README.TXT - Notes on digital data for: GSC Open File 3490 Index-level database for lode gold deposits of the world. C.L. Jenkins, R.Vincent, F. Robert, K.H. Poulsen, D.F. Garson, J.A. Blondé July, 1997 Note: this file is best viewed and printed using your favourite word processor with 0.75" margins on 8.5"x11" paper and a fixed-size font such as Courier 12. INTRODUCTION ------------ The accompanying diskette contains files of data on lode gold deposits of the world. There are data for 1004 deposits and for 1308 mines associated with these deposits. The user is referred to the accompanying report for details about the data, its compilation and its intended use and limitations. Following are details about the files and their installation. DIGITAL FILES ON THE DISKETTE ----------------------------- This README.TXT as well as three self-extracting zip files are on the diskette. These were created using the following versions of PKZIP(R) and ZIP2EXE(tm): PKZIP (R) FAST! Create/Update Utility Version 2.04g 02-01-93 ZIP2EXE (tm) Self-Extract Creator Version 2.04g 02-01-93 Self-extracting file: AUMSACC.EXE (415,538 bytes) Contains the following Microsoft Access(R) 7.0 for Microsoft Office 95 database: WORLDAU.MDB (1,515,520 bytes) This database cannot be used by earlier versions of Microsoft Access(R), however it can be use by more recent versions, such as Microsoft Access(R) 8.0 for Microsoft Office 97. This is a limitation of Microsoft Access(R) software which does not allow conversion back to Access(R) version 2.0. When opening the database with Access(R) 8.0, the user will be prompted to convert and save the database with a new name (user's choice). Consult your software documentation for more details on conversion and version compatibility. Self-extracting file: AUXLS.EXE (446,540 bytes) Contains the following Microsoft Excel(R) 3.0 files: AUDEPOS.XLS (766,522 bytes) AUMINES.XLS (825,436 bytes) Self-extracting file: AUDBF.EXE (233,461 bytes) Contains the following dBase III files: AUDEPOS.DBF (3,580,510 bytes) AUMINES.DBF (2,099,058 bytes) Self-extracting file: AUTXT.EXE (158,707 bytes) Contains the following ASCII-delimited files: AUDEPOS.TXT (310,089 bytes) AUMINES.TXT (367,910 bytes) The ASCII files contain field labels in the first row. Data fields in subsequent rows are delimited by the comma character (,) and text fields are enclosed in double quotes ("). INSTALLATION ------------ The user should place the desired .EXE file in the target directory of their choice on their hard disk. After changing to this directory, typing the appropriate file name from DOS will extract the contained files. Alternatively, Windows users can double-click on Aumsacc.exe icon which will also "unzip" the contained file(s). Example ------- C:\MYHARDDISK>copy a:aumsacc.exe 1 file(s) copied C:\MYHARDDISK>dir Volume in drive C is MYDISK1 Volume Serial Number is xxxx-nnnn Directory of C:\MYHARDDISK . 06-25-97 12:31p . .. 06-25-97 12:31p .. AUMSACC EXE 415,538 06-25-97 12:08p AUMSACC.EXE 1 file(s) 415,538 bytes 2 dir(s) 105,840,640 bytes free C:\MYHARDDISK>aumsacc.exe PKSFX (R) FAST! Self Extract Utility Version 2.04g 02-01-93 Copr. 1989-1993 PKWARE Inc. All Rights Reserved. Shareware version PKSFX Reg. U.S. Pat. and Tm. Off. Searching EXE: C:\MYHARDDISK\AUMSACC.EXE Inflating: WORLDAU.MDB C:\MYHARDDISK>dir Volume in drive C is MYDISK1 Volume Serial Number is xxxx-nnnn Directory of C:\MYHARDDISK . 06-25-97 12:31p . .. 06-25-97 12:31p .. AUMSACC EXE 415,538 06-25-97 12:08p AUMSACC.EXE WORLDAU MDB 1,515,520 06-25-97 12:05p WORLDAU.MDB 2 file(s) 1,931,058 bytes 2 dir(s) 104,366,080 bytes free DATA DESCRIPTION ---------------- The following information is intended as a "quick start" document on the data items in the ACCESS, dBase, Excel and ASCII versions of the database. The authors highly recommend that the accompanying hard copy report of the open file be consulted for complete explanations of the manner in which data were compiled and prepared for these databases. MS ACCESS TABLE DESCRIPTIONS DEPOSITS TABLE This section provides information on each of the fields in the DEPOSITS Table. The names of the variables (found in queries) used in the ACCESS(r) implementation of the database are also shown. Colunns or fields found in tables are in [] brackets; variables are in <> brackets. Deposit number [Deposit#] ------------------------- This is a unique number for each deposit and serves as the link between the deposit- and mine-level information. Deposit name [Depname], Alternate names [Altnmes] ------------------------------------------------- The name of a deposit commonly changes through its mining history. The Deposit name is taken as the most recent or most commonly accepted name for the deposit. Other historical names for the deposit are included in the Alternate name field. In the case of deposits exploited by several mines, each mine has a name (entered in the mines-level information - see below), and there may or may not be a generally accepted name for the entire deposit. In absence of a well accepted deposit name (e.g. Hemlo), we have either taken the name of the "district", in cases of large deposits (e.g. Kirkland Lake or Golden Mile), or combined the names of the mines exploiting the deposit (e.g. Sigma-Lamaque). Number of mines [.Mines] ------------------------ This field indicates the number of mines related to this deposit. This number indicates records in the mines table correspond to that particular deposit. Continent [Continnt], Country [Country], Province [Province], Area [Area] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Continent, Country and Provinces fields are self explanatory and refer to geographic entities. The Area field provides a more specific geographical reference where appropriate; it can be a city, or a distance from a city, etc. Latitude [Latd] [Ladm] [Lats] [Latori], Longitude [Longd] [Longm] [Longs] [Longori] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The determination of a deposit's latitude and longitude is of critical importance but at the same time the most challenging part of data acquisition. Latitude and Longitude data were entered in degree-minute-second format using the following international convention: negative values for western longitudes and negative values for southern latitudes. The orientation of latitude [Latori] is taken a 1 for North and -1 for South, and the orientation of longitude [Longori] is taken as 1 for East and -1 for West. Object located [QualLL] ----------------------- The Object located field provides information on what was located (shaft, orebody, center of a large deposit) and on the general quality of the location data; it also generally includes the source of information. The quality of the location data is not uniform across the database, despite efforts to obtain the most accurate data. In many parts of the world, for example Canada, Australia, United States, good quality location data are easily obtainable, however, in other parts of the world such as China or the Community of Independant States, determining the location of a deposit is a challenge. In many cases the only available source of information was a page-size figure showing the deposit in relation to a few geographic markers, or a distance in a given direction from a particular town. It was deemed more important to include a deposit in the database with only an approximate location than to exclude it. The information contained in the Object located and Compiler's comment fields provides an indication of the quality of location data. Elevation [Elevation] --------------------- Because the Elevation of a deposit maybe an important factor to consider in assessing its economic viability, whenever available, the information was included. Geological province [Geolprov], subprovince [Gsubprov], district [GDistrict] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- These three fields were included to provide some level of information on the general geologic location of the deposits, and to facilitate searches by geologic terranes or domains. This hierarchy is influenced by the subdivisions used in North America. Geological province corresponds to the highest-level geological entity; depending on the country, these may be referred to as Shields, Cratons, Provinces, Fold Belts, etc., and Geologic subprovince corresponds to first-order subdivisions of these geological entities. Geologic district includes more diverse type of information, ranging from the name of a well-know gold district to the name of a specific greenstone belt. Examples of geological provinces include the American Cordillera, Guiana Shield, Yilgarn Craton, Lachlan Fold Belt, and corresponding examples of geological subprovinces include the Great Basin, Pastora-Amapa belt, Norseman-Wiluna belt, and Bendigo-Ballarat Structural Zone. Host-rock age [Agehost] ----------------------- Host-rock age is included for general geologic information and to facilitate searches. The age of host rock was divided according to Eons and Eras in a way which is relevant to the time distribution of lode gold deposits and which minimizes uncertainties and interpretations. The divisions that were applied are as follows: Precambrian Eon Phanerozoic Eon Archean era Paleozoic era Early Proterozoic era Mesozoic era Middle to Late Proterozoic era Cenozoic era General style of mineralization [Genstyle] ------------------------------------------ Information about the type of deposit is highly desirable in any mineral deposit database. However, there are no generally accepted coherent classifications nor nomenclature for the different types of lode gold deposits. In addition, ascribing a particular gold deposit to a given type is highly interpretative and is largely a function of the user's particular objectives and interests. For these reasons, it was decided to only include information on the Style of mineralization, based on the nature of mineralization as observed in hand specimen, on an outcrop, or in a stope face. The style of mineralization has been ascribed to one of the following categories: Quartz veins and veinlets Disseminated sulphide Carbonate veins Disseminated gold Sulphide-rich veins and veinlets Hydrothermal breccia Semi-massive sulphide Paleoplacer gold Massive sulphide Unknown With the exception of paleoplacer gold, none of these styles are diagnostic of a particular type of gold deposit. In addition, many deposits contain more than one style of mineralization, especially the large ones. Although two fields for the style of mineralization are included in the MINES table to account for this important fact, only one field is included in the DEPOSITS table for identification of the volumetrically most important style of mineralization. Ascribing a style of mineralization to one of the above choices is not entirely free from interpretation and subjectivity. It also hinges heavily on the quality of the descriptions available in the literature. However, a number of guiding principles were applied in order to ensure consistency. Quartz veins and veinlets and sulphide-rich veins and veinlets were considered to include veinlet zones and stockwork zones. Veins and veinlets were ascribed to the sulphide-rich category if they contain more than ~ 30 % sulphides. Ores containing > 60% sulphides were considered as massive sulphide, and ores containing between ~30-60% sulphides as semi-massive sulphide. Disseminated sulphide was applied to ores containing up to 20% sulphides approximately evenly distributed through the rock. Disseminated gold refers to a few cases where gold is disseminated in the rock without any sulphide minerals. Resources data -------------- Total measured tonnage, overall grade of the deposit, total measured gold, Measured tonnage, Measured grade and Measured total gold of a deposit were calculated from the grade-tonnage data for production and reserves of all mines exploiting the deposit in the MINES table, or from grade-tonnage data for production and reserves for the entire deposit if data were not available for individual mines, following the procedures outlined in the accompanying report. Table 1 below summarizes the fields and variables used, both at the individual MINE level and at the DEPOSIT level. Fields used for these data in the are listed in [] brackets below. Variables representing calculated values from these fields are shown in <> brackets. Source of numerical information [Snuminfd] ------------------------------------------ As much as possible, the source(s) of grade-tonnage production-reserve data are indicated here if the deposits figures differ from the associated mines data (i.e. data have been entered directly at the deposit level - see below). Any additional comments regarding how different sources of information were combined are also included. Compiler's comments [CompilerD] ------------------------------- Any Compiler's comments regarding any of the information included in the deposits table are entered here. They are meant to inform the user of any potential limitation, complexity or quality of the information contained in the table. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Table 1: Relationship among the different types of gold resource data to be considered at the mines and deposits levels; the corresponding field names are in [] brackets and variable names shown in <> brackets. FOR EACH MINE ------------- MEASURED ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION tonnage [MPOrTnMi] grade [MPAuGtMi] total Au total Au [EPAuTnMi] RESERVES tonnage [MROrTnMi] grade [MRAuGtMi] total Au total Au [ERAuTnMi] MINE TOTAL tonnage grade Total measured Au Est. additional Au [ETAuTnMi] FOR THE DEPOSIT --------------- MEASURED ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION tonnage [MPOrTnDe] grade [MPAuGtDe] total Au total Au [EPAuTnDe] RESERVES tonnage [MROrTnDe] grade [MRAuGtDe] total Au total Au [ERAuTnDe] DEPOSIT TOTAL tonnage grade total measured Au Est. additional Au [ETAuTnDe] TOTAL SIZE OF DEPOSIT total measured Au + est. additional Au --------------------- = TOTAL SIZE OF DEPOSIT -------------------------------------------------------------- MINES TABLE Deposit number [Deposit.] ------------------------- The unique Deposit number provides the link with the DEPOSITS table. For a deposit exploited by a single mine, there will only be one record in the MINES table for that particular deposit. For those exploited by more than one mine, there will be as many records in the Mines Table as there are mines. Mine number [Mine.] ------------------- The Mine number refers to one of the mines exploiting a particular deposit. This number is unique for each mine related to a given deposit. Mine name [Minename], Alternate names [Altnames] ------------------------------------------------ As is the case in the Deposits table, the Mine name is the most recent or most commonly accepted name for the particular mine, whereas Alternate names generally represent more historical names. Owners [Ownersm] ---------------- If known, the Owner(s) (as of 1995) of the mine is indicated here. Status [Statusm] ---------------- The Status of a particular mine (as of 1995) is indicated as being Current Producer, Past Producer, Future Producer, or Developed Prospect. Resources Data -------------- Measured production, Measured reserve, Measured total Grade-tonnage data for production and reserves are used to calculate the total Au production and total Au reserve, as well as to calculate the total tonnage, grade and Au content of the mine. Corresponding field names are listed in Table 1. Efforts have been made to present up-to-date grade-tonnage production and reserve data. For well-established deposits, it also was considered less critical to present up-to-date data because production and reserve figures change on an annual basis, without significant changes in the total size of the deposit. Caution: for mines with both production and reserve data, care must be taken to ensure that the dates at which production and reserve figures are quoted are the same. A gap between the dates of production and of reserves (e.g. production to Dec. 92 and reserves as of Dec. 94) could result in underestimating the amount of gold in the mine. Conversely, an overlap between the dates of production and reserves (e.g. production to Dec. 94 and reserves as of Dec. 92) leads to overestimating the amount of gold in the mine. Estimated additional production, reserve and total Estimated additional production or reserves and total for the mine correspond to additional production or reserve data, in tonnes of Au, for which grade-tonnage information is not available. Caution: resource figures in the estimated category are in addition to, and should not include, resources in the measured category. See Table 1. Production from [PStartm], Production to [PTom] ----------------------------------------------- Dates of production are given in the form of Production from the first year of production to Production to either the last year of production in the case of past producers, or to the year for which cumulative production figures for the mine are recorded. Date of reserves [RDatem] ------------------------- Date of reserves indicates the year for which reserve figures for the mine are recorded. Source of numerical Information [Snuminfm] ------------------------------------------ As much as possible, the source(s) of grade-tonnage production-reserve data are indicated here. Any additional comments regarding how different sources of information were combined are also included. Discovery date [Discdatem] -------------------------- If known, the Discovery date of the mine is given. Annual gold production [AnAuprod] --------------------------------- If known, Annual gold production is given, in metric tonnes of gold. Mining method #1 [Minmetm1], Mining Method #2 [Minmetm2] -------------------------------------------------------- The Mining methods employed at the mine are indicated as: Underground, Open Pit, Open Pit-bedrock, Open Pit-laterite, Open Pit-laterite & bedrock, or Tailings. As more than one mining method may be at a mine, two fields are available to report the two most prevalent methods. Recovery method [Recmetm], Percent recovery [PerRecm] ----------------------------------------------------- The Recovery method is indicated as bioleaching, heap leaching, carbon in leach, carbon in pulp, flotation, or gravity. The Percent recovery is also given, if known. Style of mineralization #1, #2 [Stlmin1m] [Stlmin2m] ---------------------------------------------------- One or two Styles of mineralization are included for the mine. The same choices and guiding principles as in the DEPOSITS table were used. Compiler's comments [CompilerM] ------------------------------- Compiler's comments regarding any of the information included in the deposits table are provided here. They are meant to inform the user of any potential limitations or complexities concerning the information or quality of data contained in the table. II - ASCII, MICROSOFT EXCEL(r) AND DBASE III(r) FILES The database is released in ASCII, Microsoft Excel(r) 3.0 and dBase III(r) formats. In both formats, the database consists of a pair of flat files, named "DEPOSITS" and "MINES", corresponding to the two Tables described above. The two tables are linked by a unique deposit number; there may be more than one mine for a particular deposit, but each mine has the same deposit number. The fields included in each of the two files and the corresponding headings are listed below. Additional information on the content of each field is provided in the preceeding section. DEPOSITS FILE Field name / heading Description -------------------- -------------------------------- Deposit_ Deposit number Depname Deposit name Altnmes Alternate names _Mines Number of mines . Continnt Continent Country Country Province Province Area Area Latd Latitude degrees Latm Latitude minutes Lats Latitude seconds Latori Latitude orientation Longd Longitude degrees Longm Longitude minutes Longs Longitude seconds Longori Longitude orientation QualLL Object located Elevation Elevation Geolprov Geological Province Gsubprov Geological Subprovince GDistrct Geological District Agehost Host-rock age Genstyle General style of mineralization MPOrTnDe Measured Production for the Deposit, tonnes of ore MPAuGtDe Measured Production for the Deposit, g/t Au MPAuTnDe Measured Production for the Deposit, tonnes of Au MROrTnDe Measured Reserve for the Deposit, tonnes of ore MRAuGtDe Measured Reserve for the Deposit, g/t Au MRAuTnDe Measured Reserve for the Deposit, tonnes of Au MTOrTnDe Measured Tonnage for the Deposit, tonnes of ore MTAuGtDe Measured Grade for the Deposit, g/t Au MTAuTnDe Measured Gold for the Deposit, tonnes of Au EPAuTnDe Estimated Additional Gold Production for the Deposit, tonnes of Au ERAuTnDe Estimated Additional Gold Reserves for the Deposit, tonnes of Au ETAuTnDe Estimated Additional Total Gold for the Deposit, tonnes of Au TotSizDe Total Size of the Deposit, tonnes of Au SnuminfD Source of numerical Information CompilerD Compiler's comments MINES FILE Field name Description -------------- -------------------------------------------- Deposit_ Deposit number Mine_ Mine number Minename Mine name Altnames Alternate names Ownersm Owners Statusm Status MPOrTnMi Measured Production for the Mine, tonnes of ore MPAuGtMi Measured Production for the Mine, g/t Au MPAuTnMi Measured Production for the Mine, tonnes of Au MROrTnMi Measured Reserve for the Mine, tonnes of ore MRAuGtMi Measured Reserve for the Mine, g/t Au MRAuTnMi Measured Reserve for the Mine, tonnes of Au MTOrTnMi Measured Tonnage for the Mine, tonnes of ore MTAuGtMi Measured Grade for the Mine, g/t Au MTAuTnMi Measured Gold for the Mine, tonnes of Au EPAuTnMi Estimated Additional Production for the Mine, tonnes of Au ERAuTnMi Estimated Additional Reserve for the Mine, tonnes of Au ETAuTnMi Estimated Additional Gold for the Mine, tonnes of Au PStartm Production from (year) PTom Production to (year) RDatem Date of reserves (year) Snuminfm Source of numerical Information Discdatem Discovery date AnAuprod Annual gold production Minmetm1 Mining method #1 Minmetm2 Mining Method #2 Recmetm Recovery method PerRecm Percent recovery Stlmin1m Style of mineralization #1 Stlmin2m Style of mineralization #2 CompilerM Compiler's comments III - MICROSOFT ACCESS(r) IMPLEMENTATION The relational database software MICROSOFT ACCESS(r) was used to construct the database and perform the required calculations; the corresponding ACCESS(r) files are released here as an example of implementation of the database. The current structure of the ACCESS(r) database was designed to satisfy the needs of the authors and is likely to satisfy the needs of most users. This section provides general information on the structure of the ACCESS(r) database and provides general instructions on how to use it. FURTHER INFORMATION ------------------- The data provided in this open file have been made available in three common formats to ensure maximum portability to GSC clients. In addition a Microsoft Access(R) implementation is provided simply as an example of a simple data entry system which can be used for such data. Neither the authors nor the GSC will offer subsequent support of this system.