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XRF Data Table
XRF Data Table
Contains XRF geochemical results from ultramafic rock samples collected at the Anna Mine and Pictou Mine in Atlin, British Columbia (Table 2).
Each row represents a single analyzed rock sample.
Samples are classified by Rock Type:
Listwanite
Serpentinite
Dunite
The dataset includes major, minor, and trace elements reported in ppm (parts per million). The original dataset also included standard deviations for every measured element.
The element group categories assessed in this study include:
Precious Metals: Precious metals are rare metallic elements with high economic value due to their scarcity, industrial uses, and role as currency. They also share physical and chemical traits: resistance to corrosion, high melting points and durability. Most precious metals appear close together on the Periodic Table. (Garfield Refining, 2025)
Base Metals: Base metals are common metals that tarnish, oxidize, or corrode relatively quickly when exposed to air or moisture. Base metals are more abduant in nature and easier to mine (McClements, 2024).
Pathfinders: a relatively mobile element or gas that occurs in close association with an element or commodity being sought, but can be more easily found because it forms a broader halo or can be detected more readily by analytical methods. A pathfinder serves to lead investigators to a deposit of a desired substance. Often called indicator element, but this latter term is restricted by some authors to elements that are important components of the ores being sought (Mindat.org, n.d.).
Lithophile/gangue elements: Elements commonly found in silicate minerals, economically useless in mineral exploration and mining.
All measurements were acquired using a Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t GOLDD+ portable XRF.
Values reported as 0.5 ppm represent the instrument’s minimum detection or substitution limit for below-detection results.
Table 2: XRF Data Table showing Sample ID, Rock Type, Sample Location, and Elemental Concentrations in ppm
Exploratory Graphics
Exploratory Graphics
Figure 8 — Elemental Concentrations by Economic Group
Figure 8 — Elemental Concentrations by Economic Group
This figure displays the distribution of measured element concentrations grouped by their economic relevance: precious metals, base metals, pathfinder elements, lithophile/gangue elements, and other trace elements. The log-scale axis indicates that concentrations span several orders of magnitude. Each box shows the spread of values measured across all samples. This provides an overview of how different classes of elements are represented in the dataset.
Figure 9 — Elemental Concentrations by Location (Anna vs Pictou Mine)
Figure 9 — Elemental Concentrations by Location (Anna vs Pictou Mine)
This graphic compares metal concentrations between samples collected from the Anna Mine and the Pictou Mine in Atlin, British Columbia. Elements are grouped by economic category and displayed on a log scale to accommodate large differences in abundance. The side-by-side distributions allow visual comparison of geochemical variability between the two sites. Little variation between elemental distributions at each site is observed here.
Figure 10 — Elemental Concentrations by Rock Type (Dunite, Serpentinite, Listwanite)
Figure 10 — Elemental Concentrations by Rock Type (Dunite, Serpentinite, Listwanite)
This figure organizes the same elemental data by rock type to explore how geochemical signatures vary with the degree of ultramafic alteration. Dunite, serpentinite, and listwanite samples are presented separately, with elements grouped by economic category and plotted on a log scale. The arrangement enables comparison of how elemental concentrations change across the three alteration-related lithologies. Interestingly, listwanite presents significant nickel outliers compared to dunite and serpentinite.
Figure 8: Elemental Concentrations by Economic Group for all Samples
Figure 9: Elemental Concentrations by Location
Figure 10: Elemental Concentrations by Rock Type
Figure 11: Ni Concentrations by Rock Type (Dunite, Serpentinite, Listwanite)
Figure 12: Au Concentrations by Rock Type (Dunite, Serpentinite, Listwanite)
Figure 13: Co Concentrations by Rock Type (Dunite, Serpentinite, Listwanite)
Between the figures above, it is evident that listwanite samples contain the greatest number of outliers for Ni/Co concentrations (Figures 11 & 13). These outliers are considered anomalous and prospective from a mineral exploration standpoint, warranting follow-up in an industry setting.
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