Commercial applications of instrumental neutron activation analysis in geochemistry

A major application of the INAA technique is in the field of geochemistry. Lithogeochemical research to solve petrogenetic problems are based primarily on the rare earth elements and other immobile elements like Sc, Hf, Ta, Th, and Cs. These elements are easily determined in most rock matrices by INAA. Methods combining a nickel sulfide fire assay procedure with INAA to determine all the platinum group elements (PGE) has also proven popular for research into mode of formation of PGE deposits. Exploration geochemistry for gold has been greatly aided by the introduction of very low cost multielement INAA packages. The inhomogeneous distribution of gold in geological matrices has been taken into account in developing the INAA technique using samples as large as 1 Kg. Matrices analyzed include humus, vegetation, rocks, soils, heavy minerals, and water