Impact of geology on ore grade estimation of a porphyry copper deposit
Publisher
The University of Arizona.Rights
Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.Abstract
Accurate ore estimation processes are of crucial importance in the mining scenario. Over the last 20 years, one practical approach to improve ore grade estimation has encouraged the need to incorporate the geology of the ore deposit being estimated in the estimation process. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the geology on the kriging estimation of the ore grade of a portion of a porphyry copper deposit. Preliminary data analysis demonstrates the need to perform a subsequent variogram modeling and kriging estimation of the ore grade by rock type separation. Global and local estimations were done to assess the influence of the geology on the ore grade estimation at a global and local scales. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that for the portion of the deposit studied the incorporation of the geology does not produce substantial improvement on the ore grade estimation.Type
textThesis-Reproduction (electronic)
Degree Name
M.S.Degree Level
mastersDegree Program
Graduate CollegeMining and Geological Engineering