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Insights from our peer-reviewed journal | Compiled by Megan Skrip - 10 April 2026
How a holistic new approach to DHS is shifting the focus from geological precision to project profit
Drill-hole spacing (DHS) is the most common approach for mineral resource classification (see Research in brief, CIM Magazine, February 2026), and at the grade control stage of a mining project, it can be influenced by a variety of factors. A recent study proposed a new, holistic profit-driven approach to optimizing DHS for classifying ore versus waste.
The seven-step, data-driven, simulation-based workflow “represents a practical strategy for informing drilling in a variety of mineral deposits,” wrote the researchers, led by Caio Gomes, a geologist at SLR Consulting Canada. “DHS optimization for profit balances the cost of estimation uncertainty and the cost of drilling.”
In their case study, the researchers found that the DHS that maximized profit had a total estimation error of 17 per cent, so setting an uncertainty threshold (for example, of 15 per cent) in advance may not be financially ideal. “Diminishing errors with increased drilling is only desirable if it improves profit,” the researchers wrote. The study also examined the sensitivity of the new framework to complex versus simple geology, nugget effect, ore price, ore proportion and sampling errors.
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