Simulation of cement raw material deposits using plurigaussian technique

Plurigaussian simulation is a powerful and very effective technique for modelling subsurface rock type domain distribution and in-situ mining reserve analysis. Modelling of subsurface to reveal the rock type distribution plays a key role for raw material extraction planning and plant operations such as extraction, transportation and comminution strategies. Because, the raw material distribution defines the plant operations and final product quality (cement modulus). This study addresses the application of plurigaussian simulation technique to reveal the subsurface rock type distribution of a cement raw material deposit in Turkey. The rock type domains include the limestone, clayey limestone, marl and sandstone which are the basic four rock type classes effecting the cement modulus in the field. The simulation process is carried out using these four rock type data on a determined grid system. A series of tests are made for the validation of the plurigaussian simulation. As a result, the rock type distributions are presented as both 2D-3D graphics and tabulated. The limestone is found as a dominant rock type in the deposit. The marl – a natural clinker - is another widespread raw material in the field and is found interbedded with limestone across the study field. The unwanted sandstone existence exhibited a sparse distribution in reserve body. The results indicated that, the deposit can provide the required raw material for the plant, showing the localised rock type distribution. A detailed raw material extraction planning and scheduling may be made using the results of this study.

Application of plurigaussian simulation to delineate the layout of alteration domains in Sungun copper deposit

An accurate estimation of mineral grades in ore deposits with heterogeneous spatial variations requires defining geological domains that differentiate the types of mineralogy, alteration and lithology. Deterministic models define the layout of the domains based on the interpretation of the drill holes and do not take into account the uncertainty in areas with fewer data. Plurigaussian simulation (PGS) can be an alternative to generate multiple numerical models of the ore body, with the aim of assessing the uncertainty in the domain boundaries and improving the geological controls in the characterization of quantitative attributes. This study addresses the application of PGS to Sungun porphyry copper deposit (Iran), in order to simulate the layout of four hypogene alteration zones: potassic, phyllic, propylitic and argillic. The aim of this study is to construct numerical models in which the alteration structures reflect the evolution observed in the geology.

Geological modeling of rock type domains in the Balya (Turkey) lead-zinc deposit using plurigaussian simulation

Mineral resource evaluation requires defining geological rock-type domains. The traditional simulation methods have serious limitations for applications to large numbers of domains, which have complex contact relations. Plurigaussian simulation is an effective method which can be applied, in a simple way, to any number of domains, using both local and global geological information to infer the distributions of rock types. This work not only presents the application of the plurigaussian simulation method to the Balya lead-zinc deposit, but also assesses the spatially varying rock type proportions, and accounts for uncertainties between them. These parameters are extremely important for mining deposits, since the mineralizations of interest generally occur only in certain rock types. Furthermore, being able to model the different geological rock types is vital to good mine operations, production planning, and management. The results indicate that the plurigaussian method correctly reproduces the different orientations of the individual rock types, as seen in drill holes, and the proportion of each rock type, even if this varies in space.