SAMPLING, ANALYSIS & LAB ASSAY
In the future, he also sees GeologicAI’ s work being leveraged in discussions that go way beyond exploration drilling.
He concluded:“ Because of the highresolution nature of the data we’ re providing, there is the ability to impact the economics of these mines in the future. It’ s all a matter of the industry becoming comfortable with these processes and realising that they can reduce the‘ time to decision’ that is holding back the development of critical minerals deposits.”
On an Elemission
One company looking at accelerating the decision-support ecosystem Nitz references is Larvotto Resources, which recently became the first Australian mining company to install an Elemission ECORE rapid core scanner at its Hillgrove antimony-gold project after collaborating with Elemission’ s Australia-based distributor AXT.
The installation followed an extensive evaluation program with AXT’ s Automated Mineralogy Incubator( AMI), AXT’ s mineralogical services business.
The ECORE, which uses laser ablation and atomic emission spectroscopy to rapidly scan up to 1,000 m per day of drill core and other geological materials, is giving the company near real-time analysis of drill cores from its drilling program, according to AXT.
With the ECORE scanner, one can generate a full elemental breakdown for every spot scanned, at spatial resolutions as fine as 50 microns. This allows users to identify mineralised zones, alteration halos and key textural relationships crucial for understanding ore continuity and zonation, AXT says.
It was able to create detailed mineral libraries for the Hillgrove project, which enabled more accurate discrimination of mineralised zones.“ This information was critical to gaining a better understanding of the best exploration strategies, helping them map extensions of the deposit and assisting in the development of a robust and optimised geometallurgical flowsheet,” AXT says.
In addition to the AMI’ s mineralogical expertise, Larvotto also used techniques to complete detailed feasibility studies. Collectively, insights from all these channels targeted flowsheet improvements and enhanced overall recovery strategies.
The Elemission ECORE has been installed in a newly established facility in Armidale, New South Wales, and will be used to support exploration and metallurgical development activities at Hillgrove.
More specifically, in exploration it will provide multi-element and mineral map data, streamline geological logging and targeting, optimise sample selection and build a digital geological library. In metallurgy, Larvotto will use the technology for prefeasibility and metallurgical testing, optimising grinding and liberation, and troubleshooting process control.
At PDAC 2025, IMDEX, Datarock and Elemission announced a collaboration aimed at simplifying and accelerating access to the knowledge held within the datasets obtained by Elemission, so that these technologies
can, the companies say, more readily integrate into day-to-day exploration and production workflows to assist the delivery of timely and actionable insights for mining customers.
Seamless geological data flow
It is the combination of XRF and hyperspectral analysis that Veracio sees as a core( pun intended) differentiator of its“ Scan by Veracio” solution.
This“ comprehensive core scanning solution” is built to enhance mining operations through automation, real-time imaging and advanced data analytics. It combines tough, field-ready equipment with easy-to-use software to collect and process geological information as soon as core samples are taken, the company explains, helping mining and geology teams work more efficiently, with fewer mistakes and with faster, more accurate data.
Eduardo Molina, Global Vice President of Commercial at Veracio, explains:“ Our solutions directly deliver accurate geochemical, mineralogical and structural information in the field, supporting faster, smarter decisions while cutting analysis time and costs.”
The system includes cloud-based data integration tools, in-field support platforms and next-generation geological logging technologies. This allows key geological data to flow seamlessly from the drill site to the office, enabling real-time decision making and boosting operational productivity with a more sustainable footprint.
Portable PPB acquires Block 10 Mining
Two Australia-based innovators in the field of sampling and analysis have joined forces to, they say, bring together industrychanging gold and multi-element analysis technology with cutting-edge engineering and automation expertise.
Portable PPB was founded in 2017 to commercialise CSIRO invented detectORE™ technology, which enables gold to be measured with pXRF down to 10 parts per billion, it says. This technology is now being used in 35 countries across exploration, grade control and mineral processing and has enabled three recent discoveries, according to the company. Block10 Mining was founded in 2022 offering innovative sample preparation equipment for the field and laboratory as well as providing turnkey, customised engineering solutions to complex problems within the mining industry.
Block 10’ s range of sample preparation equipment and expertise in automation complement Portable PPB’ s field-based gold and multi-element analysis platforms, detectORE and RokBot™. By combining the entities, Portable PPB can now offer comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for the mining industry from sample collection and preparation to advanced analysis, it says. With capabilities ranging from suitcase-scale kits to containerised laboratories, the combined offering supports exploration, feasibility studies and grade control across a wide range of mining operations.
The first product has rolled off the production line in the form of a self-contained detectORE Mobile Container Laboratory that, Portable PPB says, can be deployed anywhere to support rapid gold and multi-element analysis for hundreds of samples per day. Next up will be a mobile containerised sample preparation laboratory containing fit-for-purpose driers, crushers, sieves, mills and presses ideal for mine-site grade control and resource drill outs.
76 International Mining | FEBRUARY 2026