27.02.2024 | The use of RA-915M in mercury vapor survey in British Colombia
February, 2024 – Vancouver, Canada. RA-915M successfully used for mercury vapor surveys on British Columbia polymetallic deposits.
Recently, Finlay Minerals Ltd. reported the completion of the 2023 field work program of biogeochemical sampling and soil mercury (Hg) vapor analysis. Mercury is a pathfinder for most types of ore deposits forming lithochemical haloes in host rocks, overburden sediments, plants, and vapor haloes in soil gas. Thereby, the measurement results during the program have successfully confirmed the presence of known mineralization and outlining further potential drill targets.
The company's press release noted that the Hg vapor data was collected using RA-915M - a unique, high sensitivity analytical instrument for measuring mercury in the field. This portable Lumex Instruments’ analyzer based on Zeeman atomic absorption spectroscopy (ZAAS) allows direct determination of mercury in air below the background level of 1-2 ng/m3. During the program, total of 601 Hg vapor readings were collected. The survey proved successful in identifying the known-mineralized Main Trend and the West Cu-Mo Porphyry.
In recent years, new data has been obtained with real-time air mercury surveys of the near-surface atmosphere over sediment-covered Hg, Au, Au-Ag-Cu, polymetallic, and rare metal mineralization. In addition to field gas surveys, the multifunctional RA-915M analyzer has been successfully used for the express analysis of lithogeochemical and biogeochemical samples, including the determination of mercury thermoforms.