Determination of volumetric uncertainty for geological bodies detected by boreholes

The volume of a mineralized body depends on the information available on borders between mineralization and host rocks. Sometimes, information is limited and a precise determination of the volume of ore body is not possible. This is the situation that a possible solution comes from stochastic simulation. Actually, simulation is carried out on an uncertainty zone in which the contact between ore and host rocks is located. Within the uncertainty zone different ore body shapes can be simulated and their volumes calculated. The frequency distribution of volumes and its statistics give us a good idea about volumetric uncertainty associated with an ore body. In order to avoid using an uncertain model for volumetric simulation, the initial model is resampled and post-processed for uncertainty reduction. This model with reduced uncertainty is then used for volumetric simulation.

Procedures for volumetric simulation.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide