With this definition, G. Matheron introduced the term geostatistics in 1962 to describe a scientific approach to evaluation problems in geology and mining, from ore reserve estimation to grade control. This approach provides, in application, a coherent and efficient set of techniques enabling the geologist, mining engineer or metallurgist to use available information and obtain more accurate estimates.

First published in 1978, this book was the first complete reference work on the subject of mining geostatistics, an attempt to synthesize the practical experience gained by researchers from the Centre de Morphologie Mathematique in France and by mining engineers and geologists all over the world who contributed their ideas. It was designed for students and engineers who wished to apply geostatistics to practical problems occurring in the lifetime of a mine and for this reason was built around typical problems, progressing from the simplest to the most complicated: structural analysis, guiding exploration, estimation of in situ resources and recoverable reserves, numerical models of deposits, simulation of mining and homogenization processes, ore grade control in production. The techniques developed are illustrated by a large number of case studies and, as an aid to the reader, each chapter begins with a summary of the contents and there is a guide to the notation used.