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

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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.