Economic Evaluations in Exploration

• Main Authors: Wellmer, Friedrich-Wilhelm (Author), Dalheimer, Manfred (Author), Wagner, Markus (Author)
• Corporate Author: SpringerLink (Online service)
• Format: Electronic eBook
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2008.
• Edition: Second Edition.
• Subjects: Earth sciences.; Fossil fuels.; Geology.; Mineral resources.; Geotechnical engineering.; Earth Sciences.; Mineral Resources.; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences.; Fossil Fuels (incl. Carbon Capture).

 This textbook, now in its second English edition, is originally a translation of the G- man textbook “Rechnen für Lagerstättenkundler und Rohstoffwirtschaftler, Teil 1”, also translated into the Chinese and Russian languages. Compared to the previous English and German editions the chapters have been updated with new examples and in many cases amended. The textbook is intended for the economic geologist who deals with the evaluation of deposits at an early stage of development. Once an exploration project has reached the feasibility stage, the exact calculations that are necessary for a comprehensive te- nical and economic assessment will be performed by a team of geologists, mining engineers, metallurgists, and economists. In the early stages of exploration, however, any evaluator of deposits must be able to cover the whole spectrum himself. Since only order of magnitude parameters are available at this early stage, the c- culations can only yield order of magnitude results. Precise calculations would even be misleading, since the evaluation does not yet aim at accurate economic assessment but at making the right decision: should the investigation be abandoned or should it be continued at higher costs and with more detailed methods. 

 Introduction -- 1 Conversions -- 2 First Estimates of Grade and Tonnages and Potential Grade and Tonnages -- 3 Dealing with Data of Multi-Element Deposits -- 4 Conversion of Geological Data into Mining Data for Ore Deposits -- 5 Introduction to Economic Evaluations -- 6 Metal Prices -- 7 Calculation of the Net Smelter Return (NSR) of a Mine -- 8 Production Lifetime -- 9 Calculation of Cost Data -- 10 Additional Economic Planning Methods -- 11 Economic Evaluations -- 12 Quantitative Valuation of Exploration Projects without Known Mineralization -- 13 Comparison of Deposits -- 14 Calculating Growth Rates -- 15 Equity Calculations -- References -- Appendix A: Diagrams for Conversion between Imperial and Metric Units -- Appendix B: Diagrams to Determine the Thickness Reduction Factors for Drilling Oblique to Strike and Dip at Different Angles of Inclination and Diagram to Determine the Optimal Angle of Inclination of Drill Holes for Drilling Oblique to Strike -- Appendix C, Part 1: Derivation of the Formula for Calculating a Density Equivalent of Sect. 3.5.3 -- Appendix C, Part 2: Spreadsheet to Calculate Densities of Complex Ore -- Appendix D: Tables -- Appendix E: Problems Created by the Application of Geometrical Series -- Appendix F: Sources of Information, Internet Addresses, Abbreviations, Conversions -- Appendix G: Scales (for the Field Book) -- Index.