Mining Engineering
Exploration and Geology
Applied Structural Geology in Mining & Exploration
Reading structure in the field and in the model, because structure controls where ore sits and where ground fails.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Contact hours
- 30
- Level
- Intermediate
- Fee from
- On enquiry
Overview
Structure decides two things that matter commercially: where mineralisation went, and whether the ground will stand up. This week is applied throughout. It covers measuring and interpreting structural data, recognising fold, fault and shear geometries in core and in pit faces, and building a structural model that constrains a resource estimate. Ground control applications close the week, since the structures that host ore are usually the ones that fail.
Who should attend
Exploration and mine geologists, geotechnical engineers, resource geologists building models, and mining engineers planning in structurally complex ground.
What you will be able to do
- Measure and record structural data consistently.
- Interpret fold, fault, shear and vein geometry from limited exposure.
- Build a structural model that constrains grade continuity.
- Relate structure to mineralisation controls.
- Apply structural understanding to ground control.
How it is taught
Short input, then work, across 5 days of roughly 6 teaching hours each. Exercises run on situations delegates bring rather than on a case study written for a different organisation. Cohorts are capped so that everybody is asked something.
Available as classroom, live online, in house.
Programme outline
Day 1
Fundamentals
- Stress, strain and deformation mechanisms
- Brittle and ductile behaviour
- Measurement conventions and recording
Day 2
Structures
- Folds and their geometry
- Faults, displacement and sense of movement
- Shear zones, foliation and lineation
- Veins and dilation sites
Day 3
Data and analysis
- Oriented core and its pitfalls
- Stereonets and structural statistics
- Section and level plan interpretation
Day 4
Ore controls
- Structural traps and plunge
- Reactivation and overprinting
- Targeting from structural reasoning
Day 5
Ground control
- Structurally controlled failure
- Wedge and planar analysis
- Communicating structure to engineers
What you leave with
- A structural interpretation of a mapped area or core set.
- A stereonet analysis of a real dataset.
- A structural domain model usable in estimation.
Dates and fees
| Dates | Location | Format | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 27 November 2026 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Classroom | US$1,500 |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Durban, South Africa | Classroom | R15,000 |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa | Classroom | R15,000 |
Fees are per delegate and cover tuition, all programme materials and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and visas are arranged by the delegate. Registration closes two weeks before a programme starts.
Certificate
A GATI certificate recording what was attended, issued after the programme has run and attendance has been taken. Attending at least 80 per cent of the days earns a certificate of completion; attending less earns a certificate of attendance stating exactly what was attended. Every certificate carries a code that anybody can check against GATI's own record.
It records participation. and GATI does not claim one it does not hold.