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Microcline.
The Question
At the Sinclair Caesium deposit, the core is being scanned per meter with portable XRF. This means for every one metre of core there is one analysis point to summaries that section.
Within the microcline cap of the deposit there is a strong correlation between Cs and Rb, but what is the nature of the relationship between Cs and Rb in the microcline cap above the ore?
A sample of microcline from within the cap was scanned on the Bruker M4 TORNADO to answer this question (Fig. 2.).
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Figure 1: The sample of microcline analysed with the Bruker M4 TORNADO is shown in red.
Graph courtesy of Portable Spectral Services.
Our Findings
The Rb is distributed evenly throughout the microcline (Fig. 2b.), whilst the Cs is concentrated within two bands that form linear parallel fronts through the sample and are most likely associated with fluid alteration (Fig. 2c).
Therefore, although there is a correlation between Cs and Rb on a meter by meter scale within the microcline cap, at the microscale they are identified as being only spatially, not mineralogically associated.
This is an important distinction to make as it could have important implications for future exploration.
Figure 2a: Microcline sample used. Area of 18cm wide was scanned.
Image courtesy of Portable Spectral Services.
Figure 2b: Distribution of Rb through microcline sample. Area of 18cm wide was scanned.
Scan image courtesy of Portable Spectral Services.
Figure 2c: Distribution of Cs through microcline sample. Area of 18cm wide was scanned.
Scan image courtesy of Portable Spectral Services.
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Experiment
Experiment