Publications
Fast, Detailed and Practical Estimation of External Dilution for Open Pits
Micon has successfully evaluated the effect of minimum mining dimensions on operational dilution for an open pit mine, narrow-vein deposit. This study involved generating and analyzing 24 different minimum mining dimension scenarios. The expected operational dilution...
Karen Nash joins Micon as Senior Environmental and Social Specialist
Micon is thrilled to announce that KAREN NASH, MA, MPhil, MCIEEM, FRGS, has joined our team as Senior Environmental and Social Specialist Karen will strengthen the Micon team by advising our clients on the planning and implementation of Environmental, Social and...
Journey to a Mineral Resource Estimate: Data
Intro As promised in our published article “TOP 10 TIPS FOR MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATION” This is the first of a series of articles named Journey to a Mineral Resource Estimate. All the materials intend to discuss the various aspects of the multiple tasks typically...
Top 10 Tips for Mineral Resource Estimation
Every mineral deposit is unique and requires a large number of items to consider when conducting a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) with some items more important than others. While Micon’s Competent/Qualified Persons may approach and conduct an MRE from a variety of...
Micon Promotes Nigel Fung to Vice President of Mining
Micon is proud to announce the promotion of NIGEL FUNG, B.Sc.H, B.Eng., P.Eng., to Vice President of Mining, effective July 1st, 2020. Nigel has over 20 years of mining industry experience and, since joining Micon in early 2019, has been an integral member of our...
Micon Technical Statements
Micon is pleased to unveil a new service available to our clients – the Micon Technical Statement Technical Statements are independent summaries of technical information, presented in an investor-friendly manner. Easy to read and aesthetically pleasing, presented in a...
Micon to Complete Preliminary Feasibility Study for Magna Gold Corp.
Micon is pleased to announce that it has been retained by Magna Gold Corp. to complete a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) on the San Francisco mine, located in Sonora, Mexico. The PFS will re-evaluate the resource model, examine potential operational improvements...
Navigating the Environmental, Social and Governance Landscape
So, what exactly is ESG? We are becoming used to hearing a range of terms gathered under the banner of ‘Environmental, Social and Governance’ (ESG), including not only the more obvious elements, but also sustainable development, responsible mining, social licence to...
Improve the Economics of Your Orebody by Ensuring it is Developed at its Optimum Production Rate
Micon recently completed a very successful scoping-level trade-off study to determine the optimum rate of production of a mineral deposit based upon orebody configuration, types of plant feed available, recovery options, infrastructure requirements, capital, and...
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Worldwide Pandemic and Site Visits
A key part of the Qualified Person’s (QP’s) review of mineral properties under National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) is the site visit. Indeed, it is usually the site visit that allows a QP to acquire the key data, information and knowledge about a mineral project...
The CIM Code and Best Practices – Reasonable Prospects for Eventual Economic Extraction
On 29 November, 2019, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) published an updated version of its Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines. The update provides additional guidance on the reporting of a...
COVID-19: Message to our Clients and Community
(updated 06 August, 2020) The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic is obviously a critical concern to us all. Our primary aim must be to maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of employees and their families, as well as for our clients, service providers and other...
Specialty Mineral Resource Estimates
Originally published on the M.Plan International Limited website on March 16, 2020. In general, mineral resource estimates for specialty minerals such as quartz, kaolin, diatomite, graphite and limestone, etc. are both similar to and very different from...
From Metal to Money: The Importance of Reliable Metallurgical Accounting on the Entire Mining Operation
Synopsis This article condenses an earlier paper coauthored by Derick de Wit and Garth Marshall, Metal accounting: the new focus area (Part 1), previously published by Venmyn Deloitte on 26 January, 2017. A metallurgical accounting system is the key tool to assess a...
Battery Metals and the Green Tech Revolution – How Easy is it to Mine in Europe?
The term 'Battery Metals' is now widely used within and around the mining industry. Battery metals are considered critical to the future of the renewable energy industry as the world moves away from internal combustion energy. The traditional source of battery metals...
Technical Reporting and Some Metrics Used in Studies
The last two decades have seen the use of standardized Technical Reports disclosing technical and economic results for exploration and mining projects around the world. For projects located in Canada, or Canadian companies that operate worldwide, Technical Reports are...
Representatives from Micon to attend AME Roundup 2020 as Bronze Sponsors
Tom Stubens, Senior Geologist, and Barnard Foo, Senior Mining Engineer, will be representing Micon at AME’s annual Mineral Exploration Roundup conference, to be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on January 20-23, 2020. Micon is proud to be Bronze sponsors of the...
Micon President to attend 52nd Canadian Mineral Processors Conference
On January 21-23, 2020, Richard Gowans, President and Principal Metallurgist with Micon, will attend the 52nd Annual Canadian Mineral Processors Conference, held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. The conference will feature presentations on various aspects of mineral...
Micon Sponsorships, 2020
Micon is pleased to announce its support of the following mining industry events in 2020 (listed in date order): AME Roundup, Vancouver, B.C. 20-23 January, 2020 International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange Metro Toronto Convention Centre,...
Technical and Economic Evaluation of Mineral Deposits
It is customary, though not mandatory, for the evaluation of the technical feasibility and economic viability of production for a given mineral deposit to proceed through three stages of progressively more rigorous analysis: Preliminary economic assessment....
Mineral Resource Estimation
The CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves define Mineral Resources as “a concentration or occurrence of solid material of economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects...
SEC Adopts Rules to Modernize Property Disclosures Required for Mining Registrants
In 2018, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced significant changes to the disclosure requirements for mining registrants (link). The new rules apply specifically to “registrants with material mining operations”. The final rule amendments...
Demystifying Blockchain Technology
On Wednesday, 3 October, Derick R de Wit, Micon Principal Process Engineer and Senior Project Manager, presented an introduction to Blockchain Technology (BCT) to the UK branch of Women in Mining in London. To assist Micon’s clients, colleagues and friends who may not...
Foran Files Technical Report for McIlvenna Bay Resource
Micon is pleased to announce that Foran Mining Corporation has filed their National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report for the recent revised resource estimate for the Company’s 100%-owned McIlvenna Bay Deposit, one of the largest, undeveloped volcanogenic massive...
Shortening Mineral Asset Valuations
In reviewing the Exposure Draft of the CIMVAL Code for the Valuation of Mineral Properties, a welcome addition in the form of a short-form valuation report is noted. Micon International Limited, a specialist mining consultancy that provides independent professional...
Remembering Ken Grace, 1936-2019
We will miss Ken Grace who passed away on 25 April, 2019. He was enjoying a cruise on the Queen Victoria between family visits in South Africa and in England. Ken was a founder of Micon and a Vice President and Director from October 1988 to 2001 during which time we...
Lithium Pegmatites – Is This the Right One?
Over the last 10 years, lithium has become a hot commodity due to its significant role in the production of lithium-ion batteries. Market projections show that the renewable energy industry will need more lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, the raw materials...
Micon International Limited to Attend the 25th Mining Indaba in Cape Town
The year 2019 marks the 25th year of the Mining Indaba, Africa’s premier all-encompassing mining conference that consistently brings together the top brass of exploration and mining in Africa. In recognition of this achievement in longevity, coupled with the growing...
The Relevance/Non-Relevance of Drill Core Size in Mineral Resource Estimates
In all instances of drilling, maximum recovery of a representative sample is the objective. The general notion is that the bigger the core size, the better/more representative the sample. As a result, samples collected from smaller drill core are often considered...
Cabral Gold Engages Micon International to Update Resource Estimate for Cuiú Cuiú Project, Brazil
Micon is pleased to announce its completion of Cabral Gold’s 2018 NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for four deposits at their Cuiú Cuiú Project, located in the state of Pará in northern Brazil. Alan Carter, President and CEO of Cabral Gold, said “The 2018 resource...
The Role of Genetic Models in the Evaluation of Deposits and Estimation of Mineral Resources
Genetic models are rarely mentioned in the estimation of mineral resources and yet they are key to getting things right. The ability to conceive/perceive and apply the correct genetic model early in the exploration stage is crucial not only to the discovery of the...
Feasibility Study for Fortune Minerals
Micon is pleased to be part of the team updating the Feasibility Study for Fortune Minerals' NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper project 160 km northwest of Yellowknife. Fortune Minerals has engaged Hatch Ltd., P&E Mining Consultants Inc. and Micon International...
Mineral Property Valuation: Principles and Procedures 101
Considerable thought and effort has been directed towards developing robust standards and methodologies for mineral property valuation but the unique characteristics of each property essentially dictate which of the recognized valuation approaches are most...
Micon Welcomes the Launch of Online Claim Staking in Ontario
Nearly every mine started with an explorer who walked through the bush, collected rocks and hoped to hit the mother lode (and get rich). And Canada has a lot of success stories like this… Currently if a company or individual wants to explore a new area or to look for...
The ‘Spotted Dog’ – Still an Issue in Mineral Resource Classification
Despite progress being made by professional organisations towards the worldwide standardization of Mineral Resource Standards and Definitions, Micon continues to encounter poorly classified mineral resource estimates. Such classifications often resemble a ‘Spotted...
The Importance of Mineralogy, Metallurgy and Product Quality to Specialty Materials Project Development
Aron Cleugh, MBA, P.Eng., is the Managing Director of M.Plan International, a JV between Micon and Dorfner Anzaplan. He is an extractive metallurgist specializing in hydrometallurgy, comminution, and process development. He recently gave an informative presentation to...
Geostatistics: Black Box Magic or Skilled Procedure?
Geostatistics is more than just a black-box or button-pushing exercise. It is a process involving a suitable collection of data and geological information, a detailed analysis of this data, an understanding of suitable methods for estimation and their inherent assumptions, and a systematic and comprehensive validation of the output model. Tools such as software packages are not magic wands that mysteriously produce models that fit the characteristics of the natural phenomenon. A sensible geostatistical estimate takes time, understanding, experience and skill to produce.
Can I Use Historic Assay Data in My Resource Estimate?
Can use be made of old or historic assay data in a current mineral resource estimate? The amount of data involved may be substantial and duplicating it could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Clients usually wants to use as much of it as possible. What can be done to complete best practices data verification and justify its use?
Due Diligence Reports – an IE’s Perspective
The mining consultant, or Independent Engineer (‘IE’) can provide the expertise needed to assess the full range of technical risks and opportunities associated with mining projects. on behalf of the potential investor.
When is a Reserve a Reserve?
When is something “economically mineable” for the purpose of reporting a mineral reserve? Beyond requiring the use of certain reporting codes, NI 43-101 does not specify a methodology for the estimation of mineral resources or reserves.
NI 43-101 Technical Reports: What They Are, and What They’re Not
The purpose of an NI 43-101 Technical Report, as stated in the Form 43-101F1 Instructions, is “to provide a summary of material scientific and technical information concerning mineral exploration, development, and production activities on a mineral property that is...
Mineral Resource Reporting – Differences between CIM, JORC, and Others
The modern mining history of every country is different but, as a result of globalization, mining and exploration companies operate in a global capital and commodity market. Public companies from northern Russia to southern in Chile have the obligation to regularly...
Specialty Commodity Sector
In the specialty commodity sector, it is the geology and mineralogy of the raw material source that ultimately provide the consumer with a secure, consistent supply of a processed mineral or metal product meeting the required specifications. M.Plan International – Micon’s joint venture with Anzaplan GmbH – offers a fully integrated suite of services to the specialty commodity sector for project development studies and due diligence assessment.
Cut-off Grades for Mineral Resource Reporting
Under the CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves – Definitions and Guidelines, a mineral resource must be in “such form, grade or quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction”. The implications of this for the selection of a cut-off grade are discussed in this article by Micon’s V.P. Geology, Terry Hennessey.
The Role of Environmental Baseline Studies in Mining Projects
Continuing the theme of ‘Best Practice’, Micon’s senior geologist and environmental engineer David Makepeace, B.Sc., MMSA, describes the key features of an Environmental Baseline Study.
Quality Control and Quality Assurance Programmes: A Priority, Not an Afterthought
The integrity of a resource database is fundamental to a company’s success in securing debt or equity finance for a new mining project. The validity and quality of data can only be guaranteed when appropriate sampling and assaying protocols have been implemented. No...
Continuity in Mineral Resource Estimation
In the second of a series of articles discussing best practice, we focus on the importance of continuity within a mineral resource. The first article covered the classification of resources. Continuity lies at the heart of that discussion and, from Micon’s point of view, is one of the most important but one of the most frequently overlooked issues when conducting mineral resource estimates.
Classification of Mineral Resource Estimates
In the first of a series of articles on best practice DOs and DON’Ts, Bill Lewis, senior geologist with Micon in Toronto, highlights the need to tread carefully when classifying Mineral Resources. The classification of Mineral Resources is an important factor in the analysis of risk on advanced mining projects, and implementing best practices in this area can improve the probability of a successful mine development.
M.Plan International Limited
Dorfner ANZAPLAN GmbH and MICON International Limited are pleased to announce the formation of M.PLAN International Limited, which will provide a unique and fully-integrated suite of consulting services explicitly focused on the specialty commodity sector.
Why Mines Fail
Following his presentation to the MINEX 2015 Conference in Moscow, we asked Stanley Bartlett, P.Geo., Managing Director of Micon’s UK subsidiary, to recap the main points of his speech with examples taken from his professional experience.
Timmins Gold Corporation
Micon has worked with Timmins Gold (now Alio Gold) since 2005. In December, 2005, Micon completed its initial NI 43-101 Technical Report for Timmins Gold on the San Francisco gold project in Sonora, Mexico, in support of a listing application for the TSX-Venture exchange.
Dalradian Resources Inc.
The Curraghinalt gold deposit is located in Northern Ireland, near the town of Omagh. Prior to its acquisition by Dalradian Resources Inc. (Dalradian), in 2007 Micon had prepared a mineral resource estimate for the previous owners, Tournigan Gold Corporation (Tournigan). Micon began working with Dalradian in the Fall of 2009 and in May, 2010, Micon completed its mineral resource estimate and published an NI 43-101 Technical Report in support of a prospectus…
Alrosa Case Study
In 2013 Micon completed an independent review and valuation of the ALROSA Group of Companies’ principal diamond assets in Russia. This included visits to the majority of the ALROSA operations, an audit of the ALROSA reserve statements and...
Discoveries in Ontario’s Ring of Fire
The potential for new discoveries of chromite and platinum group elements-nickel-copper (PGE-Ni-Cu) deposits in the ‘Ring of Fire’ layered igneous complex in the James Bay lowlands area of northern Ontario is the focus of discussion in this article.
Tin Mining at Pravourmiyskoe
Micon was retained by LLC Pravourmiyskoe to conduct an audit review of the Pravourmiyskoe tin deposit in the Khabarovsk region of eastern Russia and to complete the necessary analysis required to prepare a mineral resource and ore reserve...
Tungsten Mining at Hemerdon
Micon is Independent Engineer on behalf of the senior lenders to the Hemerdon tungsten project, led by ING Bank, and conducts regular site visits to monitor construction and development. The Hemerdon project is located in Devon in southwest England, approximately...
Facts and Features
Karen Nash joins Micon as Senior Environmental and Social Specialist
Micon Promotes Nigel Fung to Vice President of Mining
Micon is proud to announce the …
Opinion
Fast, Detailed and Practical Estimation of External Dilution for Open Pits
Micon has successfully evaluated the effect of minimum mining dimensions …
Journey to a Mineral Resource Estimate: Data
Intro As promised in our published article “TOP 10 TIPS …
Case Studies
Timmins Gold Corporation
Micon has worked with Timmins Gold …
Dalradian Resources Inc.
The Curraghinalt gold deposit is located …