Blockchain-based architecture for verifying the integrity of digital documentation in the mining industry

E.V. Loginov, S.S. Piterin
Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Russian Mining Industry №4S/ 2026 p. 54-60

Abstract: Currently, a significant volume of digital documentation is utilized in the open-pit mining of mineral deposits. This paper presents a dual-circuit architecture for verifiable confirmation of availability and integrity of digital documentation in mining companies using a distributed ledger. A formal model of the digital artifact is developed, encompassing both textual documents and spatial-coordinate data from mine surveying records. Cryptographic hashing is employed to capture the state of a document package: only the resulting digest is transmitted to the external circuit, while the original production data remain within the enterprise perimeter. A software module has been developed that implements the algorithms for composite hash generation, registration in the distributed ledger, and subsequent independent verification. The study demonstrates that the proposed approach ensures reproducible post-hoc verifiability without disclosing commercially sensitive information and without reliance on a trusted intermediary. Viability of the architecture is validated through a complete lifecycle scenario of a mine development plan. Further development of the proposed approach involves broadening the scope of documentation types covered, including integration of the geological modelling data, results of slope stability instrumental monitoring, and documentation related to mining waste management. A promising direction is embedding of the verification mechanism directly into mining management systems, enabling a transition from retrospective auditing to continuous real-time integrity monitoring of the production documentation.

Keywords: mining industry, open-pit mining, distributed ledger, internal circuit, external circuit, data integrity, hashing, audit trail, independent verification

For citation: Loginov E.V., Piterin S.S. Blockchain-based architecture for verifying the integrity of digital documentation in the mining industry. Russian Mining Industry. 2026;(4S):54–60. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-4S-54-60

Article info

Received: 09.06.2026

Revised: 29.07.2026

Accepted: 11.08.2026

Information about the authors

Egor V. Loginov – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Associate Professor, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3965-0839; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stanislav S. Piterin – Student, Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

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