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Deciphering the Complex Mineralogy of River Sand Deposits through Clustering and Quantification of Hyperspectral X-Ray Maps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2020

Aaron Torpy Open the ORCID record for Aaron Torpy [Opens in a new window] ,
Nicholas C. Wilson Open the ORCID record for Nicholas C. Wilson [Opens in a new window] ,
Colin M. MacRae Open the ORCID record for Colin M. MacRae [Opens in a new window] ,
Mark I. Pownceby Open the ORCID record for Mark I. Pownceby [Opens in a new window] ,
Pradip K. Biswas ,
Md Aminur Rahman  and
Mohammad N. Zaman
Aaron Torpy*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Nicholas C. Wilson
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Colin M. MacRae
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Mark I. Pownceby
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia
Pradip K. Biswas
Affiliation:
Institute of Mining, Mineralogy and Metallurgy (IMMM), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Joypurhat, Bangladesh Department of Geology and Mining, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Md Aminur Rahman
Affiliation:
CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, VIC, Australia Institute of Mining, Mineralogy and Metallurgy (IMMM), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Joypurhat, Bangladesh RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Mohammad N. Zaman
Affiliation:
Institute of Mining, Mineralogy and Metallurgy (IMMM), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Joypurhat, Bangladesh
*
*Author for correspondence: Aaron Torpy, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Alluvial mineral sands rank among the most complex subjects for mineral characterization due to the diverse range of minerals present in the sediments, which may collectively contain a daunting number of elements (>20) in major or minor concentrations (>1 wt%). To comprehensively characterize the phase abundance and chemistry of these complex mineral specimens, a method was developed using hyperspectral x-ray and cathodoluminescence mapping in an electron probe microanalyser (EPMA), coupled with automated cluster analysis and quantitative analysis of clustered x-ray spectra. This method proved successful in identifying and quantifying over 40 phases from mineral sand specimens, including unexpected phases with low modal abundance (<0.1%). The standard-based quantification method measured compositions in agreement with expected stoichiometry, with elemental detection limits in the range of <10–1,000 ppm, depending on phase abundance, and proved reliable even for challenging mineral species, such as the multi-rare earth element (REE) bearing mineral xenotime [(Y,REE)PO4] for which 24 elements were analyzed, including 12 overlapped REEs. The mineral identification procedure was also capable of characterizing mineral groups that exhibit significant compositional variability due to the substitution of multiple elements, such as garnets (Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cr), pyroxenes (Mg, Ca, Fe), and amphiboles (Na, Mg, Ca, Fe, Al).

Keywords

automated cluster analysisheavy mineral sandshyperspectral mappingmineral phase identificationquantitative EDS analysis
Type
Australian Microbeam Analysis Society Special Section AMAS XV 2019
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 26 , Issue 4 , August 2020 , pp. 768 - 792
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Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2020

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