Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

The application of portable short-wave infrared(SWIR) spectrometer such as the Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser(PIMA SP) has been used to define the alteration zones in mineral exploration. This technique allows rapid field-based identification of hydrothermal alteration minerals and detailed examination of drill hole logging. The SWIR results can be discriminated by wavelength and intensity of relevant absorption features under hydrated and various surface condition of specimens. The SWIR spectroscopy is capable of quantitatively estimating abundances of alteration mineral, and determining chemical composition in minerals such as chlorite. The known binary mixtures using mineral standards reveal that the estimated precision and accuracy of the empirical spectral method is capable of identifying alunite-kaolinite, kaolinite-illite, and illite-chlorite assemblages within an error of less than 10 percent. Therefore, the application of SWIR spectroscopy to define the alteration zones associated with the Geumbong-Taegeug deposit (low-sulfidation type) at the Mugeug district and the Gasado area (low- and high-sulfidation) is consistent with the conventional data from XRD and microscopy.