Reply to Discussion “Geopolymers Based on Recycled Glass Powder for Soil Stabilization” Jair de Jesús Arrieta Baldovino,Ronaldo Luis dos Santos Izzo,Juliana Lundgren Rose,and Mônica Angélica Avanci

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering -     

Uncertainty Estimate in Resources Assessment: A Geostatistical Contribution

For many decades the mining industry regarded resources/reserves estimation and classification as a mere calculation requiring basic mathematical and geological knowledge. Most methods were based on geometrical procedures and spatial data distribution. Therefore, uncertainty associated with tonnages and grades either were ignored or mishandled, although various mining codes require a measure of confidence in the values reported. Traditional methods fail in reporting the level of confidence in the quantities and grades. Conversely, kriging is known to provide the best estimate and its associated variance. Among kriging methods, Ordinary Kriging (OK) probably is the most widely used one for mineral resource/reserve estimation, mainly because of its robustness and its facility in uncertainty assessment by using the kriging variance. It also is known that OK variance is unable to recognize local data variability, an important issue when heterogeneous mineral deposits with higher and poorer grade zones are being evaluated. Altenatively, stochastic simulation are used to build local or global uncertainty about a geological attribute respecting its statistical moments. This study investigates methods capable of incorporating uncertainty to the estimates of resources and reserves via OK and sequential gaussian and sequential indicator simulation The results showed that for the type of mineralization studied all methods classified the tonnages similarly. The methods are illustrated using an exploration drill hole data sets from a large Brazilian coal deposit.     

Geostatistical Simulation of Acoustic Log Data for Seismic Depth Conversion

Seismic reflection methods measure the time a seismic wave takes to travel through the ground, from the user defined source to a series of signal monitoring sensors known as geophones. The measured times need to be depth converted to allow for integration with other geological data. In order to convert from time to depth, an estimate of the rock volume velocity field must be made. The velocity field estimate can be made by assignment of velocity estimates to a geological model independent of the seismic processing. This article presents the results of using the acoustic geophysical log data extrapolated via sequential Gaussian simulation to derive the velocity field. The uncertainties associated with the velocity estimates were significant and provided the means to assess confidence limits for the actual depth determination. The technique is assessed by application to a major coal deposit, approximately 2.1 m thick and 210 m deep. Considering only the uncertainty associated with estimating the velocity field, half of the confidence interval values showed approximately 1 m of uncertainty in depth. The application of sequential Gaussian simulation to model the 3D distribution of acoustic velocity can be extended to other geophysical log parameters or derived estimates.     

Assessing Uncertainty Associated with the Delineation of Geochemical Anomalies

A pedogeochemical exploratory survey of gold deposits was carried out in the region of São Sepé (southernmost Brazil). The region comprises a predominantly metamorphosed belt of volcanoclastics, sediments, serpentinites, basalts, gabbros, chert, tuffs, and banded iron formation of the Proterozoic age. The anomalies were identified first by stream sediment heavy mineral survey at the regional scale of exploration. Once spatial continuity was modeled, ordinary block kriging was performed to generate geochemical maps. Indicator block kriging also was used as an alternative in analyzing and interpreting geochemical data. A novel approach is proposed, which combines both ordinary and indicator kriging for delineating geochemical anomalies. Probability maps proved to be appropriate for selecting new sites for further exploration. Gold anomalies in soils trending NE were well defined by geostatistical analysis and subsequently confirmed by drilling.     

Choosing Between Two Kind of Sampling Patterns Using Geostatistical Simulation: Regularly Spaced or at High Uncertainty Locations?

Data from a mineral deposit are commonly obtained by core drilling. This kind of sampling involves high costs, limiting the number of drill holes. Additional holes should be located to bring the maximum benefit. The benefit can be evaluated by various ways and must take into account the goals of sampling. This article presents a case study where the deposit has been sampled and the new drillings must be added to reduce the uncertainty about a transfer function, Net Present Value (NPV) of the mining project. There are basically two ways to choose locations where new drillings should be placed for cases where the aim of sampling is to reduce uncertainty about a global function: the addition of new drillings outlining a quasi regular grid with previously collected drillings or the addition of new drillings on the locations of high uncertainty about the attribute of interest (or the attribute that is considered most influential in the transfer function). The performances of these patterns on reducing the uncertainty measured by the function selected are compared. The results point out that the most efficient pattern relates to the distribution (histogram) of the uncertainty about the attribute of interest. Thus, the choice of which sampling pattern should be adopted varies depending on data distribution and its influence on the transfer function.     

A Drowned Lagunar Channel in the Southern Brazilian Coast in Response to the 8.2-ka Event: Diatom and Seismic Stratigraphy

Drowning of the coast was initiated by a marine inundation after the Last Glacial Maximum (marine isotope stage (MIS) 2) and has continued during the mid-Holocene and highstand (MIS 1). Detailed analyses of two previously examined core stratigraphy and seismic profiles combined with new grain-size and detailed diatom analyses are used to study the history of the Barra Falsa paleochannel over the last 11,000 years BP and to document the peculiar deposition within the channel fill. A rapid sea-level rise was responsible for flooding the coast in 11,180–10,780, 8420–7930, 8150–7870, and 7640–7430 cal years BP, infilling a low topographic back-barrier region. High deposition rates suggest a rapid filling of the channel, which coincides with an accelerated period of sea-level rise, closely linked to the global 8.2-ka event. The morphology of the channel is recognized by facies units in the underlying strata related to one episode of cut and fill during a single cycle of base-level fall and rise. An overall transgressive sequence above the regional surface is related to marine and marine-brackish sediments, which corresponds to a seaward/central basil fill of a wave-dominated estuary.     

Gamma-Ray Data Processing and Integration for Lode-Au Deposits Exploration

A large number of mineral deposits are associated with hydrothermal processes, especially auriferous deposits. In such processes, studies on percolating fluids may indicate the presence of potash (K), among other elements. In this study, aerogammaspectrometric data-processing methodologies are evaluated, especially those methods based on the suppression of the primary contribution of potassium, the result of lithological and soil variations, and to environmental conditions. Resulting maps point out the contribution of hydrothermal K. This processing procedure was used because of the association of hydrothermal K and auriferous mineralizations according to the deposit model defined for the studied region. Intensity maps locate the areas with great influence of hydrothermal K. Data integration required to improve a change in the gammaspectrometric data processing in order to positively correlate hydrothermalised areas. Data integration could distinguish high and medium favorable targets for mineral exploration of lode-Au deposits in the studied region.