PM Content/Volume of SedimentThe most common misconception for anyone in discussing placer deposits involves the way placers are mined.
The basis for this resides understanding the difference between a volume of material "ore" present and processed versus a mass "per ton" of rock or ore milled, leached etc.
The pitsare 1m x 1m in dimension, are being dug to the bedrock refusal,then itis followed by pit logging (geological logging) to identifydifferentsampling horizons, then it is followed by bulk sampling ofeach horizonof which a 100 litre sample is taken from each horizon.
Notice that the units of sample taken is a litre not grams. They aren't out there in the field taken the weight (mass) of that dirt. To have these samples reported in grams per ton is not a direct measurement but an estimate based on assumptions about the density of the sediments; sand versus gravel of unknown lithology, it is a derived quantity (g/t) and one that is not directly connected to the processing of placer "ore". If you have ever seen a gravel mine (pit), costs and sales are based on volume of gravel quarried and sold, cubic meters or cubic yards. In mining placer deposits, discussions involve costs of processing volumes of material, with specific characteristics (cemented or loose etc.). The economics is based on mass and volume.
WHY? because the sample is taken as a volume of dirt, sediment, alluvium.
DLKM gets that part of evaluating this deposit. I can only assume and hope that the rest will follow.