Application of Localised

Multivariate Uniform Conditioning

in an Iron Ore Deposit
Bosta Pratama and Oscar Rondon
Principal Consultant QG Australia Pty. Ltd.
 Objective and approach
• The objective of the study is to demonstrate and
evaluate the applicability of the LMUC approach
to estimate the local recoverable resources of
multiple correlated variables in an Iron Ore
deposit;
• A systematic process of developing a resource
model was undertaken in a Banded Iron
Formation Iron Ore deposit in Western Australia,
including:
– Uniform Conditioning;
– Conditional Simulation; and
– Grade Control Ordinary Kriging model.
 Case Study
• BIF Iron Ore Deposit
• Multivariate correlated data (explained by the
genesis of the BIF deposit)
• Fe-SiO2-Al2O3
• Aims:
– To determine local recoverable resources
– Preserve multivariate correlation structures
 Case Study : Domaining
Mineralisation envelopes were created based on a 58% Fe cut-
off from exploration drillhole data, which is also considered the
geological structural pit mapping data and grade control
blasthole data.
 Case Study : Domaining
• Mineralisation envelopes were then sub-domained into zones of
consistent structural orientation and mineralisation type, to enable
appropriate orientation of search and variogram models.
• For the purposes of this study only two sub-domains were chosen
(202 and 203).
Case Study : Statistics-univariate

Domain 202

Domain 203
 Case Study : Statistics-multivariate
A moderate to Domain 202
strong correlation is
apparent for Fe,
SiO2 and Al2O3
which were poorly
correlated to all the
other variables.
Thus, only Fe, SiO2
Domain 203
and Al2O3 variable
used for this study.
 Case Study : Comparison

• Conditional Simulation (Sims)

• Ordinary Kriging of Grade Control data (GCT)
Example of box plot of domain 202from bench 251 mRL

Fe %

Al2O3 %

SiO2 %
Case Study : Comparison Domain 202
Case Study : Comparison Domain 203
 Case Study : Comparison – Metal Contained

• LUC returned with more Fe metal contained for

about 4.4% in domain 202 and around 6.8% more
metal in domain 203 to Grade Control at Fe
economic cut-off (58%).
• Considering the different origin of the data sets
(RC ranging from 25mx25m to 50mx50m spacing
versus blasthole at 8mx8m spacing), the
discrepancy between LUC and Grade Control are
considered acceptable.
Case Study : Comparison - Correlation
 Result and Conclusions
• LUC method returned with very similar result for
tonnes and grades globally.
• The multivariate relationship of the input data
variables is well preserved by LMUC method.
• Conditional Simulation returned with comparable
outcomes like LUC.
• LUC potentially problematic as additional drilling or
information might change the distribution (spatial) of
the data.
 Result and Conclusions
Assibey-Bonsu et al (2014) warned that:
“However, the evidence sounds a valid warning not to
rely on LUC conditioned by inefficient ordinary kriged
panel estimates with significant conditional biases for
feasibility mine planning and financial forecasts, unless
such estimates can be shown to be effectively
conditionally unbiased”
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