Reference Library

Technical references supply the definitions, measurement conventions, methods and evidence used to interpret mining information. Their usefulness depends on the question being asked, the conditions they describe and the edition consulted. A reference can support a specific interpretation or engineering judgement only when the connection between its evidence and the proposed use is clear.

Terminology and Context

Read technical terms with their definitions and surrounding qualifications. Record the engineering subject and the document's purpose before transferring a term into another context. Preserve category names and reporting dates when comparing mineral estimates.

For example, under the CRIRSCO International Reporting Template, June 2024, a Mineral Resource requires geological evidence and reasonable prospects for economic extraction. Reporting a Mineral Reserve requires identifying economically extractable material within Measured or Indicated Resources, supported by appropriate Pre-Feasibility or Feasibility studies. The assessment incorporates Modifying Factors, including mining, processing, economic, environmental and regulatory considerations. Geological confidence is therefore one part of the reasoning needed to establish a Reserve.^[1]

When definitions differ between documents, retain the definition attached to each result. Resolve the difference before combining figures or translating terminology between reporting systems.

Units, Symbols and Reporting Bases

Identify the quantity before converting its numerical value. Mass expressed in kilograms and force expressed in newtons describe different quantities; energy in joules and power in watts also answer different questions. Power describes a rate of energy transfer. A numerical conversion cannot remove a mismatch between the quantities being compared.^[2]

Quantity symbols must be read with their definitions. The same letter may represent different quantities in different documents, while SI unit symbols follow established conventions. Preserve the distinction between a symbol identifying a quantity and the symbol for its unit. The BIPM's SI Brochure provides the underlying definitions and writing conventions.^[2]

A reporting basis contains more than a unit. Check the material or population represented, the location and time of measurement, and relevant reference conditions such as temperature and pressure. For bulk materials, a result intended to describe the whole depends on both sampling and measurement. Matching units alone does not establish that two results describe the same thing.^[3]

Standards, Codes and Regulatory Context

Identify what a document is intended to do. A technical standard may define a test method or specify requirements; a reporting code governs how particular information is disclosed. A guide explains recommended approaches, while a textbook or research paper develops concepts, methods or evidence. Read the scope and relevant provisions before deciding how the document bears on a design decision.

ISO's Standards and public policy toolkit explains the distinction between voluntary standards and standards made mandatory through legal provisions or references in technical regulations. A standard's publication therefore does not, by itself, establish a legal obligation. For a particular mine, check the jurisdiction, applicable legal instrument, referenced edition and provisions actually adopted. Requirements may refer to only part of a standard.^[4]

The CRIRSCO Template illustrates a separate purpose: it supports mineral reporting and reporting-code development. It is advisory, and established national or regional reporting codes take precedence. Its reporting definitions do not provide a substitute for engineering design criteria.^[1]

Check document status as well as the date on a downloaded copy. Keep the edition and amendment information attached to the reference used in a calculation, specification or report. When reviewing older work, identify which document governed that work before assessing the effect of a later revision.

Reading and Evaluating Technical References

Begin with the evidence needed for the decision. A useful reading record answers four questions:

• Origin: Who produced the document, and where can the original publication be found?
• Basis: What materials, observations, tests, assumptions and methods produced the result?
• Applicability: Which conditions, scales and operating ranges does the work address?
• Traceability: Which edition, section, page, table or figure supports the point being used?

Separate observations from the calculations or interpretations built upon them. For measurement models specifically, JCGM GUM-6:2020 explains that adequacy depends on accounting for relevant effects and uncertainty, with experimental evidence used to assess performance. Its discussion of extrapolation shows why a fitted relationship needs scrutiny when used outside the range of data supporting it. Apply that distinction when deciding whether a reported measurement relationship is suitable for another operating condition.^[3]

A publication record can establish a title, author or date, but technical use requires reading the relevant text. Follow a quoted requirement or reproduced diagram back to its original context. Retain any qualifications that affect the conclusion, and distinguish a worked example from an established requirement. When the original is unavailable, limit the claim to what the accessible material actually supports.

Selected Reference Sources

These sources serve different purposes. Use the scope notes to select an appropriate starting point, then identify the particular publication needed for the engineering question.