Diavik Waste Rock Project: Geostatistical Analysis of Sulfur, Carbon, and Hydraulic Conductivity Distribution in a Large-Scale Experimental Waste Rock Pile

One of the large-scale field waste rock experiments (test piles) conducted as part Diavik Waste Rock Project was deconstructed, providing a spatially located set geochemical, mineralogical, and particle-size distribution samples. Geostatistical analyses were for sulfur carbon content saturated hydraulic conductivity, which affect geochemical evolution rock, to investigate spatial dependence these parameters. Analyses included population statistics, experimental semi-variogram estimation, theoretical fitting. Population statistics calculated additional data sets from samples collected during construction test piles. The statistical indicated that log-normal provided best fit all investigated sets. Experimental semi-variograms estimated pile deconstruction) using classical estimator, fitted. This investigation showed sulfur, carbon, conductivity within core test-pile can be approximated with mean standard deviation piles, little no relationship present parameters at scale sampling. That matrix material represented by same throughout is significant because water flow, well mineral surface area reactivity are dominantly controlled portion pile. Reactive transport simulations demonstrate influence on effluent geochemistry.