Development of the HySpex hyperspectral drill core scanner: case study on exploration core from the Au-rich LaRonde-Penna volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit, Quebec, Canada

HySpex is presenting an integrated solution for hyperspectral drill core imaging. The system’s mineral mapping capabilities are presented in close cooperation with renowned academic and industrial partners through the Center to Advance the Science of Exploration to Reclamation in Mining (CASERM) led by the Colorado School of Mines and Virginia Tech. Utilizing HySpex cameras covering the spectral range between 400 and 2500 nm, the system is capable of scanning full core boxes in seconds. Using Prediktera’s new Breeze-GEO Software, real-time mineral mapping of the highest quality is achieved. Apart from different interactive qualitative and quantitative data analysis tools offered by Breeze, the platform includes the publicly available USGS Material Identification and Classification Algorithm (MICA) for mineral identification, as well as the Minimum Wavelength Mapping (MWL) algorithm. The scanner’s capabilities are demonstrated using drill cores from the LaRonde-Penna deposit. The deposit is located within the Archean Abitibi greenstone belt of Ontario and Quebec, Canada, which is home to numerous Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) deposits. LaRonde-Penna contains an endowment of 71 Mt of ore grading on average 3.9 g/t Au and economic grades of Zn, Cu and Pd. Because the deposits have been studied extensively over the past decades, cores from the deposit open up a unique opportunity for research and development.