Abstract
Quality control of copper ores during mine development is traditionally carried out by core sampling, the final stage of which is chemical analysis. The multi-stage nature of this procedure (sampling, transportation, crushing, grinding, sieving, and analysis of a sample weighing of approximately 1 g) conditions its high labor intensity, length, significant cost, and relatively low representativeness, which makes it unsuitable as a tool for the operational management of mining operations. From this perspective, X-ray radiometric testing (XRT) offers significant potential, as it allows for the rapid determination of the content of components of interest without taking samples directly from the core and under natural in-situ conditions. Using the example of two similar copper ore deposits – Shatyrkul and Zhaissan – it is shown that the XRT method reliably distinguishes between ore and waste rock intervals and is in good agreement with chemical analysis data. The use of the XRT method reduces the duration of the test to a matter of minutes and significantly cuts its cost.