Completed geomechanical support for drilling operations at the Gross Cluster

CMT Consulting successfully completed geomechanical support for drilling operations with the selection of oriented core at the Gross Cluster (Tocco and Roman deposits), which is being developed by the gold mining company Nordgold.

Geomechanical support is an important component of exploration work, which allows to increase the level of elaboration of design solutions. During the project, SMT specialists documented 1,700 meters of core and selected samples for laboratory research to determine the physical and mechanical properties of rocks.

The massif of deposits is composed predominantly of quartz-K-feldspar metasomatic rocks and their varieties, which are heavily oxidized in places. To a lesser extent, plagiogneisses, blastomylonites, and daikidolerites are found. Rocks are complicated by microdefects of varying intensity.

The result of the work is an assessment of the quality of the array, based on a set of indicators and ratings collected during the period of field work. Selected rock samples undergo laboratory tests, during which their physical and mechanical properties will be established. Analysis of correlation dependencies showed good convergence, which confirms the high quality of the work performed.

The completed project in the field of geomechanics is the next step in the long-term cooperation between SMT and Nordgold.