Western Australia Mines and Petroleum Minister, David Michael, today unveiled a next-generation spectral scanner set to, the ministry says, accelerate resource discovery across Western Australia.
The HyLogger 4 system captures high-resolution data from drill core samples, providing a fast way to analyse geology that will help explorers better target resources and reduce costs.
The Western Australia Government invested in the system, which was developed by CSIRO and commercialised by Perth-based company Corescan Pty Ltd. This investment also benefited from a contribution by AuScope.
Using Corescan’s proprietary FTIR spectrometer design, the HyLogger integrates VNIR-SWIR-MWIR-LWIR spectroscopy, core photography and 3D laser profiling to deliver the most advanced, full range hyperspectral scanning system, Corescan says. The HyLogger system incorporates all sensors, an XYZ translation table, high speed data acquisition, data quality control and an advanced health monitoring and reporting system.
Located at the Perth Core Library and managed by the newly formed Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration (DMPE), the HyLogger 4 replaces the ageing HyLogger 3.
Michael said: “The HyLogger upgrade strengthens our ability to deliver the pre-competitive data industry relies on to plan exploration programs and reduce risk.”
Since its commissioning in 2009, the HyLogger 3 analysed more than 600,000 m of drill core from more than 2,000 holes across the state. A significant portion of this core was collected by companies participating in the Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme.
While the HyLogger 3 delivered reliable mineralogical data, the HyLogger 4 offers higher-resolution capture and enhanced analytical capabilities, improving the detection and understanding of mineralisation undercover, the ministry says.
The next-generation system also enables DMPE to continue supplying high-quality data to the National Virtual Core Library – the world’s largest online drill core database, with more than 1.6 million metres of data freely accessible to exploration companies worldwide.