Characterizing dumps at an inactive uranium mine through aerial photographs and drill logs

For mine properties which have incomplete or nonexistent records of mining and waste dump activity, there may be no direct means of assessing the overall properties of the dumps other than through drilling. Because this characterization process gets expensive for complete characterization of what can be very heterogeneous dump materials, a means was needed to develop models of the wastes over time with minimal new drilling at the inactive uranium mine site in question. Historical aerial photographs afford the means of identifying mine and dump activity as far back as shortly after mining began. In combination with 3D modeling of the characteristics of the original in-place orebodies and wastes, photo interpretation can allow at least gross assessment of general characteristics of the wastes to permit further site characterization to be more selective. Subsequent sampling and selective drilling then ultimately will be more applicable and useful to reclamation planning.