Geochemical meter? Any 1 use?

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a11051605

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Sep 6, 2017
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11
So action mining sells a geochemical meter on their online full catalogue page 41
http://www.actionmining.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=18_45

So any one used or heard of such a device? Supposed to be a hand held meter and claims to allow you to sample areas for trace element "halos" near PM ore bodies. Any way thoughts or experience? Internet and forum search turned up empty, no first hand testing or reviews.
 
Before dropping a bunch of greenbacks on this item, I would urge you to take a look at the sticky at the top of this section. Quick Qualitative Testing of Rocks and Ore. These tests have been around for years, and I have seen most of them in print, in several different formats, since the 1970s. I have personally met several exploration geologists who use many of these tests when in the field.

Time for the first coffee.
 
I took a quick look at it in their catalogue and it looked like snake oil to me.

Trace minerals, sampling rocks, measuring elements dissolved in water and so on is used by smart geologists with high end laboratory equipment. That combined with regional geological maps, magnetic and electrical measurements, gravitational anomalies and a lot of computer simulations and modelling eventually leads to findings even deep under the surface of the earth.
But claiming a kit for a couple of hundred dollars could do the same doesn't sound convincing to me.

I visited a gold mine two months ago (Kankberg), the ore body was found 400 m deep under a mountain. The ore contains almost no sulfides and almost no visible gold, most gold comes in the form of gold tellurite grains up to 10 um in size. 3.8g gold and 180g tellurium per ton. The production is 600.000 tons ore per year for at least 15 years.
We were allowed a couple of hours on the ore pile and I managed to find an interesting rock. It shows up as tellurium and lead (altaite) with traces of gold (sylvanite, calaverite) on the XRF. That is the instrument of choice in the mine for checking gold ore grades on the spot.

Göran
 
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