minecentric

Minecentric is a term used to describe a design, planning, or analysis framework in which mining resources and mine-scale factors are treated as the central reference point. The concept emphasizes aligning exploration, extraction, processing, and closure decisions with the characteristics of the ore body and the mine itself, rather than with generic industrial templates.

Origin and usage: The term has appeared in industry discussions and academic papers since the early 2000s, especially in contexts of integrated mine planning, resource economics, and sustainability assessments. It is often contrasted with system-centric or stakeholder-centric approaches, which prioritize other elements such as equipment norms or community needs respectively.

Applications: In mining engineering and operations research, mine-centric planning uses geological models, ore grade distributions, and geotechnical data to drive scheduling, equipment allocation, and mine design. In data management, mine-centric data models index information around the mine site and ore body instead of department silos. In policy and sustainability, it frames lifecycle assessment and closure planning around the mine's footprint.

Criticism: Critics argue that a mine-centric focus can encourage short-term optimization, potentially neglecting downstream users, biodiversity, and post-closure land use. Proponents respond that proper governance and multi-criteria optimization can mitigate such risks.

See also: Mine planning, resource-centric design, sustainable mining, resource economics, geostatistics.