Comparing the performance of different neural networks architectures for the prediction of mineral prospectivity

In the mining industry, effective use of geographic information systems (GIS) to identify new geographic locations that are favorable for mineral exploration is very important. However, definitive prediction of such location is not an easy task. In this paper, four different neural networks, namely, the Polynomial Neural Network (PNN), General Regression Neural Network (GRNN), Probabilistic Neural Network (PrNN) and Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) have been used to classify data corresponding to cells in a map grid into deposit cells and barren cells. These approaches were tested on the GIS mineral exploration data from the Kalgoorlie region of Western Australia. The performance of individual neural networks is compared based on simulation results. The results demonstrate various degrees of success for the networks and suggestions on how to integrate the results are discussed.