Technical Information
Geometallurgy and Geometallurgical Modelling
By incorporating the principles of geometallurgical modelling into operational design and day-to-day decision making, we can substantially reduce those risks associated with the underlying geological variability that impact on processing performance and product quality. QG offers geometallurgical modelling services to improve the design of the mining and treatment systems, enhance ore/waste decision making and improve on operational profitability.
Geostatistics in Europe - March 2002
John Vann, Scott Jackson and Olivier Bertoli, the three principals of Quantitative Group Pty Ltd. (QG), made a technical visit to England and France in March 2002. The trip was aimed at getting a snapshot of “state of the art” geostatistical practices, software developments and research trends. Particular interest was paid to environmental and geotechnical applications.
Kriging
Ordinary Kriging (OK) is a geostatistical method, often used in mining for block modelling; i.e. local estimation by interpolation. It is a linear method and is thus based on a linear weighted average.
Multivariate Applications
The area of multivariate geostatistics is a fertile one for mining (and environmental) applications. Spatial Variables modelled in geosciences often display inter-related patterns of variability. A proper modelling of these inter-variable spatial relationships is bound to improve the economic and financial evaluation of say, mining projects. This is because the contribution of various metals to the profitability of an operation is hardly ever obtained through a linear transfer function between in-situ resources and mineable reserves, hence an adequate reproduction of multivariate spatial patterns is necessary to properly assess the true potential of a project.
Conditional Simulation and Co-Simulation
Conditional Simulation (CS) is a geostatistical method that builds many, densely informed point realisations of mineralisation. These reproduce the histogram and variogram of the input data, as well as honouring the known data points (hence ‘conditional’). Each realisation is different to others because we always have uncertainty away from known data points (drill samples), hence individually such realisations are simulations not estimates.
Software
- Isatis Geostatistical Software
- Simulation
- Software Implementation
Resource Classification and JORC
Resource classification
The QG team have worked around the globe on projects, and have experience in resource classification and audit issues. Click here for information on consulting services.
All QG Principal Consultants and Directors are experienced in resource classification on a range of projects.
Click here for commodity experience.
JORC
Australasian Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC), which is sponsored by the Australian mining industry and its professional organisations maintains a web site (click here). In 1989, it first published the Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves ( the JORC Code ) which has become widely accepted as a standard for professional reporting purposes. There is a new revision due in July 2003. John Vann was a member of JORC from 1997-2007.
Geological and Geostatistical Simulation