Creating a Block Model

Table of Contents

Overview

 What You'll Learn

 Model Definition
 Adding Attributes
 Background Value
 Saving the Block Model
 Review
 Where To Next

Overview

In this section you will create a Block Model with the qualities required to satisfy the origins and extents of your data.

What You'll Learn

This section will provide an overview of the functionality of the following:

 Model definition
 Adding attributes
 Saving the Block Model

You will be investigating the following scenario:

A gold prospect has been Reverse Circulation and Diamond drilled on a 40 x 40 metre pattern. It remains to estimate
the resource based on the drilling.

The geology has been interpreted on section and three distinct geological ore zones have been identified.

1. SAND - mineralisation is associated with a horizontal palaeo-drainage channel, striking 020. The channel
has an average thickness of 2.5 metres.
2. QPY - mineralisation is associated with quartz-pyrite breccia, strike= 035, dip= 40W.
3. BIF - mineralisation is associated with a banded iron formation, strike= 030, dip= 65W.
The base of complete weathering is assumed to be flat lying, and is at 970 m Elevation. The top of fresh rock is
assumed to be at 950 m Elevation.

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The drill hole data has been stored in a relational database and several files have been created using some of the
Data Processing functions available in the Surpac Geological Database. These files are:

Down hole composites

CMPS1.STR - 1 metre down hole composites for SAND

CMPQ1.STR - 1 metre down hole composites for QPY
CMPB1.STR - 1 metre down hole composites for BIF
Point Data:

SG1.STR - String file containing specific gravity data for waste and the various mineralised zones.
Geological:

SAND1.STR - Geological interpretations (from section) of the SAND zone

QPY7120.STR to QPY7520.STR (every 40m) - Geological interpretations (from section) of the QPY Zone.
BIF1.STR, BIF1.DTM - Geological interpretation and wire frame (Surpac Solid Model) of the BIF zone.
DHT7120.STR to DHT7520.STR (every 40 metres) - Drill hole sections
Miscellaneous Data:

TOPO1.STR, TOPO1.DTM - String file and Digital Terrain Model of the natural surface.
PIT1.STR, PIT1.DTM - String file and Digital Terrain Model of the design open cut pit.
Take time to view some of the string and DTM files in Graphics to familiarise yourself with the data.

Model Definition

Objective.

To create a Block Model with the parameters derived from the drilling data and also based on the required reporting
requirements.
1. Make sure you have the Block Modelling menu visible. Select Block model New/Open

The SELECT MODEL form will be displayed allowing you to enter a name for your model. The model name
may be up to forty characters in length.
2. Enter the model name as shown below and Apply the form.

If the model does not exist the following form will be displayed, confirming that a new model is to be created.

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3. Apply the following form to begin defining the new model.

The Creating New Block Model form allows you to define:

 Description

A description of the model is optional. However, it is useful to record the purpose of the model.

 Origin

Discussed previously

 Extent

Discussed previously

 User Block Size

Discussed previously

 Rotation

Discussed previously

 Maximum sub-blocks per side

Discussed previously
4. Enter the parameters as shown below and Apply the form.

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 The Model Confirmation form will be displayed, allowing you to check the model parameters.
5. Check your parameters to match those shown below, and apply the form.

The creation of the block model will begin. The model is created rapidly - the icon in the status bar tells you
when creation is complete. Note how it is possible to increase the model dimensions slightly to create a more
efficient model, this efficiency is based on the amount of potential block merging that can take place to save
memory and storage space.
After the model is created, you cannot alter the extent, rotation, block size, or the maximum blocks per side.
You will need to create a new model if you wish to modify the geometry of the model.

Adding Attributes

The next step in the creation of your block model is to add the attributes. Attributes are the properties of the model
space that are to be modelled. These attributes may be nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio measurements expressed as
numeric or character data. Attributes may also be calculated from values in other attribute fields.

When creating attributes, you must nominate:

 Attribute Name

Up to 30 characters in length made up of any printable character. Spaces are allowed in the attribute name, but are
not recommended - these may complicate the use of the Block Maths function.

 Attribute Type

This may be a character, real, integer, float or calculated. Float saves the data as a single precision number, to 6
decimal places, and requires 4 bytes/block. Real saves the data as a double precision number, to 15 decimal places,
and requires 8 bytes/block. Therefore, if it is sufficient to store your data to 6 decimal places, when creating your
attributes you should choose an attribute type of float for the most efficient data storage requirements. Integer and
character type attributes also use 4 bytes/block to save the data. Calculated attributes are not stored in the model but
rather, are calculated ``on demand''. No memory is used in storing calculated attributes

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Background Value

All blocks must have some value for each attribute in the model. When you first create an attribute you specify this
background value. All blocks retain this value until they are assigned another value, through a block model function. If
the background value is left blank and the attribute is numerical, the background value will be 0. Further information
on appropriate background values will follow later in the exercise.

Attributes may be added and deleted at any time. You may also use Clear Attribute to reset all or part of the model
attribute(s) to their background values. You may change an attributes background value or name using the Edit
Attribute function, however you cannot change the attribute type.

Objective.

To add attributes to the Block Model.

1. Choose New Attribute the Attributes menu.
The Add Attributes form will be displayed. When nominating the attribute type there are three possible ways
to enter the attribute type:
 Type the full word using the keyboard, ie. real
 Use the browser icon to choose the required attribute type
 Type the first character of the required attribute type and press enter

The last option is very quick and easy and in most cases may be used whenever a browser icon is located
next to a field. You need to type in enough characters so that the required field entry is unambiguous. For
example, if you created two attributes called silver and sulphur, whenever you are asked to nominate the
attribute you wish to work with, typing the characters ``si'' and ``su'' will be enough to nominate either of
these attributes.
2. Add the attributes as shown below then Apply the form.

3. Select Model Summary to view the results.

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Saving the Block Model

When working on the Block Model, all data from the model is stored in memory, meaning that you are always working
on a copy of the model. Any changes you make to the model will not be saved until you choose to exit from Block
Modelling, at which time you will be prompted to save the existing model. Thus, it is good practice to save your model
at regular intervals, to avoid the grief that ``accidents'' can cause (ie. interruption to the power supply). After a Fill or
Columns operation (covered later in the Manual), if any blocks have had their value changed, you will be prompted by
a form to overwrite the current model file or to cancel it.

Objective.

To save the Block Model.

1. Choose Model Save from the Block Model menu. displayed. Check the message window to ensure that the
model training.mdl was saved.
Do not interrupt the loading or saving operations of the Block Model as you will risk the integrity of the model. At all
other times you are working on a copy of the original model which is stored on the hard disk but during the saving
operation in particular, you might save an incomplete model if the program is aborted during saving.

Review

You should now be familiar with the creation and saving of Surpac Block Models.

Please review this section or consult the Online Reference Manual if you are unclear about the operations covered in
this section.

Where To Next

The next section demonstrates the concepts involved in the creation and application of Surpac Block Model
Constraints.

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