Statistical Evaluations in Exploration for Mineral Deposits

In the course of the exploration of mineral deposits and mining activities, abundant data are gathered that need statistical treatment for the evaluation of the economical success of the project. Together with the companion volume, Economic Evaluations in Exploration, this book offers a complete survey of methods, illustrated by practical examples.

Preface.- The Most Important Notations and Abbreviations.- 1 Introduction to Some Fundamental Statistical Concepts.- 1.1 General Definitions.- 1.2 Frequency Distribution.- A Mineral Deposit Statistics.- 2 Treatment of the Data Set.- 3 Mean, Variance and Standard Deviation.- 4 The Normal Distribution.- 5 Testing the Normal Distribution Hypothesis.- 6 Standard Deviation and Variance of the Mean.- 7 Estimation of the Error.- 8 Skewed Distributions.- 9 The Use of the Lognormal Distribution.- 10 Other Distributions for the Evaluation of Mineral Deposit Data.- 11 Statistical Problems Encountered in Sampling and the Analytical Results.- 12 Problems Related to Cut-Off Levels.- 13 Geostatistical Calculations.- 14 Further Statistical Considerations for Evaluating Mineral Deposits.- 15 Bias in Reserve Calculations.- B Exploration Statistics.- 16 Introduction.- 17 Defining an Exploration Grid.- 18 Determining Anomalies from Geochemical Exploration Data.- 19 Other Methods for Defining Anomalies.- 20 Defining a Drill Grid.- 21 Assessing the Exploration Risk.- Appendix Tables 1-15.- Appendices A1/A2, B1/B2, C1/C2.- References.