Case Study: Vale achieves dynamic geological model updating with Seequent Leapfrog

Dynamic updating of a geological model for enhanced in-situ reconciliation

Vale, the world’s largest iron ore and nickel producer, faced a challenge at its Onga-Puma lateritic nickel mine in Brazil: its complex geology was difficult to model accurately, and manual wireframing took months while still failing to reflect reality. Vale wanted a better way to support in-situ reconciliation and make faster, more reliable mining decisions. It turned to Seequent’s Leapfrog Geo for implicit geological modelling.

Seequent implemented Leapfrog Geo to create a dynamic 3D geological model that better matched the intricate lateritic profile and could be updated quickly with new drillhole and face-mapping data. By transforming mapping data into horizontal drillholes, Vale was able to integrate short-term and long-term data and update models in just a few hours, even daily. The result was a more accurate, fit-for-purpose model that improved material classification, reduced the gap between planned and realised production, and saved significant time versus the previous months-long process.

Vale

Valter Oliveira

Master Geologist