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Space Deformation Non-stationary Geostatistical Approach for Prediction of Geological Objects: Case Study at El Teniente Mine (Chile)

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Abstract

This article addresses the problem of the prediction of the breccia pipe elevation named Braden at the El Teniente mine in Chile. This mine is one of the world’s largest known porphyry-copper ore bodies. Knowing the exact location of the pipe surface is important, as it constitutes the internal limit of the deposit. The problem is tackled by applying a non-stationary geostatistical method based on space deformation, which involves transforming the study domain into a new domain where a standard stationary geostatistical approach is more appropriate. Data from the study domain is mapped into the deformed domain, and classical stationary geostatistical techniques for prediction can then be applied. The predicted results are then mapped back into the original domain. According to the results, this non-stationary geostatistical method outperforms the conventional stationary one in terms of prediction accuracy and conveys a more informative uncertainty model of the predictions.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the company CODELCO-Chile for providing the data used in this paper. We acknowledge the editor-in-chief of NARR for expert handling of our manuscript, and we thank the anonymous referees for their constructive comments.

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  1. CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA, 6151, Australia

    Francky Fouedjio

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  1. Francky Fouedjio
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Correspondence to Francky Fouedjio.

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Fouedjio, F. Space Deformation Non-stationary Geostatistical Approach for Prediction of Geological Objects: Case Study at El Teniente Mine (Chile). Nat Resour Res 25, 283–296 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-015-9287-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-015-9287-7

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