Distribution of antimony and gold in old tailings and heaps at the Milesov locality (Pribram district)

Abstract

Antimony ores were extracted and processed near the village of Milesov (Pribram district) for about twenty years in the second half of the 19th century. Large heaps and a small sludge pond were left behind after this period. In 1988, this locality was inspected and sampled in order to gather information about residual resources of gold and antimony. The original archive data from this survey were now studied again and interpreted using modern statistical and geostatistical methods. The interpolations methods chosen for this purpose were inverse distance weighting (IDW), simple kriging and geostatistical sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS). These procedures allowed for a much more accurate determination of the spatial distribution of the elements or substances studied. The results showed significantly higher volumes and a more accurate localization of the studied elements in both bodies (heap and tailings). This procedure can be considered as the basis of a new methodology for the assessment of similar objects.