A new white paper from French geostatistical specialist Geovariances outlines its drill hole spacing analysis (DHSA) methodology, originally developed for the coal mining industry. DHSA may be of interest to companies developing and assessing unconventional resource plays where the ‘mining’ paradigm is in use. DHSA is a means of optimizing borehole spacing by providing an objective, geostatistical assessment of resource confidence. DHSA also provides unbiased assessments of resource size for reporting purposes.
Many deposits, variables, and most importantly, a range of geological settings have been analysed using DHSA to obtain the optimal drill spacing information to support resource classification decisions. DHSA has been implemented internationally by Geovariances for over 12 years. In Australia, DHSA has been applied to coal operations and projects in the Bowen, Surat and Gunedah Basins.
DHSA assessments are used to support changes in resource classification and to prioritise targets by identifying areas requiring increased or reduced sampling density. According to Geovariances, geostatistical is a recommended best practice in the mining industry. The results may differ significantly from ‘conventional’ reporting guidelines. Read Geovariances’ white paper here.
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