earth science

Mineral resource classification

Mineral resource classification is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mineral resource classification rather than just read about it. In short: There are several classification systems for the economic evaluation of mineral deposits worldwide. The most commonly used schemes base on the International Reporting Template, developed by the CRIRSCO – Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards, like the Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee – JORC Code 2012, the Pan-European Reserves & Resources Reporting Committee' – PERC Reporting Standa…

Key takeaways

Mineral resource classification belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mineral resource classification to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mineral resource classification from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

There are several classification systems for the economic evaluation of mineral deposits worldwide. The most commonly used schemes base on the International Reporting Template, developed by the CRIRSCO – Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards, like the Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee – JORC Code 2012, the Pan-European Reserves & Resources Reporting Committee' – PERC Reporting Standard from 2021, the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum – CIM classification and the South African Code for the Reporting of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (SAMREC). A more detailed description of the historical development concerning reporting about mineral deposits can be found on the PERC web site. In 1997, the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) was development by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The Pan African Resource Reporting Code (PARC) is based on UNFC.

Mineral resources A 'Mineral Resource' is a concentration or occurrence of material of intrinsic economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such form, quality and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction. Mineral Resources are further sub-divided, in order of increasing geological confidence, into inferred, indicated and measured as categories.

Inferred Mineral Resource is the part of a mineral resource for which quantity, grade (or quality) and mineral content can be estimated with a low level of confidence. It is inferred from geological evidence and assumed but not verified geological or grade continuity. It is based on information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes which may be of limited or uncertain quality and it is also reliability. Indicated resources are simply economic mineral occurrences that have been sampled (from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits and drill holes) to a point where an estimate has been made, at a reasonable level of confidence, of their contained metal, grade, tonnage, shape, densities, physical characteristics. Measured resources are indicated resources that have undergone enough further sampling that a 'competent person' (defined by the norms of the relevant mining code; usually a geologist) has declared them to be an acceptable estimate, at a high degree of confidence, of the grade (or quality), quantity, shape, densities, physical characteristics of the mineral occurrence. The Canadian legislation (NI 43-101) concerning mineral projects within Canada appears to be similar to the CRIRSCO based reporting codes and standards. Generally, the classification of mineral deposits bases on an increasing level of geological/mineralogical knowledge about a mineral deposit. According to the CRIRSCO International Reporting Template mineral deposits are classified as Mineral Resources or Mineral Reserves.

Mineral reserves A Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource and/or Indicated Mineral Resource. Mineral Reserves are subdivided in order of increasing confidence into:

Probable Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of an Indicated Mineral Resource, and in some circumstances, a Measured Mineral Resources. It includes diluting material and allowances for losses which may occur when the material is mined. A Probable Mineral Reserve has a lower level of confidence than a Proved Mineral Reserve but is of sufficient quality to serve as the basis for decision on the development of deposit. Proved Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses which occur when the material is mined. It represents the highest confidence category of Mineral Reserve estimate. It implies a high degree of confidence in the geological factors and a high degree of confidence in the Modifying Factors. The style of mineralization or other factors could mean that Proved Mineral Reserves are not achievable in some deposits.

Mineral resource estimation

Block model estimation To determine and define the ore tonnage and grade of a geological deposit, from the developed block model, a mineral resource estimation is used. There are different estimation methods used for different scenarios dependent upon the ore boundaries, geological deposit geometry, grade variability and the amount of time and money available. A typical resource estimation involves the construction of a geological and resource model with data from various sources. Once the geological modeling is completed, the geological envelopes are divided into block models. Subsequently, the estimation of these blocks is done from "composites" that are point measures of the grade of ore in the rock. Several different mathematical methods can be used to do the estimation depending on the desired degree of precision, quality and quantity of data and of their nature.

Nearest neighbor method The nearest neighbor method assigns grade values to blocks from the nearest sample point to the block. Closest sample gets a weight of one; all others get a weight of zero. In two dimensions, this method generates a Voronoi diagram composed of polygons each with a unique grade; in three dimensions this method generates a Voronoi diagram composed of polyhedra each with a unique grade.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Mineral resource classification: Inverse distance interpolation for different power parameters p, from scattered points on the surface

z
=
exp
⁡
(
−

x

2

−

y

2

)

{\displaystyle z=\exp(-x^{2}-y^{2})}

. — Inverse distance interpolation for different power parameters p, from scattered points on the surface z = exp ⁡ ( − x 2 − y 2 ) {\displaystyle z=\exp(-x^{2}-y^{2})} .

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mineral resource classification

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mineral resource classification claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mineral resource classification before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mineral resource classification ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mineral resource classification

In research: Mineral resource classification appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mineral resource classification in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mineral resource classification is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Economic geology, Mineral economics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mineral resource classification outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Mineral resource classification in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mineral resource classification means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mineral resource classification out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mineral resource classification in simple terms?

Why does Mineral resource classification matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mineral resource classification?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mineral resource classification.