The purpose of this technical note is to assist Bureau of Land Management employees in determining which data collection methods are most appropriate to calculate the volumes of remaining or removed mining material at a site. This tech note primarily provides an overview of data collection methods for calculating the volumes of surface mineral material remaining at abandoned mine land sites or the volumes of material removed from gravel or sand sites. Data analysis methods are also provided.
The goal of this tech note is to assist BLM field staff in
- understanding the available data collection methods and
- determining the most appropriate data collection method for their project.
The data collection methods highlighted for deposits include Global Positioning System (GPS), laser scanning, photogrammetry, analog measurements, drilling, trenching, geophysics, landscape interpolation by GPS, and aerial photography. The data collection methods highlighted for pits include GPS, laser scanning, photogrammetry, analog measurements, preexisting data, aerial photography, “flat cap,” and landscape interpolation. Each data collection method is rated qualitatively based on the following criteria: applicability, level of effort, reliability, and others. The data analysis methods highlighted in this tech note include digital terrain model software, average end area, and geometric calculations.