Applied Mineral Inventory Estimation

Presents an applied approach to the estimation of mineral resources/reserves, for advanced students and professionals.

Alastair J. Sinclair (Author), Garston H. Blackwell (Author)

9780521021821, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 January 2006

400 pages, 207 b/w illus. 68 tables 76 exercises
24.6 x 18.9 x 2.1 cm, 0.71 kg

'… useful at various levels from student to professional. It covers pretty much everything.' Mineral Planning

Applied Mineral Inventory Estimation presents a comprehensive applied approach to the estimation of mineral resources/reserves with particular emphasis on the geological basis of such estimations, the need for and maintenance of a high quality assay data base, the practical use of a comprehensive exploratory data evaluation, and the importance of a comprehensive geostatistical approach to the estimation methodology. Practical problems and real data are used throughout as illustrations: each chapter ends with a summary of practical concerns, a number of practical exercises and a short list of references for supplementary study. This textbook is suitable for any university or mining school that offers senior undergraduate and graduate student courses on mineral resource/reserve estimation. It will also be valuable for professional mining engineers, geological engineers and geologists working with mineral exploration and mining companies.

1. Mineral inventory: an overview
2. Geological control of mineral inventory estimation
3. Continuity
4. Statistical concepts in mineral inventory estimation: an overview
5. Data and data quality
6. Exploratory data evaluation
7. Outliers
8. An introduction to geostatistical concepts
9. Spatial analysis: an introduction to semivariograms
10. Kriging
11. Global reserve/resource estimation
12. Grade-Tonnage curves
13. Local estimation of resources/reserves
14. Simulation: an introduction to conditional simulation
15. Bulk density
16. Dilution
17. Geostatistics and reality
18. Reserve/resource classification
19. Metal accounting
Bibliography
Appendices: A.1. British and international measurement systems: conversion
A.2. US Standard sieves
A.3. Drill hole and core diameters
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic geology [RBGL], Mining industry [KNAT]