1458 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
to 93 μm and that of particle from 139 μm to 292 μm
(Table 5). The grain size coupled with the liberation/asso-
ciation and exposure of the minerals provides insights into
metallurgical processes.
The mineralogical data are used to: (1) map the deposit,
e.g., porphyry granites, skarns, endoskarns, mixed rocks
(2) determine the type of the Cu minerals which can-
not be estimated from a total Cu analysis or even Cu spe-
ciation alone, and the Cu deportment (3) determine the
liberation, association and grain size of the Cu minerals, all
of which aid in the development of the flowsheet.
Opx: pyroxenes, Grt garnets Amph: amphibole Ep: epidote
Classification of Skarn Types
The mineralogical and geochemical data were examined
using DFA. DFA is in general considered a multivariate data
classification method. The method of classification is based
on simple linear combinations of selected geochemical
Table 2. Mineral wt% from the TIMA-X analysis
Sample Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9 Sample 10
Rock Type Granite Skarn Skarn Granite Granite Skarn Mineralized Granite Granite Skarn
Chalcopyrite 1.14 0.64 0.14 0.26 0.27 0.41 2.37 1.68 0.62 4.10
Chalcocite 0.01 0.07 0.06 3.35 0.97 0.61 0.09 0.05 0.28 0.16
Bornite 0.00 0.02 0.31 0.42 0.20 0.23 0.06 0.00 0.05 0.05
Tetrahedrite/Tennantite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Enargite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Copper Oxides 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Oxidic_copper_species 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Malachite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Chrysocolla 0.00 0.01 0.04 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00
Cu-goethite 0.07 0.82 0.12 0.26 0.39 6.69 3.14 0.21 0.91 1.76
Pitch Copper Wad 0.00 0.05 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00
Cu-Chlorite 0.16 0.07 0.00 0.86 0.86 0.30 0.18 0.16 0.48 0.01
Chalcosiderite(Al) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Fe-Al-Silicate-low Cu 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.11 0.06 0.10 0.03 0.01 0.07 0.00
Zn Silicates/Carbonates 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Fe-Sulphides 3.75 3.13 0.07 0.75 3.34 19.8 49.8 1.90 15.2 0.72
Sphalerite 0.00 0.16 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01
Molybdenite 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00
Other Sulphides 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Quartz/Feldspars 81.0 5.42 1.50 83.8 80.9 6.95 3.06 77.3 68.1 6.98
Opx/Grt/Amph/Ep 0.38 56.2 67.9 0.96 0.68 59.7 20.4 1.14 1.94 70.8
Wollastonite 0.00 0.01 2.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08
Biotite/Chlorite 5.20 8.01 0.08 2.71 4.31 1.14 6.75 5.82 5.55 0.09
Talc/Serpentine 0.01 5.52 2.62 0.01 0.03 0.12 0.41 0.01 0.03 1.98
Muscovite/Clays 6.55 0.19 1.63 5.56 6.57 0.78 0.37 8.90 5.68 1.66
Fe-(Ti)-(Mn)-Oxides 1.31 0.94 0.30 0.66 1.02 0.74 12.8 1.31 0.54 2.50
Carbonates 0.18 18.7 22.8 0.06 0.10 1.40 0.39 1.05 0.21 8.90
Other 0.27 0.05 0.03 0.08 0.29 0.78 0.17 0.45 0.23 0.19
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Table 3. Cu (Mass%) from the TIMA-X analysis
Mineral/Sample Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9 Sample 10
Chalcopyrite 95.4 68.8 14.5 2.5 7.4 13.3 80.9 93.1 40.3 89.5
Chalcocite 1.6 14.7 14.4 86.3 69.7 46.6 5.6 4.5 40.6 6.0
Bornite 0.3 5.2 63.3 9.0 13.0 15.7 4.3 0.1 7.0 2.1
Malachite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
Chrysocolla 0.1 1.4 3.9 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0
Cu-goethite 0.4 6.2 1.0 0.2 3.9 18.4 7.9 0.8 4.6 2.3
Pitch Copper Wad 0.0 1.9 3.0 0.0 0.0 3.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0
Cu-Chlorite 2.0 1.1 0.0 1.4 4.2 1.5 1.0 1.3 4.9 0.0
Fe-Al-Silicate-low Cu 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.9 0.0
Other Cu Minerals 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.3 1.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
to 93 μm and that of particle from 139 μm to 292 μm
(Table 5). The grain size coupled with the liberation/asso-
ciation and exposure of the minerals provides insights into
metallurgical processes.
The mineralogical data are used to: (1) map the deposit,
e.g., porphyry granites, skarns, endoskarns, mixed rocks
(2) determine the type of the Cu minerals which can-
not be estimated from a total Cu analysis or even Cu spe-
ciation alone, and the Cu deportment (3) determine the
liberation, association and grain size of the Cu minerals, all
of which aid in the development of the flowsheet.
Opx: pyroxenes, Grt garnets Amph: amphibole Ep: epidote
Classification of Skarn Types
The mineralogical and geochemical data were examined
using DFA. DFA is in general considered a multivariate data
classification method. The method of classification is based
on simple linear combinations of selected geochemical
Table 2. Mineral wt% from the TIMA-X analysis
Sample Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9 Sample 10
Rock Type Granite Skarn Skarn Granite Granite Skarn Mineralized Granite Granite Skarn
Chalcopyrite 1.14 0.64 0.14 0.26 0.27 0.41 2.37 1.68 0.62 4.10
Chalcocite 0.01 0.07 0.06 3.35 0.97 0.61 0.09 0.05 0.28 0.16
Bornite 0.00 0.02 0.31 0.42 0.20 0.23 0.06 0.00 0.05 0.05
Tetrahedrite/Tennantite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Enargite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Copper Oxides 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Oxidic_copper_species 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Malachite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Chrysocolla 0.00 0.01 0.04 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00
Cu-goethite 0.07 0.82 0.12 0.26 0.39 6.69 3.14 0.21 0.91 1.76
Pitch Copper Wad 0.00 0.05 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.33 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00
Cu-Chlorite 0.16 0.07 0.00 0.86 0.86 0.30 0.18 0.16 0.48 0.01
Chalcosiderite(Al) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Fe-Al-Silicate-low Cu 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.11 0.06 0.10 0.03 0.01 0.07 0.00
Zn Silicates/Carbonates 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Fe-Sulphides 3.75 3.13 0.07 0.75 3.34 19.8 49.8 1.90 15.2 0.72
Sphalerite 0.00 0.16 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01
Molybdenite 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.00
Other Sulphides 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Quartz/Feldspars 81.0 5.42 1.50 83.8 80.9 6.95 3.06 77.3 68.1 6.98
Opx/Grt/Amph/Ep 0.38 56.2 67.9 0.96 0.68 59.7 20.4 1.14 1.94 70.8
Wollastonite 0.00 0.01 2.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.08
Biotite/Chlorite 5.20 8.01 0.08 2.71 4.31 1.14 6.75 5.82 5.55 0.09
Talc/Serpentine 0.01 5.52 2.62 0.01 0.03 0.12 0.41 0.01 0.03 1.98
Muscovite/Clays 6.55 0.19 1.63 5.56 6.57 0.78 0.37 8.90 5.68 1.66
Fe-(Ti)-(Mn)-Oxides 1.31 0.94 0.30 0.66 1.02 0.74 12.8 1.31 0.54 2.50
Carbonates 0.18 18.7 22.8 0.06 0.10 1.40 0.39 1.05 0.21 8.90
Other 0.27 0.05 0.03 0.08 0.29 0.78 0.17 0.45 0.23 0.19
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Table 3. Cu (Mass%) from the TIMA-X analysis
Mineral/Sample Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 8 Sample 9 Sample 10
Chalcopyrite 95.4 68.8 14.5 2.5 7.4 13.3 80.9 93.1 40.3 89.5
Chalcocite 1.6 14.7 14.4 86.3 69.7 46.6 5.6 4.5 40.6 6.0
Bornite 0.3 5.2 63.3 9.0 13.0 15.7 4.3 0.1 7.0 2.1
Malachite 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
Chrysocolla 0.1 1.4 3.9 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0
Cu-goethite 0.4 6.2 1.0 0.2 3.9 18.4 7.9 0.8 4.6 2.3
Pitch Copper Wad 0.0 1.9 3.0 0.0 0.0 3.5 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0
Cu-Chlorite 2.0 1.1 0.0 1.4 4.2 1.5 1.0 1.3 4.9 0.0
Fe-Al-Silicate-low Cu 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.9 0.0
Other Cu Minerals 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.3 1.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100