Surveying in open pit mining is of vital importance. It encompasses a range of tasks that are critical to the operational success and safety of mining operations.
Surveyors are tasked with accurately placing explosives, dynamically mapping the terrain, and accurately estimating the volume of material being mined. Traditional methods, while effective to a point, often fall short of the required levels of accuracy and efficiency(CHCNAV, n.d.).
Surveys of open pit mines combine characteristics of engineering and topographic surveys. The surveyor provides guidance for miners to develop mining operations according to the earlier-established mine plan, then surveys the progress of mining and develops maps and models representing its current state.
More so, the maps and models are used for calculating the volumes and tonnages mined and for reconciling mining progress with the mine plan.
Surveying of open pits usually involves the following activities:
- establishment of a mine survey control network;
- detailed topographic surveying of open pit and waste dumps;
- data processing to calculate mined volumes and tonnages; d. stability control surveys of open-pit and waste dump slopes; e. support surveys for earthmoving-machine control systems.
How do you map a constantly changing, colossal hole in the ground with millimeter accuracy? That’s the challenge of surveying in open-pit mines. What’s a surprising detail you’ve learned about this critical function?
References:
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(n.d.). Supervision of Mines with the LiDAR UAV I CHCNAV. Geospatial. Retrieved May 22, 2025, from https://geospatial.chcnav.com/about/news/2024/lidar-mapping-in-open—pit-mining–pioneering-efficiency-and-safety
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BUZATU, CLAUDIU , CROITORU and ALIN, 2020. UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA , UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA.
