Castro, R, Molina, Y, Quiroz Alegria, R & Arancibia, L 2026, 'Integrated caving and gravity flow modelling for remnant resource optimisation 
at Chuquicamata underground Lift 1', in A van As, D Cumming-Potvin & J Wesseloo (eds), Caving 2026: Proceedings of the Sixth International  Conference on Block and Sublevel Caving, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-10, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2645_100
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/2645_100_Castro/)
Abstract: The Chuquicamata Division (DCH) 2025 Business Plan (PND2025) provides strategies to optimise the transition to deeper mining sectors. A critical component of this optimisation is the accurate characterisation of remnant resources over Lift 1, which are subject to complex cave flow dynamics. To overcome the limitations of traditional vertical mixing models in predicting these dynamics, this study implemented a robust and integrated modelling approach to improve recoverable reserve estimates and validate production forecasts. This methodology coupled FLAC3D with the ITASCA Constitutive Model for Advanced Strain Softening (IMASS) constitutive model to simulate cave propagation and FlowSim BC to model gravity flow and material mixing. The cave propagation model was rigorously calibrated using seismic records and topographic data (LiDAR/RADAR), confirming that propagation is structurally controlled, and the gravity flow model was calibrated using geotechnical parameters. The coupling of these tools significantly improved forecast accuracy compared to a vertical mixing model. Finally, this validated framework provides important information for business planning and a strategic basis for maximising asset value for Lifts 1 and 2.

Keywords: resource optimisation, gravity flow simulation, cave propagation, model calibration, Chuquicamata