Mining Sampling Equipment: Sediment Sampling

Considering how often to collect samples and what types of samples to collect is tricky when it comes to mining. There are usually no set rules on how often samples should be taken or what size those samples should be. Mining sampling frequency can vary depending on the type of mining and the specific purpose for sampling.

For example, sampling procedures will vary if minerals are not suspended within the substrate uniformly. If there is a sample where minerals are not uniformly placed within the mineral deposit and there is also a substrate with a larger particle size found within the sample, then a different type of testing may be required.

While a single sample may provide much information about the material it actually penetrates, it rarely, if ever, provides sufficient information for the valuation of a deposit. But as more samples are taken, its area of influence extends only partway to adjacent samples, and the number of samples is taken at closer and closer intervals, the areas of influence become progressively smaller and the combined sample results progressively more representative until, in theory, a point is reached where the combined average equals the true value of the whole.

For practical reasons, the desired number is not taken, and the valuation of the property is not 100% reliable. Therefore, sampling does not typically seek to find a perfect valuation for a sample, but instead it seeks to move the valuation risk within an acceptable standard.