Gällivare | Mine measurement

Mining measurements are a very special branch of measurements that Ostromap performs, mainly in Malmberget, Gällivare, Sweden.

The project has been about production measurements: mine drifts are marked where the drill rigs continue drilling according to pre-planned layouts. As the blasting progresses, the walls are surveyed by using a tachometer. Also, fixed points are established by bolts drilled into the rock wall. Moreover, a so-called loading line is sprayed onto the rock wall, which should be 1.5 metres above the future “floor” of the drift. Each drift has a predetermined gradient for water drainage, usually 1:100 or 1:50, depending on the type of the drift. Malmberget has a gradient of 1:9.

Ostromap has also repeatedly performed precision measurements of the slopes that connect the various main levels in Malmberget. The lowest main level today stands at 1250 metres below ground level. These precision measurements require high accuracy in exceptional conditions: darkness, noise, large vehicles passing by and, at times, 100% air humidity. At times, dust and other particles are also present in the air. The precision requirements imposed on the measurements are stringent, and this imposes high demands on the measuring instruments, and naturally requires the utmost precision of each step during the measurements themselves.

Ostromap has also scanned various drifts both in Malmberget and in LKAB’s mine in Kiruna. On the computer screen, the shapes of the drifts can be examined more accurately than in the case of manual mapping.

Also, we have done laser scanning and 3D models of various mining operations around the ore belt in Sweden. Ostromap’s staff have also provided some training among LKAB’s mining staff both in theory and in practical measurement exercises.