Geostatistical Modeling by the Ordinary Kriging in the Estimation of Mineral Resources on the Kieselguhr Mine, Algeria

The most important step in a feasibility study of a mining project is the determination of reserves in situ. But the question which arises that no method of estimation can give exact value since there is inevitably an associated error when it is important to know the order of magnitude. Decision-makers need to know if the estimated content is correct or not. Geostatistics can help the mining engineer to obtain from the available information, and thus, enable him to decide if the project deserves more investments. Geostatistics provides not only the estimated value but also with the kriging variance, a measure of the accuracy of the estimate. This is one of the superiorities of geostatistics over traditional methods of estimating reserves. In this article, the Kieselguhr deposit reserve of the Sig mine (western Algeria) was evaluated according to the linear geostatistical method with ordinary Kriging (OK), to know the economic value of this mine that allows the exploitation of this deposit, and to carry out study cartography accompanied by 2D modeling of deposit. Finally, we obtained maps in which we could estimate exploitable and geological reserves, and know the characteristics of the deposit. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.