It detects elements only, but in relative abundance (% ratio of elements within the scanned surface area). So not a definitive % or ppm of element content by weight, like XRF or assay. Therefore it probably isn’t suitable for JORC reporting and the ASX may have some questions if C1X decide to include what it comes up with in an announcement.
The geos will be looking for spodumene in outcrop, and then will be able to “confirm” spodumene with the gun, through the ratios of the elements that pop up (Li, Al, Si, etc in the case of spodumene). So really, it can be a good tool to find good samples to send off for assay.
Using XRF/LIBS guns on pegmatites is always weird anyway. For example when looking at sulphides, the mineralisation is typically disseminated homogeneously throughout the entire rock, and so a small surface area being scanned can give a decent representation of the larger ore sample. But in pegmatites, the mineralisation is in randomly emplaced large crystals, on a scale way too large for the small surface area of the gun to get a representative sample of the larger pegmatite mineralisation.
i.e. you scan a spod crystal and see a huge concentration of Li, scan the quartz 1cm next to it and you get nothing.
hope that made sense
(20min delay)