FIELD ANALYSIS FOR MAJORS AND TRACES IN ROCKS

Portable XRF instrumentation has become an accepted technique for field analysis in mining applications in recent years. With the introduction of instruments based on Silicon Drift Detector technology the lighter mineral elements such as Mg, Al, S and P are now possible. This provides the ability to analyze the mineral matrix within which the elements of interest are found. The ability to analyze the matrix provides entirely new information about the composition of the mine (potential mine) and at the same time makes the analysis of the principle elements more accurate. This poster will provide a summary of the capabilities and provide several examples based on real mine samples.