THE PERFORMANCE OF ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES FOR NICKEL LATERITE RESOURCE MODELING

Abstract

The choice of estimation technique according to geological conditions and mineralization character is the main problem in estimating block grade of nickel laterite. CV (coefficient of variance) and variogram determine the choice of estimation technique for nickel laterite resource classification. This study aims to evaluate various techniques for estimating block grades and to select the appropriate method for the classification of nickel laterite resources. The basic statistical analysis is to find out the description of the data, while the variography is to find out the spatial correlation between the data. Nickel grade estimation results are based on Near Neighbor Polygon (NNP), Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), and Ordinary Kriging (OK) techniques to determine the classification of nickel resources. Accuracy levels are based on cross-sectional visualization comparisons, plan views, probability plots and linear regression analysis. The OK technique were not superior in grade estimation, especially in nickel laterite deposits. The results showed that the IDW technique was suitable to be applied to the limonite zone, while the NNP technique was suitable to be applied to the saprolite zone. Based on the performance of the estimation technique, the weighted average method can be applied for the classification of inferred, indicated, and measurable resources. The grade-tonnage curve shows the nickel laterite resource potential in the study area.