Fault System & Vein Deposit Modeling in K-MINE

The new fault system modeling feature allows you to quickly build framework models of faults and entire fault systems. If you have fault traces mapped at surface with a known strike and dip, you can draw them in plan view and project them onto a selected surface to assign accurate Z-coordinates.

With the fault system modeling task, you can automatically load a list of faults and define azimuth and dip for each one. You can also constrain the model using an upper boundary, such as topography or another limiting surface. If no upper limit is defined, the system generates the model within the general boundaries.

The sequence of faults in the table is important. For each fault, you can define relationships with neighboring faults and specify the interaction type. If no relationships are defined, the system divides the entire volume into two blocks using the first fault in the list - for example, one solid north of fault one and another south of it.

You can then define interactions, such as setting fault two to join fault one from the south. This automatically subdivides the southern block into additional compartments. If another fault intersects the system, you can define how it connects - whether from the west, south, or another direction - and the model updates accordingly.

The system can automatically generate solid blocks between faults. In the end, you produce a structured set of solid blocks that clearly represents the structural relationships within the fault system. These solid blocks can later serve as structural boundaries for modeling veins, domains, or block models within each compartment.

The fault frameworks can then be used in the next stage of deposit modeling, for example when building vein systems or structural constraints for block models. This functionality introduces a new approach to modeling narrow vein deposits using drilling data, digital terrain models, fault framework constraints, and additional point and linear objects.

The workflow enables the creation of precise 3D surfaces for the footwall and hanging wall of each vein, with the option to combine them into solids representing integrated vein systems. It also supports the use of trend parameters during surface modeling, providing greater geological consistency and improved structural accuracy.