ITRAX: A potential tool to explore the physical and chemical properties of mineralized rocks in mineral resource exploration

Abstract

Studying the physical and chemical properties of rocks is significant for understanding geological and mineralization processes in mineral resource exploration. The ITRAX core scanner is a fast and non-destructive instrument to identify and determine both the physical and chemical characteristics of rocks. In this study, the ITRAX is used to study mineralized rock samples composed of marble and diorite associated with mineralization from the Baiyinnuoer skarn-type Zn–Pb deposit, which is the largest Zn–Pb deposit in northern China. Four datasets, consisting of an optical image, an X-radiographic image, magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements, and relative elemental variations, were obtained from ITRAX examinations. The results show that the diorite associated with mineralization is characterized by a high MS value, which can be regarded as a geophysical indicator to explore for the skarn-type Zn–Pb deposits. Moreover, the ITRAX geochemical results reveal that the diorite associated with mineralization consisting of sphalerite, galena, and pyrite contains large proportions of Si, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn, but small amounts of Ca and Al. This suggests that the metal composition assemblages of Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn can be regarded as a geochemical indicator to explore for the skarn-type Zn–Pb deposits. This case study demonstrates that (1) the ITRAX core scanner is a potential tool to distinguish different rock types and to identify mineralization in mineral resource exploration, and (2) the logratio transformed geochemical results reveal the Zn–Pb mineralization, and the singularity index reveals the uneven Zn–Pb mineralization or other geochemical processes.