Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, Volume 20, August 1986, pp. 619 – 625
Department of Geography and Geology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Abstract: The Zeiss TGA 10 particle-size analyzer is a suitable analytical tool for the examination of heavy mineral concentrates obtained in stanniferous placer exploration. It can be connected to a stereomicroscope fitted with a drawing apparatus for rapid semi-automatic determination of the particle-size distribution of individual heavy mineral species present. The diameter based on the projected area of a mineral grain to a circle is measured and stored by a microprocessor, and there are facilities for both statistical analysis of the results and for a printout. From these results, the hydraulic equivalence concept may be applied to facilitate the identification of the transportational source of cassiterite. Since the distance of travel of cassiterite from the mineralized bedrock is reflected by the anomalous hydraulic ratios between cassiterite and its associated heavy minerals, these hydraulic ratios will provide useful indications of the lateral and vertical ore grade variation of a stanniferous placer deposit.
https://doi.org/10.7186/bgsm20198629
