SRK Consulting participated in the 5th forum MINEX Central Asia in Astana, Kazakhstan

SRK Consulting participated in the 5th annual mining and exploration forum MINEX Central Asia in Astana, Kazakhstan on March 31 – April 2, 2014. MINEX forum is the largest and most significant international industry event organised to promote multidisciplinary and multilateral discussions of mining and mineral exploration prospects in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The Forum hosted over 120 companies and organisations and over 60 speakers representing leading companies and governmental agencies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Ukraine, UK, Canada, US, Australia, Germany, Finland and Turkey.

This year, SRK Consulting was a platinum sponsor of the forum, and sponsored three master classes.

INTEGRATED GEO-TECHNICAL STUDIES FOR COST EFFECTIVE MINE DESIGN (Master class - March 31, 2014)

Mining Project Essentials: Integrated Geo-technical Studies - Allan McCracken, Corporate Consultant, Principal Geotechnical Engineer, SRK Consulting (UK)

• The importance of geotechnics, structural geology and hydrogeology in mine design
• The interaction between geotechnics, hydrogeology and structural geology on the development of optimum mine design parameters
• The impact that the level of data collection and analysis has on project economic and technical risk

Data Collection for Mine Design

• Integrated drilling programmes - Allan McCracken, Corporate Consultant, Principal Geotechnical Engineer, SRK Consulting (UK)
• Core orientation and structural logging - Paul Stenhouse, Senior Consultant (Structural Geology), SRK Consulting (UK)
• Rockmass characterisation from combined borehole geophysics and core logging - Philipp Mohr, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, SRK Consulting (UK)
• Integrating hydrogeological borehole testing with other geo-disciplines - Houcyne El Idrysy, Senior Consultant – Hydrogeologist, SRK Consulting (UK)

Deposit Geology and Structure - Paul Stenhouse, Senior Consultant (Structural Geology), SRK Consulting (UK)

• Integration of disparate data sets to create a holistic geological model and construction of 3D geological models as frameworks for geotechnical and hydrogeological analyses

Geotechnics - Philipp Mohr, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, SRK Consulting (UK)

• Geotechnical and structural data analysis
• Geotechnical domain modelling
• Geotechnical Strength Model

Hydrogeology - Houcyne El Idrysy, Senior Consultant – Hydrogeologist, SRK Consulting (UK)

• Groundwater flow and pore pressure concepts
• Numerical modelling
• Mine dewatering and/or depressurisation and monitoring
• Input to mine design

Open Pit Case Study - Philipp Mohr, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, SRK Consulting (UK)

• Development of an integrated geotechnical model for open pit design and its impact on slope design angles.

Underground Case Study: Russian and international experience in assessing the Open Stope Stability - Prof. Alex Makarov, Principal Geotechnical Consultant, SRK Consulting (Russia)

• The Ridder-Sokolny Mine was used as an example to demonstrate the Mathews graph method for slope stability assessment.

GEOCHEMICAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF MINE WASTE (Master class - April 2, 2014)
Dr. Rob Bowell, Corporate Consultant – Geochemistry, SRK Consulting (UK)

• Environmental Geology of Acid Rock Drainage and Metal Leaching (ARDML)
• Collecting data – sampling and field assessment
• Testwork methods of ARDML
• Geochemical prediction of ARDML

MINE CLOSURE PLANNING (Master class - April 2, 2014)
Jeff Parshley, Corporate Consultant, SRK Consulting (US)

• Introduction, Standard Practice, and International Guidelines
• Defining Closure Objectives Including Post-Mining Land Use
• Selecting Potential Closure Methods and Assessing Closure Risks
• Estimating Closure Costs

The importance of data quality for resource estimation
Tatiana Sokhonchuk, Senior Geologist, SRK Consulting (Kazakhstan)

Environmental Impact Assessment: Kazakhstan and International approaches
Zarina Ualiyeva, Consultant Environmental Engineer, SRK Consulting (Kazakhstan)

Pushback approach to Open Pit Scheduling to increase the NPV
Sergei Sabanov, Senior Consultant, SRK Consulting (UK)

Integrating the old and the new: Modern approaches to structural geology and its impact on geological modelling and resource estimation
Paul Stenhouse, Senior Consultant (Structural Geology), SRK Consulting (UK)

The changing role and importance of professional organisations in the mining industry
Dr Mike Armitage, Group Chairman and Corporate Consultant (Resource Geology), SRK Consulting (UK)