Abstract
Mineral Resources classification of a nickel laterite deposit: Comparison between conditional simulations and specific areas
Highlights
This study deals with classifying Mineral Resources of a nickel laterite deposit in New Caledonia
In the present case, which corresponds to a nickel laterite deposit studied in two dimensions, Mineral Resources are classified based on the drilling mesh, and associated probabilities that nominal productions do not deviate from estimations by more than 15%
In this paper we present two methods to assess such probabilities: conditional simulations and the specific areas method
Summary
This study deals with classifying Mineral Resources of a nickel laterite deposit in New Caledonia. An area is first classified as Mineral Resources or Reserves, and these are further classified as Inferred/Indicated/Measured for Resources and Probable/Proven for Reserves. Geostatistical methods should be preferred for classifying Mineral Resources as Measured, Indicated, or Inferred. The definition used by the company for Measured Resources is: ‘90% probability to be within a deviation of ± 15% of a quarter of production’, and for Indicated Resources: ‘90% probability to be within a deviation of ± 15% of a year of production’. The aim of this study is to use and compare two methods for classifying resources from the geostatistical point of view, that is, with respect to the drilling mesh, conditional simulations, advocated by Dohm (2005), and specific areas, presented later in this paper.
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