July 14, 2025
Delivering Full Cave Visibility at the Northparkes Operations
Evolution Mining and the Northparkes team are leveraging high-resolution, muon-powered subsurface modeling and monitoring to better understand the evolving E26L1N cave back, muck pile, and potential air gaps.
Northparkes Operations
PROJECT
Parkes, New South Wales, Australia
LOCATION
Conventional open pit and underground
MINING METHOD
Porphyry-hosted stockwork quartz-sulphide veins
MINERALIZATION
Located 27 km northwest of Parkes in New South Wales, Australia, Northparkes is an established long-life copper-gold asset with a long history of ore reserve replenishment and growth. Operations commenced in 1994, with Northparkes being the first Australian project to use the highly-efficient block cave mining method.
Ideon provided a full-service subsurface cave monitoring program, delivering accurate and timely imaging of the cave back and muck pile surfaces. The REVEAL™ for Caving solution ultimately contributed to the Northparkes team’s ability to:
“Knowing the cave shape — where the muck pile, cave back, and air gap are located — is incredibly valuable. The information informs our draw strategy, safety and cave management plans, and performance expectations. Ideon has successfully delivered the full cave visibility that I’ve been seeking for the past 30 years.”
“We’re getting actionable data that directly informs our cave management and life of mine plans. Having a complete cave chape that we have confidence in takes us a big step forward towards our forecasting expectations.”
Northparkes experienced an air blast in 1999. We can’t change history, but we can embrace technology like Ideon’s to prevent repeats of the past.
Knowing the cave back location, the muck pile, the height and volume of the air gap, and the rate of propagation is critical information to inform strong safety decisions.”
Discover the outcomes at Northparkes
Download the full case study for detailed content and analysis at the Northparkes imaging program.