Total Nondestructive Analysis of Caas Syenite

Abstract

AbstractDetermination of 35 trace and 8 major elements in a granitic rock by nondestructive X-ray emission and fast-neutron activation methods has been accomplished. Trace elements arsenic, barium, cadmium, cerium, cobalt, chromium, cesium, copper, gallium, gadolinium, germanium, hafnium, mercury, indium, lanthanum, molybdenum, manganese, niobium, neodymium, nickel, rubidium, antimony, scandium, samarium, tin, strontium, tantalum, thorium, titanium, vanadium, yttrium, ytterbium, zinc, and zirconium and major elements aluminum, calcium, iron, potassium, and silicon have been estimated in the vacuum X-ray spectrograph. Phosphorus has been excited by a chromium-target tube. Major elements magnesium, sodium, and oxygen have been estimated by the Henke aluminumtarget X-ray spectrograph. Major elements oxygen and silicon have also been determined by fast-neutron activation. Detection limits for traces are in cur system in the range of 1 to 100 ppm with standard deviations of about 1 to 10 ppm. Precision in the determination of major constituents is better than 1% in relative standard deviation. The data are reported in parts per million for the trace elements and for the major elements as well. It is suggested that this type of repotting of geochemical data be preferred to the conventional reporting of major constituents as oxides.