An Indicated Mineral Resource is a category of mineral resource defined within the internationally recognised JORC Code (Australasia), NI 43-101 (Canada), SAMREC Code (South Africa), and other reporting standards, representing that part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade or quality, densities, shape, and physical characteristics are estimated with sufficient confidence to allow the application of modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Indicated Resources have a lower level of geological confidence than Measured Resources but a higher confidence than Inferred Resources, typically requiring drill hole spacing close enough to assume geological and grade continuity between sample points but with some uncertainty remaining. In bauxite mining, indicated resources define areas where bauxite thickness, aluminium content, and reactive silica levels are reasonably well understood. In gold mining, indicated resources are used to support preliminary feasibility studies and justify further resource conversion spending. In iron ore projects, indicated resources inform early-stage pit optimisation studies. In diamond mining, indicated resources quantify the expected carats per hundred tonnes (cpht) with moderate geological confidence. The conversion of indicated resources to measured resources and ultimately to ore reserves requires additional drilling, metallurgical testing, and economic assessment.
