Circular No. 43/2016/TT-BTNMT stipulates technical requirements for collecting and establishing original documents in basic geological surveys and mineral exploration.

CIRCULAR

Technical regulations on collecting and establishing original documents

in basic geological surveys on minerals and mineral exploration

Based on the Minerals LawNo. 60/2010/QH12 dated November 17, 2010;

/NĐ-CP of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the State Bank of Vietnam;1/2013/NĐ-CP dated March 4, 2013 of the Government stipulating functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;onThe Director of the Office, Heads of Payment Department, Heads of units under the State Bank of Vietnam; credit institutions, foreign bank branches, payment switching organizations, electronic transaction settlement organizations are responsible for implementing this Circular.of the Government stipulating functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairsissued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment;

Considering the proposal of the Director General of the Criminal Enforcement Bureau and Legal Reform Department's Report No., amended and supplemented by Decree No. 109/2025/NĐ-CP and Decree No. 193/2025/NĐ-CPVietnam Geological Survey, Director of Science and Technology Department, and Director of Legal Affairs Departmentpolicies,

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment issues this Circular to regulate technical aspects of collecting and establishing original documents in basic geological surveys on minerals and mineral exploration.on This Circular stipulates the contents and methods for collecting, establishing, and preserving original documents in basic geological surveys on minerals and mineral exploration, except for tasks regulated by other legal documents.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular applies to state management agencies for minerals, organizations and individuals participating in basic geological surveys on minerals and mineral exploration, and other related organizations and individuals.

Article 2. Applicability

Article 3. General requirements for original documents

1. Original documents are initial documents collected and established on-site or results of analysis and processing in laboratories, considered as unique original materials during the implementation of geological survey and mineral exploration tasks.

2. Original documents must reflect detailed, truthful, objective, and scientific information about geological objects (types of soil and rock, structural-tectonic elements, ore bodies/ore zones/quarry zones, geomorphological characteristics, weathering crust, geological disasters, environmental geology, hydrogeological-engineering geology, conservation, geological heritage, and other relevant contents).

3. Original documents serve as the basis for compiling comprehensive documents, preparing reports on basic geological surveys on minerals, and mineral exploration reports; they also support inspection, acceptance, and payment of construction volumes.

4. Original map documents are established based on national coordinate system topographic maps issued by authorized state agencies with scales equal to or larger than the required scale, including full names of units, project titles, establishment years, map scales, creators, and project leaders. In new cases, topographic maps must follow the national coordinate system.

5. The geological and mineral symbols used to establish various types of original documents are specified in Appendix No. 9, QCVN 49:2012/BTNMT accompanying Circular No. 23/2012/TT-BTNMT dated December 28, 2012, issued by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment regarding National Technical Standards for Establishing Geological Mineral Maps at a Scale of 1:50,000 for Land Areas.

Article 4. Types of original documents

1. Documents collected and established on-site:

a) Geological diary;

b) Survey and exploration forms;

c) Route maps;

d) Actual condition maps;

đ) Detailed cross-sections;

e) Documents of excavation and drilling works;

g) Surveying measurement documents;

h) Geophysical measurement documents;

i) Field measurement and observation result logs: apply regulations for each type of work;

k) Other drawings, maps, diagrams established during fieldwork;

l) Information collected during field surveys stored in data carriers (memory cards, tapes, magnetic disks);

m) Work sample documents;

n) Geological samples: including geological samples collected and analyzed during construction;

o) Other documents collected during field surveys.

2. Results of analysis and processing in laboratories:

a) Analysis result report forms;

b) Remote sensing data and remote sensing image analysis results;

c) Actual condition geological maps;

d) Diagrams, maps, cross-sections, and analytical documents of geophysical data;

đ) Analytical, processed, and compiled geological, remote sensing, geophysical, and surveying data stored in data carriers (memory cards, tapes, magnetic disks).

đ) Documents analyzing, processing, and summarizing geological, remote sensing, geophysical, and survey materials stored on data carriers (memory cards, tapes, magnetic disks).

Article 5. Preservation of Original Documents

1. Original documents (except water samples and air samples) must be preserved throughout the implementation of the project.

2. After the completion report has been approved by the competent authority, the original documents shall be submitted to the Geological Archive 01 (one) set in electronic storage format in accordance with Circular No. 12/2013/TT-BTNMT dated June 5, 2013 issued by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment on the transfer, receipt, retention, preservation, and provision of geological and mineral data.

3. Preservation of geological sample materials after the report has been approved by the competent authority

a) Core drilling samples: recheck photographs to ensure completeness and arrange them according to each drill hole, select samples for submission to the Geological Museum, and reduce them in accordance with regulations.

b) Outcrop samples, ore samples: arrange and photograph them according to cross-sections. Samples with distinctive structures, fossil samples, and ore samples should be photographed separately along with analysis results.

c) All photographs shall be organized into folders and placed in the photo folder as stipulated in Point d Clause 2 Article 16 of this Circular.

d) After submitting to the Geological Museum, the samples shall be reduced and stored together with other original documents in accordance with regulations.

Chapter II

CONTENTS OF COLLECTING AND ESTABLISHING ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS

Article 6. Collection of documents for geological objects

1. Pre-Quaternary sedimentary rocks

a) Describe the name of the rock, color, thickness of layers, composition of fragments, cementing material, degree of consolidation, alteration, structural and architectural features;

b) Layer characteristics; interbedding degree; attitude; relationships between layers, sedimentary groups, and their relationships with other formations; metamorphic and deformation characteristics;

c) Fossil remains, estimated age.

2. Unconsolidated sediments

a) Layer characteristics: thickness, layering, interbedding degree;

b) Composition, grain size, structure, color of layers;

c) Depositional state (hard, soft, fragmented);

d) Fossil remains;

đ) Estimated age and source of layers.

3. Magmatic rocks

a) Names of rock types and their relationships with other rocks;

b) For each rock type: color, mineral composition, architectural and structural features, deformation characteristics, secondary changes.

4. Metamorphic rocks

a) Names of rock types present at the survey location;

b) For each rock type: mineral composition, architectural and structural features, color;

c) Estimated metamorphic type and metamorphic facies.

5. Geological bodies in vein form

a) Shape, size, attitude;

b) Position and relationship with geological structures and surrounding rocks;

c) Contact characteristics and contact metamorphism and metasomatic changes;

d) Rock name, color, architectural and structural features, mineral composition.

6. Deformation characteristics

a) Folds:

- Determine fold systems, their relationships, and relationships with other structures (faults, fractures);

- For each fold system: scale, fold characteristics (symmetrical, inclined, inverted), attitude, and axial surface characteristics, plunge direction and angle of the fold axis, attitude of two limbs;

- Associated mineralization.

b) Faults:

- Determine fault systems;

- For each fault: preliminarily determine fault scale; slip plane attitudes (describe area and length along strike); dip angle and slickenline characteristics, slip direction; movement nature (normal, reverse, strike-slip); relationships with other geological objects;

- Associated mineralization.

c) Fractures:

- Determine fracture systems, their relationships, and relationships with other geological objects;

- For each fracture system: determine characteristics, length, opening width, fracture plane attitude; relationships with other geological objects;

- Associated mineralization.

7. Rocks in zones of crushing and destructive tectonic deformation

a) Determine distribution scale, rock types, and their relationships with other geological objects;

b) For each rock type: determine rock name (breccia, mylonite, and others), color, original source, scale, distribution shape, and relationships with other geological objects;

c) Associated mineralization.

8. Ore bodies and mineral expressions

a) Mineral name;

b) Distribution pattern: scale, shape, attitude;

c) Relationship with surrounding rocks;

d) Deformation characteristics of rocks and ores;

đ) Characteristics of altered rocks: rock name, color, architectural and structural features, mineral composition;

e) Ore structure and distribution characteristics;

g) Mineral composition, prediction of useful component content ratio, quality determination characteristics.

9. Topography

a) Slope characteristics: shape, slope gradient; deluvial cover, slope destruction phenomena;

b) Drainage line characteristics: shape, surface erosion, unconsolidated sediment accumulation;

c) Valley characteristics: valley shape, stream flow characteristics;

d) Characteristics of river and stream deposits (floodplains, alluvial fans): shape, distribution scale; thickness and deposition characteristics;

đ) Surface topographic change characteristics and factors causing these changes.

10. Weathered crust

a) Color, cross-sectional structure of the weathered crust, division of product zones;

b) Thickness of the weathered crust and each product zone;

c) Useful components in product zones;

d) Parent rock forming the weathered crust;

đ) Distribution characteristics, distribution area.

1. A geological log shall be established for each type of work or several types of work when they are carried out simultaneously on a route or a project line.

2. The coordinates of exposure points and observation points must be recorded; on land, the characteristic topography and easily recognizable landmarks must be described.

3. Describe the scale of the exposure; characteristic geological features and signs; names of sample types collected; corresponding information shall be collected according to Article 6 of this Circular.

4. Drawings of exposures in the log must include orientation, size, symbols, abbreviations, and sampling locations.

5. Photographs of exposures must be fully recorded in the log including the photograph's orientation and related information.

6. For terrestrial geological survey routes, continuous descriptions between survey points must be provided.

7. After several routes or survey lines, a summary and comments on geological characteristics and minerals must be made.

8. The format of the log must be consistent within each project or task. The right-hand page of the log is used to describe geology; the left-hand page displays drawings, symbols of samples taken, and analysis results, as well as supplementary survey results. The format of the log is specified in Model No. 1 issued together with this Circular.

9. Survey and exploration forms are used like logs, substituting for logs if specific requirements exist. The form must contain all information necessary to determine the characteristics of the geological object to be surveyed and explored.

1. The route map is established independently by a survey team or group.

2. Content includes:

a) Routes and survey lines along with the positions of survey points and types of samples collected;

b) Initial collection results: geological boundaries, other distinctive geological and mineral characteristics observed on-site;

c) Other instructions, symbols as prescribed, and special symbols.

3. The route map must fully record the name of the unit or project (project, task), year of establishment, name and signature of the person establishing it.

1. The field data map is a compilation of various field works conducted by teams or groups over a certain period or throughout the entire construction process.

2. The field data map is established separately for each type or group of tasks (surveying, geology, geophysics, excavation, geological sample collection, hydrogeology, engineering geology, and other relevant specialties).

3. The content of the field data map is stipulated in Clause 3.1, Article 3, Section 4 of QCVN 49:2012/BTNMT issued by Circular No. 23/2012/TT-BTNMT dated December 28, 2012, of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment regarding "National Technical Standards for Establishing Mineral Geology Maps at a Scale of 1:50,000 for Land Areas."

1. Detailed cross-sections are established during the creation of geological mineral maps at various scales. Detailed cross-sections are arranged to cut across geological structures, through geological formations, or mineral bodies.

2. Measuring and drawing detailed cross-sections must use ground reference points and measuring tapes to determine the length, direction, and slope angle of different sections. At main survey points, coordinates must be determined using GPS.

3. Description and sampling must be conducted in detail along the entire length of the cross-section. After completing outdoor surveys, a detailed cross-section diagram including plan view and vertical section must be established.

4. The plan view of the detailed cross-section must be shown at a larger scale than the map being created to fully display soil and rock components; structural elements, sample types, and primary analysis results. Along the survey route of the cross-section, contour lines must be displayed as a basis for drawing the vertical section.

5. The vertical section of the detailed cross-section must be drawn in straight segments along the survey route and at the same scale as the plan view. On the vertical section, longitudinal terrain lines, major characteristics of geological formations and minerals, and their structure (if applicable); necessary instructions and symbols must be included. For sedimentary formations, a stratigraphic column must be established to show their composition, sequence, and thickness.

6. The detailed cross-section must fully record the name, signature of the preparer, checker, supplemented with analysis results, and adjusted during construction. Block samples must be arranged along the cross-section and photographed for preservation.

1. Documentation for excavation works includes: description books, photographs of the works, statistical books of the works.

2. Description books have dimensions equivalent to A4 size, consisting of drawings and descriptions, bound into volumes according to the construction line or area. In cases where drawings or descriptions exceed A4 size, they shall be folded to fit A4 size.

a) Drawings of the works are represented at a scale of 1:50 to 1:200 depending on the complexity and size of geological objects, aiming to accurately reflect the characteristics and size of the objects in proportion.

b) Information displayed on the drawings includes: drawing name, including abbreviated symbols for types of works (VL - clearing traces; H - trench; h - pit; G - well; L - shaft; work serial number, line name and abbreviated construction area name; coordinate measurement point, coordinates (X,Y,Z); drawing scale, scale ruler; drawing orientation; construction date, completion date, volume; work layout diagram; plan view at a scale of 1:1,000; table showing sample numbers and analysis results.

c) Specifications for work layout diagrams

- Clearing traces are drawn in plan or cross-section form along the wall.

- Pits are drawn with a minimum of one wall and bottom.

- Trenches are drawn with a minimum of one wall and bottom. In cases where mineral bodies or complex geological objects exist, two walls and a bottom may be drawn. When works are distributed along a line, trenches on the same side should be drawn together.

- Wells are drawn with four walls and a bottom. Wells encountering complex ore structures must draw intermediate bottoms every 2-3 meters.

- Shafts are drawn with two walls, roof, and shaft face. The shaft face is drawn at intervals of 2-5 meters depending on the complexity of the geological structure and ore body. If there are multiple levels from one shaft entrance, each level must be drawn separately, clearly indicating the relative positions between levels.

d) Content of work layout diagrams: must delineate and separately display different geological formations, ore zones with varying components, colors, structures, and architectural features; fault zones, crushed zones, cracks, boundaries of geological formations, lying positions; sampling locations and numbers.

đ) Description of the work: fully describe all geological objects circled on the work layout diagram as stipulated in Article 6 of this Circular; degree of weathering, cracking, crushing, and determination of soil and rock grades shown in the layout diagram; symbols and names of sample types; signatures and names of the work observer and checker.

e) Content and format of the description book for excavation works are implemented according to Model No. 2 issued together with this Circular.

3. Photographs of works: photographs of works must clearly show the work number, measuring tape, date, month, year of photographing; sampling location; distinguish basic characteristics of soil, rock, ore body.

4. Statistical book of excavation works: fully record all works constructed in each area or throughout the project. Content of statistics follows Model No. 3 issued together with this Circular.

1. Documentation for drilling works includes: description books, layout diagrams, statistical books, photographs of core samples, photographs of drill hole markers.

2. Description books for drilling works must have uniform specifications and formats throughout the project, recording daily drilling results. Information collection and recording must be comprehensive as specified in Model No. 4 issued together with this Circular for layout diagrams. Geological and mineral object descriptions follow the provisions of Article 6 of this Circular; degree of weathering, cracking, crushing, and determination of core soil and rock grades.

3. Layout diagrams for drilling works are compiled from description books for drilling works, supplemented with geophysical, hydrogeological, engineering geological measurements, and sample analysis results. Diagram content follows the provisions of Model No. 5 issued together with this Circular.

4. Core sample photographs must be taken by tray, arranged in order from top to bottom. Photographs must clearly show information on the core sample label; date, month, year of photographing; distinguish basic characteristics of soil, rock, ore body.

5. Statistical book for drilling works follows Model No. 3 issued together with this Circular.

1. Original sample work documentation includes: notebooks recording information on all types of samples collected, processed, and sent for analysis; analytical result certificates.

2. Each type of sample must have its own notebook, with the content recorded in these sample notebooks to be carried out according to Model No. 6 and Model No. 7 issued together with this Circular.

3. Analytical result certificates shall be established at least in two identical copies, one copy returned to the unit sending the sample, and one copy retained by the analyzing unit. The content of the analytical result certificate is specified in Model No. 8 issued together with this Circular.

Article 14. Actual Geological Maps

1. Actual geological maps are established from the compilation of route maps of teams and groups throughout the construction process; they fully and accurately reflect the results of various fieldwork activities conducted within the survey area.

2. Routes, survey lines accompanied by the positions of survey points, types of samples collected, and positions of various works.

3. Symbols, directions of main or characteristic rocks and ores at survey points and works; marked layers and strata; distinctive structural elements; symbols of geological sections and boundaries with guidance.

4. Name of the unit or project name, task, year of establishment, map scale, preparer, head.

1. Photographs and films of geological objects must be clear, with reference objects to determine the size and shape of the object. For objects with directional characteristics (lying position, rock compression direction; fault surface; fold), there must be symbols indicating the direction of the photograph (photograph orientation or photograph azimuth).

2. Satellite and aerial photographs, after processing and analysis, must provide complete guidance on the time of image acquisition, image scale, guidance on geological objects in the images, analyst, checker.

3. Information-carrying items collected outside the field and processed in the laboratory must have instructions for each type of document, method of implementation; guidance on results, date of preparation, preparer; ensuring that they cannot be altered after preparation; facilitating copying and linking with other documents during the processing of documents.

Original documents of each project are digitized, organized into original document sets, and submitted to the Geological Archive along with the final report.

1. Original documents are organized into a directory tree, including main directories and subdirectories by specialty and nature of the work.

2. Data organization is as follows:

a) Diary: Diaries are organized into a directory tree by group and specialty, scanned or photographed in full content and organized into PDF files by each diary. Diaries are stored in separate directories of each author by specialty.

b) Maps (image format, digital format, paper format): Paper maps must be scanned. Stored in directories by specialty.

c) Construction drawings: Construction drawings are grouped by type of work, scanned and stored in the construction drawing directory showing those works. These sets of construction drawings are combined into PDF files.

d) Sample submission forms, analytical result certificates: organized into a directory tree by sample type. Analytical certificates of the same type are combined into a set and organized into PDF files; analytical results already in digital form (Word, Excel files) can remain unchanged and organized into directories by type of analysis.

đ) Photographs: Photographs must clearly show location and time. If they are exposure photographs, construction photographs, they must have a scale ruler or object to determine the size of the subject in the photograph. Route photographs are stored with the diary. Single photographs not following routes, core sample photographs, observation block sample photographs, and ore sample photographs are organized into separate directories.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 17. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from February 10, 2017.

2. Abolish Decision No. 70 QĐ/ĐC-KT dated May 29, 1996, of the Director of the Vietnam Geological Survey on the issuance of General Provisions on Original Documentation in Geological Surveys from the date this Circular takes effect.

Article 18. Implementation Organization

1. The Director-General of the Vietnam General Department of Geology and Mineral Resources is responsible for guiding, monitoring, and inspecting the implementation of this Circular.

2. Units under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and organizations and individuals concerned are responsible for implementing this Circular.

3. During the implementation of this Circular, if difficulties arise, organizations and individuals concerned shall promptly report to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for consideration and resolution./.