Influence of the ore block model estimation on the determination of the mining cutoff grade policy for sustainable mine production

Strategic mine planning includes different cut-off grade policy depending on economic parameters of mining projects and grade–tonnage distribution of the deposit. Minimizing incorrect classification of ore and waste during grade–tonnage distribution is of critical importance for a mining operation. This article reviews the influence of the ore grade–tonnage distribution over the cut-off grade policy in a given mining operation. In this study, firstly, the interpolation parameters used to characterize the grade–tonnage distribution in the orebody are given. The resulting distribution of ore and waste is used to analyze uncertainty, risk impact, and to justify mine-planning decisions, according to the interpolation technique used and the number of geological settings and sampling scenarios being considered. Then, the working scheme of the cut-off grade policy and economic parameters are compared according to the resulting estimation from the inverse distance and the nearest neighbor methods.