Analysis of Empirical Bayesian Kriging Methods for Optimization of Measured Resources Estimation of Laterite Nickel

Abstract

Laterite nickel deposits are formed from the intense weathering of ultramafic igneous rocks. The distribution of Ni content in an area does not always have a stationary data. One method of resource estimation and precise geological modeling is the Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) method which is known to be able to perform precise estimates for stationary and non-stationary data. The results of this study were found that thickness of the limonite layer will increase as the slope decreases, while in the saprolite zone the thickness will increase with increasing the degree of slope up to the limit of 16°-25° then the thickness will decrease when crossing that limit. In the limonite zone, the concentration of Ni is maximally concentrated at a high degree of slope (>16°), while in the saprolite zone, Ni content is maximally concentrated on a slope of 16°-25° and then decreases in Ni content when passing through a slope of 25°. Validation of the estimation results and geological modeling using RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and linear regression in the limonite and saprolite zones indicate that the EBK method is a precise method for resource estimation and geological modeling.