Mineral Resource Evaluation and Geostatistics (MN3006)

Lecture – 1 Introduction

Mahesh Shriwas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Department of Mining Engineering
National Institute of Technology Rourkela – 769008
Email: [email protected]
Contact: 7008951710
 Educational and Professional Background
Education
• Ph.D. in Mining Engineering from University of Utah, 2014
• M.S. in Mining Engineering. from I.I.T. Kharagpur, 2010
• B.E. Mining Engineering from G.G.D.U. Bilaspur, 1996

Area of Research: Mine Ventilation- ventilation monitoring and control, CFD and
Ventsim modeling, ventilation network analysis.

Post-Ph.D. Experience
• 2015-2017: Regular Fellow at National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, Spokane, USA
• 2018-2018: Teaching Faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
• 2018-2019: Professor at Acharya Institute of Technology Bangalore, India
• 2019-2020: Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
• 2020-2020: Teaching Faculty at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
• 2020-Present: Assistant Professor at the NIT Rourkela, India
 Course Syllabus
Modules
Module 1: Examination of Mineral properties, Mine sampling, estimation of reserves and
grades, Impurities and quality control, commercial uses of minerals and ores.
Module 2: Mine valuation. Depreciation methods; decision trees, Mineral Industry of India;
National Mineral Policies, conservation, taxation, trading, mining entrepreneurship, Principles
of company law, shares and debentures.
Module 3: Joint stock company and public company; partnership business, capital formation,
Cost Volume-Profit analysis and break-even analysis, budgetary control, wages and incentives,
purchases, stores and inventory control, sales and dispatches.
Module 4: Expectation; Spatial Description: Contour maps, Indicator maps, Moving window
statistics, Proportional effect, Spatial continuity, h-scatter plots, correlation functions,
covariance function and variograms, cross h-scatter plots; Random function.
Module 5: From statistics to Geostatistics, Modeling sample variograms, Regionalized
variables; Global estimation: Polygonal declustering, cell declustering, comparison of
declustering methods; Point estimation: Polygon, triangulation, inverse distance methods,
search neighborhoods; Kriging: Ordinary kriging, simple kriging; Block Kriging; Search strategy;
cross validation; Variance volume relationships.
Essential Reading:
1. R. T. Deshmukh, Mineral and Mine Economics, Myra Publ., Nagpur, 1986
2. R. K. Sinha and N. L. Sharma, Mineral Economics , Oxford & IBH Pub., 3rd Ed, 1970.
Supplementary Reading:
1. O. P. Khanna, Industrial Engineering and Management, Dhanpat Rai Delhi, 1993
2. R. N. P. Arogyaswamy, Courses in Mining Geology, Oxford and IBH Pub., 2nd
 Introduction
 When a mineral deposit is discovered, estimation of mineral
resources is the next step.
 Ore-reserve estimates are based upon the results of exploration
and development and analyses of the samples derived therefrom.

 Ore-reserve estimates include the determination of

 tonnages of ore and
 average grade or value per ton.
 Estimates of the tonnage and average grade of ore deposits (ore-
reserve estimates) are made for various purposes :
• Placing a value on a mining property.
• Tax purposes.
• Mergers of two or more companies or with litigation.
 Introduction
 Estimation of tonnage and grade of ore reserves is not a precise
science.

 There are two methods for global estimation for grade and
tonnage.
 Traditional method- Polygonal, Triangular, Cross-sectional
method (applicable for large samples).
 Geostatistics method- Inverse distance, Kriging method
applicable for a limited number of samples.

Geostatistics: Estimation of ore characteristics in terms of

tonnage, grade and geometrical shape of ore.
 Sampling
 Sampling is the technique by which a part is collected to
represent the whole.
Sample Types
 Chip, groove or channel sample: Cutting channel of 100x25mm
 Borehole sample: Diamond drilling
 Grab sample: from mine car or blasted ore
 Bulk sample:

Sample Preparation
 The large amount of sample collected is reduced to small
amount .
 The sample is analyzed by chemist for determining the grade.
 Sampling
Associated Problems with Sample Preparation:
 Losses during crushing & grinding
 Contamination either by salting or grinding on metal plate
 Concentration by differential settling during blending and
transportation.
 Alteration – Sulfides changes to sulfur dioxides by heat during
drying.
Coning and Quartering:
 A flat cone is formed from samples and is quartered.
 The opposite quarters are rejected.
 This procedure is repeated.
 The size and amount of samples are reduced.
 The final amount of the samples are used for chemical analysis.
 Sampling from deposit exposed at the surface
Trenches:
 1x1.5 to 2.0 m in cross-section across ore body on both end of
the ore body and at interval of 400m.
 Samples are collected from grooves of 100x50 mm cut in the
bottom of trench.
Pits
 Usually 3x3m in cross section and 3-10 m deep to ascertain
overburden depth and also to obtain sample from top crust.
Unless a deposit is fully developed, certain assumptions regarding the
continuity and grade of ore between exposed faces or drill holes that
have been sampled.
 Consider the assay value from each sample
 Consider the geological structure
 Consider the mining method with losses and dilution
 Reserve Estimation
 Periodical ore-reserve estimates to determine their ore-reserve
position as a basis for controlling development and exploration and
allocation of funds therefor.
 A continuous ore-reserve inventory, by blocks, levels, and stopes, in
a mine may be required as a basis for controlling stoping operations
to maintain a desired grade of output by mixing ores from different
blocks.
 The final estimate in any instance usually is a composite of estimates
of different blocks or areas which often differ appreciably from each
other in grade or character of ore.