Sources of dilution in underground mines: Calculation methods

The principal sources of dilution during underground evaluation and mining are discussed, then definitions of ore dilution currently in use are analyz ed. These definitions vary depending on the authors. A new ore dilution eva luation methodology is proposed, replacing the ten different analytical exp ressions by only two: the planned dilution factor related to the stoping se lectivity, done at the mine planning level, and the additional dilution fac tor related to the efficiency of the dilution control measures during stopi ng operations. The conclusion shows that the use of this methodology would be a definitive asset in planning, in stoping operations follow-up, and in future costs comparison studies between mining operations.