Application of plurigaussian simulation to delineate the layout of alteration domains in Sungun copper deposit

An accurate estimation of mineral grades in ore deposits with heterogeneous spatial variations requires defining geological domains that differentiate the types of mineralogy, alteration and lithology. Deterministic models define the layout of the domains based on the interpretation of the drill holes and do not take into account the uncertainty in areas with fewer data. Plurigaussian simulation (PGS) can be an alternative to generate multiple numerical models of the ore body, with the aim of assessing the uncertainty in the domain boundaries and improving the geological controls in the characterization of quantitative attributes. This study addresses the application of PGS to Sungun porphyry copper deposit (Iran), in order to simulate the layout of four hypogene alteration zones: potassic, phyllic, propylitic and argillic. The aim of this study is to construct numerical models in which the alteration structures reflect the evolution observed in the geology.