Sample / Introductory Notes on Geotechnical ReportingSUMMARY The purpose of this MRD Note is to provide guidance on the preparation of geotechnical reports submitted under the requirements of (Special) Prospecting Licences and, where appropriate, (Special) Mining Leases. Geotechnical reports serve both to monitor the progress of exploration programmes and to provide a permanent scientific record of work done and results achieved. Weekly drilling reports and quarterly progress reports are intended to provide an up-to-date summary of work as it is proceeding. Annual reports are regarded as major technical/scientific compilations of the year’s exploration activities, and must be accompanied by all supporting data and ancillary studies. Surrender reports are required in the case where part only of a licence area is relinquished; they are similarly full and detailed reports and should describe all work done in the surrendered portion of the licence area since the licence was first granted. These notes specify the types of information, the degree of detail, and the documentation required for the several types of report referred to, and provide some suggestions to authors regarding general report format and layout. The reporting requirements on prospecting licences are being extended to apply also to (Special) Mining Leases. SML 57 at Mt Kasi is the first mining lease issued since adoption of this new policy, and this report documents the reporting requirements of this lease as an example for what explorers can expect if and when they apply for a mining lease. This MRD Note also provides information on the requirements in SPLs and SMLs regarding the storage and disposal of drill-core. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION The purpose of these notes is to provide information and guidance to the holders of (Special) Prospecting Licences on the detailed requirements of the Mineral Resources Department in regard to the preparation and submission of geotechnical reports. This summary gives an explanation as to the various purposes these reports serve,, specifies the types of information and degree of detail required, and finally provides some suggestions to authors on general format and presentation of data. Further specific information or advice can be obtained from the Mineral Resources Department upon request. This MRD Note is an update of a previous report on the same topic (Greenbaum 1982). TYPES OF REPORTS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS Regulation 31 of the Mining Act (Chapter 146) sets out the requirements for the submission of quarterly reports on prospecting operations. Regulation 81(4) specifies the requirement for the submission of a weekly report on any drilling carried out. For mining leases, the requirement for monthly and yearly reports on mining operations is governed by Regulations 47 and 48 respectively, with reporting on Forms 13 and 14 respectively. In addition to these prescribed regulations, the Third Schedule of Conditions of (Special) Prospecting Licences makes specific reference to the requirements for submission of (a) quarterly progress reports and financial statements of expenditure, (b) annual reports (including shorter-period final reports where the licence is issued for a period of less than one year), and (c) surrender reports. Quarterly reports Regulation 31 states that the licence holder must submit a report on prospecting operations on Form 7 within fourteen days after the expiry of each three-month period of the licence. Form 7 includes details of persons employed, work done and expenditure. It should be accompanied by a concise but informative account of progress achieved during the quarter, supported by a summary of results, plans and other data as necessary for the proper understanding of the work described. An indication should be given of the stage reached in the overall planned programme and of intentions for ongoing work. It should be noted that submission of Form 7 is required also at the end of the fourth (or final) quarter of the licence period. The submission of an accompanying technical progress summary for this period is also required unless the annual report, including an account of work carried out in the final quarter, is submitted within the prescribed 14 day time limit, in which case the requirement for a separate technical progress summary is waived. Drilling reports Regulation 81(4) requires that a report on drilling operations on Form 18 be submitted at the end of each week of such operations. The Director or other authorised officer may on occasions additionally require that more detailed geological logs and other test data (e.g. assay values) be submitted as and when this information becomes available. Annual reports The annual report is a full and detailed geotechnical report covering all aspects of work done during the year (or such lesser period as might apply). Submission of an annual report is required at the end of each 12-month period of the licence period or within such reasonable time as the Director may see fit to allow upon special application from the licensee. The annual report should provide a properly ordered, technical account of exploration activities including full data (used in the sense of both ‘raw’ data, e.g., assay values, and interpretative data), supported by plans, tests, logs, illustrations and ancillary documents (e.g. consultants’ reports, reports on geophysical surveys, etc.), whether or not this information has previously been supplied in whole or in part, in weekly drilling reports or quarterly progress reports. Reports should be structured in such a way (for example, with regard to such aspects as objectives, procedures, results, conclusions and recommendations) and contain sufficient detail of information that a full and independent assessment of the work can be readily carried out. Surrender report A separate surrender report is required in the case where part only of a (Special) Prospecting Licence is surrendered. It should be submitted at the time of, or as soon after as possible, the surrender of the area, or in any case not later than 6 months after the date of acceptance by the Director of such surrender. (It should be noted that a final report submitted on the expiry or surrender of the whole of a licence is an annual (not a surrender) report, to which this maximum 6 months submission period does not apply). The report on surrendered ground is again a full and detailed geotechnical report, similar in general type to the annual report, and should provide a complete account (not a summary) of prospecting activities in the portion of the licence area being surrendered since the time the licence was first granted. The report should reproduce in full all information, results, plans and other data whether or not previously supplied in weekly drilling reports, quarterly progress reports and annual reports. An exception to this requirement will apply in the case of previously-supplied data items (i.e. physically separate volumes) wholly concerned with the portion of the area being surrendered, further copies of which need not be submitted. (This rule does not, however, apply to data items which form an integral part of previously-submitted reports (e.g. plans) even where these are detachable. Where any uncertainty exists in this regard the advice of the Mineral Resources Department should be sought). |
