Geochemical Exploration and Survey
In all stages of the geochemical and mineral exploration process, you make decisions based upon site conditions, judgment, and experience. Meanwhile, quickly obtaining accurate exploration assay data to guide mining operations is one of your biggest obstacles to high productivity. The fast acquisition of this data for rapid delineation of ore boundaries and the in-depth, quantitative geochemical analysis of metal concentrations for mine mapping and grade control is critically important for your efficient mining functions.
Benefits At-a-Glance
- Real-time modeling – ability to determine new drilling/soil sampling locations before moving your drill rig
- The ability to send and share XRF data to headquarters gives you the ability to make integrated decisions, receiving necessary input when you need it most
- Infill and step-out decisions made in real time
- No need to re-drill targets
- Reduced lead times – especially important if your exploration season is short
Optimizing Mineral Exploration with XRF and GOLDD Technology 
Thermo Scientific portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers with our groundbreaking Thermo Scientific GOLDD technology, are the ideal tools for these demanding mineral exploration jobs. The low detection limits achievable with GOLDD™ technology – plus light element analysis (Mg, Al, Si, P, S) without helium purge or vacuum – allow you to identify element concentrations at unprecedented low levels, even at or below the averages naturally found in the earth's crust, detecting even the most subtle geochemical anomalies. Choose from the performance-leading handheld Thermo Scientific Niton XL2 GOLDD and Niton XL3t GOLDD+ analyzers, or the ultimate choice in features and performance, our no compromise, lab-quality Niton FXL field x-ray lab.
You benefit in a variety of ways with these remarkable geochemical and mineral testing instruments:
- Rapid delineation of geochemical anomalies
- High sample throughput and increased sample density over traditional lab methods
- Direct analysis of drill core and cuttings to dynamically drive mineral exploration programs
- Light element analysis without He purge directly quantifies Al, Si, and Mg levels to perform effective alteration mineral mapping
Everything You Need for Real-Time Elemental Analysis
Thermo Scientific Niton XRF analyzers provide you with mining exploration assay data within seconds, allowing for immediate ore flagging, avoidance of lab turnaround delays, and rapid delineation of ore boundaries.
You get real-time elemental analysis from a variety of sample forms: 
- Directly on the mine face
- Bagged samples from survey or drilling operations
- Drill cores and cuttings
- Prepared samples
What's more, our Thermo Scientific sample collection and preparation tool kits deliver a full lab-to-field solution, complementing the already superior high-performance of our XRF analyzers. These compact, portable, battery-powered tools provide everything required to deal with dry geological material for rapid elemental analysis in the field.
Lab-Quality Results On Site
Our innovative XRF mining analyzers enhance mineral exploration by improving precision and detection limits over previously available handheld XRF instruments. They are the tools to choose for measuring elemental concentrations i
n:
- Ores
- Soils
- Sediments, cuttings and cores
- Mill Heads and tails
- Concentrates
- Filter media
- With fast, simple GPS/GIS integration for real-time mapping
What's more, once a survey is complete, our GPS-XRF file translation utility, just one feature of our Thermo Scientific NDT software, allows you to download your NDT file, combined assay data, and GPS coordinates from your analyzer to a PC. Then you can export the files from NDT format into many other formats...MapInfo, ESRI shape files, Keyhole Markup Language, and more.
Easy-to-Spot Feature for Geochemical Exploration
Handheld Niton XL3t GOLDD+ XRF analyzers and the Niton FXL Series feature an integrated CCD camera that helps you accurately position the instrument on a specific location of a sample. Images and analysis data are stored together by the XRF instrument for easy reference, data management, and data integrity.
Further, when you need to isolate and analyze samples, or areas of a sample smaller than the standard 8 mm diameter x-ray spot size, the Niton XL3t instrument offers you an optional 3 mm small-spot capability complete with a bull’s-eye superimposed on the image. What’s more, the Niton FXL analyzer is available with a 1 mm, 3 mm, and 8 mm spot size. For increased precision, it also features an X-Y positioning head for easily finding the specific analyzed area. These outstanding features help you isolate inclusions or anomalies in rock faces and drill cores, providing valuable information about the chemical composition of a discrete section of the sample.
XRF Analyzer Versatility Leads to Prompt Decision-Making
With more than 30,000 of our XRF instruments deployed worldwide, and more than 2,500 in use in the exploration and mining industries, their ability to obtain instant, nondestructive data on site can significantly help to reduce the cost, time, and labor involved in exploration and surveying activities and allows you to make decisions promptly, before mineral samples are dispatched to the laboratory. Contact us today for a demonstration and discover how these versatile instruments can help with your mineral exploration needs.
