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Gregory Baecher
May 1 9 7 5
R e s e a r c h M e m o r a n d a are i n f o r m a l publications
r e l a t i n g t o o n g o i n g o r p r o j e c t e d areas of research a t I I A S A .
T h e v i e w s e x p r e s s e d are
t h o s e of t h e a u t h o r , a n d do n o t n e c e s s a r i l y
r e f l e c t t h o s e of I I A S A .
Introduction
The purpose of this review is to summarize briefly
certain applications of probability theory and statistics
to geological exploration and inference, and in particular
to problems of economic geology.
In general, this
Spatial Modelling
A problem which has received considerable attention
Abstractly,
In this
Problems associated
analysis.
These combined
2.
3.
r a t h e r t h a n f o r o p t i m i z i n g sampling p l a n s o r p r e d i c t i n g
v a l u e s a t u n o b s e r v e d l o c a t i o n s ; .however, some a p p l i c a t i o n s
t o p r e d i c t i n g s p a r s e l y sampled r e g i o n s w i t h i n i n t e n s i v e l y
sampled a r e a s h a v e been made by K r i g e ( 1 9 6 6 ) .
The main
a p p l i c a t i o n t h u s f a r h a s been e s t i m a t i n g i n t e g r a l s o f t h e
s p a t i a l s u r f a c e (e.g.,
S t o c h a s t i c s p a t i a l p r o c e s s models h a v e been u s e d i n
f i e l d s o u t s i d e geology t o o p t i m i z e sampling s t r a t e g i e s ,
among which i s t h e c l a s s i c work o f Matern (1960) i n f o r e s t r y
and t h e r e c e n t e x t e n s i o n s o f h i s work t o r a i n f a l l measurement by R o d r i q u e z - I t u r b e and M e j i a (1973)
Of
c o a l beds) extend
o v e r l a r g e a r e a s , and m o d e l l i n g t h e i r p r o p e r t i e s w i t h s p a t i a l
p r o c e s s models may y i e l d b e t t e r e s t i m a t e s o f t h e i r t o t a l
content.
maps from t r e n d a n a l y s i s w i t h m i n e r a l i z a t i o n , t h e r e b e i n g
some e v i d e n c e of a c o r r e l a t i o n between a r e a s o f h i g h a u t o c o r r e l a t i o n i n r e s i d u a l s and o r e b o d i e s .
3.
Regional Mineral P o t e n t i a l
Of g r e a t i n t e r e s t f o r t h e q u e s t i o n o f r e s o u r c e
e s t i n a t i o n i s t h e bodv of work on e s t i m a t i n g s o - c a l l e d
"regional mineral potential."
Resource p o t e n t i a l i s
predictively to estimate mineral potential for non-intensively explored regions of approximately similar geology.
Problems of using this empirical approach and of extending
findings to new areas are clear.
v a l u a t i o n o f m i n e r a l d e p o s i t s i n c e r t a i n u n i t s of t h e
Canadian S h i e l d and e x t e n d e d t h i s v a l u a t i o n t o u n d e v e l o p e d
portions.
have been p r e s e n t e d i n t h e S t a n f o r d C o n f e r e n c e ( C r a n d a l l
and Harbaugh, 1974) f o r making o i l r e s o u r c e e s t i m a t e s .
A t o t a l l y d i f f e r e n t a p p r o a c h from t h e r e g r e s s i o n ,
f a c t o r a n a l y s i s o n e i s t h a t o f A l l a i s ( 1 9 5 7 ) and Kaufman
(1963).
log-normal d i s t r i b u t i o n i s w i d e l y a p p l i c a b l e t o g e o l o g i c a l
data.
Among o t h e r t h i n g s , t h e s i z e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f m i n e r a l
d e p o s i t s and p a r t i c u l a r l y o i l r e s e r v o i r s i s w e l l m o d e l l e d
by t h i s f a m i l y o f d i s t r i b u t i o n s .
T h e r e have been s e v e r a l
I f one
assumes t h a t d e p o s i t s a r e randomly l o c a t e d i n t w o - d i m e n s i o n a l
s p a c e , t h e number o f o c c u r r e n c e s w i t h i n e l e m e n t a l u n i t s o f
e q u a l s i z e c a n b e m o d e l l e d by t h e P o i s s o n d i s t r i b u t i o n .
Therefore, i f e s t i m a t e s o f d i s t r i b u t i o n parameters can be
made on t h e b a s i s o f c u r r e n t l y known r e s e r v e s , a n e s t i m a t e
o f t h e t o t a l r e s o u r c e w i t h i n a g e o l o g i c a l u n i t c a n b e made.
T h i s a p p r o a c h h a s been u s e d by s e v e r a l a u t h o r s and r e s u l t s
i n t h e most r i g o r o u s l y d e r i v e d e s t i m a t e s of r e s o u r c e s
(Kaufman, 1 9 7 4 ) .
Assumption o f t h e s e d i s t r i b u t i o n t y p e s
can a l s o s e r v e a s t h e b a s i s f o r d e v e l o p i n g o p t i m a l s t r a t e g i e s
o f s e a r c h f o r new d e p o s i t s ( e . g . , A l l a i s , 1 9 5 7 ) .
P (find) =
pdf (xo) P
Xo
ind/xo, ox
) dxo
In Koopman
However,
a case-by-case basis.
A special case of the search allocation problem which
finds application in geological exploration is that of
using a relatively inexpensive search tool (e.g., geophysical surveys) as a first stage before committing
expensive tools (e.g., borings).
Stone et al.
Grid
drilling allocates exploration effort uniformly over the region searched; it grades into optimal search when the region
is decomposed into elements, and grid spacing within each
element is determined on the a priori probability (or
mineral potential) of a deposit existing in that element
(i.e., more probable elements have smaller grid spacings).
Charts and nomograms for grid drilling for a number of
target shapes and grid geometries are to be found in
An approach in this
Subjective Probability
Geological exploration is fundamentally an inductive
In
this approach and refined the mathematical basis of estimation and decision on oil exploration.
exploration.
Ref erenc'es
Elsevier (1974).
s.
- -
Drew, L.J., Grid Drilling Exploration and its Application to the Search for Petroleum. PhD Dissertation,
Penn. State Univ., (1966).
Edwards, W., "The theory of decision making."
51: 380-417, (1954).
Psychological Bull., -
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Oil
-
Econ.
[381
1391
Rodriquez-Iturbe, I. and Mejia, J.M., Design of Rainfall Networks in Time and Space. Preprint of a
paper to appear in Water Resources Research, (1973).
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