Mineral Resource Estimation (M.E. Rossi and C.V. Deutsch)

Abstract

Mineral Resource Estimation. Mario E. Rossi, Clayton V. Deutsch. 2014. Springer, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, New York, London. Pp. 332. ISBN 978-1-4020-5716-8: Hardcover, $119. ISBN 978-1-4020-5717-5: eBook, $89. Mineral Resource Estimation is about estimating mineral resources at the scale of an ore deposit and is not to be confused with mineral resource assessment , which is undertaken at a significantly broader scale, even if similar data and geospatial/geostatistical methods are used. The book describes geological, statistical, and geostatistical tools and methodologies used in resource estimation and modeling, and presents case studies for illustration. The target audience is the expert, which includes professional mining geologists and engineers, as well as graduate-level and advanced undergraduate students. The authors, Mario E. Rossi and Clayton V. Deutsch, are both graduates of Stanford University. Rossi founded Geo-Systems International in 1994 and provides a wide range of advanced geostatistical and modeling services. Deutsch is director and professor in the School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. He is also the director and founder of the Centre for Computational Geostatistics (CCG), a research program at the University of Alberta that provides education and training in geostatistics and development and delivery of geostatistical tools. Together, the authors offer a broad range of expertise and experience. The stated aim of their book is to provide a balanced presentation of theoretical and practical aspects of geostatistical methods for resource estimation. Mineral Resource Estimation draws upon classical and modern literature, current best practices, and the rather extensive experience and on-going research efforts of the authors. The subject matter deals mainly with the manifold facets of block models, including issues related to drill hole, trench, and pit sample data collection and preparation, database construction, spatial variability, mining dilution and estimation of recoverable resources, model validations and reconciliations, model limitations and uncertainty, and characterization of risk. Rossi and Deutsch explain that block models describe three-dimensional volumes using relatively small parallelepipeds (solid …