Remaining true to geology roots

Maptek Vulcan GeologyCore arose from a strategy to present the latest geological modelling tools to our geology licence users in a single package. A plethora of great modelling tools were unknown to users or only available in specific licensing configurations.

Importantly, Vulcan GeologyCore presents the tools in a simple geological workflow for setting up and validating models, while also making it easy to update the model or experiment with the modelling parameters.

This streamlined approach aims to encourage geologists to get the best modelling outcome, and not accept the first model that is generated.

The workflow is designed around six steps to guide geologists through the modelling process. 

Vulcan GeologyCore captures a snapshot of the data when it is loaded from Vulcan, CSV or ODBC linked databases. With the data now stored internally for modelling, any changes to the domaining are non-destructive to the modelling process. 

Updates in domain tables can be easily exported back to Vulcan or uploaded to a centralised database.

Integration is a key element – selecting drillholes on screen sees charts update to show interval counts – and connectivity is inherent in the modelling workflow. 

New domains can be re-coded, for instance based on grade and lithology conditions, and the modelling stage turns these domains into vein or intrusive models.

Vein Modeller and Implicit Modeller are powerful tools that help geologists easily create a model of a single domain. However, geology is rarely simple. Deposits are typically made up of many domains that interact with each other in different ways, and manually generating wireframes is a tiresome task.

The Modelling Manager delivers a structured, automated framework for building a complete geological model and defining how all the different units interact with each other to form the final triangulation surfaces and solids. 

It allows users to create veins and vein networks, which is a group of veins that can define how each vein interacts with other veins in the network.

The May 2023 Vulcan GeologyCore release allows geologists to create ‘intrusive’ style implicit models in the geological model. Modelling different types of contacts and stratigraphic surfaces as part of the geological model is also on the development roadmap.

A new option for Vein Contacts within both the Modelling Manager and the standalone Vein Modeller, provides full drillhole by drillhole control over the hanging wall and footwall points to use in the model.

Development projects to strengthen Vulcan GeologyCore as the heart of Maptek geology tools include modelling fault blocks and structural trends to feed into implicit and DomainMCF machine learning techniques. A vital aspect of the resource continuum will flow effortlessly into generating the necessary files for grade estimation in Vulcan.