An integrated approach to simulate and validate orebody realizations with complex trends

An integrated approach to simulate and validate orebody realizations with complex trends: A case study in heavy mineral sands

Wambeke, T. (TU Delft Resource Engineering)
Benndorf, J. (TU Delft Resource Engineering)

2016-06-16

Characterization of spatial variability in earth science commonly requires random fields which are stationary within delineated domains. This contribution presents an alternative approach for simulating attributes in combination with a non-stationary first-order moment. A new procedure is presented to unambiguously decompose the observed behaviour into a deterministic trend and a stochastic residual, while explicitly controlling the modelled uncertainty. The practicality of the approach resides in a straightforward and objective inference of the variogram model and neighborhood parameters. This method does not require a prior removal of the trend. The inference principle is based on minimizing the deviation between empirical and theoretical errors calculated for increasingly distant neighborhood shells. Further, the inference is integrated into a systematic simulation framework and accompanying validation guidelines are formulated. The effort results in a characterization of the resource uncertainty of an existing heavy mineral sand deposit.

Trend modelling
Geostatistical simulation
Parameter inference
Validation

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:72ef5b8a-c753-47bc-a545-15cccbc70c78

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11004-016-9639-9

1874-8961

Mathematical Geosciences, 48, 1-23

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2016 T. Wambeke, J. Benndorf