A Comparative Study of Ore Reserve Estimation Methods: Traditional Triangulation vs. Geovia Surpac & Maptek Vulcan at the Al Khabra Phosphate Deposit, Saudi Arabia

Ore reserve estimation drives mining's economic viability. Reserve estimation in mining involves determining the amount of economically extractable minerals in a given deposit. This study, using 63 boreholes, conducts a comparison of triangulation, Geovia Surpac, and Maptek Vulcan for Al Khabra's phosphate reserves, Saudi Arabia. It computes grade, volume, and tonnage, revealing a 2.05% difference in Surpac and 0.68% in Vulcan. Specifically, the traditional triangulation method yielded a reserve of 278.6 million tonnes (Mt) at an average grade of 21.75% P2O5. In comparison, Geovia Surpac estimated 284.3 Mt, and Maptek Vulcan estimated 280.5 Mt at a grade of 22.25% P2O5. The findings highlight method synergy, optimizing phosphate mine planning and ore recovery for long-term profitability.