Fast, objective and efficient identification of rock properties is indispensable in rock
research. Especially in mining, where the speed and quality of the identification of ore-bearing rocks are of essential economic importance, as they decrease the costs of
gathering data and directly improve the quality of the gathering and the credibility of
the data. It is therefore practical that the identification method of rock and mineral
properties is easy to use so that it can be used correctly by as many interested people
as possible, without the detailed insight of theory and the process of automation,
process of gathering and evaluation and without broader knowledge of geology.
In our research, we tried to achieve colour identification and quantification of colours
based on colour-calibrated digital photographs of rock cores by using a test version of
the colour recognition computer program ColoTerra. We perform this on the rock cores
from the drill holes PD-11, PD-13 and PD-15 from the Bashibos mine, Northern
Macedonia. ColoTerra was also used to display rock core recovery and solidity. The
number of recognized actual (calibrated) colours and their accurate quantitative
evaluation shows, that the ColoTerra program is fast and easy to use, which would be
practically impossible with conventional Munsell determination and that it recognized
most of the colours present on the rock cores with high accuracy and provided good
estimates of rock core recovery and solidity of the rock cores.
On two sections of the rock cores, we performed a correlation between colour and rock
for a colour-based lithology recognition test. The ColoTerra program is thus a good
way to quickly, efficiently and easily identify the colours of rocks and the rocks
themselves. At the same time, it offers the possibility to improve its functions and
performance and to add new features.
We tested all phases of information capture - photography and digital photo processing
and highlighted errors that can reduce their quality and thus prepare basic starting
points and procedures that will draw attention to the elimination of possible problems
and enable further routine work of digital photographic capture and presentation of
information, 1 meter long sections of wells, colour recognition and determination share
and determination of efficiency.
|
