Sampling and analysis

Analysis
Mineralogical analysis
A successful separation of a valuable mineral from its ore can be determined by heavy-liquid
testing, in which a single-sized fraction of a ground ore is suspended in a liquid of high specific
gravity. Particles of less density than the liquid remain afloat, while denser particles sink. Several
different fractions of particles with the same density (and, hence, similar composition) can be
produced, and the valuable mineral components can then be determined by chemical analysis or
by microscopic analysis of polished sections.
Size analysis
Coarsely ground minerals can be classified according to size by running them through special
sieves or screens, for which various national and international standards have beenaccepted. One
old standard (now obsolete) was the Tyler Series, in which wire screens were identified by mesh
size, as measured in wires or openings per inch. Modern standards now classify sieves according
to the size of the aperture, as measured in millimetres or micrometres (10-6 metre).
Mineral particles smaller than 50 micrometres can be classified by different optical measurement
methods, which employ light or laser beams of various frequencies.