Abstract

ROBLES-STEFONI, L.  and  DIMITRAKOPOULOS, R.. Stochastic simulation of the Fox kimberlitic diamond pipe, Ekati mine, Northwest Territories, Canada. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2016, vol.116, n.2, pp.189-200. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n2a10.

Multiple-point simulation (MPS) methods have been developed over the last decade as a means of reproducing complex geological patterns while generating stochastic simulations. Some geological spatial configurations are complex, such as the spatial geometries and patterns of diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes and their internal facies controlling diamond quality and distribution. Two MPS methods were tested for modelling the geology of a diamond pipe located at the Ekati mine, NT, Canada. These are the single normal equation simulation algorithm SNESIM, which captures different patterns from a training image (TI), and the filter simulation algorithm FILTERSIM, which classifies the patterns founded on the TI. Both methods were tested in the stochastic simulation of a four-category geology model: crater, diatreme, xenoliths, and host rock. Soft information about the location of host rock was also used. The validation of the simulation results shows a reasonable reproduction of the geometry and data proportions for all geological units considered; the validation of spatial statistics, however, shows that although simulated realizations from both methods reasonably reproduce the fourth-order spatial statistics of the TI, they do not reproduce well the same spatial statistics of the available data (when this differs from the TI). An interesting observation is that SNESIM better imitated the shape of the pipe, while FILTERSIM yielded a better reproduction of the xenolith bodies.

Keywords : multiple-points simulation methods; SNESIM; FILTERSIM; categorical simulation; cumulants; high-order statistics.

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