Identifying pathfinder minerals in lithium exploration can be performed using an oreXpress spectrometer with EZ-ID and the USGS and optional SPECMin and GeoSPEC libraries. These three libraries contain known samples of more than 1100 minerals and 2600 spectra.

Two of the pathfinder minerals for lithium are lepidolite and spodumene. A sample can be identified as lepidolite with distinct features at 580nm, 2190nm and 2340nm. A spodumene sample could show absorption features at 550nm, 1980nm and 2320nm.

By matching the spectra of an unknown field sample against the samples in the libraries, EZ-ID can provide a fast and easy initial identification to create an accurate mineral map and help a geologist decide on the most promising drilling locations. The oreXpress and EZ-ID can also be used to identify mineral alteration in core and chip samples after drilling.

The oreXpress geological spectrometer with EZ-ID delivers:

• Full range NIR field spectrometer – 350-2500nm
• High resolution/high sensitivity scanning in a lightweight field package
• Rugged reliable design with all photodiode arrays – no moving optical parts
• Contact probe and two lithium-ion batteries for a full day of fast scanning in the field

EZ-ID features:

• Fast and accurate identification of an unknown mineral to a known spectral library sample
• Simple, consistent user interface
• USGS, SpecMIN and GeoSPEC libraries available
• Weighted score for best matches
• Include or exclude spectral regions of interest for optimal results
• User-configurable batch processing and output to an Excel spreadsheet
• All data saved as ASCII files for immediate use with 3rd party software

Lepidolite sample matched with EZ-ID. Target in blue – library sample in red

Spodumene sample match using match regions to focus on specific features