Application of the geochemical block method to the assessment of copper resources in Ethiopia

Low-density geochemical mapping is characterized by high order streams to be sampled and a large coverage area and can be used to effectively trace geochemical blocks with high metal contents. Based on the 1:1,000,000 low-density geochemical mapping data of Ethiopia and the processing of the testing data of Cu in the original stream sediments, this study calculated the anomaly threshold of Cu at 37×10^-6 through iterative deletion. Then, this study delineated three geochemical blocks and two regional anomalies with 37×10^-6, 42×10^-6, 47×10^-6, 52×10^-6, 59×10^-6, and 66×10^-6 as grading intervals. It calculated the mineralization coefficient of Cu ore bodies in the study area at 0.055% by referencing the known reserves of Cu deposits in geochemical blocks with a high level of copper exploration in the same metallogenic belt. Moreover, this study estimated the Cu resources in the study area at 2,600,000 t based on a rock mass thickness of 1,000 m. By combining the analysis of metallogenic geological conditions, this study determined that the zones where geochemical blocks nos. 2, 3, and 4 are located can be considered key metallogenic prospect areas for further detailed exploration.