The Effect of Using Cokriging against Ordinary Kriging When Estimating Phosphate Deposits at Elsebaiya Area, Egypt

Abstract

Application of geostatistical techniques when evaluating mineral deposits could reflect some geological characteristics which help through the stage of planning and production. In the present study, an attempt has been done on two phosphate deposits at Elsebaiya area on both sides of the River Nile namely: Um Tondoba mine at Elsebaiya East area and Western River Nile mine in Elsebaiya West area. Depending on the available data, statistical analysis illustrated differences in the distribution of P2O5 % and ore thickness within the studied areas. Geostatistics used to start with constructing variograms for P2O5 % and thickness for the two phosphate deposits to be used with ordinary kriging models, also constructing cross variograms between P2O5 % and thickness to be used with cokriging models where the difference in the variogram parameters reflected a specific variation for each deposit horizontally and vertically. The ordinary kriging models and cokriging models illustrated different distribution behavior through both the two kriging techniques.