Measurements of liberation are typically undertaken on materials at sizes where, in most instances, the inherent textural features of the ore have been destroyed. Understanding the contribution of textural characteristics to the evolution of mineral liberation can therefore be challenging. In previous work the authors described the development of a method to measure and interpret the textural features of 63 mm diamond drill core that contained both vein structures and disseminated grains. Using random masking to simulate breakage at different sizes, it was shown that the presence of vein structures led to liberation of sulphide minerals at coarser particle sizes. An experimental program was then undertaken to break the core sections and measure the progeny particles created using a combination of areal (2D) and volumetric (3D) measurements. Data from these measurements show evidence of non-random breakage occurring and provides insights into which meso-scale features of the ore are the contributing factors.
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