Application of an inverse distance weighted anisotropic method (IDWAM) to estimate elemental distribution in Eastern Kahang Cu–Mo porphyry deposit, Central Iran

Estimation of elemental distribution with low value of error is essential for block modelling based on subsurface data. This paper proposes an application of inverse distance weighted anisotropic method (IDWAM) based on combined variograms to generate block models in Kahang Cu–Mo porphyry deposit, Central Iran. To do this, cell declustering for dataset with respect to Cu concentrations as the main target in this deposit was conducted in order to validate the chosen voxel dimension. Moreover, ‘Variogram Maps’ have been created to find out if there are any anisotropic characteristics within the deposit. Finally, correlation between results for Cu estimated, achieved from the proposed estimator and raw data were carried out using optical verification and jackknife. The results obtained by the combination of IDWAM and experimental variograms showed that the enriched elemental concentrations for Cu and Mo are associated with the central, NE and NW parts of the area.