Applying

data science techniques to

metallurgical characterization
Daniel Baeza, Felipe Navarro and Brian Townley
 Geological, Geochemical,
Geometallurgical Data &
Modeling in the Mining Business

INFERIDOS

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Open
Pit
Models for Mine Design, Mine Planning,
Levels
Mineral Processing & +
Geometallurgical Modeling
Why do we need high resolution
quantitative mineral characterization?
 Mineral Characterization
๏ Drill core logging
๏ Rock and ore petrography
๏ XRD
๏ SEM & QEMSCAN
๏ CoreScan
๏ Hi-Logger
๏ Geochemistry – Lithogeochemistry
๏ Qualitative, semi-quantitative & quantitative
characterization
Concepts in Mineralogy
and Geochemistry
๏ A rock represents a mineral aggregate, these of primary origin
(lithology), primary endogenous (hydrothermal) and/or secondary
supergene, among others.

๏ Minerals are constituted by chemical elements, mineral associations,

be them lithologic, hydrothermal alteration and mineralization and/or
of supergene origin will be represented by specific geochemical
compositions and chemical element combinations.

๏ Multielement geochemical data base processing and interpretation

may allow characterization and determination of lithology,
hydrothermal alteration and mineralization, and supergene
alteration.

๏ The previous procedures allow characterization of all above

mentioned parameters in a quantitative manner at a resolution scale
equal to that of sample support, being of assistance in detailed
determination of ore deposit geologic models, applied to exploration
and/or geo-mineral metallurgical models.
 Data Processing: Multivariate
analysis & Hierarchical clustering
Is a method that shows the hierarchy
presented in a dataset or a group of
features. It is commonly used as a first
approach in cluster analysis in order to get
the visualization of possible groups in the
data. Often the results of a Hierarchical
clustering are visualized in a dendogram.
 Principal Components Analysis
(PCA)
Principal Component Analysis is a tool that
allows to transform a set of correlated
variables into another set of variables that
do not have dependencies between them.
In other words, PCA is a statistics
interpretation of the eingenvectors of the
correlation matrix.
 K-means

Is a vector quantization method, widely

used in cluster analysis and data
mining. In k-mean method every data is
grouped using the nearest cluster
centroid.
Features correlation matrix
Elements sorted by mean correlation:

Ga, Mg, Al, Li, V, P, Be, Sc, Y, Ce, Na, Mn, Rb, La, Th, K,
Ti, Cs, Zn, S, Ba, Se, Bi, Te, Ca, Ag, Ge, As, Pb, Sn, Re,
Cu, Hg, Sb, In, Tl, U, Nb, Hf, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Sr, Mo, B,
W, Zr, Ta

correlation correlation sorted

Hierarchical clustering

Ferromagnesian silicates

Silicates
Features over principal component
space
Data processing and Interpretation
PC1: Zn, Al, Be, Ce, Cs, Ga, K,
La, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Rb, Sc, Th,
Ti, V, Y
Silicate Minerals: Lithology &
Alteration

PC2: Ag, Te, Bi, Sb, Hg, Se, As,

Ge, In, S, Sn
Sulfosalts and precious metals
mineralization

PC3: Mo, Re, Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, B,

Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Hf, Nb, Sr, Ta, Tl,
U, W, Zr
Copper – Molybdenum high
temperature mineralization &
alteration
Data processing and Interpretation
(After feature selection)
PC1: Ga, Mg, Al, Li, V, P, Sc,
Na, Rb, K, Ti, Cs, Ba, Ca, Nb, Hf
Silicates: Lithology &
Alteration

PC2: S, Se, Bi, Te, Ag, Ge, As,

Pb, Sn, Re, Cu, Hg, Sb, In, Tl, U,
Cd
Sulfide & Sulfosalt
Mineralization

PC3: Be, Y, Ce, Mn, La, Th, Zn

Supergene Alteration –
Inmobiles
Data visualization and interpretation
Applications to Models

PC1 PC2

PC3
 Geochemical classification of
alteration types / intensity
๏ Recognition of at least three
sample clusters:
• Potassic Alterations (browns)
• Chlorite-sericite Alteration
(greens)
• Phyllic Alteration (orange)
• Phyllic-Argillic Alteration
(yellow)
๏ Ferro-magnesian mineral control
(Chlorite-Biotite?)
๏ Sulphide control (Py-Cpy)
๏ Sulphur enriched samples (towards
S) represent anhydrite in potassic
and chlorite-sericite alteration Example – classification on ternary
diagrams Mg-Fe-S
 Geochemical classification of
alteration types / intensity
๏ Example of hydrothermal type and
intensity determination in large
number of samples (sample
density by type)
๏ Variable VxSc plotted against
synthetic variable
(Al+K)/(Na+Ca+Mg)
๏ Three types of hydrothermal
alteration are recognized
๏ Sample classification and spatial
distribution correlates well with
deposit geological models
Geochemical classification of
alteration types / intensity
 Application to Models
๏ Once samples are classified by type of hydrothermal
alteration and mineralization, these may be studied for
spatial distribution

๏ Characterization of lithology, type and intensity of

alteration and mineralization will be plotted on a
resolution equivalent to sample support

๏ Results may be applied to 2 and 3D ore deposit models

for exploration and/or geo-mineral metallurgy

๏ Models may be based of thousands to tens of thousands

of samples with multielement whole rock geochemical
analysis (e.g. analytic FRX)
 Application to Models
๏ Classification by means of immobile elements allows
determination of lithologies, independent of alteration
๏ Mobile to immobile element ratios allows discrimination
of alteration types and intensities
๏ Geo-mineral metallurgical Models (qualitative to
PREDICTABILITY!!!
quantitative, geostatistical - simulations)
• Hardness Models
• Grindability Models
• Flotation Cu recovery Models
• Leach pad Cu recovery Models
๏ Mine processing tests
• Representativity
• Interpolations & extrapolations
Applying data science techniques
to metallurgical characterization
Daniel Baeza, Felipe Navarro and Brian Townley
 PC1 PC2 PC3 PC1 PC2 PC3

PC1 PC2 PC3

ga -0.942995 -0.090833 -0.123427 s 0.378663 -0.501077 -0.35029

be -0.816784 -0.022525 0.126685

mg -0.916736 -0.081689 -0.140625 se 0.207761 -0.533836 0.025774

y -0.780025 -0.059088 0.11622

al -0.886155 -0.033578 -0.133666 bi 0.169299 -0.696238 0.06243

ce -0.695594 0.041936 0.498649

li -0.892858 -0.07519 -0.071964 te 0.232694 -0.554302 -0.342834

mn -0.706027 -0.125379 0.078218

v -0.879855 -0.098704 -0.275169 ag 0.05023 -0.734493 0.273063

la -0.637526 0.054382 0.536113

p -0.848831 -0.080864 0.015993 ge -0.139435 -0.523189 -0.365874

th -0.576854 0.06692 0.30559

sc -0.844095 -0.095093 -0.26553 as 0.187192 -0.583965 -0.075845

zn -0.485096 -0.367983 0.403391

na -0.731161 -0.008696 -0.079897 pb -0.260376 -0.294214 0.293675

rb -0.687718 -0.05146 -0.21165 sn 0.165629 -0.499212 -0.356109

k -0.580123 0.009236 -0.214797 re 0.158542 -0.256789 0.28787

ti -0.605485 -0.051813 -0.430364 cu 0.171172 -0.328814 0.222342

 Feature
selection
co, cr, ni, sr,
mo, b, w, zr, ta