JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Instead of relying primarily on traditional geological interpretation, South Africa can turn to AI for help in the same way as has been done with huge success to discover Zambia’s biggest copper deposit in a 100 years, South Africa’s Mining Modernisation Showcase attendees heard.
To achieve this success, KoBold Metals digitised 300 years of handwritten geology reports, taught geology to AI, used AI models to analyse the vast amounts of geological, geophysical, drilling and historical exploration data to predict where high-grade mineralisation was most likely to occur, and then drilled a hole.
The outcome is that ground has already been broken at Mingomba, where the construction of a $2.3-billion copper mine is under way.
“It's crazy good, and the reason why I've given this example is because this is one of the specific things that South Africa needs to do,” PwC Associate Director Smart Mining South Africa Ian Mackay explained at the mine modernisation event led by Minerals Council South Africa, Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators specialised research unit within South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Advisory Council on Innovation, and PwC Smart Mining South Africa. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)
