Mineral resource estimation / Оценка минеральных ресурсов

The process of estimating a Mineral Resource can only take place after the estimator is convinced of the soundness of the fundamentals underlying the estimation process. Thus the database of sampling, density, and other quality data for both estimation and geological interpretation must have integrity and robustness (Chapter 2); the geological data must be sufficiently complete for the definition of a geological model; the geological model itself must have internal consistency, should explain the observed arrangement of lithological and mineralogical domains, and should represent the estimator’s best knowledge of the genesis of the mineral deposit; and the geological model should support the distribution of mineralisation seen in the sampling  (Chapter 3). It is only at this stage that a resource model may be generated. The resource estimation process involves the definition of mineralisation constraints or geological domains, the statistical and/or geostatistical analysis of the sample data, and the application of a suitable grade interpolation technique. The final stage of the estimation process is to classify the resource according to the JORC Code (JORC, 1999 and republished in this volume, see Appendix 1). <...>