A technique for identifying structural domain boundaries at the EKATI Diamond Mine

Over 10,000 discontinuity orientations from various sources at the EKATI Diamond Mine in northern Canada were collected and amalgamated into a common database. A new technique in which structural domains were determined in the area of three closely spaced active pits by quantitatively comparing stereonets from different regions was developed. The frequencies of discontinuity poles plotting in orientation windows on stereonets were determined and compared using a correlation coefficient to quantify the degree of similarity between different stereonets. Structural boundaries between regions were established wherever their associated stereonets display low correlation coefficients. The technique was able to determine boundaries in the vertical direction as well as radially in a number of pie-shaped zones extending around the kimberlite pipes.