Incorporating soft information in the

geostatistical simulation of rock types

Pía Leyton; Xavier Emery
 Contents
Motivation

Aims and scope

Synthetic case study

Real case study

Conclusions
 Motivation
 It is of interest to simulate rock types in an ore body, incorporating
information of an interpreted lithological model (soft data)
together with information from drill core loggings (hard data).
Objectives

General objective

To develop a methodology for simulating rock

types using information from local rock type
proportions as well as information from drill
cores (loggings).
 Objectives
Specific objectives

 To apply the truncated Gaussian model to simulate

rock types.

 To adapt the discrete Gaussian model to

incorporate soft data associated with a volumetric
support larger than that of the drill hole data.

 To compare the results obtained with and without

soft data.
 Scope
 Two cases studies
– Synthetic data set
– Real data set
 Synthetic case study
6) Truncation 1) Definition of
to obtain an rock types
indicator
variable 2) Sampling (hard
data)
Creation of a
synthetic reality

Variogram analysis
5) Joint
simulation of
Gaussian hard
and soft data 3) Incorporation
of soft data (local
4) Gaussian
proportions)
transformation
of hard and soft
data
Truncated Gaussian model

Discrete Gaussian model

 Synthetic case study
 Creation of a synthetic reality:
– Grid of 1000*1000 nodes
– Simulation of Gaussian field with exponential-sine variogram
– Truncation at threshold 0  indicator field with exponential variogram
 Synthetic case study
 Sampling (hard data):
– Regular sampling with a 100*100 mesh

Hard data
 Synthetic case study
 Incorporation of soft data (local proportions):
– Definition of a rectangular moving window to calculate local rock type
proportions

Rock 1 39%
Rock 0 61%
 Synthetic case study
 Gaussian transformation of hard and soft data
– Discrete Gaussian model

Z(x) Y(x)
Indicator N(0,1)

Z(v) Yv
Proportion N(0,1)

The change-of-support coefficient “r” is determined so as to fit the

variance of the soft data values.
 Synthetic case study
 Gaussian transformation of hard and soft data
– Transformation of soft data
10x10 m 30x30 m
r=0.979 r=0.877

The size of the rectangular

moving window used to
calculate local proportions
is chosen in order to obtain
40x40 m 50x50 m
normally-distributed r=0.818 r=0.764
transformed soft data
values
 Synthetic case study
 Gaussian transformation of hard and soft data
– Transformation of hard data

The transformation of hard data (binary value) into Gaussian is

performed with Gibbs sampling
 Synthetic case study
 Joint simulation of Gaussian hard and soft data
– Non-conditional simulation with turning bands
– Conditioning to hard data only by kriging
Conditioning to hard and soft data by cokriging
 Synthetic case study
 Truncation to obtain an indicator variable

Two realizations with soft data Reality Two realizations without soft data
 Synthetic case study
 Post-processing
– Average of 100 realizations

With soft data Without soft data

 Synthetic case study
 Post-processing
– Distribution of errors (average of 100 realizations – reality) at point
support

With soft data Without soft data

 Synthetic case study
 Post-processing
– Distribution of errors (average of 100 realizations – reality) at
50m × 50m block support

With soft data Without soft data

 Real case study
1) Definition of
region of
6) Truncation interest, drill
to obtain an hole data and
indicator interpreted
variable model
2) Variogram
analysis
Ministro Hales
deposit

5) Joint
simulation of
Gaussian hard
and soft data 3) Incorporation
of soft data (local
4) Gaussian
proportions)
transformation
of hard and soft
data
Truncated Gaussian model

Discrete Gaussian model

 Real case study
 Ministro Hales deposit
– Ore body with length 7 km, width 300-400 m and height 1,2 km
 Real case study
 Definition of region, drill holes and interpreted model
– Region between coordinates 9000-9150 (E-W) and 25500-25900 (N-S)
– Three benches: 2200, 2235 and 2250
– Support of SMU: 10m × 15m × 15m
– Two main rock units:
• Unit 1: Waste and copper-poor rocks
• Unit 2: Copper-rich rocks (breccias and mineralized stockwork bodies)

Unit 1: 44% of data

Unit 2: 56% of data
 Real case study
 Definition of region, drill holes and interpreted model
– Interpreted lithological model
Unit 1: 32% of SMU s Unit 2: 68% of SMUs
4 4
4 x 10 x 10
x 10

2.585 2.585 2.585

2.58 2.58 2.58

2.575 2.575 2.575

Bench Bench Bench 2.57

Norte
2.57
Norte
Norte

2.57

2220 2235 2250

2.565 2.565 2.565

2.56 2.56 2.56

2.555 2.555 2.555

9020 9040 9060 9080 9100 9120 9140 9020 9040 9060 9080 9100 9120 9140 9020 9040 9060 9080 9100 9120 9140
Este Este Este

Geological model, February 2014

 Real case study
 Variogram analysis
– Variogram of Gaussian transform of hard data

Blue: E-W
Black: N-S
Green: vertical
 Real case study
 Incorporation of soft data
– As the mineralized bodies are elongated along the north-south
direction, the local proportions are calculated on a block elongated
along the east-west direction (150m x 15m x 15 m), in order to obtain
a more robust estimation of these proportions

Proportion of unit 2
in bench 2250
 Real case study
 Results
– Average of 100 conditional realizations without incorporating soft data

Bench 2200 Bench 2235 Bench 2250

 Real case study
 Results
– Average of 100 conditional realizations incorporating soft data

Bench 2200 Bench 2235 Bench 2250

 Real case study
 Results
– Difference between interpreted model (February 2014) and average of
100 conditional realizations

With soft data Without soft data

 Real case study
 Results
– Difference between interpreted model (April 2014) and average of 100
conditional realizations

With soft data Without soft data

 Real case study
 Discussion
– Coherence between soft and hard data
– Definition of rock units depends on grade values and on the
volumetric support of the grade measurements (drill core / SMU)
 Conclusions
 Proposed methodology is able to better reproduce the local proportions,
as interpreted by mining geologists. The soft data allows complementing
the information provided by the hard data, especially in areas where hard
data are scarce.

 The quality of the simulation depends on the correctness of the input data

 Future works include the modeling of more than two rock units, using
plurigaussian simulation.
 Acknowledgements
Mining Engineering Department, University of Chile

Advanced Mining Technology Center, University of Chile

Advanced Laboratory for Geostatistical Supercomputing, University of Chile

Fondecyt project 1130085

Incorporating soft information in the
geostatistical simulation of rock types
Pía Leyton; Xavier Emery