3D visualisation of portable X-ray fluorescence data to improve geological understanding and predict metallurgical performance at Plutonic Gold Mine,Western Australia

The amphibolite-facies metabasaltic rocks of the Mine Mafic Package at Plutonic Gold Mine, Western Australia, contain an estimated endowment of 10·5 Moz of Au. A preliminary study based on portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyses identified a geochemical stratigraphy which strongly controlled the location of Au mineralisation. The present study incorporates a significantly larger pXRF dataset and presents the data in a three-dimensional framework. This dataset allows an investigation of the mineralogy of Au mineralisation with varying geochemical associations across the deposit. Historically, high As content in the mill feed resulted in poor metallurgical performance. Seamless data integration of the pXRF dataset allows for recognition of the different styles of Au mineralisation based on Au/As ratios, and visualisation of the distribution of these different mineralogical associations in three dimensions. This work enables us to better predict the As concentration of underground ore blocks, and to be proactive in optimising the mill configuration to improve metallurgical performance.