August 11, 2026
Why is accurate mineralogy important and where does it fail?
Mika Kortelainen
SR-XRD mineralogy for mining
Quantified mineralogyfor the whole programme
We measure your ground samples (pulps) with synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) and quantify every mineral phase. Thousands of samples are measured in a day at a synchrotron, a particle accelerator used as an X-ray source, and quantified within a day of the data. Mineralogy for every sample in the programme, not a handful.
- Per sample: every phase quantified, with confidence intervals and the evidence for each phase
- About 7 seconds per sample at the beamline, up to around 8,000 to 10,000 samples a day
- Phases below 1 % detected and quantified as a rule
- About five weeks end to end, first results within a day of the data
01 In numbers
The service, as a spec sheet
| Item | Value | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | About 7 seconds per sample | Up to around 8,000 to 10,000 samples a day at the beamline, the measurement station at the synchrotron, with our beamline partners. |
| Campaign size | Tens to tens of thousands | A 10-sample trial and a 50,000-sample drilling programme go through the same pipeline. The difference is how many beamline days we book, about a week for 50,000 samples. |
| Sample | Milligrams measured | Send pulps as they are. The measurement uses a few milligrams. How much to send is in the FAQ. |
| Deliverable, per sample | Phases with confidence intervals | The fit and residuals, the evidence behind each phase, back-calculated chemistry (element oxides computed from the quantified minerals, to check against your assays), hypothesis tests across the set. |
| Detection | Below 1 % as a rule | Phases at a fraction of a percent are detected and quantified. With proper grinding, internal standards and controls, very small traces too. |
| Review | With you | Our expert reviews every result. Then we go through them with you, so the answers fit your questions and your process. |
| Pricing | Competitive, also on smaller sample sets | Quoted per project. The per-sample price falls with volume, and a first batch is priced so that comparing us with your current laboratory is easy. |
| Trial batch | 10 to 100 samples | For comparison against your current laboratory. |
02 Lead time
From samples received to final report
Samples received
Day 0
Pulps arrive. Scope and beamtime are already agreed as one project.
Sample preparation
Days
Around 1,000 samples a day by hand, with more hands for large campaigns. Runs while we wait for the beamline slot.
Beamtime
Booked in advance
The calendar variable. Your campaign goes into the next available slot.
Measurement
A day, or a few
Up to around 8,000 to 10,000 samples a day, with our beamline partners.
First results
Within a day
Phase identification and quantification on Mintti, typically within a day of the data arriving.
Review and final report
Days
Our expert reviews every result, then we go through them with you. Excel and PDF with a written interpretation.
ΣTypically around five weeks end to end. Most of it is waiting for the booked beamtime.
03 The service
Synchrotron XRD Mineralogy
01
Synchrotron Analysis
Our service: you send ground samples, we measure them at a synchrotron with our beamline partners and quantify every phase on Mintti, our own analysis system. Synchrotron XRD resolves minerals that cannot be separated with conventional laboratory XRD, and short measurement times make it possible to analyse large numbers of samples with high-quality results. Campaigns of thousands of samples are routine. Tens of thousands are measured in days.
Learn more: Synchrotron Analysis02
Capabilities & Accuracy
Trace, poorly crystalline and overlapping phases resolved and quantified. Every phase assignment is auditable, every result is reviewed by an expert mineralogist, and back-calculated chemistry lets you check against your assays.
Learn more: Capabilities & Accuracy03
Timeline and economics
A whole campaign is measured in a day at the beamline and quantified on Mintti within a day of the data arriving, even for thousands of samples. Setup and beamtime dominate small batches, so the per-sample price falls with campaign size. The budget that buys a handful of laboratory samples buys mineralogy for the whole programme.
Learn more: Timeline and economics04 Who it's for
Four situations, four reasons
01
Exploration
A straight answer, in time: which mineral holds the metal, whether it can be extracted, whether anything in the rock stops the project. Certainty from resolution, results while the programme is still being decided.
Learn more: Exploration
02
Feasibility studies
Every mineral, everywhere: the whole deposit from surface to ore, gangue and host rock included, so the plant, the permits and the block model are planned on the whole rock rather than a few composites.
Learn more: Feasibility studies
03
Operating mines
The reference set the on-site instruments are calibrated against and audited with, and the geometallurgical model is updated from. Not real-time control, and we say so.
Learn more: Operating mines
04
Tailings and waste
Finding what was missed: trace phases, minerals the methods of the time could not name, and minerals nobody valued then. Sample by sample across a heterogeneous pile, at the pile's own pace.
Learn more: Tailings and waste- 01
Tell us what you're working on
Every project starts with a conversation. What do you need to find out about your material? We listen, ask questions, and figure out together which analysis approach fits your situation.
- 02
Send us your samples
Send ground samples as they are. We prepare them for the beamline and handle the beamtime.
- 03
We measure and analyse
Measured at a synchrotron light source with our beamline partners. Phase identification and quantification on Mintti, our own analysis system. We don't just run the numbers. We interpret the mineralogy in the context of your question.
- 04
Results you can use, not a report over the fence
Our expert reviews every result. Then we go through them with you: your questions, phases worth digging into, a hypothesis test across the set, results presented the way your process needs them. The analysis is done when it answers your question and you can apply it.
06 People
The founders behind the analysis
Linda Kortelainen
Co-founder, geologist
The mineralogist behind every result we deliver. Over a decade in mineralogical analysis and thousands of SR-XRD analyses, before Mineralytics and since. Linda reviews every result and goes through it with the customer.
Mika Kortelainen
Co-founder, CEO
Built Mintti, the analysis system, and runs the company. Before Mineralytics, Mika led enterprise IT for sales and marketing and built data and AI systems. He saw what SR-XRD could do for the data the industry already works with, and built the system to make it routine.
