Thermo Scientific NITON XL3t 500, User Manual

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Analysis of Unprepared Samples – In Situ
1-36 NITON XL3 Analyzer User’s Guide Thermo Scientific
Analysis of
Unprepared Samples
– In Situ
Figure 1-1. In-Situ Soil Testing
Screening Techniques
There are many techniques you can use in analyzing samples in-situ. None
of them are correct or incorrect - the only thing that matters is if they suit
your particular interests. Following are some typical sampling techniques
used in the field.
Exploration - Greenfields
Greenfields sampling is done as a preliminary mineral survey of a plot of
land, to get an overview of surface deposits and signs of sub-surface deposits.
The area to be surveyed is gridded at a constant spacing - usually 100m
apart. Samples are taken at each grid intersection, first cleaning off the
surface to a depth of 1 cm or so to avoid windblown contamination. GPS
links via Bluetooth assures location and elevation information are recorded
with each sample, which can be loaded into GIS mapping software to give a
3D map of the site with mineral readings plotted.
• Clean the measurement window of your analyzer before and after taking
a sample to prevent cross-contamination.
• Check the Bluetooth connection to your GPS locator.