35-6 Show Me The Data! Evaluation of the Niton XL3t Portable XRF Instrument

Session: Minerals in Motion: Tracking Mineral Reactions Using In Situ and Synchrotron Techniques, A Celebration of the Career of Peter Heaney (Posters)

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Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) machines have been around since 1995, which have allowed for elemental analyses to be performed in situ.  ThermoFisher Scientific has produced a series of pXRFs called Niton which are marketed to have several applications including environmental remediation, mining and exploration, and scrap metal recycling.  Testing of the performance of Nitons has been done by ThermoFisher Scientific with NIST and in-house chemical standards, as well as by third parties who focused on environmental applications.  No testing though has been previously conducted using igneous rock standards.  This study focuses on the reliability and reproducibility of data when studying felsic igneous rock standards from the USGS using a Niton XL3t.  Three aspects of the Niton XL3t were assessed: how long is the warm-up time for each element, what is the optimal scan time for each element, and what is the accuracy and precision of the Niton Xl3t when detecting elemental abundances using the factory calibration along with using a secondary calibration.  Additionally, the accuracy and precision of the on-board GPS unit was assessed.  8 of the elements detected had the minimum warm-up time of 47 minutes, which could possibly be shorter due to limits of the analysis.  Many elements had warm-up times ranging from 1-1:30 hours; while Si, V, and As all had warm-up times of multiple hours.  Optimal scan time varied for each element detected but a longer than optimal scan time for an element did not appear to be detrimental.  Accuracy and precision in the detection of element abundances was bad for many elements using the factory calibration.  Application of a secondary calibration curve did improve the accuracy and precision in detection of elements such as Rb and Sr, while other elements such as Si and Pb did not improve.  The accuracy and precision of spatial data using the on-board GPS unit is comparable to consumer grade units, along with some mapping grade units.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-10992

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