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

矿产勘探是加拿大经济的支柱，矿产年产量超过450亿美元，创造了375,000个就业机会，出口收入895亿美元，研发支出超过6.77亿美元，所有加拿大人的生活水平都有所提高。TerraX Minerals Inc.(TerraX)总部设在不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华，是一家总部位于加拿大的金矿勘探公司，在耶洛奈夫金矿露营地拥有广泛的土地包。TerraX正在极具前景的382平方英尺的土地上推进勘探活动。Km黄刀市黄金项目(YCG)位于西北部耶洛奈夫附近，这里是历史悠久的康金矿和巨型金矿所在地。钻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。成本通常以数百万美元计算，占公司年度勘探预算的大部分。为了在高度动荡的行业中保持竞争力，TerraX认识到从他们的钻探工作中获取尽可能多的信息的重要性。YCG项目对四个矿化带的矿物学、岩石学和地球化学的初步工作提供了对带状规模矿化趋势的关键洞察，并确定了可用作找矿载体的关键找矿元素。本研究的目标是在今年夏天TerraX继续勘探新矿化的情况下，在金矿勘探期间进行实时中试。我们将应用最新开发的同步加速器创新，提供基于钻芯原位主元素和微量元素地球化学图的快速样品筛选方案。随后将进行创新的原位几何学，它将识别直接在岩心上的耐火金和自由磨金。这项技术还有一个额外的好处，就是识别与矿石有关的潜在有害物质，以便社区参与和长期规划。这些结果将有助于勘探工作，有助于矿物加工，并指导环境合规。该项目将利用尖端的技术创新提供一种新的模式，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，包括深部的金矿化。

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.