ROCK FRACTURE DENSITY CHARACTERIZING TO DEFINE DIFFICULTIES OF MINING IN SOROWAKO AREA, SOUTH SULAWESI

PROCEEDINGS PIT IAGI RIAU 2006
The 35^th IAGI Annual Convention and Exhibition
Pekanbaru – Riau, 21 – 22 November 2006

ROCK FRACTURE DENSITY CHARACTERIZING TO DEFINE DIFFICULTIES OF
MINING IN SOROWAKO AREA, SOUTH SULAWESI

Fatrial Bahesti & Gde Handojo Tutuko^'
'Exploration and Mine Development, PT INCO,Tbk
ABSTRACT

The abundance of shear fractures is described through the evaluation of fracture density. Fracture density can be measured in a number of ways; average spacing of fractures; number of fractures in given area; total cumulative length of fractures; and surface area of all fractures within a given volume of rock. Local geology structure and geomechanics approach is used to deal with outlining rock type boundary for estimating geologic framework; fracture density (FD) and rock quality designation (RQD) which related to weathered rock boulder in lateritic mass.

Knowledge of rock fracture properties allows us to define difficulties of mine and laterite development. Highly rock fractured will increase weathering degree because of larger surface of rock. Thus, fracture is related to boulder forming that enriched by economic mineral as well as laterite development. The result of these studies addressed rock fractured classification which controlled by area with low (type 1), medium (type 2) and highly (type 3) fractured in specified Sorowako mining area. These would reveal us to have an even more define of mining difficulties to reach maximum ore recovery.