Ultimate Pit Limit Optimization Methods in Open Pit Mines:A Review

Ultimate pit limit optimization plays a major role in the mining industry as it serves as the elementary foundation of all the activities in mine planning. This paper reviews and documents some methods used in ultimate pit limit optimization and gives a clear insight of these algorithms, their functionalities and limitations to open up more research opportunities. The algorithms reviewed are classified as rigorous or heuristic. The Lerchs-Grossman algorithm was found to have wider software application as compared to other algorithms. Genetic algorithm, artificial neural network, pseudoflow and stochastic approach also give great insights to focus in the future.