eprintid: 565
rev_number: 10
eprint_status: archive
userid: 7
dir: disk0/00/00/05/65
datestamp: 2012-02-03 21:53:41
lastmod: 2015-05-29 20:11:12
status_changed: 2012-02-03 21:53:41
type: report
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Broadgate, M.
creators_name: Cheng, Q.
creators_name: Hayward, N.
creators_name: Jennings, L.
title: Using fractals and power laws to predict the location of mineral deposits
ispublished: pub
subjects: materials
studygroups: misg18
companyname: WMC Resources
full_text_status: public
abstract: Around the world the mineral exploration industry is interested in getting that small increase in probability measure on the earth's surface of where the next large undiscovered deposit might be found. In particular WMC Resources Ltd has operations world wide looking for just that edge in the detection of very large deposits of, for example, gold. Since the pioneering work of Mandelbrot, geologists have been familiar with the concept of fractals and self similarity over a few orders of magnitude for geological features. This includes the location and size of deposits within a particular mineral province. Fractal dimensions have been computed for such provinces and similarities of these aggregated measures between provinces have been noted. This paper explores the possibility of making use of known information to attempt the inverse process. That is, from lesser dimensional measures of a mineral province, for example, fractal dimension or more generally multi-fractal measures, is it possible to infer, even with small increase in probability, where the unknown (preferably large) deposits might be located.
date: 2001
citation:   Broadgate, M. and Cheng, Q. and Hayward, N. and Jennings, L.  (2001) Using fractals and power laws to predict the location of mineral deposits.  [Study Group Report]     
document_url: http://miis.maths.ox.ac.uk/miis/565/1/Using-fractals-and-power-laws-to-predict-the-location-of-mineral-deposits.pdf