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The analysis of drill powders (drill fines) extracted from fluid that is returned during drilling can provide a sampling media that records cm-scale changes in the geochemistry of the rock being drilled through. In addition to being an ideal sample media (~ 78% of particles are < 38 μm; cf. conventionally pulverised samples where ~ 42% of particles are < 38 μm) that is ready for analysis once dried, diamond drill fines may produce a larger sample per meter drilled than recovered by the core itself, and thus be a better representation of the rock that has been drilled through. For an HQ hole size (for rocks with specific gravity = 3100 kg/m 3 ), the mass of drill fines produced in 1 m of drilling is 12.5 kg, whereas, the mass of the 1 m in length of core for the same interval is 9.7 kg. In this contribution we compare high-spatial resolution geochemistry collected by portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and mineralogy collected by portable X-ray diffraction (pXRD) from 12 m of diamond drill core to the corresponding interval of drill fines to highlight the depth fidelity (at the cm-scale) that this sample source may record. We also demonstrate that the drill fines that were previously discarded show high potential to act as a representative sample media of the lithology intersected by the drill hole and can be successfully used for analysis in real time. The integrated pXRF-pXRD data can be used to constrain lithologies and contacts between various units, hydrothermal alteration and ore types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2009 all underground face samples and diamond-drill core samples at the Plutonic Gold Mine (Plutonic), Marymia Inlier, Western Australia have been analysed by portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) following a systematic approach. This method is rapid and cost-effective and provides analyses of a large suite of chemical elements which can be used to characterize lithology and alteration. The delivery of a comprehensive workflow for sample preparation, analysis, results correction, and rapid processing enabled a quantum leap in the way mine geologists use geochemistry in modelling the ore body. Interpretation of the mine-site dataset of over 200 000 multi-element analyses has resulted in significant improvements in the understanding of the Plutonic deposit. In this contribution, we review how our understanding of Plutonic has been significantly improved through the use of pXRF geochemical analyses. Incorporation of pXRF data into routine geological modelling at Plutonic has resulted in improved confidence in the models of the ore bodies themselves and late-stage dolerite intrusives. It has allowed better management of milling processes through the development of metallurgical proxies and for significant insights into the role of stratigraphy in controlling the location of gold mineralization. We highlight the potential that a systematic approach to collecting pXRF data can have in a mining environment. These same techniques could be adapted and used in other mine and/or exploration settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stratigraphy, structure and host-rock chemistry are dominant controls on the location of Au in Archaean greenstone-hosted Au deposits, but the stratigraphy in such deposits is seldom obvious due to the monotonous nature of the host rocks or pervasive alteration associated with Au mineralisation. Portable, hand-held, X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry provides a method to rapidly collect large amounts of whole-rock geochemical data that can yield new insights into both stratigraphy and Au localisation. Here we present results of pXRF analyses of samples from a representative section through Au-mineralised amphibolite-facies metabasaltic rocks at Plutonic Gold Mine, Western Australia. These data illustrate a geochemical stratigraphy in which individual lava flows can be identified on the basis of element concentrations. The most evolved basalts are at the structural base of the succession, and the least evolved at the top of the sequence, confirming previous geochemical interpretations and textural evidence that the sequence is overturned, and demonstrating for the first time that the presented section does not involve significant structural repetition. In conjunction with Au assay data, the pXRF data reveal that Au commonly occurs along basalt flow boundaries. The elemental concentration data clearly demonstrates for the first time the stratigraphic control on Au mineralisation that is not readily apparent at the macroscopic level. The methods described in this paper are readily applied, and have the potential to enhance the understanding of otherwise unclear stratigraphy and its control on mineralisation in many different types of deposits worldwide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Geological map layers derived using machine learning reveal geochemical anomalies. • ASTER and airborne radiometric data and a SOM generate a map layer of regolith type. • Airborne geophysic data and Random Forests construct a map layer of bedrock geology. • Regolith and bedrock map layers inform normalisation of soil geochemical data. The primary aim of mineral exploration is to focus the search space from regional scale (1000 s km2) to prospect scale (1–10 km2), identify areas that warrant further investigation, and ultimately drill a target. Mineral deposits typically display geochemical anomalism related to the conditions of their formation, or the weathering and mass transport of sediment away from a mineral deposit. However, this anomalism can be obscured in soil-sample surveys due to background variations in host bedrock chemistry and the transformation and redistribution of original minerals during surface weathering, regolith development, and supergene processes. This contribution uses machine-learnt map products to aid in the interpretation of a regional-scale soil-sample dataset. ASTER (satellite spectral) data were combined with airborne radiometric data using Self-Organising Maps (SOM) to generate a map of regolith type. A map of bedrock geology was previously derived by the authors from airborne geophysical data using Random Forests. These two products are used to classify soil samples with an objective bedrock-geology and regolith-type classification. A z-score normalisation was implemented on the soil-sample geochemical data, using two different matrices (regolith type and bedrock geology) to remove the bias of bedrock geology and regolith type from the soil sample chemistry. The signal that remains likely reflects metasomatic processes, and associated elemental anomalism, potentially linked to mineralisation. These data can then be plotted to provide maps of (pathfinder) element anomalies, thus identifying potential exploration targets. We explore this approach to normalise geochemical data in a dataset of 9,924 soil samples collected over an area of 1,028 km2, from Kerkasha, Eritrea (Nubian Shield). The Kerkasha project is an early-stage exploration project, with a limited understanding of the local geology and mineral deposit types; however, it contains many Au and Cu prospects that have received minimal exploration work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil samples collected at 50–70 cm depth at 8 km-spaced sample sites over 40,000 km2 of southern New Zealand were analysed for their chemical composition. Nine pathfinder elements (Ag, As, Au, Bi, Mo, Sb, Sn, Te, W), which are useful in exploration for orogenic-style mineralisation, were z-score normalised using two different matrices to account for both lithology and metamorphic grade, which vary significantly across the survey area. Interrogation of interpolated plots of the normalised data, relative to known orogenic-style deposits (Au ± Sb ± W), highlights chemical associations that varied between deposit types, and between similar deposit types mineralised under varying pressure-temperature-time conditions. Active mining for orogenic-style Au along the Hyde-Macraes Shear Zone is coincident with a regionally-significant, multi-element soil anomaly (Ag, As, Au, Mo, Sn, Te, Sb, W). The chemical associations vary along strike of the mined-portion of the shear, such that the northwest has high Ag, Au, Mo, Sn, and Te relative to the southeast which has high Sb, W in soil anomalies, hinting at chemical complexity along the shear. The chemical footprint of this deposit is readily identified in the 8 km-spaced grid, considerably expanding the chemical footprint previously inferred from hard-rock studies. Historic orogenic W mines are associated with high As, Au, Bi, W in soil anomalies, and historic Sb mining with high Bi in soil anomalies. Chemical soil anomalies are likely related to the progressive metamorphic breakdown of minerals, especially rutile and pyrite. Several multi-element soil anomalies that are coincident with known orogenic mineralisation, also occur in areas that have not been mined, and explored only at a reconnaissance level. This study demonstrates the importance of normalisation of chemical data in complex geological settings and highlights the value that can be extracted beyond only plotting raw-concentration, single-element maps, and the significant opportunity in multielement studies of soil in mineral exploration for orogenic-style mineralisation. • Soil samples from 8 km-spaced sample sites over 40,000 km2 of New Zealand • Nine orogenic Au pathfinder elements standardised for lithology/metamorphic grade • The footprint of the Macraes deposit is readily identified in the 8 km-spaced grid. • Important to normalise chemical data, especially in complex geological settings • Significant value that can be extracted beyond raw-concentration, single-element maps [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]