Mine Planner: A Model Tool for Practical Estimation of Mineral Reserves in Granite (Building Stone) Mines

Compute Mineral Reserve

Enter the length of mine (meters): Enter the breadth of mine (meters): Enter the thickness of soil/overburden(meters) (Maximum 5 m):

Do you want to restrict mining to a certain depth?

Input depth of mining in meters:

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Result of the bench-wise mineral reserve computation:

Conditions: No-mining area: 7.5 m from boundary | Bench height: 5 m | Bench width: 5 m | Minimum quarry floor width: 15 m unless depth of mining is restricted | Sp. Gravity of Granite (building stone): 2.5 | Sp. gravity of soil: 2 | Terrain: Flat

Longitudinal Section Transverse Section Plan View

Mine Planner and its limitations

Mine Planner is designed for the calculation of mineable granite (building stone) reserves, adhering to the conditions outlined in the Metalliferous Mines Regulations 1961. Unlike conventional Kerala granite quarries that often have irregular boundaries in inclined terrain, this tool provides estimates for areas with regular shapes, taking soil/overburden into account. The application allows users to estimate quantities for different depths of mines. Mineable mineral reserves are typically lower in sloping areas unless top slicing is feasible (mining a mound). In irregularly shaped quarries, mineable reserves are less compared to quarries with regular shapes. The primary goal of this application is to provide geologists with insights into the maximum mineral that can be mined within a specific area. Moreover, this application serves as a valuable tool for geologists to comprehend the variations in mineable reserves across different mines. Even when these mines share the same area, the length-to-breadth ratios can significantly impact the estimated mineable reserves. This insight proves valuable for the approval of mining plans of granite (building stone) mines. One of the limitations of Mine Planner is that when the depth of mining is restricted by the user to values other than multiples of 5, the system considers the height of the last bench as 5. It is important to note that a minimum width of 15 meters is maintained for the quarry floor of the last bench. This is to ensure that an additional bench does not reduce the width of the quarry floor to 5 meters. Operating within a 5-meter-wide quarry floor is impractical, as it offers limited space for machinery and personnel, posing a safety concern.

Developer Information:

Designed and developed by Biju Sebastian, email:bsebastian@gmail.com, mobile: 9447310771 (c) Biju Sebastian, 2023