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Unlock more insight from your core with ACTx and HUB-IQ
Understanding the precise location and orientation of subsurface geological structures is crucial to understanding the geology of mineral deposits, usually measured via the drilled core. The core orientation mark, whilst seemingly simple, directly influences that interpretation – adversely if errors creep in.
But evaluating the quality of the data informing those decisions has never been easy, and in today’s high-stakes environment companies constantly strive to improve confidence in the data they collect, from rig to model.
Geologists and core yard teams need enhanced support to extract the maximum, trusted insights from their core samples. IMDEX’s ACTx solution presents them with a new paradigm for core orientation and core marking.
In addition to providing a more efficient workflow for the driller that increases orientation success rates, ACTx has been designed specifically with the geologist and resource company in mind by capturing information regarding the quality of the orientation.
The ACTx utilises the award-winning HUB-IQ cloud-based platform, which is central to IMDEX’s connected product infrastructure, to store this critical information for easy assessment and interpretation.
This helps geologists determine confidence ratings for drill runs where the orientation lines do not match. Core shack teams can achieve even better, faster and more confident decisions, resulting in enhanced drill program management and geotechnical planning.
- Multiple quality assurance flags are collected during the core orientation workflow for geologists to review. The flags are grouped into clear categories and displayed in the Data and Core Orientation views within HUB-IQ:
Downhole QA
Captured: At the moment the orientation reading is taken.
Description and pass criteria: Detects if the drill string is vibrating or the barrel is still rotating in which case the orientation reading will not be reliable.
A pass is recorded in the downhole QA field if the drill string was stable.
A fail is recorded if the drill string was moving as the reading is not reliable.
Hole Inclination QA
Captured: At the moment the orientation reading is taken.
Description and pass criteria: In addition to taking the orientation reading, the sensor also determines the dip at the time the orientation reading was taken.
A fail is recorded when the dip approaches 90° as this indicates that the dip is excessively steep for a reliable determination of bottom of core.
A warning is recorded if the change in depth between two successive drill runs exceeds 5°.
Marking Setup QA
Description and pass criteria:
The marking setup QA relate to errors that can occur during the workflow associated with marking the core.
If the tube has moved between when the orientation is recorded and the final QA step, then the location of the mark may be inaccurate.
The operator does have the option to redo the mark step if the final QA fails.
If the tube is placed on racks at an excessively inclined angle, the accuracy of the sensor may be affected. If this is the case, then this field will be flagged with a warning.
Overall QA
Description and pass criteria: The overall QA field will display the most severe results of the three QA flags. This field will be blank if the orientation was skipped.
QA Failure Reason
Description and pass criteria: In addition to the QA fields, there is also a field called QA Failure Reason which lists all the QA issues recorded as well as if any workflow steps were skipped.
Inclination at break | Tool was approaching vertical at the time of the break, which could potentially result in an unreliable reading |
No read | No mark | The read and no mark indicate either the read or mark step were skipped |
QA skip | Indicates that the QA step to determine if the tube rolled was skipped |
Inclination between breaks | The inclination between successive drill runs is >5° |
This facilitates better communication between drillers and geologists.
Keeping a detailed record of orientation data for each drill run provides a valuable historical reference, that can be invaluable when revisiting and re-evaluating projects.
Getting more from the core
Partnered with IMDEX products such as HUB-IQ, LOGRx and ioGAS, ACTx delivers an immensely powerful sample-to-software tool: eliminating orientation errors in the core shack; making data more accurate, and easier to collect and share; validating Q/A at every step; and giving geologists the confidence in their subsurface analysis that drives exploration, ore recovery and eventual profits.
HUB-IQ
HUB-IQ™ is a secure, cloud-based portal that integrates with leading industry software to seamlessly validate data transmitted from the drill rig. A perfect partner for ACTx, it offers immediate access to and management of drillhole and core orientation data, supporting faster review and stronger data confidence. Beyond visualisation and QA reporting, HUB-IQ enables automated data correction and alignment across structural workflows, adjusting LOGRx measurements using up-to-date survey data. Downstream interpretation is based on consistent, validated inputs and manual rework across geology and structural teams is reduced.
LOGRx
LOGRx™ is IMDEX’s sleek and rugged handheld digital device, aimed at helping operators capture structural measurement data faster and more accurately in the field. It offers easy and intuitive laser alignment with structures, and features an ergonomic design that minimises user fatigue and aids a sturdy grip to improve the precision of hand-held measurements. The inbuilt data-verification capability (using stereonet projections) guarantees the accuracy and reliability of measurements. This real-time verification ensures that informed decisions can be made as data is collected, making geological assessments more efficient and dependable.
ioGAS
ioGAS™ software brings versatile data integration and multivariate techniques to structural geology interpretation. It's the industry standard software for exploratory data analysis in geoscience. Through multiple iterations, ioGAS has helped geoscientists spot patterns in complex datasets, identify vectors to mineralisation, and visualise diverse data with speed, scalability and precision. Its live link with Leapfrog Geo extends this capability into a connected 3D workflow, allowing data to move seamlessly between geochemical analysis and geological modelling. The integration supports faster iteration, stronger geological confidence, and better-informed interpretation without duplicate data handling or disconnected tools.
