MNGN438 - Introduction to Geostatistics

Designation:

Required

Catalog Description:

Introduction to elementary probability theory and its applications in engineering and sciences; discrete and continuous probability distributions; parameter estimation; hypothesis testing; linear regression; spatial correlations and geostatistics with emphasis on applications in earth sciences and engineering.

Prerequisites:

MACS112 and MNGN210. The students need to have introduction to first semester calculus and basic open pit mining terminology, resource and reserve estimation methods

Textbook and/or other required material:

Supplemental texts and material usefull for the course may be found in:

The course notes by Dr. Kadri Dagdelen

Introduction to Applied Geostatistics by Isaaks, E. H., and Srivastava, M., 1989.

GSLIB: Geostatistical Software Library and User’s Guide, Deutsch, C. and Journel, A. 1991.

SME’s Mining Engineering Handbook, Hartman, H. L., 1992

SME’s Surface Mining, Kennedy, B. A., 1990

Open Pit Mine Planning and Design, Hustrulid, W. and Kuchta, M., 1993

Course Objectives:

Teach students fundamentals of probability, statistics, and spatial statistics and their application to earth science data sets, resource estimation and recoverable reserve determination. The course materials cover:

Elementary probability theory and its applications in engineering and sciences

Discrete and continuous probability distributions including normal and lognormal distributions

Hypothesis testing

Linear regression

Spatial statistics including concepts of covariance, correlogram and variograms

Variogram modeling and introduction to geometric and zonal anisotropies

Parameter estimation; Geostatistical estimation techniques; Kriging

Notion of uncertainty in estimation; estimation variance

Volume variance relationship; extension variance; dispersion and estimation variance; Krige’s relationship

Parametric estimation techniques; Indicator and lognormal kriging techniques

Resource and reserve classification techniques.

Class/Laboratory Schedule:

This three-hour course meets for 5 hours per week. Two of these hours, Tuesday and Thursday 11 to 12 am, consist of lectures based on assigned readings from the handouts and supplemental text and covers statistical and geostatistical fundamentals outline above. The remaining 3 hours are hands on laboratory work where, during the first part of the semester, the students engage in explotary data analysis exercises using SURFER, GSLIB, and statistical and geostatistical modules of MineSight mine planning software package on a real life drill hole data coming from Tohona copper deposit and McLaughlin gold deposit. During the second part the semester, the students work on geostatistical point and block value estimation problems. They learn how to built geologic resource models and how to classify resources into different categories according to SME and global guidelines used worldwide.

Contribution of course to Meeting Professional Component:

This course contributes three credit hours to the science and engineering topics.

Relationship of Course to Program Outcomes:

This course relates most closely to Program Objectives A) Our graduates will be able to apply knowledge of basic sciences and engineering, economics, and geology to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems fundamental to Mining Engineering; B) Our graduates will have a fundamental understanding of the behavior of earth (rock) materials under varying excavation conditions and its impact on engineering design and mine operations; C) Our graduates will be able to design excavations pertinent to the exploitation of mineral resources by both surface and underground mining methods and possess a fundamental understanting of production sequencing, mine optimization, and equipment selection;

Person Preparing Description and Date of Preparation:

Kadri Dagdelen (April, 2006)