Significance of the spatial point pattern and Fry analysis in mineral exploration

Abstract

This study explores the spatial relationship between the spatial distribution features and the fracture distribution of deposits in northeastern Yunnan based on spatial point pattern statistics and the Fry analysis method. The K(r) function value of the spatial point pattern analysis shows that the spatial distribution of lead-zinc deposits displays cluster features. Fry analysis shows that the spatial distribution of lead-zinc deposits can be divided into three distinct scales: the 5-km deposit scale, 20-km ore belt scale, and 100-km regional scale. With a change in the measured scale, the dominant direction in the spatial distribution of the lead-zinc deposits changes from northwest at a scale of 5 km to east-northeast and approximately northeast at a scale of 20 km to nearly north-south at a scale of 100 km. At the deposit and ore belt scales, northwest-southeast-striking faults may control lead-zinc mineralization. At the regional scale, north-south-striking faults affect the spatial distribution of lead-zinc deposits. The seven main orebodies in the Xiaohe lead-zinc deposit in Qiaojia County are used to analyze the features of the Xiaohe lead-zinc orebody. The orebodies at the deposit scale are distributed along a northwest-southeast direction, which seems to confirm the relationship between the northwest-southeast-striking faults and the lead-zinc deposits at the mining area scale, which is also consistent with the Fry analysis results.