Sinclair Alastair J., Blackwell Garston H. Applied Mineral Inventory Estimation

Cambridge University Press, 2004. — 400 p. — ISBN: 0-511-03145-9.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.Mineral Inventory: An Overview.
Geologic Control of Mineral Inventory Estimation.
Continuity.
Statistical Concepts in Mineral Inventory Estimation: An Overview.
Data and Data Quality.
Exploratory Data Evaluation.
Outliers.
An Introduction to Geostatistics.
Spatial (Structural) Analysis: An Introduction to Semivariograms.
Kriging.
Global Resource Estimation.
Grade - Tonnage Curves.
Local Estimation of Resources / Reserves.
An Introduction to Conditional Simulation.
Bulk Density.
Toward Quantifying Dilution.
Estimates and Reality.
Resource / Reserve Classification.
Decisions from Alternative Scenarios: Metal Accounting.