Abstract
The last few decades have seen an increase in underground mining projects not only due to new discoveries but also due to the transition from open pit to underground mining.
In this regard, geotechnical characterization represents a fundamental input for both geomechanical and mine design with the amount of information and the types of geotechnical and structural studies required depending on the stage of study at which the mining project is positioned.
At present, guidelines are available in literature for open pit mining projects, although in some cases somewhat general, while for underground mining the available literature is very scarce and frequently the amount of information collected, and the types of studies performed for the different engineering stages of the project, associated to the experience of the professionals involved.
At some mining companies, to determine the sufficiency of geotechnical information for each stage of engineering, the number of meters of drillholes available per million tons of ore is used as a measure. This parameter, although supplying an idea of the amount of available information, does not indicate the distribution in space of the available drillholes.
The purpose of this work is to present a guideline for the geotechnical characterization of underground mines, providing recommendations regarding the amount of basic information or studies required in accordance with the different stages of engineering.
