Rapid Geochemical Imaging and Element Speciation on Drill Core: A Synchrotron Spectroscopy Pilot Project in the Yellowknife Gold Camp

钻芯上的快速地球化学成像和元素形态：黄刀金矿营地的同步加速器光谱试点项目

• 批准号: 510552-2017
• 负责人: Banerjee, Neil
• 金额: $ 0.91万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Plus Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=640181
• 关键词: Rapid; Geochemical; Imaging; Element; Speciation

Mineral exploration is a pillar of Canada's economy with annual mineral production topping $45 billion a year,creating >375,000 jobs, $89.5 billion in exports, more than $677 million in R&D expenditures and a betterstandard of living for all Canadians. Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, TerraX Minerals Inc. (TerraX) is aCanadian based gold exploration company with an extensive land package in the Yellowknife Gold Campmining district. TerraX is advancing its exploration activities on the highly prospective, 382 sq. kmYellowknife City Gold Project (YCG) near Yellowknife, NWT, home of the historic Con and Giant goldmines. Diamond drilling is a critical but exceedingly expensive component of any successful mineralexploration program. Costs are typically measured in millions of dollars, representing most of a company'sannual exploration budget. In order to remain competitive in a highly volatile industry, TerraX recognizes theimportance of gaining as much information as possible from their drilling efforts. Initial work on themineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of four mineralized zones at the YCG Project provided key insightinto trends in belt-scale mineralization and identified key pathfinder elements that can be used as vectors to ore.The objective of this study is to conduct a real-time pilot-scale test during gold exploration this summer asTerraX continues to explore for new mineralization. We will apply newly developed synchrotron innovationsthat provide a rapid sample screening protocol based on in situ major and trace element geochemical mappingof drill core. This will be followed up by innovative in situ geometallurgy that will identify refractory vs. freemilling gold directly on core. The technique has the added benefit of identifying potentially deleteriouselements associated with ore for community engagement and long-term planning. The results will helpexploration efforts, aid mineral processing, and guide environmental compliance. This project will usecutting-edge technological innovation to provide a new model from which TerraX can better assess thepotential of the local geology to host further gold reserves, including gold mineralization at depth.

矿产勘探是加拿大经济的支柱，每年矿产产量超过450亿加元，创造了超过375，000个就业机会，895亿加元的出口额，超过6.77亿加元的研发支出以及所有加拿大人更好的生活水平。TerraX Minerals Inc.总部位于不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华。（TerraX）是一家加拿大黄金勘探公司，在耶洛奈夫金矿区拥有大量土地。TerraX正在推进其勘探活动的高度前瞻性，382平方米。耶洛奈夫城市黄金项目（YCG），靠近耶洛奈夫，NWT，历史悠久的Con和Giant金矿的所在地。金刚石钻探是任何成功的矿产勘探计划的关键但极其昂贵的组成部分。成本通常以百万美元为单位，代表了公司年度勘探预算的大部分。为了在高度不稳定的行业中保持竞争力，TerraX认识到从钻井工作中获得尽可能多的信息的重要性。对YCG项目四个矿化带的矿物学、岩石学和地球化学的初步研究为带状矿化趋势提供了关键的见解，并确定了可用作矿石载体的关键先导元素。这项研究的目的是在今年夏天的黄金勘探期间进行实时中试规模测试，因为TerraX继续探索新的矿化。我们将应用新开发的同步加速器创新技术，根据岩芯的原位主要和微量元素地球化学绘图提供快速样本筛选方案。随后将采用创新的原位几何学方法，直接在岩心上识别难熔金与自磨金。该技术的额外好处是，可以识别与矿石相关的潜在可再生资源，以促进社区参与和长期规划。其结果将有助于勘探工作，帮助矿物加工，并指导环境合规。该项目将利用尖端技术创新提供一个新的模型，使TerraX能够更好地评估当地地质的潜力，以容纳更多的黄金储量，包括深部金矿化。