RESERVE ESTIMATION

B.B.SHARMA
Suptg. Geologist
GSI, NER, Shillong

WHAT IS RESERVE?
The Sizing up of ore body is known

as Reserve.
It tells about the quality, quantity
and amenability to commercial
exploration of raw material.
It starts from preliminary to last
stage of exploration and mining

ESTIMATION OF RESERVE

Reserve is determined by multiplying the

volume of the ore body by the bulk
density

Parameters of Reserve Estimation

Cut off grade
Stopping width

Weighted average and average grade

Tonnage factors
Core recovery

Thickness
Strike length/strike influence
Dip length/width influence
Correlation of lode

Tonnage factor

Tonnage factor or bulk density is a multiplier to the

volume for the determination of reserve.
This can be determined by following methods
Cubical opening method

Conventional density measurement method

Determination of bulk density using drill cores

Cubical opening method

Dig up a pit of 1mx1mx1m size and weight all the
material this weight is tonnage factor.

For sulphide ore deposit at initial exploration

this method is not applicable.
In case of iron ore , limestone, rock Phosphate is
applicable.
in the mining stage normally bulk density is
determined by this method

Conventional density measurement method

Density is determined by weighing the sample in the
air and in the water by steel yard balance by the
following formula.
D= W/V
W= weight
V= volume
D= W1/W1-W2
W1=weight in the air
W2=weight in the water

Bulk density using drill cores

The bulk density can be determined by this method by
measuring the length of the core or half split core
V= Rl (if the core is not split)
V=1/2Rl (if the core is half split)
V= Volume
R= Radius of core sample
l= Length of core sample
Weight the measured core and determine the bulk
density by DB=M/V

Core Recovery
Core recovery plays important role in computation of
reserve estimation core recovery should be very high at
least in mineralized zone.
Core recovery in the lode is more than 95% then for
the reserve calculation it may be taken as 100%.
Core recovery is less than 95% then correction factors
have to be applied.

Dilution method:
In this method the assay value of recovered core is
distributed in the whole run assuming that the part of
core which is not recovered is barren by this method
grade will go down the assay value.

Reduced width method:

In this case core loss is considered as voids and the
lode width is taken as the length of the core recovered.
Thus the thickness of lode will reduced however the
grade will be as per the assay value.

Equal grade method:

The core recovery is > 95%.

The recovered length is taken as the

grade of run with the assumption that the
uncovered portion also contains same
assay value.

Thickness
Thickness of the ore body is measured by computing
the thickness of the load in individual hole for which
the true thickness is needed.
Oblique borehole to the ore body gives apparent
thickness which needs correction for revealing the true
thickness.

Thickness --A) Azimuth and Zenith Perpendicular to strike and

Dip plane
-No correction is needed.

B) Azimuth Perpendicular to the Strike and Zenith

oblique to the Dip plane
1.If borehole is vertical
Tr=Tv x Cos=Th x Sin
2.If borehole is inclined
Tr=Ti x Sin

Thickness
Thickness of the body is determined by computing the thickness of
the lode in individual hole,
RL in
meter

Bore hole

True thickness (Tr)

Apparent Thickness (Ta)

Lode

Distance in Meter

Tr = Ta * sin
Tr = True thickness
Ta = Apparent thickness
= Angle between core axis and bedding plane

Thickness --C) Azimuth and Zenith Oblique to the Strike and

Dip plane
Tr= Tap x cos cos (cos tan+tan) or
= Tap(cos sin cos+cos sin)
Th= Tap(cos cos+ tan sin)
Tv= Tap cos(cos tan+tan)
- angle bet the plane of the dip and the plane of the hole
direction
- Dip of the ore body
- Angle of the hole intersected in the borehole

Strike length/ strike influence

The strike length is determined on the basis of opening
along the strike of the ore body.
The strike influence of each opening is determined on the
basis of nearest point and gradual variation.
In case of correlate able lode the strike influence is taken
as half the distance between two opening.
In non-correlateable lode also the distance along strike is
taken as half the distance between two points or less than
that depending upon the variation of the ore body

Strike length

500m

X-3

Distance

300m

Bore hole

X-2

Dolomite

Lode

X-1
100m
Distance

Geological map

Schist

SURFACE GEOLOGICAL MAP OF BLOCK A

0m

20 m

Scale (1:1000)
BH-1 BH-2
0

500 m

X-3

X-2

Distance in m

400 m

300 m

0 0

BH-3 BH-4
0

200 m
INDEX

100 m

0 0

BH-5 BH-6
0

X-1

00 m
S

50

100

150

200

250 m

Distance in m

Dip Length/ Dip Influence

As strike influence the dip length influence,
for each opening is also taken as half the
distance between the adjacent opening in the
case of inclined ore body, if the ore body have
been intersected at different level.
For the computation of the reserve of each
opening the volume is determined by
multiplying the strike influence with dip length
influence and thickness intersected.

Geological cross section along Line X1

W

BH-3

BH-4

350 m

RL
300 m

Po
RL

250 m

Pr

200 m

RL
150 m

Pr
100 m

RL
Po

50 m

Inf
0m
50 m

100 m

150 m

200 m

250 m

300 m

ORE RESERVE CALCULATION METHODS

For homogeneous bedded horizontal or low dipping deposits
Included area method
Extended area method
Triangle method
Polygon method

Method of isoline
Isopach maps method

For moderately to steeply dipping tabular ore body

Cross section method
Longitudinal section method
Level plan method

Cross section method

The cross-section or traverse section prepared across the ore body
represent the actual geological features in shape and quality

For the calculation of the reserve by this method the area of influence and
quality is considered on the basis of the rule of nearest point
In the cross section area method the reserve is calculated for individual
opening and the area of influence of that opening is measured on the cross
section or calculated by measuring actual thickness and dip length.
Bore hole 1

RL
in
mt.

Bore hole 2

188
180

171
164

Lode
Dolomite

Distance in Meter
B
h
N
o
.

App.
Thickne
ss

12m

Angle of
lode with
core axis

78

True
thickness

11.5

Core
recovery

100%

%Cu

Lode RL

Dip
Length

Upper

Lower

180m

171m

31

Dip RL

Upper

Lower

188m

164m

Strike
length

Tonnage
factor

categor
y

Tonnage
T*DL*SL*TF
in tonnes

200m

2.5

Probabl
e

186000

Total
reserve

Longitudinal vertical projected section method

This method is very helpful in correlating the ore body along the strike
This method is very useful in determining the reserve of complex ore body
like tabular and ore shoot body.
In longitudinal vertical projected section the RL of the intersection of the
ore body is projected on any vertical plane parallel to the strike of the ore
body and lodes are correlated.
In this area of influence is taken half the distance between openings and
that is measured on the section or computed by multiplying the X and Y.

X-1
500

RL
in
mt.

BH1

BH2

100

X-2

X-3

Level plan method

Level plan is prepared by plotting of the lode intersection on a
horizontal plan passing through the level of intersection or at
particular RL. It represents the lode at that particular level.
BH1

BH2

X-3

BH3
300m

BH4

Bore hole

X-2

Dolomite

Lode

Schist

BH5

X-1
100m
Distance

Geological map

BH6

Cross section
X-1

X-2
BH5

X-3
BH3

BH6

RL

BH1

BH4

RL

RL

Soda Rhy.

160m

DolomiteLode

Distance

Distance

Distance

Level plan at 160m RL

X-3

Distance

300m

X-2

Dolomite

Lode

X-1
100m
Distance

Soda rhy.

BH2

EXERCISE