Petrogeochemical assessment of rock units and identification of alteration/mineralization indicators using portable X-ray fluorescence measurements: Applications to the Fire Tower Zone (W-Mo-Bi) and the North Zone (Sn-Zn-In), Mount Pleasant deposit, New B

Greisen and propylitic alteration are reflected by strong depletion of K and Rb in some samples. The Fe and Mn typically are leached out of the mineralization system during the greisen alteration. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the pXRF datasets. The first principal component (PC1) of the pXRF data from both the Fire Tower Zone and the North Zone mainly extracts information on Ti, Zr, Ce, Cr, V, Nb, Y, U, and Th, and thus represents different rock units. The PC2 is characterized by high-positive loadings of K, Rb, Fe, and Mn and negative loading of As and Mo. It is interpreted as the W-Mo mineralization indicator showing by the enrichment in Mo and depletion of K, Rb, Fe, and Mn associated with quartz + topaz + sericite + fluorite alteration. The PC3 consists of positive loadings of Sn, Zn, Cu, and S and slightly negative loadings of Sr and Ba, and thus represents the Sn-Zn mineralization in this area.