Books
Art & Science of Resource Estimation
At Last! A book for geologists and engineers in the mining industry looking for practical guidelines for generating grade models.
This book will help you learn the resource estimation process and how to generate accuate resource models. The focus throughout is on implications of decisions rather than on the mathematics of geostatistics. The explanations are conceptual and supported with numerous practical examples.
This is not a book where you will learn the theory of geostatistics - there are many of those already. You will not find detailed discussions about formulae or debates about the current topical geostatistical technique. Instead this book is about the practical side of generating resource models. The key philosophy in this book is to search for and understand the evidence before selecting the most appropriate geostatistical tool and the associated parameters.
Book
I'D like to be OK with MIK, UC?
This is a book for Resource Geologists and Mining Engineers in the mining industry who regularly face the challenge of which estimation technique to use, how to use it and why to use it, and then what parameters to chose. This book builds on the introduction to resource estimation provided in Jacqui’s first book, “The Art and Science of Resource Estimation”. The style is similarly pragmatic and accessible.
Selecting an estimation method for modelling Mineral Resources is a challenge for many Resource Geologists, especially when they have to justify their choices, ensure the best possible parameters are selected and go on to classify the risks in accordance with a public reporting code.
The purpose of this book is to help practitioners develop their understanding in a way that enables them to clarify their selections and decision making in the resource estimation process. This is not an introductory text, yet it is written with pragmatic users in mind. This book is not full of mathematical equations (there are a few, but only where necessary and invariably supplemented with explanations). Instead the focus is on exploring concepts, testing assumptions, and developing an appreciation for the thinking and scientific reasoning required at various milestones along the estimation journey.
Estimation methods explored include Inverse Distance, Simple and Ordinary Kriging, Multiple Indicator Kriging. This book also takes a pragmatic and in depth assessment of Recoverable Resource Estimation methods such as Uniform Conditioning, Local Uniform Conditioning and various MIK approaches. This book includes numerous discussions and evaluations of effects of parameter selections that apply to specific methods, as well as the general decisions and parameters that apply broadly across all techniques.
Ultimately as a Resource Geologist you need to formulate your own estimation strategy in accordance with the context and the purpose. This book is designed to help you develop an ability to critique the context, the methods and the associated parameters, so that you can develop your ability to make informed and reasoned choices.
I hope this book contributes as a catalyst in your learning journey, guiding you as you develop your critical reasoning through the types of questions and evaluations that are possible. Mostly, my wish is that the book facilitates discussion and debate, valuable processes for forming reasoning and reasonable basis that contribute to good quality resource estimates and subsequent mining and investment decisions.