Presents an applied approach to the estimation of mineral resources/reserves. It is suitable for any university or mining school that offers courses on mineral resource/reserve estimation. It will also be valuable for professional mining and geological engineers and geologists working with mineral exploration companies.

This book addresses the practice of geostatistical simulation to evaluation of mineral reserves, prediction of recovered tonnages and mineral grades and the impact of mining dilution. Such prediction is absolutely critical for mine planning and investment decisions, yet it cannot be made on maps directly interpolated from present data. Various dilution factors need to be introduced to account for · the support effect: mining unit volumes are vastly different from composite data unit volumes · the information effect: future selection of ore/waste will be based on vastly different data than that presently available. Geostatistical simulations allow a rigorous evaluation of these effects on reserves recovery. These stochastic simulations have the potential to be for the mining industry what a wind tunnel is for aircraft design. This book is written by two expert geostatisticians--Journel is the pioneer of mining geostatistics--and established academics.

A novel, practical approach to modeling spatial uncertainty. This book deals with statistical models used to describe natural variables distributed in space or in time and space. It takes a practical, unified approach to geostatistics-integrating statistical data with physical equations and geological concepts while stressing the importance of an objective description based on empirical evidence. This unique approach facilitates realistic modeling that accounts for the complexity of natural phenomena and helps solve economic and development problems-in mining, oil exploration, environmental engineering, and other real-world situations involving spatial uncertainty. Up-to-date, comprehensive, and well-written, Geostatistics: Modeling Spatial Uncertainty explains both theory and applications, covers many useful topics, and offers a wealth of new insights for nonstatisticians and seasoned professionals alike. This volume: * Reviews the most up-to-date geostatistical methods and the types of problems they address. * Emphasizes the statistical methodologies employed in spatial estimation. * Presents simulation techniques and digital models of uncertainty. * Features more than 150 figures and many concrete examples throughout the text. * Includes extensive footnoting as well as a thorough bibliography. Geostatistics: Modeling Spatial Uncertainty is the only geostatistical book to address a broad audience in both industry and academia. An invaluable resource for geostatisticians, physicists, mining engineers, and earth science professionals such as petroleum geologists, geophysicists, and hydrogeologists, it is also an excellent supplementary text for graduate-level courses in related subjects.

Mineral resource estimation has changed considerably in the past 25 years: geostatistical techniques have become commonplace and continue to evolve; computational horsepower has revolutionized all facets of numerical modeling; mining and processing operations are often larger; and uncertainty quantification is becoming standard practice. Recent books focus on historical methods or details of geostatistical theory. So there is a growing need to collect and synthesize the practice of modern mineral resource estimation into a book for undergraduate students, beginning graduate students, and young geologists and engineers. It is especially fruitful that this book is written by authors with years of relevant experience performing mineral resource estimation and with years of relevant teaching experience. This comprehensive textbook and reference fills this need.

The return of the congress to North America after 20 years of absence could not have been in a more ideal location. The beauty of Banff and the many offerings of the Rocky Mountains was the perfect background for a week of interesting and innovative discussions on the past, present and future of geostatistics. The congress was well attended with approximately 200 delegates from 19 countries across six continents. There was a broad spectrum of students and seasoned geostatisticians who shared their knowledge in many areas of study including mining, petroleum, and environmental applications. You will find 119 papers in this two volume set. All papers were presented at the congress and have been peer-reviewed. They are grouped by the different sessions that were held in Banff and are in the order of presentation. These papers provide a permanent record of different theoretical perspectives from the last four years. Not all of these ideas will stand the test of time and practice; however, their originality will endure. The practical applications in these proceedings provide nuggets of wisdom to those struggling to apply geostatistics in the best possible way. Students and practitioners will be digging through these papers for many years to come. Oy Leuangthong Clayton V. Deutsch ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the industry sponsors who contributed generously to the overall success and quality of the congress: De Beers Canada Earth Decision Sciences Maptek Chile Ltda. Mira Geoscience Nexen Inc. Petro-Canada Placer Dome Inc.