Characteristic point method for optimizing exploration network of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore

Weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore exhibits significant spatial variability in rare earth grades. Uniform placement of exploration holes is prone to the problem of insufficient exploration holes in areas of high-grade variability and too many exploration holes in areas of low variability. Assuming that there is a positive correlation between the distribution of rare earth mass per unit area in the ore body and the intensity of changes in terrain elevation, a characteristic point method for optimizing the exploration network of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore was established by taking terrain features as exploration points for rare earth reserves. The rationality of the proposed method was varied through actual ore bodies. The correlation coefficient between the rare earth mass per unit area and the orifice elevation of exploration holes is higher than 0.390, indicating that the assumption was reasonable. The direction angle of the exploration line is around 90° to due east, where the number of exploration holes reaches a minimum. Compared to the actual exploration results, the characteristic point method can reduce the number of exploration holes by 20.00%, and the calculation error in rare earth reserves is less than 8.00%. The research provides theoretical support for the efficient prospecting for weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ore.