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ABSTRACT: Using the commercial FracMan software package, discrete fracture model (DFN) of the geological stockwork veins
has been built at the El Teniente mine that honoured data collected in drill cores and mine drives. DFN models explicitly represent
key vein structures in 3D and require as a minimum data, the orientation, the size and the intensity of the veins to be defined. The
orientations of the structural data observed in oriented cores were used to bootstraps veins orientations within the modelled
volume. The correlation between observed and simulated orientation data sets was evaluated by applying Chi-Square tests and the
results were outstanding. Vein size was assessed through applying the simulated sampling technique to match the observed trace
length measurements collected in wall mine drives. The results showed the stockwork veins as having small size with a mean
around 1.0m for both lognormal and exponential size distributions. Discontinuity intensity was determined by conditioning linear
vein frequency of the three different core measurements using vein orientation and size properties determined in previous
modelling steps. Veins intensity, measured as the area of fracturing in a unit volume, was estimated as 46m2/m3, but for veins that
control fragmentation and caving propagation, intensity values were estimated between 1m2/m3 and 5m2/m3.
Fig. 1 Sampling location at dacita rock type within El Teniente mine (z; high in mine coordinates)
indicates a very good correlations between data sets
2.1. Assumptions considering 8 degrees of freedom (n = 9-1 spaces) for
DFN modelling assumes a Poisson distribution for 3D 95% of confidence level [if P(82 < x) = 0.95, then x
veins occurrence. It means that each vein happened 15.507].
independent of each other, i.e., vein occurrence is
assumed to be not as deterministic process as geologists
may expect. Discontinuity shape is assumed to be
similar to circular disk with neglected thickness at this
stage of the project. These assumptions are considered
reasonable with regards to a model of the vein system
[4].
Discontinuity properties such as orientation, size and
intensity are assumed the same within the modelling
volume, usually 25m x 25m x 25m. Discontinuity size
distribution is independent of the spatial location or
family set; this is also a reasonable assumption
considering that the magmatic process of hydraulic
fracturing that formed the stockwork veins should be the
same within this small volume range.
3. RESULTS
3.1. Discontinuity Orientation Fig. 3 Areas or spaces within lower hemispheric projection for
The orientation of the structural data observed in comparison of the structural data [13].
oriented cores was used to bootstrap vein orientations
within the modelled volume. To evaluate the 3.2. Discontinuity Size
bootstrapping process, simulated drill cores were
Discontinuity size assessment was carried out in two
introduced in the model, and the modelled
steps. Firstly the correlation between modelled
discontinuities were intersected within the same core
discontinuity size and their observed trace length in
section logged. Visual comparison between observed
several cross sections for a large modelled volume scale
and simulated data is shown in Figure 2.
was studied to test orientation influence of selected cross
A Chi-Square test (2) was applied to evaluate the
section. Secondly, the same was done to match observed
correlation between observed and modelled structural
and censored trace length data collected in 4m high mine
data. The lower hemispheric projection containing the
wall drifts. In both cases, the discontinuity orientations
structural data was divided in 9 similar spaces (Figure
from previous modelling steps were used.
3), and pole counting was undertaken at each space to
establish a comparison between each data set. Results of
the Chi-Square test are presented in Table 1, which
Fig. 2 Comparison between sampled data and simulated data using bootstrapping in FracMan [12]
Table 1. Chi Square Test results to the observed and simulated
orientation data.
DipDir DipDir Dip Dip Count Count 2
(Min) (Max) (Min) (Max) Real Sim. Value
a 0 45 40 90 49 58 1.653
b 45 90 40 90 61 68 0.803
c 90 135 40 90 88 104 2.909
d 135 180 40 90 213 198 1.056
e 180 225 40 90 54 52 0.074
f 225 270 40 90 70 77 0.700
g 270 315 40 90 82 71 1.476
h 315 360 40 90 95 93 0.042
i 0 360 0 40 134 129 0.187
Sum 846 850 8.900