wish to access NOTE: Any table names or fields names that have an asterisk (*) next to their name MUST be mapped Mapping required tables If the external database has used the same table names and field name conventions as a database created using Surpac then during the process of mapping the database, Surpac can identify the collar, survey, interval and point tables automatically (note this is case sensitive) If other naming conventions have been used, including upper or mixed case, then each table must be mapped Any table names or field names that have not been recognised by the Mapper is highlighted with an asterix (*) Mapping a Mandatory collar and survey table: Drag and drop the collar table from the left hand side over the top of the collar table on the right hand side Repeat this process to map each of the Mandatory fields All optional fields are mapped automatically 10/79 And section view Using the layer maths function, complete the form as shown below: 65/79 Now the file in plan view is shown below Compare this with the plan view screen capture taken above 66/79 This is in section view The result of swapping the Y and Z fields is that the Y field (which was the northing) has now become the elevation, and the Z field (which was the rl) has now become the northing Create flitch bars Once the ore section files have been converted to sectional co-ordinates and are cleaned, we can slice them in plan to obtain flitch bars to indicate where the ore lies in section This can help us when we our interpretation in plan, as it indicates where the ore zone lies To this, select: FILE TOOLS | SLICES THROUGH SECTIONS 67/79 Open the corresponding flitch bar file and bench composite file, we now have all the details on screen to begin to digitize in plan view 68/79 Create ore blocks in plan view a b c Create a new layer and name it bench110 Set the digitizer properties to Z= 110 (or the rl required) Digitise the oreblocks in plan view – saving the file as orebench110.str 69/79 To calculate the grade of the bench polygon, select FILE TOOLS | CALCULATE GRADE IN POLYGONS This outputs the grade results to the message window and also creates a new file ore_blocks110.str View this file in graphics to validate the ore grade 70/79 71/79 VERTICAL SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING The output from VERTICAL SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING is a series of string files containing the selected information for holes that match the hole selection criteria There will be one string file for each section you have selected, with a location name that you have specified and an ID number equal to each section value The structure of each string file is such that you can set up permanent map definitions in the PLOTTING menu which refer to the specific string numbers in which the selected information is stored A summary of the string numbers output for each string file is given below: String Description Hole trace for holes entirely within extraction limits Hole trace for holes which start outside the extraction limits, but finish inside the extraction limits Hole trace for holes which start inside the extraction limits but finish outside the extraction limits Hole trace for holes that start and finish outside the extraction limits Top, bottom and down hole survey depths with survey data stored in the D fields The point at which the hole trace crosses the extraction plane 11 The first interval sample grade range string, for the first sample table, with different elements stored in the D fields in the order in which they were selected (second table = 111, third = 211 etc) 12 The second and subsequent interval sample grade range strings, for the first sample table with different elements stored in the D fields in the order in which they were selected ( second table = 112, third = 212 etc) 21 The interval sample bar graph strings for the first selected element (or the first sample table), with the grade range in the D field (second table = 121, third = 221 etc) 22 The interval sample bar graph strings for the second and subsequent selected elements, for the first sample table with the grade range in the D field (second table = 122, third = 222 etc) 31 The interval bulked sample string for the first selected element, for the first sample table (second table = 131, third = 231 etc) 32 The interval bulked assay strings for the second and subsequent selected elements, for the first sample table (second table = 132, third = 232 etc) 41 The first point sample grade range string with different elements stored in the D fields for the first sample table, in the order in which they were selected (second table = 141, third = 241 etc) 42 The second and subsequent interval sample grade range strings with different elements stored in the D fields for the first sample table in the order in which they were selected (second table = 142, third = 242 etc) 72/79 51 The line graph string for the first selected element, in the order in which they were selected (second table = 151, third = 251 etc) 52 The line graph string for the second and subsequent selected elements, in the order in which they were selected (second table = 152, third = 252 etc) 70 The literal geology string for the first sample table with the different geology fields stored in the D fields in the order in which they were selected (second table = 170, third = 270 etc) 71 The symbolic geology box strings for each geology field that has been selected with the literal geology codes in the D field, in the order in which they were selected (second table = 171, third = 271 etc) 81 90 Geology trace for each geology field for the drill hole display module Strings to contain the drill hole trace strings for all of the holes extracted for plotting Only the portion of the hole which lies within the extraction limits is extracted, so that special plot entities can be used to correctly display those holes which enter or leave the extraction limits The number of points defining the drill hole trace is determined by the answer to the question Downhole datapoint interval given in the EXTRACT SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING form If you entered a value for Interval for plotting depths in the same form, the downhole depths will be stored in the D field of the drill hole trace string String contains at least two points for each drill hole that has met the selection criteria These points are for the top of the hole or the position where the hole enters the extraction limits, and the bottom of the hole or the position where the hole leaves the extraction limits Each point in this string will have the following information stored in the D fields: D1 hole_id D2 depth D3 dip D4 azimuth 73/79 String will contain one point for each drill hole that intersects the section plane If a drill hole does not intersect the section plane, such as a vertical drill hole, then no point will be stored for that hole Strings 11 to 20 will contain interval assay data for the selected elements, with each string representing a different grade range If you answered `Y'to the prompt Process each element separately in the EXTRACT SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING form, then String 11 will contain all the values for each selected element in the first grade range for each individual element, String 12 will contain all the values for each selected element in the second grade range for each individual element, and so on If you answered `N'to the prompt Process each element separately in the EXTRACT SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING form, then String 11 will contain the values for each selected element in the first grade range of the first selected element The second and subsequent selected elements for the samples in this string will be stored in this string regardless of their own value String 12 will contain the values for each selected element in the second grade range of the first selected element, and so on The actual data point stored for each of these strings represents the end point of the selected sample Strings 21 to 30 will contain bar graphs for selected elements, with one string number used for each selected element These bar graph strings are closed segment boxes with the grade range number for each box stored in the D field so that fill entities can be applied when using the plotting module Strings 31 to 40 will contain the bulked sample data with one string number for each selected element The bulked grades and lengths are stored in the D field at the point at the end of the bulked interval in the form `10m @ 25' Strings 41 to 50 will contain point sample data for the selected elements, with each string representing a different grade range If you answered `Y'to the prompt Process each element separately in the EXTRACT SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING form, then String 41 will contain all the values for each selected element in the first grade range for each individual element, String 42 will contain all the values for each selected element in the second grade range for each individual element, and so on If you answered `N'to the prompt Process each element separately in the EXTRACT SECTIONS FOR PLOTTING form, then String 41 will contain the values for each selected element in the first grade range of the first selected element The second and subsequent selected elements for the samples in this string will be stored in this string regardless of their own value String 42 will contain the values for each selected element in the second grade range of the first selected element, and so on Strings 51 to 60 will contain line graphs for selected elements, with one string number used for each selected element If the line graphs are created from interval sample data then the graph points are located half way along each sample length String 70 will contain the literal geology codes with selected geology fields stored in individual D fields The actual data point stored for each of these strings represents the end point of the selected sample Strings 71 to 80 will contain the closed box segments for plotting symbolic geology, with one string number for each selected symbolic geology field A closed box segment is created for each geological code, with the literal geology code stored in the D field so that fill entities can be used in the plotting module The boxes will be offset from the drill hole trace by the box thickness 74/79 String 91 contains the dipmeter values with each dipmeter reading stored in a point down the drill hole trace The dip, azimuth and quality values are each stored in the D1, D2 and D3 fields of each point for plotting String 92 contains the actual dipmeter line segments as defined on the DEFINE DIPMETER DATA form with the dip, azimuth and quality value stored in the D1, D2 and D3 fields These can be plotted out using a line entity 75/79 SETTING UP A MAP ENTITY FOR PLOTTING There is a template set up – DH section which you can copy to create a new entity which can then be edited as shown below copy and paste between fields using the right click mouse or control c and then use the down arrow to move and control v to paste fields down To colour the geology boxes – add your codes to the pattern lookup table by going to Plotting, Plotting colours, Pattern look up file properties 76/79 This will allow string 71, the geology boxes to be colour coded when plotted The geology code is stored in the D1 field Surpac reads the above table, and if there is a matching code the geology box is plotted out using the selected hatch pattern ad colour 77/79 One useful way to “batch” plotting is to use a procedure All you have to know is the simple structure of the procedure and how to insert a variable in to a macro Always have a clear plan of what steps you need to when recordsing a macro The first step to creating any batch plotting is to record the steps in a macro and then edit the macro so it can “loop”, or repeat the steps to multiple plots The template of the steps are as follows Plotting, Map, Edit This must be done so the next section string files can be inserted in to the Map definition Plotting, Process map Make sure the Plot parameters form has display plot ticked (In the plotting Window), File, Save Save the plot file as a meaningful name, something crazy like “sec7000.pf” Close the plotting Window Delete the *.cf , *.par and he old plot file name Do some housekeeping and delete the files created when a plot file *.pf is created Type in “EXEC”, Surpac will auto-finish the function name Hit the enter key to present the form If the map name was SECTION, the files created will be sectio*.pf, sectio*.cf and sectio*.par ON the form type: Del sectio*.pf, sectio*.cf, sectio*.par This will delete from the current working directory all the files, except for the renamed file, created by the Process Map function Stop recording the macro Now the macro can be edited and set up sing a procedure to multiple plots! proc secplot { northing } { ##################### # body of plotting macro 78/79 #substitute the section number with the variable, $northing in all the plotting forms ###################### } puts “Finished plotting $northing.” # List all the sections to plot here # procedure name section secplot 7120 secplot 7160 secplot 7200 79/79 [...]... ICONS GEOLOGICAL DATABASE Open Database Close Database Drillhole Display Styles Display Drillholes Complete unextended hole Previous Section Next Section Reverse View Direction Zoom Plane Refresh Drillholes Identify Drillhole Edit Drillhole End Section Mode 15/79 PROCEDURE 1 Map the surpac_training.mdb database to create the surpac_training.ddb map link a From the database menu, select Map the Database. .. to their name MUST be mapped Connecting to a Database Once the mapping is complete, it will create a *.ddb file in the same directory as the database which is the link which you can now open the database To open a database either, double click the *.ddb file in the navigator or select DATABASE | OPEN/NEW A message will be sent to the message window that the database is connected and the symbol below... appear with the database icon and the name “surpac_training” This means you have successfully connected to the database b From the Database menu choose Database, Administration, Create table c Fill the subsequent forms as follows: 3 Import geology and sample data into the database from the files geology.txt and samples.txt, respectively d Make sure you are connected to the drillhole database See step... optional database field to a Mandatory table If you have mapped one of your database tables to a Surpac mandatory table and you wish to access other fields in the database you can map these to the optional fields within that table Highlight the database field name with a left mouse click and without releasing the mouse button, move the mouse pointer over the "Optional Fields" folder in the Surpac database. .. be displayed b The database type: browser will also allow you to map to other forms of databases, including paradox or oracle Select the surpac_training.mdb and select c This will now create the following *.ddb file, select mapping the database Next Next to continue with The map the database form will now appear On the left hand side of the form is the source data, or the access database that we are... understand the structure of the database you can map the surpac.mdb We can insert new tables within the database, load new data into these tables, report and create sections 1 Map the surpac_training.mdb database to create surpac_training.ddb 2 Add an interval table called “geology” with an optional field called “lithology” to the “surpac” database 3 Import geology data into the database from the files geology.txt... correct fields within the database Open you text file and determine which column each of the fields reside, then complete the column number 22/79 f Read the Database Load Report to validate the import 4 Display the drillholes and create colour display styles for lithology and assays a Display the Database menu 23/79 b Display the database icons c Display the Drillholes by selecting DATABASE | DISPLAY |... source database, have been matched with tables on the mapping detail and then select Finish You will now be connect to the database surpac_training as shown on the status bar and the file surpac_training.ddb will appear in your directory 20/79 2 Add an interval table called “geology” with an optional field called “lithology” to the “surpac” database a First you must connect to the drillhole database. .. hole_path field does not have to be mapped If the external database does not have this field (highly likely if the database was created not using Surpac), Surpac uses the CURVED algorithm for all holes Repeat the same steps to map the survey table Removing a table and field mapping If you have mapped a Surpac table or field with an incorrect table in your database, you can remove the mapping by selecting the... right-hand side 1 From the Database menu, choose Display, Drillholes 2 Fill the different tabs on the subsequent form as follows: 29/79 I Display assays on the left-hand side s From the Database menu, choose Display, Drillholes t Fill the subsequent form as follows: 30/79 II Display colour-filled bar graphs of the gold assays on the left-hand side and offset them 5m u From the Database menu, choose Display,