GEOLOGY TRAINING

Copyright © 2008 Maptek Pty Limited / KRJA Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this manual shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without written permission
from Maptek Pty Ltd. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained
herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, the publisher and
author(s) assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages
resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Trademarks
Due to the nature of the material, some hardware and software products are mentioned by name. The
companies that manufacture the products claim many of these product names as trademarks. It is not the
intention of Maptek Pty Ltd to claim these names or trademarks as their own.

Revision History
V4_GEM04, April (Adelaide, South Australia)
V6_GEM05, June (Adelaide, South Australia)

Conventions Used In This Manual

All Vulcan software interface functions are shown in a different font. For example, the file menu is shown
as File.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DATABASE MANAGEMENT - ISIS (MODULE ISN1) 2
Vulcan Databases 2
Isis Databases 2
Library Dictionary 3
Headered Template 3
ODBC Design 3
Creating a Database Design 3
EXERCISE 1: CREATING A STANDARD DESIGN FILE 4
Figure 1.1: Database Design set up 4
Figure 1.2: Completed [COLLAR] table 5
Figure 1.3: The Primary Key function 5
Figure 1.4: The [SURVEY] Table Properties 6
Figure 1.5: The [ASSAY] Table Properties 7
Figure 1.6: The [GEOL] Table Properties 7
Importing Data 7
EXERCISE 2: IMPORTING DATA 7
Figure 2.1: Data-file to Record Connections 8
Figure 2.2: Field Connection Properties for [SURVEY] 8
GEOLOGY DRILLING 9
Introduction 9
Legends 9
EXERCISE 3: VIEWING A LEGEND 9
Figure 3.0: CU Drillhole Schema 9
Creating a New Legend 10
EXERCISE 4: CREATING A SCHEMA (LEGEND) 10
Figure 4.0: Colour Table Identifier panel 10
Figure 4.1: Database Field panel 10
Editing a Legend 11
EXERCISE 4: EDITING AN EXISTING SCHEMA (LEGEND) 11
Deleting a Legend 12
EXERCISE 5: DELETING A LEGEND FROM THE SCHEMA FILE 12
LOADING DRILLHOLES 12
Opening a Drillhole Database 12
EXERCISE 6: OPEN GEOLOGICAL DATABASE 12
Figure 6.0: Open Geological Database panel 12
Loading Drillholes by Name 13
EXERCISE 7: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 1) 13
Figure 7.0: Load Drillholes panel for Name 13
Figure 7.1a: SCALE Schema in Colour Ranges 14
Figure 7.1b: Drillhole comparison: Std vs. Discs 14
Loading Drillholes by Section 15
EXERCISE 8: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 2) 15
Figure 8.0: Load Drillholes panel for Section 15
Loading Drillholes by Polygon 16
EXERCISE 9: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 3) 16
Figure 9.0: Load Drillholes panel for Polygon 16
Load Drillholes by Selection File (.sel ) 16
 EXERCISE 10: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 4) 16
Figure 10.0: Load Drillholes panel for Selection File 17
Load Drillholes by Extent 17
EXERCISE 11: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 5) 17
Figure 11.0: Load Drillholes panel for Extent 17
Load Drillholes by Triangulation 18
EXERCISE 12: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 6) 18
Figure 12.0: Load Drillholes panel for Triangulation 18
Load Drillholes by Filter 18
EXERCISE 13: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 7) 18
Figure 13.0: Selection Filters panel 19
Figure 13.1: Setting the condition for the Select Filter 19
Figure 13.2: Load Drillholes panel for Filter 19
Load Drillhole Collar Positions (Location) 19
EXERCISE 14: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 8) 19
Figure 14.2: Drillhole collar locations 20
Modelling a Structure Logged by Drilling 20
EXERCISE 15: MODEL A STRUCTURE 20
Figure 15.0: Model Horizon panel 21
Figure 15.1: Model Create panel 21
Figure 15.2: Confirm Model panel 22
Figure 15.3: Triangulation model name panel 22
Figure 15.4: Triangulated grid mesh of TQ1 interpolation points 22
EXERCISE 16: MODEL A STRUCTURE LOGGED BY DRILLING 23
On screen Drillhole Analysis 23
Figure 16.0: Create Section panel 23
Identifying Drillholes 23
EXERCISE 17: IDENTIFY ON SCREEN DRILLHOLES 23
Figure 17.0: Drillhole information in Envisage 24
Figure 17.1: Confirm Next header record panel 24
Labelling Drillholes 24
EXERCISE 18: LABELLING DRILLHOLES ONSCREEN 24
Changing the Colour of Drillholes 25
EXERCISE 19: COLOURING WITH ANOTHER SCHEMA 25
Figure 19:0: Drill AU and CU Colour Schema panels 25
Interactive Composite Display 25
EXERCISE 20: INTERROGATING FOR A COMPOSITE GRADE 25
Figure 20.0: Onscreen Drillhole composite 26
Figure 20.1: Intercept and composites report 26
FEATURES 27
Figure 20.3: Details report for TQ1 27
EXERCISE 21: VIEWING AN EXISTING DEFINED FEATURE 27
Creating a Feature 28
EXERCISE 22: CREATING A NEW FEATURE 28
Figure 22.0: Feature name panel 28
Figure 22.1: Layer / object name for POLY 28
Figure 22.2: Object attribute panel for POLY 29
Figure 22.3: Digitising panel for POLY 29
Modifying a Feature 30
 EXERCISE 23: FEATURE MODIFICATION 30
EXERCISE 24: DESIGNING A FEATURE 30
Deleting Features 31
EXERCISE 25: FEATURE DELETION 31
Compositing 31
Figure 25.0: Composite Menu 31
Generating Composite Parameter Files 32
Run Length Compositing Technique 32
EXERCISE 26: CREATING A RUN LENGTH PARAMETER FILE 32
Figure 26.0: Run Length Compositing Menu panel 32
Figure 26.2: Run Length Composite Menu panel 33
Figure 26.3: Database Records to Use panel 33
Figure 26.4: Geology Fields to Use panel 33
Figure 26.5: Assay Fields to Use panel 34
Figure 26.6: Cut-off Values panel 34
Creating a Composite File 35
EXERCISE 27: CREATE A COMPOSITE FILE 35
Figure 27.0: Compositing Parameter File panel 35
Displaying Composite Files 36
EXERCISE 28: DISPLAY A COMPOSITE FILE 36
Figure 28.0: Composite Display panel 36
Figure 28.1: Load Samples Database panel 36
Displaying Samples from a Composite Database - Sampling Menu 37
EXERCISE 29: SETTING UP FOR DISPLAYING DATA USING THE SAMPLING MENU 38
Figure 29.0: Samples Colour Panel 38
EXERCISE 30: LOAD SAMPLES DATA TO THE SCREEN 39
Figure 30.0: Sample Group Load panel 39
Figure 30.1: Composite samples loaded using the sampling menu displaying all samples using the CU
display set up 40
EXERCISE 31: REMOVE SAMPLES DATA FROM THE SCREEN 40
EXERCISE 32: LOAD SAMPLES MEETING SPECIFIED CONDITIONS 40
Figure 32.0: LITH legend fields 40
Figure 32.2: The Specific Character Strings panel 41
Figure 32.3: Composite Samples 42
GEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS 42
Creating the Interpretation 43
EXERCISE 33: CREATING AN INTERPRETATION 43
Figure 33.0: Create Section View panel 43
Figure 33.1, Screen image of cross section through Drillholes 44
Figure 33.3: Snap to Point icon 44
Figure 33.4: First step of interpretation 44
Figure 33.5: Screen image of line that will have points inserted 45
Figure 33.6: Inserted points 45
Figure 33.7: Connected points 45
Figure 33.8: Digitised interpreted string 46
Figure 33.9: Splined string 46
EXERCISE 34: COMPLETING INTERPRETATION 47
Modelling: Creating Triangulations 47
Figure 34.0: Simple Triangulation Structure 47
Figure 34.1: Simple Solid Triangulation 47
 Advantages of Triangulations 48
Creating Solid Triangulation Models 48
Creating Solid Triangulation Models Using Polygons 48
Figure 34.5: Isometric View of Layer TQ1 49
Figure 34.6: Solid Model Based on Simple Polygons 49
Figure 34.7: Isometric Zoomed View 50
Figure 34.8: Create 3D Solid panel 51
Figure 34.10: Solid Model of TQ1 polygons 52
Statatistics II 52
Setting up your Statistics Session 52
Selecting the Data for Statistics 53
Graphing ISIS Databases or Mapfiles: Graphing Statistical Data 53
Basic Histograms 54
EXERCISE 35: CREATE A BASIC HISTOGRAM PLOTS FOR GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS 54
Figure 35.0: Statistics Parameter ID selection panel 54
Figure 35.1: Statistics Parameter Setup panel 54
Figure 35:2: Histogram parameters panel 55
Figure 35.3: Axis parameters panel for X axis 55
Figure 35.4: Parameters for Y-axis 56
Figure 35.6 Statistics Data Selection panel 56
Figure 35.7: Data Selection panel 56
Figure 35.8: Variable Selection panel 57
Figure 35.9: Weighting panel 57
Figure 35.10: General parameters panel 57
Figure 35.11: Run and Display panel 58
Figure 35.12: Vulcan screen shot of generated histogram from the 2.5m bench AU composites 58
APPENDIX 1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 60
APPENDIX 2 - GLOSSARY OF TERMS 61
Database Management - Isis (Module ISN1)
Databases are managed in the Isis Database Editor. Isis replaces the previous Vulcan database editor
called Dbeute

Vulcan Databases
Vulcan uses two types of database, Isis and Design Databases. Isis databases are used to store Drillhole,
channel, grab, and Geotechnical and Blockout data. They have a flexible structure and a naming convention
that can be defined by the user.

Design Databases are a specialised type of Isis database in which CAD objects (points, lines, polygons etc.)
created within Envisage are stored and have a rigid structure with less flexible naming convention. The type
of data contained in a database is denoted by the file extension; Isis databases by “isis” and Design
Databases by “dgd”.

In this manual we discuss the creation, manipulation and editing of Isis databases for the storage of Drillhole
data.

Isis Databases
Isis databases are composed of two files a database file and an index file; the index file shares it’s name with
the database but is distinguished from the database by a terminal “x” on the file extension. Vulcan cannot
open a database if the index file is missing; if this occurs it can be recreated by using the “compress and
rebuild” function in Envisage.

Isis Database Example:

thororig.dhd.isis = database
thororig.dhd.isix = index

The database names take the form of:

<project code>.<optional database name>.<design name>.isis/isix

As the name suggests the dataset identifier is optional and is designed to allow the user to easily distinguish
between databases, particularly those containing similar data.

Isis differs from other databases in that the database design is stored in an external file with the file
extension “dsf”. The design is used to create a single database from several text files containing different
data and must be only three characters in length (e.g. dhd.dsf). During this process the design is written into
the database as a header, hence the other name for an Isis database is a headered database.

For user-defined designs it is a good idea to use a set of standard design names depending on the type of
information in the database. These names are restricted to three characters and are not mandatory but
provide for more convenient usage. The names commonly used include:

Design Name Database Description

dhd Drillhole
geo Lithological
asy Assay
anl Analytical
phy Geophysical
sry Survey
tek Geotechnical
Note: All Geotechnical Databases must use tek as the datasheet name

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Library Dictionary
The library dictionary design is an older type of Vulcan database design and consists of the files:

<environment code>.<design name>.ilb Design library file

<environment code>.<design definition>.ilb Index to library file
<environment code>.<design name>.syn Synonym design
<environment code>.<design definition>.syn Index to the synonym sheet

Headered Template
The Headered Template design is an optimised Isis design that can be used for Drillholes, samples,
Geotechnical and compositing information (not for design data). It consists of a single file:

<name>.dsf – Design file that stores information relating to the database design.

The design information includes Tables, Fields, Keys, Synonyms and Desurvey information, and the version
of the Headered data system used in the creation of the design.

Once a database has been created, the design information becomes part of the database (placed at the
start of the database, hence the name Headered). Any future access to the database will be via the
Headered database.

Vulcan Version 6 uses the Headered design set-up by default. Isis Headered databases have surpassed
Library style databases and therefore should always be used in preference.

ODBC Design
The ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) design is identical to a Headered design. The difference is the
design information includes a flag indicating that the data is stored in an external ODBC compliant database
such as MS Access or MS Excel.

Vulcan accesses external ODBC compliant databases through a temporary Isis database that contains a
copy of all the Vulcan data in the external database. Work is performed on the copy and when finished
written back to the external database.

We are now going to create a new Headered Database. First we must create a Database Design.

Creating a Database Design

A design specifies the structure of a database. It is within the design that you set the number of tables, fields,
field lengths, synonyms, default values etc.

To check field contents and length specifications when creating the design, we recommend that you have an
existing database or the tables from which the data will be imported already open. In the case of this course,
open the four Excel files, cscollar.csv, csassay.csv, cssurvey.csv and csgeol.csv.

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 EXERCISE 1: CREATING A STANDARD DESIGN FILE
1. From the V-Start Launcher select Isis

2. Cancel the Open Database panel that automatically appears

3. Go to File > New Design

4. Leave the default Headered Template (.dsf) option checked

5. Type DHD in the Design text field and click OK. An empty design should now be displayed

Tip!
Designs and Databases are displayed as either a notebook or as multiple floating windows. You can
change the display method by using View > Preferences. The display of open designs and databases
is not affected.

6. In the Design Properties panel, type Exploration Holes into the Description text field

7. To set the type, click on the Attributes button and select Drilling from the Type list, Tangent
from the Desurvey Style list and click OK to continue

Tip!
Tangent Style refers to the azimuth and dip at the depth. See Vulcan HELP for further information

8. Select Table > Insert.

This will display the first table for you to complete (see Figure 1.1)

Figure 1.1: Database Design set up

9. In the Table Properties section of the panel, enter, or select from the drop-down lists, the
following information. Use the text from the Information column below:

Table Field Information

Name COLLAR
Description Bore Hole IDs and Location
Synonyms HoleID, Location

10. Fill in the COLLAR table as shown in the table below. Use the cscollar.csv file as a guide.

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 Figure 1.2: Completed [COLLAR] table

Tip!
There are four possible types; Text, Integer, Single and Double. Use Text for fields that contain any
alphabet characters, Integer for fields that contain integer values (e.g. positive and negative whole
numbers), Single for fields that contain numeric data with fewer than seven (7) significant figures and
Double for fields that contain numeric data with seven (7) or more significant figures.

11. To add the Key to the BHID Name field, right-click on the empty cell to the left of the BHID Name
field and select Primary Key as shown in Figure 1.3 below.

The Primary Key field is required to link all tables. In a Drillhole database, the BHID field is always
the Primary Key. In a COLLAR table there can only ever be one occurrence of the BHID field as
there can only be one hole and collar representing this hole in the dataset.

Figure 1.3: The Primary Key function

The Field Properties section of the table varies with each field. Step 12 below sets the Field Properties for
the [BHID] field.

12. Left-click in the BHID cell to highlight the row. In the Table Properties section of the panel, enter,
or select from the drop-down lists, the following information. Use the text from the Information
column below:

Table Field Information

Length (Use your cscollar.csv file to determine the length of this field)
Required Yes
Synonyms HoleId

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 Tip!
In the Field Properties panel, if you select Yes in the Required field, then data in the associated field
in your relevant ASCII file must be complete. All Key fields are required. Also, only use a Synonym if
you can find the match for your field.

13. Repeat step 12 for the remaining fields. Note that a decimal place or a dash counts as a character
when specifying a field length (e.g. L16-N1 would require a field length of at least 6 characters in
length).
14. Select File > Save
This completes the design for the first table. Now create the SURVEY table.
15. Select Table > Append

Tip!
The Insert option places a table before the currently selected table, whereas the Append option places
the table after the currently selected table.

16. In the Table Properties section of the panel, enter, or select from the drop-down lists, the
following information. Use the text from the Information column below:

Table Field Information

Name SURVEY
Description Downhole surveys
Synonyms Survey

17. Enter the Field properties for each field (follow steps 12 to 14). The SURVEY table is displayed in
Figure 1.4

Figure 1.4: The [SURVEY] Table Properties

You have now created two tables. Create the remaining two tables ASSAY and GEOL. The ASSAY table is
displayed in Figure 1.5 and the GEOL table in Figure 1.6 on the following page.

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 Figure 1.5: The [ASSAY] Table Properties

Figure 1.6: The [GEOL] Table Properties

Once you are sure that your database is correct, save the design and then exit Isis.

Importing Data
In this exercise you will use Envisage.

EXERCISE 2: IMPORTING DATA

1. Select File > Import Export > Import CSV
2. Select the design (datasheet) name DHD from the Data Sheet Name drop-down list.
3. Enter the Optional Database Identifier [ODI] CSVLOAD
4. Leave the remaining panel options set to their default and select Next
5. Select cscollars.csv from the COLLAR drop-down list
6. Select the Set Field Connections radio button and select Next

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 7. Use the drop-down lists to match the appropriate data file to the database field, e.g. BHID to
BHID, and select OK. Note that any field name in the design that matches a corresponding field
name in the csv file will automatically populate the link for you.

Figure 2.1: Data-file to Record Connections

8. Select cssurvey.csv from the SURVEY drop-down list.

9. Select the SURVEY > Set Field Connections radio button and select Next.
10. Select BHID from the Index Field drop-down list.

Figure 2.2: Field Connection Properties for [SURVEY]

11. Use the drop-down lists to match the appropriate data file to the database field, e.g. AZIM to
BRG, and select OK.

12. Repeat steps 10 to 12 for the remaining csv files (e.g. csassay.csv and csgeol.csv) and select
Next when the Data File to Record Connections panel is redisplayed.

13. Save the specifications as ORIG.

The drill hole data will now be imported (the progress of the importing will be displayed on the screen) and
the CSVLOAD database will be created.

To view the Drillhole database from the Vulcan Explorer window go to: User Databases > Headered >
thororig.dhd.isis.

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Geology Drilling
Introduction
The options under geology drilling give us the ability to:
• Load Drillholes on screen
• Model structures logged in Drillholes
• Analyse Drillholes
• Change the displayed colour schema of selected Drillholes
• Display and edit the Downhole survey data for Drillholes.
• Access the Full Screen Editor
• Load data into a Vulcan database

In this section we will cover all of the drilling options. We will also look at creating and editing Features.

Before we begin, we must first of all examine the option, display legend, which enables us to set up a schema
file allowing Drillholes to be viewed on screen.

Legends
To display Drillholes or composite files a Legend is necessary. If no Legend exists, the user will be
prompted for the ranges and colours each time Drillholes or composite files are loaded. A Legend can be
defined for both numeric and alphanumeric fields and are stored in the <proj>.scd file (e.g. thor.scd). This
section describes how the existing Legends are defined, how to create new Legends and modify existing
Legends.

EXERCISE 3: VIEWING A LEGEND

1. Select Analyse > Display Legend
2. Select the type of Schema to view, e.g. Drill
3. Select the Legend to view, e.g. CU
4. The following legend will be displayed (figure 3.0)

Figure 3.0: CU Drillhole Schema

By using the Display Legend option, the Schema is displayed in its own window. To display the Schema in
the client area, select Analyse > Legend Edit > Draw Legend.

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Creating a New Legend
We will now learn how to create a new legend (TEST) for the CU field in our thororig.dhd.isis database.

EXERCISE 4: CREATING A SCHEMA (LEGEND)

1. Select Analyse > Legend Edit > Create
2. Select the type of legend to create, e.g. Drill

3. Enter the Colour table identifier, e.g. type TEST (figure 4.0). If required, you can select the Use
other colour table as default option. This will enable you to copy the parameters of other
Legends

Figure 4.0: Colour Table Identifier panel

4. In the Database Field panel, give the field a Name, e.g. CU (figure 4.1)
5. Select Alpha or Numeric, e.g. Numeric
6. Enter the Record (Table) name, e.g. ASSAY
7. Enter the To field name, e.g. enter TO
8. Enter the Use From field name, e.g. FROM
9. Tick the Use Colour for non-logged intervals box. Select a colour, e.g. grey
10. Select GTLT (greater than, less than) for the Range Mode
11. Click OK

Figure 4.1: Database Field panel

Tip!
The Field and Record names must match the datasheet otherwise the colours will be incorrect. While
the database field panel is open it is best to open the Drillhole Database in Isis from Vulcan Explorer to
ensure that you specify the names correctly.

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 12. Enter the Colour Ranges in the From and To boxes by selecting suitable colours for the interval
(figure 4.2)

Figure 4.2: Colour Ranges panel

Tip!
To add or delete rows from your Legend, right-click your mouse on the left column to display the
options menu (figure 4.3).

Figure 4.3: Colour Ranges panel options

13. Click OK
14. Display the Drillholes using your new legend

Tip!
When creating an Alpha Schema, wild cards such as TQ* can be used. This will display Drillhole
codes, such as TQ1, TQ2 and TQ3a, as the same colour. Colouring is based on the order that the
wildcards are input. For example, if you have TQ* specifying red in the first row and blue in the second
row, TQ1, TQ2 and TQ3a will all be coloured red and other Drillhole codes will be coloured blue.

Editing a Legend
We will now modify the Legend we have just created. For example, we will change the grade ranges to
highlight the lower assay grades.

EXERCISE 4: EDITING AN EXISTING SCHEMA (LEGEND)

1. Select Analyse > Legend Edit > Modify
2. Select the Schema type to modify, e.g. Drill
3. Select the Legend to modify, e.g. Test
4. Click OK in the Database Field panel
5. In the Colour Ranges panel alter the ranges and colours as required
6. Select OK when finished
7. Display the Drillholes using the new legend

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Deleting a Legend
EXERCISE 5: DELETING A LEGEND FROM THE SCHEMA FILE
1. Select Analyse > Legend Edit > Delete
2. Select the Legend to delete, e.g. Drill
3. The Legend will be deleted from the colour Schema file (thor.scd)

Loading Drillholes
Opening a Drillhole Database
Before loading the Drillholes, we must first open our Drillhole Database. Our database is called
thororig.dhd.isis.

EXERCISE 6: OPEN GEOLOGICAL DATABASE

1. Select Geology > Drilling > Open Database (figure 6.0).

Figure 6.0: Open Geological Database panel

2. In the Open Geological Database panel, select the Isis File you would like to open. You may
also select the ODBC Link or Isis Library Database, e.g. select thororig.dhd.isis

3. Click OK

Although it will appear that nothing has happened, the database has in effect been opened.

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 There are seven different options to Load Drillholes. These are accessed through a new GUI (Graphical
Users Interface):

• By Name
• By Section
• By Polygon
• By Selection File (.sel)
• By Extent
• By Triangulation
• By Filter (SQL type selection statements)

Tip!
To remove Drillholes from the screen select Geology > Drilling > Remove Drillholes and confirm by
selecting Remove.

Loading Drillholes by Name

When you choose this option, you will be able to load Drillholes by their Drillhole identifiers. Wild cards may
be used (*) for multiple characters or (%) for a single character.

Tip!
This option will not work if the screen has been set to a view using View > Change View > Section

EXERCISE 7: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 1)

1. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes

2. Under Load drillholes by, select Name from the drop-down list.

3. Select the colour Schema as defined in your Legend, e.g. AU (figure 7.0).

s
Figure 7.0: Load Drillholes panel for Name

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 In addition, there is also the option to Restrict Drillholes to current window. This option will only allow
Drillholes with collar co-ordinates within the viewing window to be loaded. This is a useful option for large
databases with holes that are not needed for viewing.

Note: Vulcan also has the ability to display cylindrical discs on the Drillholes that are user defined via the
Scale option under Legend > Create

4. (Optional) Display Drillholes as discs. Tick this box if you would like to apply cylindrical discs to
the loaded Drillhole traces. Select the existing scaled Schema (Scale) that defines the widths of
the cylindrical discs. Or you can create a new Scale Schema (figure 7.1a) for a visual comparison
between normally loaded Drillholes and those with discs displayed (figure 7.1b)

Figure 7.1a: SCALE Schema in Colour Ranges

5. Once you have set your preferences, click OK to load your Drillholes

Figure 7.1b: Drillhole comparison: Std vs. Discs

Tip!
To view the name of a Drillhole on screen, hover the cursor over the Drillhole trace.

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Loading Drillholes by Section
The Section option will allow you to load Drillholes by a distance from a specified section line. A section line
must be created before using this option. Only Drillholes with collars within the bounds of the selection will
be loaded.

Tip!
Drillholes may be loaded into a section view using this option.

EXERCISE 8: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 2)

1. Remove any previously loaded Drillholes using Geology > Drilling > Remove Drillholes
2. Select File > Layers > List
3. Select OK
4. Select the layer Section. This will load a layer of a drill section string
5. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes
6. Select Section in the Load drillholes by drop-down list and select AU in Schema (figure 8.0)
7. Enter the width in the section width, e.g. enter 100
8. Select the Section Line

Figure 8.0: Load Drillholes panel for Section

9. The Drillholes whose collars fall within the designated area will then be loaded.

Tip!
The width is divided equally to each side of the line. In this case the section will extend 50m either side
of your section line.

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Loading Drillholes by Polygon
You can use this option to load Drillhole collars that lie inside a planar polygon. A polygon must be created
before using this option.

EXERCISE 9: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 3)

1. Remove all previously loaded Drillholes
2. Select File > Layers > List
3. Select the layer named Polygon. This will load a layer with two drill selection polygons
4. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes
5. Select the Polygon option and AU in Schema (figure 9.0)

Figure 9.0: Load Drillholes panel for Polygon

6. The Drillholes whose collars fall within the designated polygon will then be loaded

Load Drillholes by Selection File (.sel )

This option allows you to load Drillholes using a selection file. A selection file must be created before using
this option; to do this, go to Geology > Drilling Utilities > Create Selection File. The selection file may
also be created as an output of a database query, or manually created through a text editor or in Excel.

EXERCISE 10: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 4)

1. Remove all previously loaded Drillholes
2. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes
3. Select Selection File under the Load drillholes by drop-down list and select AU in Schema
4. Browse to the file in Filename, e.g. thordemo.sel, (refer to figure 10.0 on the following page)
5. The Drillholes whose identifier exists in the selection file will then be loaded

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 Figure 10.0: Load Drillholes panel for Selection File

Load Drillholes by Extent

This option will allow you to load Drillholes by specifying the coordinate extent of the area of interest.

EXERCISE 11: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 5)

1. Remove all previously loaded Drillholes
2. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes
3. Select the Extent option and AU under Schema

4. Enter the minimum and maximum X, Y, Z coordinates in the Load Drillholes panel (figure 11.0)

X min: 78000, Y min: 4400, Z min: -1000

X max: 78200, Y max: 4800, Z max: 1000

Figure 11.0: Load Drillholes panel for Extent

5. The Drillholes whose collars lie within the coordinates entered will then be loaded

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Load Drillholes by Triangulation
Selecting this option enables you to load Drillholes using a triangulation on screen.

EXERCISE 12: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 6)

1. Remove all previously loaded Drillholes
2. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes
3. Select the Triangulation option and AU under Schema (figure 12.0)

Figure 12.0: Load Drillholes panel for Triangulation

4. The Drillholes that intersect or exist within the solid triangulation will then be loaded

Load Drillholes by Filter

By choosing this option, you can load Drillholes using a pre-determined selection filter.

EXERCISE 13: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 7)

First we need to create a selection filter.
1. Use Geology > Drilling > Selection Filter
2. Tick Create for a new filter
3. Select the Datasheet e.g. DHD
4. Enter a Filter name e.g. HG2+ (figure 13.0)
5. Click OK

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 Figure 13.0: Selection Filters panel

6. Set the condition, ie <table>.<field> <condition> in Isis (see figure 13.1 on the following page)

Figure 13.1: Setting the condition for the Select Filter

6. Select Geology > Drilling > Load Drillholes

7. Select Filter under Load drillholes by and AU under Schema
8. Select the Filter Name, e.g. hg2+ (figure 13.2)

Figure 13.2: Load Drillholes panel for Filter

9. The Drillholes that contain AU grades greater than 2.0g/t will then be loaded

Load Drillhole Collar Positions (Location)

When you choose the Location option, you will be able to load the collar position of each hole as points.
These points can be labelled to show the Drillhole names. This option is useful when creating a layer to be
copied and saved and uploaded to a Geodimeter.

EXERCISE 14: LOAD DRILLHOLES (PART 8)

1. Select Geology > Drilling > Location
2. In the LOAD DRILLHOLES panel, enter the Drillhole name to load or use a wildcard (figure 14.1)

Figure 14.1: Load Drillhole panel by Location

3. The Drillhole collar locations are then loaded on screen (refer to figure 14.2 on the following page)
4. Cancel, to exit the Load drillholes panel

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 Figure 14.2: Drillhole collar locations

Tip!
The collar positions are loaded as points in the layer DIG$DRILL. If you would like to save these points,
transfer them to another layer and then save the new layer. To label the hole using this option, you will
need to label by the point name attribute.

Modelling a Structure Logged by Drilling

In Vulcan, you can model a structure that has been logged within Drillholes. The structure may be a fault or
the top or bottom of a particular horizon.

EXERCISE 15: MODEL A STRUCTURE

1. Load the Drillholes using the colour Schema containing the structure chosen for modelling. For
example if it is an ore intercept, load holes by GEOCOD (figure 15.0 on the following page)

2. Select Geology > Drilling > Model

3. In the Model Horizon panel enter the Field to model, e.g. GEOCOD. This is where a structure is
recorded

4. We will now model a single horizon. Enter the code used for the structure in the Contents of
field box, e.g. TQ1

5. Check the Save horizon points box

6. Enter a name in the Layer box, e.g. POINTS

7. Enter a name in the Description box, e.g. TQ1 INTERCEPTS

8. Check the Roof and Floor determined downhole box and enter 1 in the Extract Specific
Intercept field

9. Click OK

TQ1 intercept points will now be created on screen

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 Figure 15.0: Model Horizon panel

In the Model create panel you will need to alter the grid Mesh Size and other parameters if required (figure
15.1).
10. Select Model > Grid Mesh Surfaces > Create Simple
11. When finished, click OK

Figure 15.1: Model Create panel

12. Indicate the origin point for the model; select an arbitrary point in the lower left of the model area

13. Indicate the maximum extent of the model area; select an arbitrary point in the upper right of the
model area

14. Confirm the modelling operation, e.g. Select Model from the confirm box (refer to figure 15.2 on
the following page)

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 Figure 15.2: Confirm Model panel

15. A panel for the triangulation name and properties will then be displayed. Select the Solid Shaded
Surface button and choose a colour for the triangulation (figure 15.3)

Figure 15.3: Triangulation model name panel

16. The structure will then be displayed as a grid and a triangulation (figure 15.4)

Figure 15.4: Triangulated grid mesh of TQ1 interpolation points

Examine these surfaces closely to determine the difference between the grid and the triangulation. You
should find that the triangulation passes through the intercept points exactly and that the grid is smoothed so
that it does not honour the intercept points.

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 EXERCISE 16: MODEL A STRUCTURE LOGGED BY DRILLING
Try experimenting by modelling other surfaces in the database.

On screen Drillhole Analysis

In the Geology > Drilling menu there are many useful options that allow you to interactively interrogate
Drillholes as an aid to on screen interpretations, such as:

• Identify a Drillhole
• Step through and display each record for a Drillhole
• Label Drillholes by any field
• Reload a Drillhole by another colour Schema
• Interactively composite a Drillhole

To use these options you must load a Drillhole database on screen. It is advised to change view into a
sectional view to avoid cluttering the screen.

To do this select View > Create Section, and select the method to change your view, e.g. select by points
and indicate two points in the plane of a drill section (figure 16.0).

Figure 16.0: Create Section panel

Identifying Drillholes
EXERCISE 17: IDENTIFY ON SCREEN DRILLHOLES
1. Position the screen in a section view with the Drillholes displayed
2. Select Geology > Drilling > Identify
3. Select the Drillhole to identify

4. The Drillhole will be highlighted and labelled with a corresponding identifier. The collar
information will then be displayed in the Envisage report window and a Confirm box will appear
(refer to figure 17.0 and figure 17.1 on the following page)

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 Figure 17.0: Drillhole information in Envisage

5. Select Next Header Record to view the next record in the database, or select Intercept to pick a
drill intercept directly (figure 17.1)

Figure 17.1: Confirm Next header record panel

6. Cancel using the right mouse button to exit

Labelling Drillholes
On screen Drillholes can be labelled through any field in the record used to load data.
For example, if Drillholes are loaded by LITH, this field is in the GEOL record. The other available fields for
labelling are From, To, and Width.

EXERCISE 18: LABELLING DRILLHOLES ONSCREEN

1. Select Geology > Drilling > Label on
2. Choose the selection criteria to label holes, e.g. Object. This will only label the selected hole
3. Select the Drillhole to label
4. Select the Field To Use from the pick list, e.g. LITH
The selected hole will now be labelled (figure 18.0)
5. Continue the process by labelling the other required holes
6. Click Cancel when you have finished

Tip!
Labelling many Drillholes can degrade workstation performance therefore only label holes that are
required.

7. To remove Drillhole labels select Geology > Drilling > Label Off

Figure 18.0: Labelling Drillholes on screen

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Changing the Colour of Drillholes
Onscreen Drillholes can be recoloured by any field in the record used to load holes.
For example, if CU loads Drillholes, this field is in the ASSAY record. The other available fields for colouring
are From, To, AU, Recov, Width and Bleach.

EXERCISE 19: COLOURING WITH ANOTHER SCHEMA

1. Open your Drillhole database
2. Load Drillholes by name
3. Select the colour Schema to use, e.g. AU
4. Select Geology > Drilling > Colour
5. Select the Drillhole to colour
6. Select the colour Schema to use, e.g. CU
7. Cancel using the right mouse button to exit

Figure 19.0 displays Drillholes initially loaded by AU, one hole has been re-coloured using the CU Schema

Figure 19:0: Drill AU and CU Colour Schema panels

Interactive Composite Display

This option allows you to interactively interrogate a Drillhole for composite (length weighted) grades over
user-defined intervals. The results are displayed next to the hole and in the report window.

EXERCISE 20: INTERROGATING FOR A COMPOSITE GRADE

1. Select Geology > Drilling > Composite
2. Select the composite field from the Schema pick list, e.g. AU
3. Enter the number of decimals to be displayed, e.g. 3
4. Select the Drillhole. The hole will be highlighted
5. Select the start intercept (Note: the start intercept will be chosen from the From position)
6. Select the end intercept (Note: the end intercept will be chosen from the To position)

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 Tip!
Selecting slightly above the Drillhole intercept when selecting a downhole will enable you to pick the
required intercept easier.

7. The start and end intercepts plus the composite length and grade will now be displayed on the
selected Drillhole (figure 20.0). They will also be displayed in the report window (figure 20.1).
The vector components of the composite interval are also displayed in the report window

Figure 20.0: Onscreen Drillhole composite

Figure 20.1: Intercept and composites report

8. Continue selecting composite intervals

9. Cancel using the right mouse button to finish

On screen Drillhole analysis options can also be access using the content menu. Click the Drillhole you wish
to interrogate then click the right mouse button. The content menu that relates to Drillhole will appear (figure
20.2).

Figure 20.2: Content menu for Drillholes

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Features
Features can be used to assign or force a set of standards to objects. This usually occurs after the objects
have been created to ensure that all objects of a particular type have the same attributes. An example is
when digitising known structures or lithological contacts. A feature is defined for each structure or contact
and once the feature is used to digitise these objects, we can be assured that they will have the desired
attributes.

You can also use features to aid in object selection for the use of editing or transforming. The function will
assign objects to sub-groups by feature name. When selecting objects, you may select through feature
instead of object, group or layer. In this section we will look at some existing features and learn how to
create new and modify existing ones.

The layers that represent the geological zones are digitised using features to assign unique properties to
each layer. Load the layer tq1, interrogate the layer using Analyse > Details > Full Option. You will notice
that the layer name is TQ1, the description is tq1 orezone, and it belongs to feature tq1. You will also see
that each of these properties was set in advance for feature TQ1.

Figure 20.3: Details report for TQ1

EXERCISE 21: VIEWING AN EXISTING DEFINED FEATURE

1. Select Design > Feature Edit > Modify
2. Select TQ1 from the list
3. The first panel defines the feature description, the layer name, TQ1, and layer description, tq1
orezone
4. Click Next to move to the next panel

5. The second panel defines the object properties such as colour, line thickness, grouping etc.
Notice the colour is bright green, the line is solid and group name is TQ1

6. Click Next to move to the next panel

The final panel defines the point properties such as name, gradient and input mode. Notice that we are
connecting points as a line. If this is not selected, objects will occur as non-connected points

7. Select Cancel to exit

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Creating a Feature
Create a Feature that we will use to digitise blue polygons filled with a diagonal line pattern.

EXERCISE 22: CREATING A NEW FEATURE

1. Select Design > Feature Edit > Create
2. Enter the Feature Name, e.g. POLY (figure 22.0)
3. Click OK

Figure 22.0: Feature name panel

4. Select the Object Attributes as Create Line

5. Enter the Feature Description, e.g. type test feature (figure 22.1)
We will now ask the feature to prompt us for a layer and a layer description
6. Select the Prompt button under Layer Name and Description
7. Type Enter Layer Name in the Name field

8. Type Enter Layer Description in the Description field

9. We will also force the object description to be the same as the Feature description. Select the
Force button under the object description and copy and paste the Feature description into the
field.

10. Select Next

Figure 22.1: Layer / object name for POLY

8. In the Object attributes for poly panel, set the following:

• Force the Colour to be blue

• Force the Line Type to be solid

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 • Force the Pattern to be diagonal (figure 22.2 on the following page)

9. Select Next

Tip!
It is best to force the colour; line type and pattern to always ensure objects of a particular Feature have
the same viewing properties.

Figure 22.2: Object attribute panel for POLY

Figure 22.3: Digitising panel for POLY

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 10. Select Finish
11. Cancel the Feature Name panel
Use this feature to create some polygons on screen
12. Select Design > Create > Features
13. Select feature Poly

Modifying a Feature
In the first part of this section we looked at the features used to create the ore zones for tq1, tq1a, tq2, tq3
and nfault. At present, if we were required to label each of the objects with a layer name we would need to
change the name for each object from the default to the layer name. If we were to plan in advance on how
we are going to use these objects, we can assign the appropriate name upon creation. However, we can still
do this by modifying our original feature and then applying the feature to the existing layers.

EXERCISE 23: FEATURE MODIFICATION

1. Select the feature TQ1 for modification
2. Under Layer name and description, force the object Name to TQ1 and the object Description
to tq1 ore zone
3. Select OK for each remaining panel
4. In the Vulcan Explorer menu > Design Databases, apply the feature TQ1 to the tq1 layer by
layer
5. Select by layer
6. Select the layer TQ1
7. Select the feature TQ1
8. Open a report window and check the new object name values
9. We are now able to label each object with its layer name

What other ways could we modify these features to display useful information or assist us with digitising
objects? You could force the strings to be digitised clockwise regardless of the actual direction they were
digitised in. Or you may want to force a point name or set the feature to prompt you for a point name. Make
sure you spend some time examining some of the different properties that are available to you in Exercise
24.

EXERCISE 24: DESIGNING A FEATURE

In the Geological Interpretation section of this course we are going to use feature to define our orezones.

Design features for the following orezones are:

• BTQ1
• BTQ1a
• BTQ2
• BTQ3
• And a fault

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Deleting Features
EXERCISE 25: FEATURE DELETION
1. Select Design > Feature Edit > Delete
2. Select the feature to Delete and click OK

Compositing
Compositing is a method of averaging assay values throughout a Drillhole Database. It is commonly used to
remove sampling bias as a precursor to grade estimation in the block modelling. It also has the effect of
smoothing assays across Drillholes.

Vulcan allows various types of compositing techniques to be used as required. The compositing techniques
are:

• Straight - Creates an ASCII copy of an Isis Drillhole Database

• Run Length - Creates a composite file with user defined fixed length sample intervals
• Bench - This method will create one composite per user defined bench interval
• Intersect Select - This method allows the user to generate the longest composite intervals
possible above a specified grade cut-off
• Geology - Creates one composite interval per lithological zone

In this section we will cover each of these techniques focusing mainly on the Run Length technique, as this
tends to be the most commonly used method.

The compositing menu is divided into three sections (figure 25.0).

• Generation
• Running
• Viewing

Generating

Running

Viewing

Figure 25.0: Composite Menu

The options within the Generating menu allow you to create parameter files to store the composite
information. These files may be recalled for use at any time or edited to obtain new results.

The Running options allow you to use the parameter files to create composite ASCII files (mapfiles) or
composite database files (Isis database files).

The Viewing options allow you to display the composite files on screen.

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Generating Composite Parameter Files
In this section we will look at how to create composite parameter.

Run Length Compositing Technique

The RUN LENGTH composite option allows you to set up a parameter file that will generate fixed length
composite intervals (except for the end of hole and geological or triangulation boundaries if specified).

EXERCISE 26: CREATING A RUN LENGTH PARAMETER FILE

1. Select Geology > Compositing > Run Length

2. Enter the New parameter identifier name, e.g. 2

3. Click Next

If desired, you can choose a parameter file to copy from (figure 26.0)

Figure 26.0: Run Length Compositing Menu panel

4. In the Composite Creation Menu, select the Datasheet from the drop-down menu, e.g. DHD
5. Enter the Optional datasheet identifier, e.g. ORIG (figure 26.1)
6. Tick Breakdown by geology and click Next. The rest of the options can be left as default

Figure 26.1: Composite Creation menu panel

The fields:

• Breakdown by geology: Causes the process to restart the compositing from a lithological
boundary defined by a field in the database

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 • Record majority geology codes: Creates two new fields, the first stores the majority of
the lithological code in the interval and the second stores its percentage

• Missing data: Allows the user to either ignore values flagged as missing data (e.g. those
that are equal to the value assigned) or to replace them with a user defined value

• Non-sampled data: Works in the same way as missing data

• Assign a value to data not logged: Allows the user to assign a value to data that is not
included in the Drillhole log. This is when an interval has not been assayed

• Use selection file: Allows the use of a selection file to composite only a select
group of holes

• Abort compositing for holes with errors: Use this option to exclude any holes containing
logical errors, e.g. from/to overlaps

7. Enter the Composite length to generate, e.g. 2.5 for composite intervals of 2.5 metres (figure
26.2)

8. Click Next

Figure 26.2: Run Length Composite Menu panel

9. Select the Geology Record and Assay Record from the drop-down menu, e.g. select GEOL and
ASSAY (figure 26.3)

10. Click Next

Figure 26.3: Database Records to Use panel

11. In the Geology Fields to Use panel, set the following:

• Bottom Depth or To Field as TO
• Tick Use From or Thickness Field
• Tick Use From Field and set the From Field to FROM
• Set the Rockcode Field to GEOCOD (figure 26.4)
• Click Next

Figure 26.4: Geology Fields to Use panel

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 12. In the Assay Fields to Use panel, set the following
• Bottom Depth or To Field as TO
• Tick Use From or Thickness Field
• Tick Use from field and set the From field to FROM
• Field_01 at AU
• Field_02 as CU (see figure 26.5 on the following page)
• Click Next

Figure 26.5: Assay Fields to Use panel

13. Enter the CU field cutoff value and the AU field cutoff value (top-cut) or leave as default.

If a cutoff grade is entered, values above this cutoff grade will be set to the cutoff grade value
(figure 26.6)

Figure 26.6: Cut-off Values panel

14. Click Finish

15. In the Boundary definition menu, click Cancel

The parameter file is then created. It will be called thorrunl.cm1. If you want to examine the file use a text
editor, such as WordPad to open it.

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Creating a Composite File
There are two options for creating a composite file:

• run
• selection

These options can produce either ASCII or Isis database files.

The Run option allows the use of one parameter file only. The Selection option allows the use of two
parameter files and is dependent on the holes angle.

We will look at the Run option, as it is one most commonly used.

EXERCISE 27: CREATE A COMPOSITE FILE

We have the choice of compositing to an Isis database file or ASCII file (mapfile). We will create a composite
Isis database.
1. Select Geology > Compositing > Run
2. In the Compositing Parameter File panel select the Parameter file to use, e.g. 2
3. Check Create Composite Database and set the Resulting Data Sheet Name to CMP
4. Enter the Optional database identifier, e.g. 2.5
5. Set Compositing Group, e.g. AU&CU
6. Set Run Description, e.g. AU & CU 2.5 composites (figure 27.0)
7. Click OK

Figure 27.0: Compositing Parameter File panel

Tip!
The composite group name is used to store multiple compositing runs in the same file separated by
their group names. This can only be used in an Isis database.
For ASCII files (mapfile) there can only ever be one group name, therefore if compositing to an ASCII
file always composite to a new file.

The file containing the composited data will be thor2.5.cmp.isis.

If you examine a composite mapfile using WordPad or a similar text viewer you will notice the file contains a
header defining the header variables and field names and their properties. The data is arranged below the
header and is column formatted.

Exercise: Composite the Drillhole Database to a mapfil output called RUNL.

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Displaying Composite Files
Use the Display option to view composite files onscreen.

EXERCISE 28: DISPLAY A COMPOSITE FILE

1. Select Geology > Compositing > Display

2. In the Composite Display panel, select the Use Database, and enter a Datasheet name, e.g.
CMP (figure 28.0)

3. Select Load as lines

The variable order refers to the top and bottom positions of the composite interval (e.g. XYZXYZ) and the
composite field (e.g. W).

4. Change the Line width to 3. This will display the composites as thicker lines
5. Select OK

Figure 28.0: Composite Display panel

6. In the Load Samples Database panel enter the Sample Group name. You can use a wildcard
(*) if you cannot remember the sample group name.

7. Select the ASSAY Field to display, e.g. AU

8. Click Finish

Figure 28.1: Load Samples Database panel

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 9. Select the colour Schema to use, e.g. select AU
10. The composites will then be loaded on screen

Note: To remove the displayed composites select Geology > Compositing > Remove

Displaying Samples from a Composite Database - Sampling Menu

The sampling menu is found under Geology > Sampling. It allows you to view data from databases such as
compositing, channel sampling, and grade control. This allows the user more flexibility and control over
viewing from the composite database than available under Geology > Compositing > Display. Samples
may be loaded using database field / geographical conditions, coloured using a legend, annotated with
multiple fields, flagged using special conditions, and contoured.

Sampling parameters are kept in a <proj>.smp file. Details that must be in this file depend on the options
being used. This file is also used for the Open Pit > Blockout Submenu. Please refer to the Vulcan help
pages for an example of this file and also a list of all sections that may exist in this file. If using an SMP file
for Blockout, Samples must be loaded without using any default settings.

Overview of the Sampling Menu

Opens the database (compositing, channel sampling and grade control)

Lists the Sample Groups within the opened database

Enables you to load a Sample Group onto the screen

Enables you to remove a Sample Group from the screen

Enables you to re-colour a Sample Group by a new field and colour scheme

Reports to the Report Window and database field values for the selected sample

Adds / alters annotations from a Sample Group

Removes annotations from a Sample Group

Enables contouring of specified samples by a field using a contour legend

Sets up the display parameters for sample selection and viewing in the sampling
options

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 EXERCISE 29: SETTING UP FOR DISPLAYING DATA USING THE SAMPLING MENU
1. To begin using this option we must have already created a composite database. Our composite
database is called thor2.5.cmp.isis. Mapfiles cannot be used in this option.

2. In Exercise 4 we set up a CU Drillhole legend. Repeat the steps for creating this legend however
this time create a Samples legend rather than a Drill legend. Note you do not need to specify the
database fields when creating this legend (as is required with a Drill legend); this will be done
using the sampling menu options.

3. Go to Geology > Sampling > Open Database and open your new composite database.

4. The final step before displaying samples using the sampling menu is to set up the display. To do
this go to Geology > Sampling > Set Up Display

5. Type in an Edit Display Scheme called CU.

6. Fill out the Samples Colour panel as in Figure 29.0 below and select OK. The Samples Field
represents the field from the composite database that you wish to view. The colour scheme
represents the name of the samples legend you wish to view the samples by.

Figure 29.0: Samples Colour Panel

7. The Samples Labelling panel will now be displayed. Fill out the panel as in Figure 7.2 and select
OK. The Samples Labelling panel sets up how the samples will be labelled. If you do not wish to
label any samples then do not choose any fields from the dropdown. The five label fields are
located in the order they will be labelled on the sample. Therefore if you wish to label from the top
of the sample select Field #1. In this case we wish the samples to be labelled through the middle
of the sample length therefore the first label is in Field #3.

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 Number of decimal places
to be displayed

Use Annotation Colour –

colours the text based on
the colour boxes to the
right of the Fields (in this
Only displays case, all white)
annotations that are
currently visible (use
this option in plan
view)
Use Annotation Scheme –
colours the text based on
the selected legends colour
scheme (in this case the
legend is CU)

EXERCISE 30: LOAD SAMPLES DATA TO THE SCREEN

1. To display the samples go to Geology > Sampling > Load

2. Fill out the Sample Group Load panel as in Figure 30.0 and select OK.

The asterisk (*) represents a wildcard so that all sample group names are loaded. The Sample Group
name comes from the samples database and this represents the compositing run (COMPID of the
GROUP table). This allows you to store multiple compositing runs in the same database. By ticking Use
default display parameters you can choose the CU display that you set up in steps 4-7 of Exercise 26,
otherwise the option would lead you through these steps manually

Figure 30.0: Sample Group Load panel

3. Select CU as the display scheme. Vulcan will automatically load the RUNLENGTH sample group,
as it is the only one available in the composited database. If there were multiple sample groups
you would be required to choose the sample group from a list. Your data should look similar to
Figure 30.1. If you zoom in you will see the annotations for CU and AU for each sample

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 Figure 30.1: Composite samples loaded using the sampling menu displaying all samples using the CU display set up

EXERCISE 31: REMOVE SAMPLES DATA FROM THE SCREEN

1. Select Geology > Sampling > Remove
2. Choose the sample group selection technique – either from the screen or from a list
3. Choose the AU & CU sample group

Often when we load samples we want to restrict the samples to be displayed by conditions. For example
where AU is greater than 2g/t or where the lithology equals ore. This is where the functionality and flexibility
of the sampling menu becomes important.

EXERCISE 32: LOAD SAMPLES MEETING SPECIFIED CONDITIONS

1. First we will create a new samples legend called LITH. In part 2 of Exercise 29 we set up a
Samples legend for CU, repeat these steps however this time ensure you tick the radio box for an
alphanumeric legend and specify the legend fields as in Figure 32.0 below.

Figure 32.0: LITH legend fields

Note: wildcards are used to ensure all ore zones are coloured separately to waste and that the order of
priority for assigning colours is from the top down.

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 2. Return to Geology > Sampling > Set Up Display
3. Create a new display called LITH and select OK

4. Select the Character Field as GEOCOD and the Colour Scheme as LITH. Use the same Line
Type as in Figure 29.0. Also select the box to “Restrict samples to be displayed” and then click
OK

5. The Samples Selection panel will be displayed as in Figure 32.1. In this example we are going to
select samples based on a specific character values in the alphanumeric field called GEOCOD.
Once you have completed the panel select OK

To select samples based on values in a numeric field.

To select up to 10 user specified numeric values for sample selection

Performs a reverse selection of “Use specific Numeric values”

To select samples based on a user specified numeric range

To select samples based on values in an alphanumeric field.

To select up to 10 user specified alphanumeric values for sample

selection

Performs a reverse selection of “Use specific Numeric values”

To select samples using solid triangulations

To select samples based on up to 15 field restrictions / conditions

Figure 32.1: Sample Selection Panel - Overview

6. The Specific Character Strings panel will be opened. Fill out the panel resembling the Figure
32.2. Note that this selection technique will only select samples that have been assigned in the
GEOCOD field as one of the TQ ore bodies. Select Finish

Figure 32.2: The Specific Character Strings panel

Note: The use of wildcards (*) to ensure all TQ ore zones are selected.

7. The Samples Labelling panel will be displayed. Annotate Field #3 with the GEOCOD field and
select the option to Use Annotation Scheme, select OK.

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 8. Load the samples to the screen using the LITH display set up. Note that only samples where the
GEOCOD field equals one of our specified character values are displayed. For more information
on setting restrictions to sample selection refer to the Help. Your display in plan view should look
similar to Figure 32.3. Note the differences between Figure 30.1 (where we loaded all samples by
CU) and Figure 32.3 (where we only loaded the samples assigned to an ore zone by LITH)

Figure 32.3: Composite Samples

Figure 32.3 shows the loaded composite samples using the sampling menu displaying only those samples
assigned to an ore zone (TQ) using the LITH display set up.

Geological Interpretations
Geological interpretations were historically produced on section plots with coloured pencils. These were
then digitised into a computer where the interpretation may be modelled and plotted. The problem with this
method is that it results in double handling and often delayed production time. It is often very difficult to
visualise the orebody until the interpretation has been completed and only then if it is perceived to be
incorrect you will have to start again.

Another drawback of this method is that the geologist are always working in section planes to create the
interpretation, however the Drillholes they use are generally not in the same plane, thus resulting in an
interpretation that only approximates the true geometry of the orebody.

An improved method is to create the interpretation on screen using the information that is usually plotted
including Drillholes, resource solids, face data and existing development. This negates the need to create a
lot of section plots until the interpretation is completed.

The geologist can rotate the information to gain a true 3-D representation of the data to be interpreted. The
interpreted strings may be snapped precisely to the Drillholes giving a much more accurate approximation of
the true geometry.

The biggest saving comes in the time spent creating and fine-tuning the interpretation. What previously took
weeks or months can now be prepared in days.

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 In this section we will look at the mechanics of doing an on screen interpretation. We will restrict ourselves to
working in slices of space for the sake of visibility, and we will be interpreting in 3 dimensions. The method is
simple but it does take some getting used to.

Creating the Interpretation

To begin we must first load the Drillholes onscreen and restrict our view to a slice of space parallel to a drill
section. A general rule of thumb is to try not to make the section viewing extents too great or you will find
yourself snapping to drill holes that may overlap. This can create problems during the modelling of the
interpretation. For this particular exercise the drill traverse lines are spaced around 125m apart, thus we can
use a 60m slice step, viewing 30m either side.

EXERCISE 33: CREATING AN INTERPRETATION

1. Load the database thororig.dhd.isis as per the procedure for loading Drillholes (Exercise 7)
2. Display the hole by LITH
3. Load the layer Section
4. Change view to one of the section lines, e.g. select View > Create Section (figure 33.0).
5. In the Create Section panel, set the Step size width to 60
6. Select OK

Figure 33.0: Create Section View panel

7. Select the line to change view

8. Zoom in on the area of interest.

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 Figure 33.1, Screen image of cross section through Drillholes

9. Display a legend in a convenient position to one side of the screen. Select Analyse > Display
Legend. Select DRILL and LITH.

Figure 33.2: Drillhole cross-section and legend

10. Begin digitising one of the ore zones using the features we created earlier and snapping to the
lithological boundaries on the Drillholes, e.g. use the snap to point icon. To use a feature for
digitising select Design > Create > Features. It is advisable to always create interpretation
polygons in a clockwise manner to ensure polygons are easily triangulated.

Figure 33.3: Snap to Point icon

11. Initially you should have something that looks like the screen image below (figure 33.4). The
interpretation has been snapped to the Drillholes but it does not go past the outer Drillhole limits

Figure 33.4: First step of interpretation

12. To tidy up the ends of the interpretation we use one of the standard ENVISAGE tools. Select
Design > Point Insert > Insert. Select the object. Select the line to replace, e.g. the interpolated
end (figure 33.5)

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 Figure 33.5: Screen image of line that will have points inserted

Once the insertion plane has been defined insert the required points. Remember to insert points from the
Start (S) to the End (E) (figure 33.6).

Figure 33.6: Inserted points

13. Right-click when finished inserting points. The points will connect to form a highlighted line.
Select retain (figure 33.7)

Figure 33.7: Connected points

14. You will then be prompted to select the next line to replace. Continue this operation until the
interpreted string is complete
15. When finished you should end up with something like the screen image shown in figure 33.8
below

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 Figure 33.8: Digitised interpreted string

16. So far our onscreen visual looks okay, however, smoothing the line and inserting points at a given
interval can improve the look. This will also aid in the development of solid models later. To
smooth the string we apply a cubic spline using Design > Attribute Edit > Apply Spline (figure
33.9)

Figure 33.9: Splined string

17. The string now looks more natural, but this spline is only superimposed on the original line. It has
not inserted any new points. Therefore we need to insert extra points along this new line to
maintain the shape when modelling. To do this select Design > Attribute Edit > Insert points
on spline. Set the step to 5. Select Object to insert points. The object will be highlighted
showing the resulting string. Select retain if it looks acceptable.

18. If you were to label the points now you would see many more points than were originally digitised,
whilst none of the original points have been altered.

We have now finished the first string in our interpretation. Reset the screen and rotate to view the final
string, especially the ends. You would now do much the same for all the other ore zones. You may find it
easier to complete one section before moving to the next or you may want to follow an ore zone through
each section.

Almost certainly you will be required during the course of an interpretation to use most if not all of the other
point editing options. It is a good idea to become very familiar with each of these so that you can choose the
best option to use for each task

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 EXERCISE 34: COMPLETING INTERPRETATION
Try to complete the interpretation you have started or add to the one supplied.

Modelling: Creating Triangulations

Triangulations are highly accurate mathematical representations of data in 3 dimensions. A triangulation
model is a series of 3D co-ordinate points and the linkages between them, which form a series of
triangulated planes that define a surface or enclose a volume, Figure 34.0 and Figure 34.1.

Figure 34.0: Simple Triangulation Structure

Figure 34.1: Simple Solid Triangulation

Triangulations are stored in files and therefore can be copied, renamed or deleted through an explorer or
shell window. They use the naming convention:

<triangulation file identifier>.00t

Vulcan uses two terms to categorise triangulations - surface and solid.

A surface triangulation model is an open 3D representation of the data. By open, we mean the triangulation
has a distinct edge, and does not encompass a volume.

A solid triangulation model is a closed 3D representation of the data. That is, the model has no distinct edge
and therefore must encompass a volume.

In general, unless smoothed, triangulation models honour all of the data points. That is, they do not
interpolate intermediate points. This means that where the data is sparse, the resultant triangulation will be
coarse and where the data is dense, the resultant triangulation will be detailed. This allows for the creation
of any complex shape, including topography or digital terrain models (DTM), faulted surfaces, pit shells and
orebody models.

A triangulation is a versatile structure, which can be used for many purposes. However, an understanding of
its underlying concept is important when applying it to particular geological or mining situations.

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Advantages of Triangulations
Triangulations accurately represent any surface or solid shape, resulting in the most accurate volume
possible, especially when compared to more traditional polygonal or end-area type volumetric methods. This
is true for both solids and for volume between surfaces calculations, e.g. cut-and-fill volumes.
Triangulations enable the modelling of a very broad range of cultural or natural shapes such as:

• topography
• mine excavations
• geological surfaces
• orebodies
• underground development
• underground stopes
• arbitrary attribute models
• groundwater levels

The 3D nature of triangulations coupled with Vulcan’s powerful graphics environment provides enhanced
visualisation to rapidly convey the concepts of a geological model or engineering design.

Manipulated by a wide range of modelling tools, Vulcan triangulation models are a very powerful display and
analysis utility.

Creating Solid Triangulation Models

As we have mentioned before, a solid triangulation model is a closed 3D representation of the data. That is,
the model has no distinct edge and therefore must encompass a volume.

The most common solid modelling techniques are:

• Creating solid models using polygons
• Creating solid models using Boolean operations
• Creating solid models using addition operations
• Any combination of these three methods

A few common uses for solid triangulation models are:

• Three dimensional representations of features, e.g. orebodies and underground development
• Calculating accurate volumes
• As a basis or “skeleton” for building block models

Vulcan provides several tools for creating solid triangulation models on the menu Model > Triangle Solid.
We recommend the online documentation under Envisage 3D Editor > Model > Triangle Solid for a
detailed description.

Creating Solid Triangulation Models Using Polygons

This is the traditional or standard way of creating solid models. It is the oldest method and was developed to
replace the practice of drawing polygons on paper sections over a light table and then calculating their
volume using a planimeter.

Vulcan provides two options for building solid models based on polygon data.

1. Simple solid models from polygons

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 The Model > Triangle Solid > Polygons menu option allows you to build simple solid models based on one
or more polygons and a projection width. The polygon(s) can represent the top (crest), middle or bottom
(toe) of the solid model. The width can be entered manually or the object’s value can be used.

Any number of polygons within a layer can be used as the basis for one solid model or for separate solid
models for each polygon. In this case, each solid model may be named individually using a prefix, suffix or
the object name.
For our example, ensure the layer TQ1 is loaded (figure 34.5). Layer TQ1 is an interpretation based on the
drilling information in our database thororig.dhd.isis.

Figure 34.5: Isometric View of Layer TQ1

Select menu option Model > Triangle Solid > Polygons to display the Solid by Polygon panel. Ensure the
following options are set:

Save triangulations: By layer

Projection width: 10.000
Polygon position: Middle
Build solid and attempt to maintain holes (donuts)

Leave the Triangulation Save Directory blank to ensure the solid model is saved to the project work folder.
Click OK when complete.

You should then be prompted to choose how you want to select the data to be triangulated. Select the LAYER
option and pick any of the polygons on the screen. Confirm the layer selection when prompted and cancel
out of the Multiple Selection box that appears. It appears again after the layer confirmation so that you can
continue selecting other layers or objects to add to the selection list. On completion of these steps the solid
model will be created and displayed on the screen. It should appear similar to that shown in Figure 34.6.

Figure 34.6: Solid Model Based on Simple Polygons

Right mouse clicking on the triangulation will display the Triangulation Properties panel allowing you to
alter the appearance of the solid model.

Closer examination of the solid model should reveal that its shape is equivalent to the polygon and that it is
10.000 metres wide and projected 5.000 metres either side of the polygon.

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 The shape of the polygon is naturally reflected in the solid model, as projecting the polygon, a user-defined
distance and then triangulating create the model. The width and position of the solid model were set by the
values:

Projection width: 10.000

Polygon position: Middle

You can choose any width. The other options for position are top and bottom, in which case the projection
would have occurred in one direction only.

Tip!
Choosing a projection width that causes the overlap of the individual model components will result in
triangle facets that cross each other, causing problems when trying to use this model for other
purposes, e.g. calculating volumes. This modelling technique does not attempt to create a continuous
solid model between polygons. For that result you should use the solid modelling technique described
in the next section.

The option Build solid and attempt to maintain holes (donuts) will treat any internal polygons as if they
were exclusion polygons. Without this option checked, these internal polygons would be ignored and the
solid model may be left open at either end.

Lastly the solid model was saved as a single model with the file name tq1.00t. In our example we chose to
create a single solid model and name it using the layer name:

Save triangulations: By layer

The other options are by group, by feature and separately for each object.

In the last case individual solid models for each polygon will be created and named according to the
specified attribute, e.g. layer, feature, group or object. You can also choose to add a prefix and a suffix.

Continuous solid models from polygons

The solid models created using the Model > Triangle Solid > Polygons option, while being quick to create
and closely approximating the volume results obtained by manual methods, do not provide the most accurate
representation of real features. Models that are a better representation are continuous solid models, which
contain triangle facets that join one polygon to another. To create continuous solid models from polygon
data use the menu option Model > Triangle Solid > Create.

Let’s create a continuous solid model using the TQ1 layer. It is also helpful to orientate the layer so that you
can clearly differentiate between the polygons - an isometric view is optimum. Rotate the layer to an
isometric view and zoom in to the last few most northern polygons. When complete your screen should
appear similar to Figure 34.7.

Figure 34.7: Isometric Zoomed View

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 1. Select the menu option Model > Triangle Solid > Create to display the Create 3D Solid panel.
Although this panel has many options, most can be left at their default setting
2. When complete your panel should appear as in Figure 34.8 on the following page.

Figure 34.8: Create 3D Solid panel

3. Click OK to continue.

4. You will be prompted to Pick first string. Choose the most northern polygon or polygon furthest
to the left on the screen. The selected polygon will be highlighted and the prompt will change to
Pick the next string to triangulate and allocate a colour for the triangulation.

5. You can then continue to select the polygons to be modelled. Continue selecting each polygon in
turn, noting the polygon is added to the triangulation as proceed. When you have triangulated all
the polygons select the right mouse button twice. The first time you right-click your mouse, the 3D
Picking dialog will appear. None of the options on this dialog will be selected. Selecting the right
mouse button a second time brings up the 3D Create dialog. Select Save.

The following panel (figure 34.9) allows the user to specify a triangulation name and colour, e.g. TQ1, colour
RED.

Figure 34.9: Triangulation specification panel

6. Select OK

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 The completed model should look similar to Figure 34.10.

Figure 34.10: Solid Model of TQ1 polygons

Tip!
Vulcan uses the term string to mean polygon or line.

Statatistics II
Vulcan provides users with a convenient mechanism via Envisage to create basic univariate and multivariate
statistics. The statistics module is part of the "core" Envisage product and can be found under the main menu
option Analyse.

Essentially a user can analyse data from a number of sources, both ASCII or binary, both graphical or model
data. The user can select, where appropriate, any number of data items for analysis as separate entities, or
analyses the relationship between pair-wise combinations.

In this session we will look at:

• the data sources available

• basic unistat features
• graphical display features

Setting up your Statistics Session

It is optional for the user to select the set-up parameters before engaging in a session within the statistics
option. Defaults provided by the system are generally adequate in preparing well-proportioned statistics
reports. The Set Up option allows you to establish:

• external file logging of the statistics session

• the number of graphs available both in the X and Y directions
• the height and colours of the text headings, labels and annotations on graphs

All graphs created in the statistics option are generated in a special Envisage window called Graphs. The
user can interchange between his working window and the statistics Graphs very easily. The default set-up
establishes the number of graphs as being 3 in the X direction and 3 in the Y direction. Hence a total of 9
graphs can be generated. This can obviously be increased/decreased at the users discretion.

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Selecting the Data for Statistics
As previously mentioned, data for input into the statistics option is varied. Essentially data can be accessed
from the following sources:

• Graphics objects in Envisage

• ASCII data files
• Evaluation data, that is mapfiles, both ASCII and binary
• General Isis databases
• Vulcan Block Models
• Vulcan 2D Grid Models

Whilst all data sources are generally extensively used, the scope of this course will restrict discussion to data
from geological / assay Isis databases and mapfiles. The concepts of data selection and graphing are
essentially the same despite the variation in sources.

Graphing ISIS Databases or Mapfiles: Graphing Statistical Data

General Statistics, both univariate and multivariate can be generated via any Isis database or mapfile. As
most drilling databases contain missing data values that are generally stored as a negative number (e.g. -
99), we must exclude this data, as inclusion would invalidate the resulting statistics.

Once the data has been selected and loaded into the system it is available for use any number of times
within the session. Note that there is no physical limit to the size of the dataset that may be loaded into
Envisage.

Workstation system limits (primarily memory, swap space and processor speed) generally dictate the
maximum size of the data that can be handle efficiently and effectively.

Display graphs for univariate data consists of the following types:

• Bar graphs
• Line graphs
• Pie charts

Whilst bivariate / multivariate data displays can be done in the following ways;

• Ternary charts
• Scatter plots
• Line plots

Control is given to the user in the definition of titles, scales, colours and patterns.

Using the standard geology course data, some examples of the procedures for creating graphs are outlined
below. The user is encouraged to experiment and create the styles of the graphs available, and to enhance
the graphs using normal Envisage functions such as text and attribute editing to create draft quality output.

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Basic Histograms
EXERCISE 35: CREATE A BASIC HISTOGRAM PLOTS FOR GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS
When generating statistical plots it is useful to produce a composite database that has excluded any
negative values (e.g. –99) so these null values are not represented in the statistics. We will use the 2.5m
composite database created earlier, e.g. thor2.5.cmp.isis.

For this exercise we will generate a basic histogram plot for AU grades.

• Analyse > StatisticsII > Open

• Analyse > StatisticsII > Histogram

Figure 35.0: Statistics Parameter ID selection panel

1. Using the Statistics parameter setup panel (figure 35.1) set the relevant tabs to set up the
design and the appearance of the histograms.

Figure 35.1: Statistics Parameter Setup panel

2. GRAPH: Set up the graphical display. In the Histogram Parameters panel, tick automatic
intervals to have the computer generate the intervals that best fit the data (refer to figure 35.2 on
the following page). We will apply a weighting to our data (e.g. Length).

3. Click Next

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 Figure 35:2: Histogram parameters panel

4. As our composite data has an AU range up to 2.0g/t, we will restrict the minimum and maximum
values for the X-axis (figure 35.3)

5. Select Next

Figure 35.3: Axis parameters panel for X axis

6. As our composite data has an AU count up to 8500 we will restrict the minimum and maximum
values for the Y-axis

7. Select Next

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 Figure 35.4: Parameters for Y-axis

8. DATA: select the data to be used to generate the histogram/s. A wildcard (*) can be used to
select all files (figure 35.6

Figure 35.6 Statistics Data Selection panel

9. Choose the Dataset to Analyse, e.g. Select the thor2.5.cmp (figure 35.7)

10. Select Next

Figure 35.7: Data Selection panel

11. Choose the variables to analyse (figure 35.8). All variables that exist within the composite data
can be selected. For this exercise we will only analyse the AU grades

12. Select Next

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 Figure 35.8: Variable Selection panel

13. As we have chosen to weight our composites to produce a more representative result. We will
select Length (figure 35.9). The weighting variable allows us to generate a weighted AU grade
over the length of the interval

14. Click Next

Figure 35.9: Weighting panel

15. In the Statistics Parameter Setup panel, select Conditions. No conditions on our data will be
set

16. In the Statistics Parameter Setup panel, select Setup. This tab allows the user to specify the
appearance of the Histogram (figure 35.10)

Figure 35.10: General parameters panel

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 17. In the Statistics Parameter Setup panel, select Run: This brings up the Run and Display panel
(figure 35.11). Run the newly created spec file (The format of the statistics specifications file
name is: <proj><specname>.sdf

Figure 35.11: Run and Display panel

18. Select Next. This produces the Histogram in the Graphs window (figure 35.12)

Remember, the graphs are created in a special window called the Graphs window. This window is a 2D
window with approximately the same X and Y extent as the primary window. The parameters of this window
can be viewed under the options View > Windows > Edit.

The user can swap between the primary window and the graph window by using the special view
transformation options in the statistics menu, or by using the select option under the WINDOW menu. After
every graph creation the user is asked which window (primary or graph) to return to.

19. SPECID: check or change the naming used in the spec file
20. SAVE: This saves the chosen specifications in your current working directory

Figure 35.12: Vulcan screen shot of generated histogram from the 2.5m bench AU composites

Every graph that is created is placed in a successive order starting in the lower left hand corner and
progressing right and then upwards until the complete graphs window in full.

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 At which point any new graphs will replace those at the start, beginning again at the lower left hand corner.
The initial set up in the statistics menu controls the number of graphs available for creation.

Once set it cannot be altered in the current session of Envisage. You will have to exit and re-enter Envisage
to change these fundamental settings.

The statistical spec file is saved in your working folder as an .sdf file (e.g. thorstats.sdf).
The resulting histogram/s are saved in your working folder as an .srf file
(e.g. thorstats_histogram_au.srf).

All graphs can be plotted using the normal Envisage plotting options, and the juxtaposition of statistics, both
general and graphical, with normal geological information provides a the user with powerful presentation
capabilities that are both quick to produce and modify as well as being very professional in quality.

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Appendix 1 Glossary Of Terms
Data file
The data file contains the actual database information, e.g. the Drillholes or the design information.
Database (DB)
A database consists of two files - a Data File structured according to the Datasheet Definition for that set of data, and an
Index File. Many different types of data are stored in Vulcan databases, including data from logging sheets and assay
lab reports stored on a drillhole basis, spatial (often digitised) data and drafting (template) data.
Database Listing (dbl)
A Database Listing is an ASCII dump of a Vulcan database.
Datasheet and Datasheet name (dsn):
A Datasheet is the definition of a data coding form used to structure the data loaded into the database. The user defines
the database structure by establishing a Datasheet Description, which consists of a logical series of record definitions.
Design Database (dgd):
A Design Database contains digitised information held in points, objects and layers. The information is typically digitised
on screen or using a digitising tablet. Data stored in this type of database typically represents designs, e.g. pit layouts,
underground development, geological interpretations, or data imported to aid in the design, e.g. digital terrain maps
(DTMs), existing designs.
Drillhole Database:
A Drillhole Database contains information held in keys, records and fields. The data stored is typically drilling information
arranged by the Drillhole identification number (key). The information may have been imported into Vulcan from some
other source, or may have been entered via the Drillhole database editor (ISIS).
Fields:
A field corresponds to a single entry within a coding form record. Fields may contain either numeric or non-numeric
information. Translations for codes used in fields may be defined in a code dictionary.
Index File:
An index file stores a list of all the layer names or key names for the related data file.
ISIS Database system:
An ISIS database is a proprietary structured indexed binary file.
Key:
Isis databases are divided into subsets of data referenced by their key (indexed) field. The key field is the name of a
subset of related data. For example, in a Drillhole database the key field is normally the HOLEID (hole identifier) field.
All other information related to this key (e.g. hole identifier) is ordered directly below this key.
Mandatory (field):
When the mandatory box is selected on an EDIT FIELD panel, this field must contain information otherwise an error will
be posted and the importation of this key into a Vulcan database will not proceed.
Optional Dataset Identifier <odi>:
The optional dataset identifier is an optional name given to a database to allow the user to differentiate different
databases. The optional dataset identifier may be anything the user chooses, however it generally has something
pertaining to the data in the database, e.g. an area or location name, or something denoting the particular phase of
drilling. The optional dataset identifier is limited to 10 characters.
Project Code <proj>:
The project code is a sequence of characters used to prefix all files related to a particular job or project. The project code
may typically represent the deposit name or mine site. The project code has a maximum length of four characters.
Record:
A datasheet is divided into records, with a record corresponding to an entire line entry on a coding sheet. Each record is
typically designed to cater for a particular type of information. For example, a COLLAR record may hold all the
information relating to the Drillhole collar location and length, whereas the ASSAY record may hold all the information
relating to the Drillhole assayed samples. Each record is divided into fields.

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Synonym:
A synonym is the Vulcan standard name equivalent for a specific project field name. For example, the project name for a
field containing the Drillhole names may be BHID, the correct synonym for this field is HOLEID. This allows Vulcan to
treat the BHID field as if it was named HOLEID.

Appendix 2 - Glossary Of Terms

Append - Adding to the end of an existing line, database or layer.
Assay - To subject a given material to chemical analysis.
Batch - Method for running one or more commands.
Bench - A flat working area in an open pit or underground mine formed by drilling and blasting to make a step in
the mine profile.
Blast (Blast Solid) – A 3D block of volume in the mine.
Blast Hole – Hole drilled in an open cut or underground mine in order to be charged and then blasted.
Block Model - A series of cuboids, which collectively define a larger cuboid.
Boreholes - Long cylinders drilled into the rock from which samples are taken at intervals.
Closed Triangulation - A triangulation containing no boundary edges.
Colour Legend - Colour legends control the colour of the data to be displayed.
Construction Points - Graphical representation of any defined 3D (X, Y, Z) point in space.
Contour - An imaginary line, or a line on a map or chart, that connects points of equal value.
Contour Map - A map that portrays surface configuration by means of contour lines.
CSV Tables - Comma Separated Values tables.
Dataset - A composite database, block model, general database, grid or Envisage screen object.
Datasheet - The template incorporating records and fields into which ASCII data can be loaded to form a
database. Also known as the structure of a Vulcan Isis database. Note: In Version 6.0, datasheets are named
Designs.
Design Database - Contains all design information relating to a project, such as co-ordinate points, lines,
polygons, features and text annotations.
Downhole Survey - A measurement of dip and azimuth of a borehole at one or more intervals down its entire
length.
Drillhole - A hole produced by any type of drill, sometimes known a borehole or, in the oil industry, as a well.
Easting - A departure (difference in longitude) measured to the East from the last preceding point of reckoning
Envisage - The proprietary name for the Vulcan 3D Viewer and Editor.
Facet - A triangle in a triangulation.
Floating Point - Any real number containing decimal points.
Geotech - The study of structural attributes within rock masses.
Grade Block – Part or whole of a Blast that has had its grade calculated.
Grade Control Hole – A Drillhole that is used primarily for collecting grade control samples, often drilled at an
angle.
Header – (1) A block of comments placed at the beginning of a computer program or routine. (2) Identification or
control information placed at the beginning of a file or message.
Headered Database - An optimised Vulcan ISIS database that contains the underlying design information in the
header of the database.
Key Field – Used to individually define a Blast.
Layers - Logical data groups in a design database. A layer usually brings together a group of similar objects and
data.
Line Styles - Line styles refer to a type of line consisting of patterns.
Line Types - Line types refer to hardware line types such as a single full line, dotted, dashed etc.

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Lithology - The description of rocks, especially in hand specimen and in outcrop, on the basis of such
characteristics as colour, mineralogic composition and grain size.
Map Files - Formatted text files containing raw data. Can also be ASCII files generated from compositing.
Map Sheet - Refers to a set geographical window translated at a set scale to a plot window.
Module -A logically separable part of a program.
Object Attributes - Attributes of objects such as name, group, value, feature, primitive, line type, colour and
pattern.
Objects - Graphical entities that constitute layers. An object may be a single point; a string of points (line); or a
closed string (polygon).
ODBC Link Database - A temporary database in Isis headered format used by Vulcan to manipulate Vulcan data
that is stored in external ODBC compliant databases such as MS Access or Paradox.
Open Cut Mining - Surficial mining, in which the valuable rock is exposed by removal of overburden. Synonym:
Strip mining, open pit mining, open cast mining.
Open Pit Mining - Equivalent to Open Cut Mining.
Orebody - A concentration of ore within an envelope of country rock material.
Panel - A group of working faces operated as a unit with pillars separating the areas.
Polygon Method - A method used in the calculation of ore reserves from Drillholes.
Project -The project code is used in some naming conventions to organise or group files. Some options will
automatically prefix the project code when generating file names.
Register - To drape (register) points or lines onto a triangulated surface.
RL - In surveying terms, an abbreviation for Reduced Level. In practical terms this means elevation.
Report Window - The window that displays textual information, such as messages and reports.
Solid - Used to refer to a solid triangulation. That is, a triangulation that encloses a volume of space.
Spatial Design Identifier - The spatial design identifier is the user-defined name of the design database.
String Objects - Objects that are a series of digitised co-ordinate points either connected or unconnected. They
are the most common type of object.
Synonym - Synonyms are used to link design fields to external fields when the names of the fields are different,
as may be the case when compiling data from different sources.
Template - A pattern or guide built to various designs, e.g. drilling templates used to ensure cut holes in
development are drilled to a standard design.
Triangulation - A series of three-dimensional co-ordinates and links between them such that a series of
triangulated planes is determined which, when linked, define a surface or enclose a volume.
User Menu - This type of menu can be set up by the user by selecting options from existing menus. Thus users
may create their own menu of favoured options.
Variable Pairs - Data variables that are plotted against each other.
Vertex - The point of intersection of two sides of a plane figure or angle.

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