The creation of an accurate and precise enough database requires the collection of many representative samples, subsampling and assaying them without destroying their integrity. The selection and implementation of sampling protocols often lead to severe difficulties, making the unaware practitioner vulnerable to massive exploration, feasibility and operating failures. Therefore, there is no substitute for a good understanding of the Theory of Sampling (TOS). Either because of ignorance, or because of short-term economic reasons, failure to comply with many stringent conditions can be devastating for the validity of a feasibility study, leading to false evaluations, to the abandonment of a viable property, or to the exploitation of one that is not profitable. All these failures have something in common:1. insufficient duplicate sampling, subsampling and assaying were performed;2. very important, preliminary heterogeneity tests were never performed;3. for short-term economic reasons, poor sampling and subsampling protocols were selected, second-class sampling systems and weightometers were installed and poor preventive maintenance and cleaning were implemented; and4. sampling experts were called only when the project was obviously in trouble.The conclusion is clear: in due time, iterative auditing of sampling practices is an insurance policy against massive financial losses for the company involved. A complete, comprehensive 100 point checklist of sampling Quality Assurance and Quality Control is provided, so critically important details to ensure success are not forgotten.
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