Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Irkutsk, Russia

V. L. Ruposov, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Associate Professor, ruposov@istu.edu

The article presents the results of a study on various methods for estimating reserves of solid minerals. The research focused on the following reserve estimation techniques: the triangle method; the nearest-neighbor (polygon) method; the inverse distance weighting (IDW) method. The primary objective of the study was to analyze deviations among different estimation approaches for subhorizontal ore bodies of solid minerals, and to assess the influence of certain parameters on the final reserve estimates. To achieve this goal, reserve calculations were performed for placer gold deposits at two distinct locations–in Russia and in Mongolia–using multiple estimation techniques. In order to validate the reliability of volume calculations for ore bodies, a deviation analysis was conducted comparing exploration data with a model object with the mathematically precise parameters. The model was explored using a network of randomly distributed sampling points within the boundaries of the simulated ore body, with varying grid densities. The data obtained from the triangle and polygon methods were summarized in final graphs, which served as the basis for the key conclusions. The study identified deviations between different reserve estimation methods and revealed patterns in accuracy improvement as a function of exploration grid density. The findings demonstrated convergence in volume estimates between the triangle method and the nearest-neighbor method when applied to the model. At real-world deposits, the difference between these two methods also proved to be relatively low. However, discrepancies in estimates of the valuable component content indicate that the uneven distribution of mineral grades within the ore body has a significant impact on final reserve calculations.

1. Kazhdan A. B. Searches and exploration of mineral deposits. Scientific basis of searches and exploration : Textbook. Moscow : Nedra, 1984. 285 p.
2. Kreyter V. M. Searches and exploration of mineral deposits. Vol. 1. 2nd revised edition. Moscow : Gosgeoltekhizdat, 1960. 331 p.
3. Chetverikov L. I. Theoretical foundations of mineral exploration. Moscow : Nedra, 1984. 156 p.
4. Aleksandrov V. N., Osipovich N. V. Methods for exploration of solid minerals : Tutorial. Moscow : Akademiya, 2018. 320 p.
5. Popov A. S., Samsonov V. I. Improvement of exploration methods for hard-to-recover ore bodies. Saratov : SGU, 2016. 260 p.
6. Shevelev V. V. Exploration and geological-economic deposit evaluation of solid minerals : Tutorial. Irkutsk : Izdatelstvo IrGTU, 2004. 367 p.
7. Buryi E. N., Karnaukhov A. P. Exploration of solid minerals: Theory and practice. Tomsk : Izdatelstvo TPU, 2015. 412 p.
8. Krasnoperov A. I., Chichagov G. A. Geological exploration of ore deposits. Novocherkassk : Yuzhno-Rossiyskiy gosudarstvennyi tekhnicheskiy universitet, 2012. 280 p.
9. Livitskiy G. V. Deep exploration of solid minerals. Yekaterinburg : URGTU, 2017. 240 p.
10. Novikov E. S., Ruposov V. L. Analysis of the inverse distance weighting methods. Geology, Search and Exploration of Minerals and Methods of Geological Research : XIX All-Russian Conference Proceedings. Irkutsk : Irkutskiy natsionalnyi issledovatelskiy tekhnicheskiy universitet, 2024. pp. 171–177.
11. Nikolaev A. V. New trends and prospects in studying ore deposits. Voronezh : VGU, 2019. 300 p.

12. Smolentseva A. M., Ruposov V. L. Analytical method of finding volume of a triangle by six points. Development Prospects of the Mining and Metallurgy Sector (Igoshin’s Lectures) : All-Russian Conference Proceedings. Irkutsk : Irkutskiy natsionalnyi issledovatelskiy tekhnicheskiy univesitet, 2022. Vol. 1. pp. 122–126.
13. Ruposov V. L., Itskov A. A., Alilueva V. I., Ruposova E. V. Analysis of the point cloud triangulation methods. Development Prospects of the Mining and Metallurgy Sector (Igoshin’s Lectures) : All-Russian Conference Proceedings. Irkutsk : Irkutskiy natsionalnyi issledovatelskiy tekhnicheskiy univesitet, 2024. pp. 146–151.
14. Spichka N. E., Inkeev S. S., Tugulkhanov A. Yu., Ruposov V. L. Algorithms for automated calculation of reserves. Geology, Search and Exploration of Minerals and Methods of Geological Research : International Conference Proceedings. Irkutsk : Irkutskiy natsionalnyi issledovatelskiy tekhnicheskiy universitet, 2022. Vol. 22. pp. 191–196.
15. Grabskiy A. A., Shenderov V. I., Yashin V. P., Pavlov A. B. Improving the efficiency of mining and exploration work. Moskovskiy ekonomicheskiy zhurnal. 2023. Vol. 8, No. 5. DOI: 10.55186/2413046X_2023_8_5_209
16. Bogatyrev S. P. Efficiency of up-to-date approaches to searching and appraising ore bodies in Siberia. Proceedings of IX International Conference of Young Scientists on Geology and Ecology Issues. Novosibirsk : NGU, 2019. pp. 56–63.
17. Tashtanalieva A.Sh., Kabaev O. D. Ensuring of exstraction of reserves of minerals on the Kutessae-2 field. Izvestiya Kyrgyzskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnicheskogo universiteta im. I. Razzakova. 2018. No. 3(47). pp. 213–221.
18. Vasilev A. N. Application of geoinformation systems in integrated mineral exploration. X All-Russian Symposium on Applied Geophysics : Headnotes of Papers. Moscow : MFTI, 2020. pp. 112–118.